2wd vs 4wd durability?
 

Sorry i know this has been asked before, but im just getting into racing and i have had several off road cars growing up and im just wondering why people consider 2wd more durable then 4wd. I have a 2wd buggy and i would really like to race in both classes but it just seems everyone has alot more problems with 4wd buggies breaking.
Right now Im looking at the b44... if i dont get a 4wd ill probably pick up a T4 or someother truck to race but id really like to try 4wd with out having to worry about replacing parts all the time. anyways im sorry its definitely vague question but any info or reason i shouldnt go 4wd would be helpful thanks

with 4wd you break more parts because your going so much faster when you fit the wall :lol:

It depends. On a buggy you are more likely to break parts if you wreck as they tend to be lighter weight for increased performance, this is regardless of 2wd or 4wd.

On the 4wd vs 2wd front, statistically 4wd has more moving parts so there is more to go wrong and wear over time. It all depends on how hard you drive it.

On my 2wd vs 4wd cars they break about the same consistency so I can't really complain.

It probably does not help that there are more parts that can break on a 4wd. Basically you have a rear end in the fron too so...

Thanks I actually was just playing with a buddies b44 and I like it so i think ill look more into them also i noticed the new sx coming out is belt driven as apposed to shaft driven are there any benefits over one or the other?

belts are smoother and you can adjust over gear ratios. There is no torque steer with belt drive. Disadvantage: belts will wear over time.

shaft drive is more durable.

all the high end 4wd cars and even touring cars use belt. Tamiya, Losi, Yokomo, ect. Associated used shaft because the b44 originated form the bj4, with came form the tc3 touring car.

As far as the parts for 2WD vs. 4WD, they are all pretty much made out of the same stuff. So, part to part, the durability is about the same. However, 4WD cars are quite a bit heavier so you have more mass involved that needs to be transfered when you hit things, land improperly off a jump, or roll the car. Furthermore, most places I know only run 4WD mod. Mod classes, as you may know, have a lot higher speeds involved, therefore, more inertia when you have "unintended" directional changes...i.e bouncing off something. I know at our track the 2WD mod cars break quite a bit as well, but maybe not quite as much as the 4WD due to the reasons stated above. In stock classes, I have run dozens of races without breaking a part, but, the car is much slower so not as much energy is involved in an impact.

I tend to regard 2wd buggies as being the most fragile. The 2wd Trucks and 4wd Buggies are about on the same level durablility wise.

Besides that 4wd cars are heavier, have more moving parts, and go faster, there are two basic geometry reasons 4wd cars break a whole lot more than 2wd cars do. First, they have much less front end kick up. The B4 has 25 deg of kick up in the front, the XXX 30... these angles mean that when you run into something head on the front end still has room to compress some, so the suspension can work to help absorb the impact. Most 4wd cars have 7.5 to 10 degrees of front kick up. Secondly, on power, driveshafts want to run straight. That means when you're on power the front end of a 4wd car is much more rigid than the front end of a 2wd car. When you add in the faster speeds, especially in the corners, it equals more broken parts.

That said, in my opinion there's nothing more fun to drive than a good-running 4wheeler.

Meh, way to deep.

Simple story is, Either will break if crashed hard enough, But the 4WD will most likely sustain more damage due to the extra gearbox and drive train.

Both in my opinion can be very durable depending on manufacturer, But destroying the front end of a 4wd can be a tad taxing.....

Thank you for all you who replied, ive learned more from one post then from several weeks worth of questioning my local hobby bench.

4wd is definitly more expensive... ... i rarely break mine but with all the moving parts you have to really keep up on it.


You hit something with a 4wheel usually it's broken.

You can break both just as easy if you aren't a good driver. I think Paul nailed it. 4wd just has more moving parts. Like a 2wd buggy when you crash upside down you land on your front shock tower and rear wing. Normally most people don't run 4wd with a stock motor either, so you're going faster.

A truck might be a little more forgiving with the big squishy tires and the body (and body posts) taking the brunt of the upside down crashes.

Whatever you do, if you plan to race. See what the locals are running and talk to them 1st.

I own both and have for quite some time.

4wd is a little heaver, but gets more traction than a 2wd.

So the traction to weight - equalls out in the long run.

The main difference is there is a front differential and front axles.

Durability is about the same, maintnance it slightly more because of the front diff, and axles but it is a very slight difference, and shouldnt be enough of a worry to keep you from buying one.

4wd will drives will get more traction. 2wd take a bit more practice and setup to learn to drive correct. 4wd will break a bit easy it just depends if u crash it alot.