Traxxas Nitro Rustler or Losi 8ight RTR?

[AlexSkalski]

I am interested in purchasing a Nitro Car. I currently have an Associated SC10RS. I race at a local indoor track. I am interested in getting a Nitro, because of the challenge, sound, smell, and everything great about a Nitro. I want a buggy or on-road car that I can rip around my cul-de-sac. The Losi is appealing because of the 4wd, dynamite engine, and the handling. The Rustler is appealing because of the easy start, torque, rear wheel drive (For Donuts), and the fact that it is a Traxxas. My budget is $350 or lower. Respond with your take and any other recommendations!!
Thanks!!

 

[watertrucker]

Welcome to RCNT. I don’t have a Losi in my collection but I do have a Nitro Rustler. Thing is awesome, runs great and the 2.5 puts out a lot of power. The Traxxas Nitro Sport is almost the same as the Rustler but is a little less expensive and the Pro .15 is easy to tune.

 

[WoodiE]

@AlexSkalski first welcome to RCNT! You've got two very different RC's here but if I had to pick only one it would be the Losi 8ight without a doubt. Losi makes top notch stuff plus you're already a racer so if you decided you wanted to get into buggy racing the Losi would be competitive right out of the gate.

 

[AlexSkalski]

Welcome to RCNT. I don’t have a Losi in my collection but I do have a Nitro Rustler. Thing is awesome, runs great and the 2.5 puts out a lot of power. The Traxxas Nitro Sport is almost the same as the Rustler but is a little less expensive and the Pro .15 is easy to tune.

I would probably go with the Rustler instead of the Nitro Sport. I like the Nitro Rustler because it is a bit cheaper, but it also comes with some of the stuff that you need to buy with the car (Fuel Bottle, Battery Charger). I am not sure if the Losi would be good for what I am doing.

 

[olds97_lss]

Being in Arizona, you don't have to worry much about snow, so a 2wd rig would do well just about anywhere a 1/8 buggy would. However, 1/8th buggies are predominantly some of the toughest rigs you can get. They can take a ton of abuse without breaking. 2wd stadium trucks are a bit more fragile, but still fun. With some RPM arms, towers if they exist and a t-bone bumper, a rustler should hold up pretty well to general bashing.

Things that I broke a lot of were arms, c-hubs and shock towers on all of my 1/10 stadium type rigs. If you can get rpm arms and towers, then your going to get a lot more use out of it between breakages.

 

[AlexSkalski]

@AlexSkalski first welcome to RCNT! You've got two very different RC's here but if I had to pick only one it would be the Losi 8ight without a doubt. Losi makes top notch stuff plus you're already a racer so if you decided you wanted to get into buggy racing the Losi would be competitive right out of the gate.

I thought about that, but there aren't any 1/8th scale buggy tracks in AZ. I would probably be doing some street racing and dirt donuts/thrashing.

 

[AlexSkalski]

Being in Arizona, you don't have to worry much about snow, so a 2wd rig would do well just about anywhere a 1/8 buggy would. However, 1/8th buggies are predominantly some of the toughest rigs you can get. They can take a ton of abuse without breaking. 2wd stadium trucks are a bit more fragile, but still fun. With some RPM arms, towers if they exist and a t-bone bumper, a rustler should hold up pretty well to general bashing.

Things that I broke a lot of were arms, c-hubs and shock towers on all of my 1/10 stadium type rigs. If you can get rpm arms and towers, then your going to get a lot more use out of it between breakages.

I like the Traxxas because my local hobby shop carries a BUNCH of Traxxas. I also like the easy start feature. I am also starting to consider a Jato, because it has the bigger engine and is more for street racing. Maybe I just save a bit more and invest in a Jato.

 

[olds97_lss]

Jato is fun. I had a hard time controlling mine offroad with the 2.5R in it. I ended up converting it to brushless and now I drive it a lot more. I hate dealing with traxxas engines in general. The 2.5-3.3 are just too fussy for me.