Mini Toink

iTrader: (30)

Hello Guys,

I'm thinking of buying an offroad 4WD buggy and would like to know what are the advantage and disadvantage of Shaft driven bugs(JConcepts BJ4WE) & Belt driven bugs (TAMIYA TRF-501X / Yokomo MR4-BX).

Is it more advicable to get Shaft or Belt driven 4WD bugs?

Thanks in advance for the help guys!



Toink

DBBIndy

iTrader: (3)

Shaft is sealed, belt tends to get dirt, debris in it, means more upkeep and service. Biggest advantage that I have noticed is when adjusting the pitch of the car in mid air. With Belt everything is spinning the same direction so it is very responsive to throttle adjustments. My Lazer would tilt to the side when I was throttling it to adjust the pitch. Just my opinion.......

sport10

Using a sealed belt system like the one on the Losi buggies keeps alot of the dirt out. A well designed belt system is low maintence and the belt absorbs alot of the abuse offroad tracks dish out making the driveline components last longer too. The Yoke's belt system is not sealed and needs regular cleaning to keep it free. Check out the Xfactory X-5 for a more sealed belt drive system.

johnnyboy

iTrader: (28)

I have had both a BJ4WE and a Yokomo MR-4BX. Both drive pretty similar if set up correctly.

Yokomo Pros:

extremely bomb proof front end
great in the bumps
easy to drive, smooth on the power delivery

Yokomo Cons:

rear diff takes a beating. I have to rebuild after every meet if it is dusty out. (easy to take out though)
belt tension is something I have to learn about and can be a pain to adjust.
lack of support in North America for set up & info

BJ4WE Pros:

very low maintenance
lots of support
very quick response wise

BJ4WE Cons:

I don't care what people say, the front end is still fragile
slightly twitchy feeling throttle wise


Personally there are good and bad for the both. I like the handling of the Yoke, but I miss the sealed drive train of the BJ4WE...and well...I just have been brainwashed to not drive Losi cars...

BuggyKing

iTrader: (17)

Belt driven offer smoother accelaration than shaft driven cars. Shaft driven seem to be more punch like the Bj4 car.

R40Victim

iTrader: (1)

Not sure if the issue is the same in off road, but in on road, shaft drive is only good stock through a decent 19T motor. Belt drives handle the low turn mods better. I watched the shaft in my Pro 4 just about jump out of the car at full throttle, and that was just a GTB 5.5 I then installed a brand new shaft to be sure it was straight...same problem. It's the same story in my TC3, the reaction to the 5.5 is pretty violent. I don't know if it's an issue in the cars you're looking at. The Losi XXX-4 on the other hand, does very well with a low turn mod, or high performance brushless system.

BuggyKing

iTrader: (17)

With a rough track the XXX4 doesn't drive as well like the XX4 and BJ4.

GymBeam

iTrader: (4)

agree

Noah R.

iTrader: (1)

I have a XXX-4 and personally I think the front end is fragile. Allways breaking parts on the front end. Land on 1 wheel and your screwed. Plus if you get smacked in the air by another car say goodbye. Alot of people at my track run BJ-4s and some XXX-4s and the poll is the BJ4. One of the guys runs an all alum front end except for spindles so the spindles take alot of punishment but he dosnt break much more. I personally like the smooth feeling of belt and the sealed drivetrain is very nice but the slipper clutch was a pain to break in ( Had to rebuild it with a rebuild kit 2 times). Heres one word of advice if you buy a new xxx-4, break the slipper in with a stock motor for a while, then move to a heavy modified (ran it a couple times with stock then put a 5800 in it). As a conclusion it depends on your driving style period end. Do you drive with a punchy attitude or with a smoother attitude.

DBBIndy

iTrader: (3)

I have crashed my Yokomo harder than I ever thought possible and it takes far more abuse to break anything than the kyosho I had, or the B4 I also run. The Yokomo is more labor intensive between outings, but I get a LOT more running in while at the track since it seldome breaks. I know the best solution is to not crash but if you are new to the speed of 4 wheeling, track time is king.

Alltapdout

iTrader: (2)

Is it a G+??? I've had mine for 3 years and only broke one front graphite pivot and two spindles in the front...Went to alum pivot!! And I stoped braking things...I just drive within the abilities of the vehicle! I do really like the butter smooth belt drive though.. And I was reading earilier and it kinda made sense..but... can you adjust the pitch of a shaft drivin car in the air??
With a belt, brushless, n a good battery pack you can pull the front end over the rear then hit the break and bring the front end right back down...It amazes people @ the track everytime!!

Noah R.

iTrader: (1)

Yeah i'm running G+. I only break on one of the nearly 20 jumps at our track. Its beacuse of the way the landing is. I drive within its limits but have to say that belt is better for air controll.

Alltapdout

iTrader: (2)

Thats what I was thinking!

joenitro*

i had a losi XX4 world buggy and it was a sealed belt drive system worked great no problems gotta love the front clicker....

wd40prerunner

iTrader: (8)

I have a Yoko and i thought that thing was great till i ran my friends BJ4. With my belt it felt like it was loose the shaft in the bj just feels like it hooked no give. I like the way that felt