Cadman1981

iTrader: (1)

Hi guys, there is a new on-road track that is opening up soon near where i live.

The last time i bought a touring car, it was the HPI RS4 Pro 2 - it was just released! How times have changed since the last time i was into compeditive on-road!

I am now shopping and reading online for what kit and electronics to get. I have asked other guys who will be racing at the track what they have, and it ranges from HPI Sprint 2s, TC6s, X-Rays, all the way to a Schumachers. It's all over the place. And local hobby shops carry pretty much anything they can order.

Here are some of the interesting cars i am considering (in no order)

Yokomo BD-7
Xray T4

What are your thoughts? Why do people say the TC6 isn't a 'quality' car compared to others? Something i'm missing?

I didn't put the X-ray T4, not that i don't like it, it's actually one of the brands i can't get parts for easily.

Thank you for your help.

Cadman1981

iTrader: (1)

I forgot to mention, it will be a 17.5 stock blinky class. And i was going with a Tekin RS ESC, and a futaba 'normal/full' size servo. Still looking at motors, probably get a Tekin to start, or the Novak Balistic.

Vostok 7

I'd be surprised if you could get Team Magic parts easier than Xray, honestly.

That said, the E4RSII has a lot of nice features for the money, it includes a lot of stuff box-stock that are hop-ups for practically every brand, you just don't see Team Magic talked about a lot. Looking through the BD-7 thread shows a lot of happy people.

My TC6.1 was a nice build, but they aren't really "the best" anymore. Still competitive though, and can be modernized with an upgrade like the RSD6.2 Evo.

tcdrvr2

iTrader: (88)

You may also want to look into the Spec-R R1. As far as the tc6.1 it has some play in the plastics as if the molds aren't good. Also the plastic used seems to wear quickly. On the positive side you can get parts almost anywhere.

SteveM

iTrader: (165)

I also run in my club's 17.5 blinky class and I just took TQ and the win in the A-main with a Spec-R S1 Sport sedan. I beat some pretty fast guys running the latest and greatest 4wd sedans from Serpent, Xray, AE and others with a $120 entry level chassis. If you're on a budget the S1 is a decent ride considering the cost.

My electronics were a Viper 17.5 BL, Team Wave RB-30 ESC, Hobby King Flightmax 4000 mAh 2S lipo pack ($14) and Sorex 28R pre-glued tires.

BullFrog

iTrader: (4)

TC6.1- easy parts !

ta04evah

iTrader: (2)

That's one factor you should take into consideration, availability & price of spare parts for it's not "if" you're going to break something more like "when", and there's nothing worse missing out a race meet waiting on parts.

Like yourself I was amazed at how much had changed after a break of just under 10 years, new car manufactures, lipo batteries, brushless motors, programmable speed controls, crystal free 2.4Ghz digital radios etc.

If there is another track within reasonable distance to where you are, then go and talk to the people that race there, most will be only too happy to answer questions about cars and equipment and offer more advice.

Another couple of factors to be taken on board is what budget are you working on and just how serious are you wanting to compete?
There are many more choices today then there were 10 years ago, and the main thing is to choose the items that your wallet is happy with and a informed choice.

Cheers
Rob.

Cadman1981

iTrader: (1)

I've never heard of Spec-R, it would be dumb to ask "are they good cars" because at this point they pretty much all are so similar.

Where do you guys get your parts from for this car?

I took the TC6.1 off my list - just because of the comments on here!

ta04evah - how is the 3Racing Sakura Zero?

Solomoj&j

I just got a sakura zero and after one race day I like it alot. I run it in the vta class. I havent broken anything yet so I cant attest to the durability but it seems to be designed pretty well. From what I read some xray and tamiya parts fit it too.

UrabusDenis

The TC6.1 is still a very good car, it can win anywhere. It is cheaper in the start because of worse plastic quality, but even if you break parts they are cheap and you can (probably) get them easily. After this season I compared first hand the broken parts for my Xray T3 '12 and others TC6.1 (the most popular car here) in 10.5T boosted. They did break lots of plastic parts (I broke only plastic spool outdrives) but out of 6 TC6s only one rear belt was broken, while I snapped two So in the end, it's a good brand name car with it's ups and downs like any other. The Team Magic is a very good looking car and I hear it's very good, although I have never seen it in person. I'd also look into the Serpent S411 if you have local support, would be my choice after the Xray I would avoid Tamiya and Yokomo since they are (at least here) overpriced compared to the Xray and of no better (maybe even worse) quality

Adam B

Well, I am not sure about most the kits you listed other then I know Yokomo makes a good car, and the TC 6.1 can be very competitive, with replacing some parts. I am fairly new to touring car, and have had only Xray cars. As bad as I still am, never had a "DNF" because something broke. With internet ordering, you can get anything within days usually. But, another car to check out which was not mentioned here is the VBC Wildfire. That car seems to have picked up a lot of steam here in the states. Another factor is to go to your local track(s) and see what people are running. Track support is huge when starting over, even internet support. Associated, XRay, etc have team drivers set up sheets all over for you to look at. Good luck!

Cadman1981

iTrader: (1)

That's the thing Adam_B - there is no local track yet! lol and the other nearest track is over 2 hours away so local support for touring cars is just starting back up again.

I agree the Tamiya and Yokomo are over priced, but aren't they not the best ones? I also agree with everyone, the TC6.1 CAN be very compeditive, if i spend more money on parts and upgrades for it. So the cost of the Tamiya and Yokomos are justified since they include the parts needed already, no?

I like the S411, i am waiting on a price for it...

I have a feeling i will be ordering parts online, regardless of which car i get...

Cadman1981

iTrader: (1)

Never heard of the VBC before, i'll look into it

UrabusDenis

I don't see why Tamiya and Yokomo are better then Xray. On national level Xray is much more popular, on professional level (ETS) all 3 are equally competitive, with Tamiya having the most top drivers and Yokomo the best one, no one can argue with that. The Xray, Tamiya and Yokomo are not faster at all than Associated and HB- the difference in price is because of quality. There are some crashes which the Associated will not survive and the Xray will. You don't need any upgrades for the TC6.1 to win with it. That is only my opinion, although I believe it is quite correct . If you will be ordering parts from the web then you can order anything, then I suggest the Xray. It is has the best price vs. quality ratio (I am sure it is a better cat than more expensive Tamiya and Yokomo) and I am very happy with it. At the end of the day, you will be very happy with whatever you buy

Cadman1981

iTrader: (1)

Sorry, didn't want to insult the X-Ray, i'm sure it's a great car, i only hear good things, but it's hard for some strange reason to get parts for it in Canada, even online/ebay!

That VBC car looks interesting! Made by CRC which i know very well from back in the day!