Why are buggys more durable than Stadium trucks?

[lykan]

This one I kind of understand, but kind of don't. I've read a lot about but don't quite understand.

What makes a Buggy so much stronger than a ST? I figure with 4WD there's more parts to break?

The thing Is I own a Stadium truck. I wanted to pick up a savage 25 or the AE monster truck this month but the bank account and the wife have different plans for my brithday lol!

So I am stuck with this stadium truck which is definetaly a blast in it's own right, its fast and durable for sure but rough offroad or deep grass it just isn't going to do.

What Can I do to my ST to make it better at offroad, and more durable? I don't want to dump a whole lot of money and don't want to try if it's a useless idea. What I would like to end up with is a 2wd version of a buggy perhaps?

I want to be able to go in the snow at least a litle bit, right now it sinks like a rock in 2" and it's done heheh. I have a feeling off road dirt (uneven ruts etc) are going to be the same way.

Is there a way to semi-convert this thing to do what I want?

thanks as alwyas in advance

 

[Waste Land]

Well I'm not a owner of a stadium truck but I know how fun they can be. I also understand you wanting something 2WD but that could be your problem with rough offroad and high grass. My cousin's HPI Nitro MT(is this classified as a ST or a 1/10MT?) is 4WD and it makes a huge diffrence. My GS Storm has only gotten stuck when all tires are off the gorund. The rest of them time it climbs out and I hit some hard terrain. 2WD has its strong points but if u can get a 4WD for your next buggy,MT,ST, I would advise you do.

 

[alkyula]

if you have any 1/8 buggys at your LHS just sit it next to any other r/c at the shop and the differences are visualy apparent immediatly. the tie rods, rod ends, suspension pins, bulheads, arms, hubs, are all very beefy and overall well desighnd. and yes althoguh 4WD will have more parts, if it is desighnd well (as most any 1/8 buggy on the market today is) it will not have more breakage..jsut maybe a little more mantinence. and also most buggys are about 7-8 lbs, yet they are IMO built stronger than any monster truck on the market even though those are about 10-13lbs, so they have a very high strenghth to weight ratio, while monster trucks probably have the lowest strenghth to weight ratio, as they seem to break the most due due to that plus there wide arms/huge tires putting alot of stress on components.

 

[Razor]

its like texas is to 1/8th as everything else is to everything else.


everything is just bigger on a 1/8th. i mean, the drivesahfts arel ike 5mm thick, and the diff cups are HUGE, they are just beefier.

 

[olds97_lss]

Also, if you notice with buggies, everything is shortened compared to a stadium truck. The arms are proportionaly half as long and so are all the turnbuckles. This gives it less leverage for breaking.

I have a xxxnt and 21 maxx. The maxx definitly holds up better than my ST and also gets around a lot better in grass. The ST was my first 2 years ago, then this summer i bought a maxx. Hated the 2.5. After throwing about $1500 at it, it's a blast and very durable.

I tried putting larger tires on my ST to give me more clearance. All it did was break hub carriers and arms for the 10 minutes i got to drive it.

Save your dough. If you have mostly grass to drive in, i'd suggest an MT not a buggy. The buggies set to low IMHO. As well as for snow. But a buggie can handle MT size rims and tires to give you more clearance without breaking all the time. I believe these are called "truggies". I've seen some vid's of these and they seem to hold up really well and get around pretty well to.

The next $500 dump i plan to make will probably be on a buggy, or a 4wd ST. Probably a buggy though, as they do hold up to beatings better.

 

[lykan]

I also tryed some taller tires in the rear of my buggy. I tryed some very similar to the ProLine mashers in the rear.

I strongly recommend anyone thinking about getting taller masher type tires on their Stadium truck to re-think it. Or try some used ones first. What I wanted to do was go through a tad deeper snow. Due to the gear ratio and the all out top end of the ST I tore them up. They seperated from the rims quickly. Had no traction on the pavement, and my buggy still sunk quick. I think you are right. It would have my ST internals (tranny, diffs, hubs) begging to be broken.

I would like something thatt doesn't have a problem with tall grass. I would like something I can take to the local 1/1 hill climvs and shoot up hills. Jumping is ok, but I am not looking for huge air. More high speed runs up hills. Air of course would be a blast )

The ST seems to hanndle some of it well. But I can tell anything with gravel size or bigger rock I think is going to tear it up.

I will buff up the ST to take a bit more punishment off road I suppose and take but I don't know where to start with hop ups..

I will also buy either a buggy or a MT, but not sure which yet. I keep hearing "Monster trucks are fun but buggies are more durable"

I'm not sure if I will have too much trouble with a MT breaking as I am used to being craefull with a stadium truck
If buggies are so much more durable then why do people buy MT's? ground clearance only?

I don't have anywhere here to watch people play with these things. I LOVE the stadium truck gobs of power and awesome handling, but I think i shoudl have gone for somethign a bit more offroad capable. I hope you see my situation. Buggies and MT"s are around $200 more. I don't want to buy a buggie to find out I needed a MT and vice versa.

Of course probably in a year or two I'll own all three LOL!

thanks guys for the responses as always you guys are the best

 

[GilBeQuick]

Originally posted by lykan
I would like something I can take to the local 1/1 hill climvs and shoot up hills. Jumping is ok, but I am not looking for huge air. More high speed runs up hills. Air of course would be a blast )

The ST seems to hanndle some of it well. But I can tell anything with gravel size or bigger rock I think is going to tear it up.

I will buff up the ST to take a bit more punishment off road I suppose and take but I don't know where to start with hop ups..

If buggies are so much more durable then why do people buy MT's? ground clearance only?

From what you describe I would highly reccomend a Monster Truck. I personally would strongly reccomend a Savage.
If you're looking for hill climbs and something to take on bigger rocks, a MT is by far the way to go. Plus, you can also get some big air if you want to!
If I were you I'd stop putting money into the ST to beef it up and save up for a MT.
1/8 buggies and MT's are two totally different things. The buggy is more aimed towards running on dirt, and doing it fast! They are designed to take (fly) HUGE air jumps. They don't do well with big rocks as they don't have the suspension that the MT's have. If you don't have a bmx track or anything near you with big jumps to run the buggy on, you'll wish you did.
MT's are made to be all out offroad vehicles. They'll go anywhere you want them to. They're designed with long-travel suspensions to soak up any terrain. They don't handle as well as buggies or go as fast, but in return there's just about no place you can't run it.
Like I said, it sounds like you really want a MT.

 

[olds97_lss]

MT's have a tendency to be a few hundred $ cheaper off the shelf as well. I'm looking into getting a buggy, but it's $500. My maxx was $399. I may end up with a savage and phuck the buggy. I really don't have the right place to drive anything with less than 2 inches of clearance. But they sure look tough and fun. At least in all the vids i've downloaded.

 

[lykan]

I think thats probably good strong advice. We have a BMX track near, but I just don't think ill be able to go that far. I have a tall grass feild abut 50 yards from the house, and 1/1 hillclimbs 4 minutes away.

I also camp a lot, not in campgrounds but where I usually go offroad for a mile or two to find a nice secluded spot. From what you described a MT would be the way to go. I could take it out and run it up and down the rutted 4x4 roads, in lake bottoms and embankments. Sounds like a buggy is what I would want for durablility and air time, but just too low to the ground for what I want to do. (bummer)

I heard you recommend the savage. Since it is winter I wouldn't mind building a kit. Some more questions. I hear the svage is more durable out of the box. Soo hear goes.

How about comments on the;
SavageSS(kit)
Savage 25 rtr
savage 21

Which one would be more expensive to get built and running?
Is the savage 25 an upgraded 21?
Is the kit a pain in the butt to build?
Is the 21 even worth looking at?
Any other suggestions when looking at a savage?

others that come to mind.
XTM mammoth
Tmaxx (out of the picture want durability out of the boc)
Associated's MT
Ofna's mt's
Duratraxx (heard they suck) but look durable in person
Cen's mt's

I think I'm tyed between a savagem or a associated MT pull me by my nose here I dont have a clue

 

[HumboldtBlazer]

2wd is fun for a bit but going from a buggy down to a ST would be a step down for sure. I have driven the cream of the crop ST, it was a drake. The thing was fun but like every third or fourth jump it would break the back plastic bulk piece. Parts on a buggy are not meant to be as light because you are using a .21 instead of a .15 so they can put more heavy duty parts on. I think it has something to do with the geometry of the chssis design that makes it stroger but I am no math whiz so I am only guessing.

 

[olds97_lss]

I have a 21 converted maxx. It took a lot of $ to get it durable. By durable, i mean to be able to drive away from 10 feet of hangtime all day long.

From what i've read, the savage is the better way to go out of everything. The SS comes with an engine that is supposed to be smoke'n but it doesn't come with radio equip. If you don't mind not running reverse (which i don't think it comes with) you could use the radio you have and buy another receiver and a couple servo's to match it.

Sorry, spun off on a tangent there. From what i've read though, the savage ss is the best one out of the box. They fixed some issues in the drive train and shocks that are on a stock savage 21. To me, after having my maxx apart 100 times, i think it would be agood idea to start with the kit. It will make you more aware of what is going on inside as a MT driveline is WWWWWWAAAAAAAAYYYYYY different than most ST's. And when things break down the line, you'll be able to get up and running quicker since you saw it once before.

For what you want, i would recommend an MT. Since i don't have a savage and i do have a $2500 maxx, i can't tell you which to choose. I can tell you that if you go with a savage, you will be buying a truck that can support the power of a 21 engine. By this i mean you will have a driveline that won't need $300 worth of upgrades to make it through a weekend. I was in the same boat you are with the ST. I bought it thinking it's cool and whatnot, only realizing that i didn't have to many places to drive it. As you know, when driving in grass, parks, woods, size does matter.

When i buy a savage in the next year, then i'll be able to give you a comparison as to which i would rather drive, own and work on.

If you get anything like an MT with an engine smaller than a 21, you will do what i did and kick your own ass. MT's just shouldn't have anything smaller in them.

Oh yeah, an MT is a blast at a skate park or something like it. Lots of air and lots of climbing stuff.