TTR S3 and MBX 5

[vbgagnon]

Here is the deal guys. I have at my fingertips a eb4 s3 or a mbx5 (not prospec but has kinghead hopups) I like the innovation of the eb4, but the consistancy of the mugen is just mind boggleing. One of my buddies has a prospec that I helped build and its a great ride. I have never seen a ttr in person just seen some pics and vids. The pro's seem to like what they ride (prob because they are paid).

So my questions to you are......For those of you that have driven both what did you like/not like with both. For the other guys I want honest answers, that means if you don't like a certain part of the ride tell me i don't care if its just the color of the brake disk. I don't usually ask these kinds of questions, but I need some help from unfinantially (sp? if its even a word) biased people.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Ryan with savage]

Ok, I haven't driven either of them BUT at my club I have spoken to drivers of both cars and examined both of them. I've asked them "What do you think of it?" as I was considering a new buggy.

The Mugen guys rave about theirs.

The TTR guys go "yup its good"

Nuff said.

Personally I think the TTR looks nicer and is possibly "cleverer" but the mugen is a proven winner, feels more solid and is IMO slightly better quality.

Both are great cars however, go for the one that you can get the parts for easiest.

 

[Ericke1]

Very hard to compare, I've driven both, each has their pros and cons. Read these reviews and see if they help:


http://www.twf8.ws/new/tech/car/mugen/mbx5/mbx5build/mbx5-verdict.html

http://www.twf8.ws/new/tech/car/ttr/eb4-s3/eb4-s3build/ttreb4s3-verdict.html

 

[Plaidfish]

MUGEN......if you said Xray it would be tough to say for you cause you order all your stuff anyway.....I like the XB8 alot.....I've driven the mugen not the TT....the mugen is time tested and you have a buddy locally that's running one...get it....no sense in being out at your track (which is bad ass BTW) and having a buddy w/ a whole pit box you could've used but now you can't cause you have a thunder cat HOOOOOOO!

 

[vbgagnon]

That makes sense plaid. Thanks about the track, we should be getting some more dirt 10-15 truckloads :evil: I can't wait!!!

 

[jon2]

MUGEN......if you said Xray it would be tough to say for you cause you order all your stuff anyway.....I like the XB8 alot.....I've driven the mugen not the TT....the mugen is time tested and you have a buddy locally that's running one...get it....no sense in being out at your track (which is bad ass BTW) and having a buddy w/ a whole pit box you could've used but now you can't cause you have a thunder cat HOOOOOOO!

ROFLMAO!!!

thanks for that.

 

[Plaidfish]

snarf..I hated that friggin show...snarf...barf freakin Lion-Oh my gawd I have to be the dorkiest cartoon ever made.....well...... I just saw dragonball z and am definately thankful I had decent cartoons when I was a kid.....snarf that.....thunder cats, Voltron & He-Man I just never liked......G-force, Thundarr, Robotech & Gummi Bears....that's entertainment....

 

[Revo Rancher]

vb:

I am impressed with some of the engineering and design on the Thunder Kitty, but it lacks, too. For one thing, it feels and even drives lik eit is heavy. My PCR feels more nimble. Also, the brake/throttle servo linkage set up is a little goofy, gets in the way of the air filter (stock), hits the body a little bit on braking, hard to adjust, relies on collars, etc. I also am not too impressed with the braking, and I have tried several different settings and tunes on it with no change. The pluses are a rock solid chassis, pretty beefy diffs, and lots of adjustment points, which mostly are real easy to access, good for out at the track.

One guy that races at Ultimate Hobbies, and another guy at Nitrohouse.com, both are just dying for my set up, a TTR S3 with V-Spec mill. Of course, they already have picked out all the after market upgrades, as well. They both gave me tips on diff and shock oil, as well as suspension settings.

 

[mikeburgin]

all i can say is i know a couple of people that have brought the ttr, all of them are finding them feeling heavy, but this could be due to too softer springs etc, havent yet had a chance to drive one myself, but am looking forward to it, it will be interesting, at this stage till it has been proven i wouldnt buy one over a mugen that is proven

 

[SkyMaxx]

I have not gotten near one, but from an engineering standpoint the TTR looks like a tank and can probably handle quite a beating. If it feels heavy, the box beam chassis is most likely the reason. Quite a bit of metal there.

I run with two MBX-5s and a GS Storm (all are bashers) and love the MBX-5s. Many here have seen my rides flying and know I treat them mercilessly when I run them and give them plenty of love after a hard thrashing. When I get more time to play with my rides and hobby, I intend to pick up one of the TTRs just for comparison sake.

 

[Sgt Blamo]

I have both and ran them back to back yesterday at my local track in Ft. Pierce. It's a very technical track w/ fresh clay and is "blugrooved". The TT S3 out corners my Prospec, but my Prospec jumps slightly better. Both are incredibly durable. both handle exceptionaly well. My S3 has avery optional part available. As far as brakes go, it stops on a dime and gives me a nickle change! Both are excellent buggies!

 

[gdc02]

SGT
having driving all the cars can you tell where the mayhem fits in there
is it in the same league or not ?

 

[Diver6127]

Ok VB, I can finally chime in on this thread since I have built and driven my EB4-S3. Granted I don't have much to compare it too since I am an on-road enthusiast just getting into offroad. But here's what I have seen soo far, with my buggy.

1. She does seem a little bit heavy with the stock springs BUT with 45F/35R shock oil, proper spacers (suited to your driving style) and 2 ball bearinsgs in the dampener, she handles pretty well.
2. The stock shock towers seem to flex when hard cornering but can be taken care of with KHZ shock towers
3. The chassis is very rigid. THere is little flex when compared to other buggies.
4. Brakes are GREAT. Brake bias can be adjusted fairly easily and quickly via a turn of a hex driver.
5. The Center CVD's are protected with the center ridge AND the lack of chassis braces are overcome b the rigidity of the chassis.
6. nti dive, toe and roll center are easily adjusted with pin placement or blocks.
7. Balance of the buggy in flight is pretty nice and reacts to throttle/brake input very well.

The only things I don't like about it is the lack of LHS support but Nitrohouse.com has everything you need and they are great with shipping.

• Bodies are hard to come by. It's got a funny hump on the engine side to incorporate the exhaust header.
• The narrow stance makes lateral stability a bit wishy washy but with proper placement/adjustment of swaybar mounts, it can be adjusted fairly easily with he twist of a hexdriver. Even the stock bars are sufficient.

 

[CorradoPsi]

diver, to lock in the rear some more, add rear toe. most racers run between 3-4*

you can also try taking out some anti-squat if its washy under power.

 

[Diver6127]

Right now I have all the settings at stock. I want to really take her on a track to test things out. I am running the shock weights as stated in my precious post and 5/7/3 diff weights. The weights they suggested in the manual were way too light for my taste.

I will try playing around with the settings (one at a time of course) but am itching to try the full ichard saxton setup all together just to see what the handeling differences are when compared to stock.

 

[Revo Rancher]

Diver:

I went with the Rich Saxton set up and then after running mine made more mods. I dialed in 2 degrees toe in for the rear over the 1.5 the build manual suggested, and moved the front caster to 3mm/2mm F/R spacers. I run 5/7/3 in the diffs and 50F/40R in the shocks with two ball bearings. I also use Proline mugs.

 

[beason]

2 ball bearings in the dampener,

could you explain this please??

 

[gdc02]

he means the 2 micro-balls that float between the 2 layers shockpistons and create the 2way effect on the shocks
when blocking a part of the oil passage

 

[low10s]

well i dont have a TTR but i do have a Mugen. a friend of mine got the TTR, he raved about it. the next thing i know he wants the new flat chassis and wants to try some Kyosho shocks. so that is telling me it is not all it was cracked up to be, just an opinion, but alot of people are changing the things that interested them in the first place

 

[Diver6127]

Sounds like he's just reading his literature. The flat chassis allows a little more flex since there is no rigid backbone. The kyosho shocks aren't necessarily needed, IMHO. It's all about needs of the driver or just plain curiosity.

How many people leave their kits in original form anyway? I can personally say that the only thing original in my NTC3 are a couple of screws. Good design in original form but needed upgrading for my own personal racing needs. Does that make it a bad car? far from it. It just meant I needed something more than what the engineers included in the car.