advice on good 1/8 gt class car
 

So my budget is $600 for a 1/8 gt class car I rather get electric over nitro even though I have very little idea of what it involves new to the sport. I will be reading as I live in south Florida and have a couple tracks withing a 3 hr radius . Now some advice on some good cars would help me a lot I was thinking of the serpent cobra gte RTR I'm not sure if the regular version of the cobra gte ( non RTR) is better but I don't know anything about the motor or battery's or servos or even radios so I am walking into this blind. A little helping hand of advice would be well considered .

What track are you planning on running? I am going to get a gt for the homestead track. You have a few options that are within your budget. The serpent is a very good car, but is somewhat difficult to maintain as there is limited room. The ofnas are good, but the parts are not made as we'll as the serpent. Parts are cheap though...There is a Kyosho ready to run that I have not seen. There is a team c car too. I have just recently converted a buggy and also ordered an ofna. If the class gets going I may upgrade.... If u r somewhat close to homestead stop by on Saturday from 10 to 6. I hope to be there between 10-4 ish... There are a few other guys that have elec. too... We just had a big race there....so much fun... I would not purchase anything until u visit us....u will save in the long run....

I recommend heading over to the "rookie zone" on this forum for some GR8 reading

SouthFloridaApp has some good advice . Just hanging around the track and making some new friends while you are learning is a GR8 way to learn . I have a Serpent 960 and have had tons of different types and classes of cars over the years but one thing that I stick to is , I ALWAYS build them from kits . It helps me when things go wrong and / or maintenance is need . I already know the car inside and out .

The OFNA Ultra GTP2E is under $200 for the 80% built car. Has great parts support. I picked up the single speed conversion kit from RC-Monster.com to be able to run a smaller than stock spur and larger pinions. I'm currently geared 46/20 and with the smaller spur can go up to a 24 pinion. I'm not a top speed junkie, so I did a lot of research on race gearing for this chassis. I went with a Hobbywing 150A ESC and 2250KV motor and the car will run 4S Lipos. I have less than $600 in the car the way it sits with 2 spare batteries, almost ready to race (waiting on springs yet). I've added Sweep 45 EXP premounted with V2 inserts for $28 a pair to try also. I ran the car last year with the box stock setup, 51/17 gearing and the tires that came with out in the street after doing a base setup of the chassis and installing the electronics. It was pretty quick then, but now it's just about ready. I had to shelve it to get ready for fall indoor season last year.

The eGT class is a blast to drive. As much as I like the sound and watching nitro racing it can be tough to maintain a nitro car.

The Serpent is an excellent car at that price point. Another option is the Speed Power E801GT at $189 pre-built. You just add your electronics. A few of us are running them at my local track. http://shop.speedpowerrc.com/1-8-ep-pro-onroad-e801gt/

From what I have seen on the track all the cars perform very similar. One thing that is very fast and handles great are those GT8 Light conversions. I think they use Slash 4x4 as there baseline. They are so light they moved very well on the track. The whole GT8 class as a whole is still growing so most places just mix everything together.

That Speedpower looks very nice! I'm a year late for it. It would fit right in my collection with the SP-1 and 2 LM-1s. I might have to twist my arm a little. :)

Generally speaking how does a slash 4x4 lcg handle compared to heavier cars? Does one have the same adjustments available for a slash as others... I e droop, toe in etc?

Why do I believe that a 6.5 lb buggy or short course conversion or similar weight on road format will be the best solution. Lighter equals better run time and probably less heat with appropriate equipment than a 8 lb plus car... Thoughts? FYI the latter cars will still be plenty durable... Think tekno or losi sct...

testing post.

ok i am finally able to reply to my own post.
now i did some calculations but i dont know what ecs or motor or even a good radio would be so i found the cobra rtr a better choice what do you feel?

The lighter Slash based cars handle better and probably have the capability to go around the track easier. The lighter weight is a huge factor, but you still need to wheel it. With the 1/8 buggy based cars you are generally running the bigger motors/ESC like a 2400kv is pretty common. The Slash style conversions can run 550 4x4 SC type motors with 1/10 style ESCs.

For me the idea of converting and piecing together a car is not that appealing. So something like our Speed Power E801GT, Serpent GTe, and others that are dedicated chassis make more sense.


It's never too late :P


If you want an out of the box solution that car is solid for sure.