cooliomojo-CEBU

Which Tcs are good for racing in tight and somewhat technical tracks and what are the features that give them an edge??

speedxl

tc3 or tc4 any driveshaft car including har cpi pro4 the acceleration fron a driveshaft car is untouchable!

even though I race aN Mi2 car!

cooliomojo-CEBU

o, i see. the shafties are faster in tight tracks then? just noticed that in our local race track (tight and twisty),belts give the shafts a heck of time. the top racer here uses a belt.

jfc_tech

iTrader: (4)

our top racer was using belt too...until he was sponsored by HPI distributor here...his HPI Pro4 is untouchable. so i guess its still the driver. but i want his belt car

speedxl

belt drive suits some guys better! but if you look at the majority of the major indoor races at a national and international level ( at pro level) have been won by a shaft car! Hpi , Associated, Tamiya, and yokomo! If I missed someone sorry!

So yes seems drive shaft is better on a tight track!

cooliomojo-CEBU

so i may have made the right choice of getting an EVO 4. whew, im relieved. im running the car in while. the tighter the track the more exciting right?

BlackKat

Evo4 would have been one of my choices for a techy track

I personally would have went to a TRF 414. That thing was GREAT in the techy sections. I've personally just had bad luck with shaft drivetrains and found I couldn't tune the shaft driven cars I owned to new track conditions quick enough. I just put my 415 on the track and most of the time its close enough for me to race with.

edseb

The top cars in a big event can be misleading. Big companies have more marketing dollars and thus sponsor more of the high level guys. Since HPI and AE have shaft cars, it is more likely they will have more sponsored guys at the top. Marketing and design are two different things. I'm not saying those cars aren't good- they are- but don't be mislead and follow blindly. Companies like Corally, XRay, Kawada, etc. make amazing cars, but often lack the marketing money. Shaft and belts have their pros and cons.

Simon K

I've always thought the cars designed in the USA were better around tighter tracks as many of the venues in the States are quite small. Just look at some of the indoor races(like Cleveland for example) where they manage to stuff an intricate layout into a ballroom/convention hall(or whatever it is). Outdoors, many tracks are quite small and use as much of the "parking lot" as they can so a car that has sharp handling is a must. The local manufacturers might recognise that and create a car thats designed to work in those conditions.

It may be that the chassis' just generate that tiny bit more steering than others but i found that the last two cars(Losi G+ and TC3) I've had were just that little bit better through corners than the MR4 SP I had before them.

berger

iTrader: (1)

Snowbirds and Roar carpet nationals were won by Xrays

Silver Cup

iTrader: (4)

Ability, the right set-up and the smoothest lines are the deciding factor between belt or shaft. It's what we already know about this hobby and it's sure impressive to watch when somone's got it all clickin'!!

Mr. Shookie

iTrader: (9)

The Shaft/Belt debate is lame. I can tell you that if you gave Atsushi Hara a TRF 415 and let him set it up he would WIN. If you gave me a belt drive car I bet I would have nearly the same results as with the shafty cars. I ahve both now, well kinda, I have a Mr4tc sd ssg (rayspeed chassis) and a Yokomo Mr4tc Mini. The mini is belted but to be honest I hardly see the difference except in the acceleration. I honestly can only tell right at the start of the race and sometimes out of tight corners, but the effects are minimal. The focus should be on YOUR Driving skills not what type of drive train. I do well with either car. When my SSG broke I raced against the same guys with my Mini and was able to still put them in check. Mini's aren't just toys....there fast little beasts.
I hope you all don't take this the wrong way but it is the truth. BOTH ARE GREAT, Almost all Manufatures have great cars out. I have driven most of them and have found that Yokomo fits my style and they don't put junk out just to put stuff out. I personaly (TO GET BACK TO THE ORIGINAL QUESTION) think if you want a car for tight tracks go to the tight track that you are going to be racing on and see who is winning with what. If the local guys all drive shafts then get a good shaft (Yokomo, Tamiya, HPI or AE) if they are winning with belts (Tamiya, Xray, Shuemacher, or Losi) in those orders I believe are the best choices.
Hope this helps.
Stephen <><

speedxl

wow a couple races ! Look belt cars are a different style car I own an Mi2 it is the smoothest car I have driven in a while.
But plain fact. My Tc3 will outdrive any belt car in a small track. You can compare the rip produced by a drive shaft! Dude its not like I am a person that has only driven a drive shaft . I have driven and still own both. And the comment that associated and Hpi have the largest driver base that's
wrong the japanese manufactures have a larger budget, and if you look at any track in the USA since Associated made the RC 10 offroad car you will probobly notice that associate has sold more cars than anyone else because they have a good product.
And it wins at the begginer level upto the pro level! There are a bunch of compenies making an excellant product now that can compete at all levels.

As far as the snow birds, and the carpet nationals being won thats fine we are also talking in the hands of pro drivers that can tune and drive a shoe box faster then us!
On a lowwer level its a different story!

cooliomojo-CEBU

hmm, interesting thoughts really...was able to run the evo 4. its a fast car! glad i got a shft. it really shoots out of the corners like a bullet. hard to control sometimes but i like it.

koabich

All cars are good. Depending on the level you are at, it probably won't make a difference which onee you get. Instead of worrying which car is better worry about which has the best support, both parts wise and technical help. Worry about which ones are easier to set up.
But the American and European cars are usually better suited to tight tracks becuase that's what the majority of tracks raced on in the US and Europe are...tight technical tracks.
If you are runniing on carpet, get a molded chassis or a thick C/F plate chassis...the stock chassis of the HPI or EVO4 are a little too thin and flexable for my taste...for carpet at least.
If you are beginner, a belt car may be better suited for you and easier to drive than a shaft car on a tight track. The throttle response with a shaft car may be more than you can handle on a tight track. The belts will smooth things out and probably be easier to drive.
I used to run a TC3 on my local tight, carpet track. Because of boredom and no other reason, i am now running a TRF415 on the same track. To be honest, my fastest lap times were with a TC3 but overall I am more consistant and have lower average laptimes with the 415. The belt car is much smoother and easier for me to drive than a shaft car on a tight track.