There are 2 reasons that I race 1/18th scale.
1. Cost (initial, aftermarket, maintenance)
2. Size and space (everything fits in a tackle box and is always ready to go)
But back on the question. The RC18's are the largest performers out of the box. Aftermarket is almost unlimited. And they are the most durable. Others such as the M18T and Vendetta perform better at certain things. But for an all around, the RC18 is a better vehicle.
Last edited by mentallylost; 09-21-2006 at 03:43 PM.
Compared the RC18T and the Mini LST side by side today. No comparison...the Mini LST won. IMHO the RC18T was weak. Plus I'm a bit biased with Losi products.
Definately rc18t. I love my brushless 18t, and it handles great. My mini lst was a pain to work on, and it broke a lot. Most of the time is was the elctronics not the gears. The mini-t will wheelie a lot, even if it has a good 6 cell and a baja, it will wheelie. The rc18t will wheelie, but you need a brushless and a 3s lipo. The mlst, you need to run the slipper really loose to use the brushless which is no fun. I love my 18t and that is what I would say you should get.
Definately rc18t. I love my brushless 18t, and it handles great. My mini lst was a pain to work on, and it broke a lot. Most of the time is was the elctronics not the gears. The mini-t will wheelie a lot, even if it has a good 6 cell and a baja, it will wheelie. The rc18t will wheelie, but you need a brushless and a 3s lipo. The mlst, you need to run the slipper really loose to use the brushless which is no fun. I love my 18t and that is what I would say you should get.
my mini t wiht 2 3cell 11.1v lipos and 5400kv motor on 15/58 gearing smokes my mates nitro tourer with a 700 buck race engine and also smokes my top fuel dragster that has a race .21 in it....this mini t is totally INSANE
heres a pik....might not look like a mini t....just pretend its extended lol
the wheels on my T SCHREECH wen u take a corneru can realy hear em...its totally insane
I give you much deserved respect for going out the box with custom work. Give us some videos to watch of that thing?!?
ill get some videos up asoon as i pick up my diffs cause atm its got a fried diff and i gotta pick up some new rear tires and rims cause i blew 1 tire up and the rim is cracked lol
the power on this thing is INSANE....3ft rooster tails on dirt
YEAH! ONCE UR DIFFS COME IN IF WE DIDNT HAVE TRIPLE OVERPRICED HOBBY STORES IN AUSTRALIA THAT DONT EVEN ORDER IN THE CORRECT PARTS THEN WE COULD POST SOME VIDS! never shop from hobby stores in liverpool area.
YEAH! ONCE UR DIFFS COME IN IF WE DIDNT HAVE TRIPLE OVERPRICED HOBBY STORES IN AUSTRALIA THAT DONT EVEN ORDER IN THE CORRECT PARTS THEN WE COULD POST SOME VIDS! never shop from hobby stores in liverpool area.
please excuse my friend here....he knows jacksh*T bout these ccars and dosnt even know wat a server is......there arnt any servers on ur freakin car u dumbazz its a SERVO
If you want a mini it depends on your budget and what you want to do. here are the minis I have owned and the minis I still have.
Owned:
Rc18MT, RC18B, FT RC18T
MiniT Pro, Mini LST
Half 8th
IRC Vulcan
Still Own:
Half 8th
Mini T Pro
Mini LST
Here is what I think of minis. If you want them to go fast (brushless fast) AND be durable you need to put money into them. For example, put a Mamba into an 18t and try to make it turn at 40mph, it won't. the servo saver spring is to weak. It's not the cars fault, the steering was never designed for the forces that kind of speed produces. IMO out of the box the 18t is one of the best cars out there. but it needs a lot of help. a lot. it is basically a TC3 shrunk down doing it's best impression of an off road car. The only reason the Mini T pro doesn't kick its ass off road is because of the 2wd.
For just messing around the house or as an on-road car the 18T series is hard to beat. That was when I had the most fun with it. I modded all my 18t's. My MT I did a 6800 Mamba, 3 cell Li-Po, all the FT Aluminum parts, front/rear super diffs/CVD's, FT shocks, and a KO servo. it was F-A-S-T. wouldn't turn for anything. ran it into a curb broke the chassis. Had to do like 55mph. That was it though. 18B, all stock, except the same type 3 cell Li-po and an even faster Mamba. It cartwheeled and became an 18....something. The Factory Team, I combined the 18B, and the FT and made a FT 18B before there was one and gave it to my brother. It was pointless having 2 lipo brushless straightline bulletts. I eventually gave the MT to a friend to use as a speed project. I might get it back some day to use as an on-road car some day...
The Mini-T Pro is awesome. It is like having a shrunk down xxx-MF2 to drive around. I have the optional spring sets for tuning, and a Baja in mine and it kicks ass. I tried a brushless and it was just to much for the car to handle. Maybe I should say to much for me to handle at the time. I went faster with the Baja. Big problem with the Mini-T, It's still a MINI and can't handle the big 1/10th scale holes in the track like a larger car can. When the track is smooth the car is a ball to drive. It handles real world stuff outside like driveways and curbs better then the 18T which is nice, but it still handles like a off road truck.
Stock the Half 8th is the biggest dissapointment. It sucks. Get rid of the AA batteries and you are in business. It is the best all around mini out there in my opinion. The Half 8th only truly reaches R/C greatness (like most Minis) if you spend some money on it. On mine I ditched the radio, added my M11, did the Kyosho shocks, aluminum knuckles, Ti slipper shaft, a Mamba, and a whole slew of other stuff along with Proline tires and wheels. The car is amazing. It drives like a miniture version of my Jammin 1/8th scale buggy! I can't wait to try tuning the diffs with tamiya grease. It is big enough to handle 1/10th scale tracks without to much trouble, and heavy enough to handle the speed. The chassis is almost a carbon copy of an 1/8th scale car so it handles well and is very tunable once you reach that level. To bad the stock slipper set up sucks so bad you want to run the car over with a cement truck sometimes. Still, even with moderate brushless power the cars handling is awesome. Turn it into a corner, get off the gas and let the rear slide around a little, back on the gas to let the front wheels pull the car out of the turn and down the straight. Awesome.
Lunsford saved my Mini LST from the garbage can. I could not get through 2 batteries without loosing a turnbuckle on that POS. Maybe Losi has fixed this, because mine was one of the first, but it annoyed the s%$t out of me. I put it away for like 6 months because of this. I finally put Lunsford turnbuckles and ballcups and studs on it and it has been fine and then broke a wheel and bent another on it. I'm going to give it one more chance and change the tires, put a brushless in it and hope it holds up this time. I like my LST having a little twin. The verdict is still out on this one. It drives nice though...
The IRC Vulcan... Run as far away as you can. If you must do NOT get the aluminum version the screws ALL back out. The Plastic model is the better choice because the plastic holds the screws in. The motor sucks too. Impossible to get started for the breakin (more so then a normal nitro car.)
So there you have it my OPINIONS from my FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE OWNING these minis.
Just get the LST and quit posting about it.. lol.. Have fun with the tranny and servos.. not to mention the fact it creeps along at a whopping 50% of the speed a stock 18t does... Yes, I'm bias.. one is fast and durable the other is not... one can go through grass and bumpy terrain and the other does if it has a big runway.. one looks really nice but doesn't put out the other looks plain and simple but puts out. That's how I would sum it up.. but, I'm bias after seeing many many of both of these trucks go through my store and the two tracks here that race minis in full force.
To each his own! I"m sure you'll have good luck with whatever you choose. It just depends on how deep your pockets are. I've litarally put $23 into my 18t after 1.5 years of racing. That was just to get rid of some slop.
peace out! and happy mini racing/driving
__________________
It's a new day! :)
PLUG IT IN, TURN IT ON, DRIVE!!! MAN, I LOVE ELECTRIC.
Just get the LST and quit posting about it.. lol.. Have fun with the tranny and servos.. not to mention the fact it creeps along at a whopping 50% of the speed a stock 18t does... Yes, I'm bias.. one is fast and durable the other is not... one can go through grass and bumpy terrain and the other does if it has a big runway.. one looks really nice but doesn't put out the other looks plain and simple but puts out. That's how I would sum it up.. but, I'm bias after seeing many many of both of these trucks go through my store and the two tracks here that race minis in full force.
To each his own! I"m sure you'll have good luck with whatever you choose. It just depends on how deep your pockets are. I've litarally put $23 into my 18t after 1.5 years of racing. That was just to get rid of some slop.
peace out! and happy mini racing/driving
that's exactly right warpig.
I mean, i think the mini LST was just gonna win it from the start!
Why on earth would you race mini if you live in Cali??? oh well, off topic again.. I still say come here and race.. We've raced all the pros you seem proud of as well.
Have you ever lived in california? There isn't room for s#@t out here. At least in socal. That is the reason you race a mini. Or own one. You charge the batteries, pull it out and run that mutha anywhere you want! I wish I could pull my LST or my Savage or my Revo out at 11pm and run laps around my front lawn. my neighbors would go insane! I already told the bitchy woman across the street and 3 houses down to go F herself after getting to an argument because she started screaming at me instead of asking me politely what was going on at 6pm...6PM during summer once while breaking in the motor in my T-Maxx. I do everything at home related to my nitro cars at the Home Depot down the street after 9pm. Or at the races. My minis, I pull out any time any where. I sometimes have jumping competitions with the little kids across the street (them on their bikes) on the little plastic skateboard ramps they have just for the heck of it. If I jumped even my brushless FT T4 off that ramp it would end up in the next county and seriously hurt someone if they jumped out in front of it. If I lived in the mid west, all that room, I'd have a 1/5th scale car. run over all the corn fields. pull my mini out during winter when everything freezes over. go slidin over the ice!.
I still say come here and race.. We've raced all the pros you seem proud of as well.
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