Dmgp1

hello everyone, I'm looking to get an onroad car for my son, im looking for a rtr for my 6 year old. I have been looking at the traxxas ford gt 4tec 2.0 with the brushed motor, the kyosho fazer mk 2 challenger, the tamiya tt02 and the hpi sport 3. Which one would be the better Car?Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated .

Andy_F

Whichever has the greatest availability of spare parts for you. Tamiya's are built very tough - I have an XV-01 and it's been a tank. HPI I have read very mixed things about spares supply. The rest I cannot speak for.

AW106

From what I've seen the TT-02 and 4-Tec would both be solid starters. the TT-02 possibly a an easier car to find parts for as it's popular the world over.
There are a lot of variants of the TT-02 and if your budget allows I'd say an Type S or Type SR are the better cars to take racing due to them sharing suspension components with some of the previous Tamiya TRF cars rather than the more limited suspension of the stock TT-02

Billy Kelly

iTrader: (9)

Avoid the Hpi Sport3. It was the last vehicle I’ll ever buy from Hpi. I got it the day it came out. And it was a big disappointment. It had some good ideas. But it’s one of only a few touring cars I’ve ever sold.

The 4Tec or the older Vaterra V100 would be my suggestion.

I’ve had the brushed 4Tec since it was released 3 years ago.

The biggest thing with any road car is to avoid impacts. Kids can and will find anything that can be hit. I’ve run my 4Tec in a wide range on conditions. I’ve tried carpet for racing. I suprised a race group over the weekend with it on very wet pavement.

raytay112

if your son is into trucks, try looking into the tamiya euro truck. probably one of the cheapest options too. there are also a lot of people racing in this class too. i have one and i beat it all the time. my nephews would drive this instead of my other more expensive cars as parts are cheap and more importantly it's really tough.
https://www.horizonhobby.com/TAM5866...RoCv08QAvD_BwE

the other choices people above recommended are great. Tamiya TT02 is also a tough platform.

Dmgp1

Awesome, looks like will be looking at traxxas and the tamiya. What is the biggest difference between a tamiya tt01 and a tt02? Our local hobby shop has both, he was not really able to explain the difference except that one is newer. One more question I was curious about the xv01, is it a rally version?
thanks again everyone the information is great.

skater-deez1

iTrader: (79)

The tt02 has more suspension travel than the tt01. The tt02 can be raised to run rally therefore the extra suspension travel options. Both are decent but the 02 would probably be a better buy.

IndyRC_Racer

iTrader: (9)

If you are looking at Traxxas or Tamiya, I would recommend creating a simple spread sheet to compare the different manufacturers of cars AND also make sure to compare the differences between the same manufacturer/chassis.

For example Traxxas currently only makes one 4wd 1/10 scale touring chassis, but they sell several different versions of the 4tec 2.0. They have brushed and brushless versions of the car. They also have versions of the car that come with bodies. Not all of the chassis come with adjustable turnbuckles or adjustable suspension components (not necessarily a bad thing for a beginner). If you plan on upgrading a car (including replacing kit tires that may not work well on your surface), sometimes the more expensive kit may end up being the best value.

Tamiya also has this same issue in that there are several different versions of the TT-02. Many of the basic TT-02 kit that come with (unpainted) bodies have little to no adjustments and may not even come with ball bearings. There are other versions of the kits that have more hop-ups but will usually not come with a body. Also many of the TT-02 kits will only come with a basic speed control and brushed motor, I don't believe there are any RTR TT-02 kits. That means you will need a radio system (including servo), battery, and charger before you can run these vehicles. If you do want a Ready To Run Tamiya 1/10 touring car kit, they sell some TT-01 kits as Expert Built kits that also include transmitters.

As far as which is better, they both have pros and cons. Traxxas mainly sells RTR kits for bashing, but they also can be raced (but will require additional purchases). Tamiya makes many different levels of kits. The TT series kits are aimed at beginners, have good build instructions, and depending on the model can be raced (but also will require additional purchases).

In the end it all depends on what type of 6-yr old your child is. If they are the type of child that prefers simple toys over building and/or is hard on their toys, I would recommend the Traxxas 4-tec 2.0. If they are the type of child who takes pride in building things and likes working on stuff, I would recommend the Tamiya TT-02.

One last bit of advice. Don't let the body that may be included with a kit affect your purchase. All polycarbonate (Lexan) bodies will get damaged and will ultimately need to be replaced. Almost all 1/10 touring car bodies will fit on most manufacturer's chassis. Also depending on the body and r/c company, they may be passing the cost of licensing the body to the customer. Buying a replacement Traxxas body can be more expensive due to the licensing on their bodies. For example, Traxxas wants $110 USD for a painted Ford GT body on their website (https://traxxas.com/4-tec-options). In comparison Protoform only wants $40 USD for their unpainted Ford GT body (https://www.racepf.com/touring-car-1...clear-body.asp). These are Ford licensed bodies but they widely vary in price. If you buy a kit without a body and don't want to paint it, you can find several companies at hobby stores or online that sell painted 1/10 bodies at fairly reasonable prices.

jgil089

The XV01 is primarily a rally car, but there is a touring car version of it too. I don't have one but a lot of people rave about them. They are a lot more expensive than the TT02 though.

None of the TT02 kits come with everything you want. The Type S, R, RR and SR are all chassis kits which don't include motor, ESC or body, but generally are fine out of the box. The standard TT02 kits come with a body, tyres, ESC and motor, but not bearings or oil shocks. I would look at the TT02D kit. Its a drift version but that just really means it has plastic drift tyres, instead of rubber ones, so you need to buy some grip tyres for it. Otherwise, it comes with ball bearings and oil shocks already, both of which are upgrades you'd probably want to do anyway and would cost more than new tyres. Drifting is a bit of a laugh too. Make sure its not the chassis kit (there is a TT02 Type D or something which doesn't have a body, motor etc) but the full kit with everything included.

People go crazy on hop ups for the TT02 but I don't think its worth it. Sure they have slop in the steering etc, but the alloy steering set is so expensive, you're better off buying a better kit to start with. Same goes for the Type R, S, RR or SR. I've seen the SR costing more than a TB05 at one shop, and no matter how much you spend on a TT02 it won't compete with a Tamiya TA or TB chassis, or all the others options from Sakura, Express etc.

If you decide on the Tamiya instead of Traxxas, get a TT02 and enjoy it for what it is, they are great kits to start out on.

Andy_F

The 'regular' XV01 is indeed a rally version. This means it has longer stroke suspension and enclosed drivetrain and electronics components. As someone else mentioned you can get it in a touring version, which doesn't have the same rideheight or enclosures. One of the good things about the XV01 is that unlike the other Tamiyas you have mentioned, you don't need to upgrade anything out of the box. Just fit an ESC and radio gear and you're good (it comes with a basic brushed motor). One thing to consider if you were looking for RTR, is that the XV01 only comes in kit form. Be aware that it's still not great on grass, but it'll just about do it. Ideally you need something with bigger wheels and higher ground clearance though if you want grass performance.

My experience of it has been great, I have put over 100 packs through mine now without a single part breakage. I have crashed it lots, jumped it, done countless spectacular barrel rolls and it keeps going. Only issue I have had is a few bearings seizing up, but I run mine almost exclusively on fine dust and gravel so that's to be expected.

Price can vary wildly depending on retailer. In the UK, I paid £180 delivered from a model shop in Germany. I have seen retailers asking up to £260 for them. Now isn't really the best time to be buying the rarer Tamiyas, stock levels are all over the place at the moment.

Nerobro

iTrader: (2)

Oy, how long of a list do you want? Screw it, here we go.

The TT01 has more parts, and is harder to work on. The TT01 doesn't directly accept square lipo packs. The TT01 doesn't have good hard chassis options. The TT01's upgrade path is limited.

The TT02 is better than the TT01 in every way. Getting to the diffs is 4 screws. There's a wide range of shock towers available. There's adapters to put "real" touring car suspesion on the car, there's adjustable upper links available (though those might fit the TT01...) You can get droop screws on a TT02.

The TT01e comes with more bodies. And is legal for Euro Truck. The TT01e has a few chassis parts in polycarbonate instead of ABS, so is somewhat stiffer.

I own both. The TT02 is the one I prefer.

Dane

iTrader: (26)

I know you said RTR but I encourage you to look at the a Tamiya m-05 https://www.horizonhobby.com/mazda-m...-road-tam58624 or Tamiya Euro Truck https://www.amainhobbies.com/tamiya-...YaAoj_EALw_wcB

I say this because building your own car is the easiest way to learn about the car and your son might really have fun doing it together. Both cars are a ton of fun to drive and you can buy different bodies for both. The M-05 is a front wheel drive car and will be easier to drive than the all-wheel drive euro truck (TT-01). I own a Euro truck and it's one of my favorite cars to drive / play with of all time and I've been doing this for 20 years. If you're interested we can recommend a servo, radio, and battery that will keep you in the Traxxas 4-tec price point.

And if you're really stuck between TT01 and TT02, I think it's a moot point since the purpose of this car would be for a 6 year old. Get what you think is cool & fits your budget best. If it was my kid, I'd get the M05 because it's easier to handle, smaller / more "kid friendly" proportions and you can always upgrade it down the road if you want. If he really get into it, then that's a whole other discussion on race stuff.

Dmgp1

Thanks everyone for all the information. We looked at all the information everyone provided. We came to the conclusion and purchase the tamiya nissan skyline (r32) drift spec kit today, it also helped that our local hobby shop only had that version in stock. If he enjoys it we can always hop up the parts. We started to build and so far he is enjoying it, of course I still have to help a little. I really do appreciate all the help, its insane how much product and information is out there. It can get a bit overwhelming, the few local racer we spoke to all ran higher end stuff , chassis made out of carbon fiber, aluminum this, aluminum that. So you can see how it can be overwhelming to get into the hobby at an entry level point.

IndyRC_Racer

iTrader: (9)

The TT series of cars make a good entry level drift car. The key is having the right tires and plenty of power if you are going to drift a 4wd car like this. You should be able to find plenty of online drifting discussion about this car as many people start with cars such as these.

A simple upgrade that can help a 4wd car to drift is to lock the rear diff or install a rear spool. There are various materials that can be used such as blue tack or some putty (not sure what type is best). You can also use very thick gear diff oil such as 500,000 wt. or higher and that will make the rear diff act more as a spool. The stock TT-02 doesn't have a sealed gear diff, but there is an newer option diff that is sealed...
https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/optio...erential-unit/

One upgrade that many people do to the Tamiya TT cars to help them drift is to modify the front steering geometry. This will allow the car to have extreme steering angles which help in controlling and initiating drifts. If you search for TT-02 steering mods online or YouTube, you should be able to find some good examples of these types of mods. Here are a couple of links...
https://www.rcmart.com/yeah-racing-r...s03bu-00079874

I'm not saying you have to do any of these mods to drift the TT-02, but if you get more serious about it, there are a lot of home brew or aftermarket things you can do with these cars. Or if you just want to have fun, you can also just throw on a set of road course tires and have fun grip racing/bashing. Or you could even convert with longer shock shafts and have a simple rally car.

If you are ever having problems getting parts for Tamiya vehicles and are in the US, you can always buy directly from TamiyaUSA. If you open this webpage, there will be buttons/links to "FIND SPARE PARTS" or "FIND UPGRADE PARTS" located near the MSRP price of the car. Here is a link for the Tamiya TT-02D kit...
https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/110-4...ne-gt-r-r32-2/

I hope this information helps.

TheOtherBill

I had an XV01 and a TT02 both setup for off road Rally. They were tough as nails and had very few broken parts or problems with them. I personally liked running the TT02 better than the XV as I could drive it cleaner than the other, and for some reason seemed more durable. My only gripe about Tamiya is the cost of the Hop-Ups and sometimes the difficulty finding them, Rally never took off in my area but I have had run F1 and Mini in the TCS races and think they are a good platform to start with.