Best race 1/8 scale buggy for me?
04-15-2008, 10:41 AM
#1
Best race 1/8 scale buggy for me?
I used to race pretty heavily in the So Cal area about about 6 years ago. I want to get back into 1/8 scale racing now that I found out Revelation is a dirt track (I really don't want to drive to Hemet or Beaumont anymore to race). Hope to see some familiar faces when I get a car together and hit the track again.
I had a Kyosho MP-6 international and then moved to a Hyper 7 Pro. I liked the Hyper 7 a lot.
There are like 10 buggies out there now and just looking for the quick and dirty pros and cons of each. I am leaning towards the 8ight, maybe the new Hyper 9.5 when it comes out, Kyosho777 sp2 or the RC8.
Any insight would be great!
Thanks,
Ashley
I had a Kyosho MP-6 international and then moved to a Hyper 7 Pro. I liked the Hyper 7 a lot.
There are like 10 buggies out there now and just looking for the quick and dirty pros and cons of each. I am leaning towards the 8ight, maybe the new Hyper 9.5 when it comes out, Kyosho777 sp2 or the RC8.
Any insight would be great!
Thanks,
Ashley
04-15-2008, 11:04 AM
#2
Hey man, I could ramble on about how one buggy is better then the other, because it is my personal preference, but that wouldn't be smart.
If I were you, I would go to a track and try to get a couple test drives, or better yet, go to your LHS and see what car they stock parts heavily for. Either way you are pretty much starting over from 6 years ago.
The 8ight is like any other losi, if you take care of it, it will take care of you... And with the 8ight slower is faster if that makes sense.
The RC8 from what I hear is a great buggy as well, in the right hands it is a winner out of the box...
So on and so fourth with every buggy on the market, it all comes down to personal preference, I race trugy, and I have never even wheeled a buggy, I just go based off other people personas about them, and I am telling you the good stuff.
Every buggy has flaws, and I don't know them all, but honestly it is all about parts demand at your LHS, and what you are comfortable wheeling around the track.
Hope I was of some help, and if not, thanks anyways for reading my ramble.
-Brandon
If I were you, I would go to a track and try to get a couple test drives, or better yet, go to your LHS and see what car they stock parts heavily for. Either way you are pretty much starting over from 6 years ago.
The 8ight is like any other losi, if you take care of it, it will take care of you... And with the 8ight slower is faster if that makes sense.
The RC8 from what I hear is a great buggy as well, in the right hands it is a winner out of the box...
So on and so fourth with every buggy on the market, it all comes down to personal preference, I race trugy, and I have never even wheeled a buggy, I just go based off other people personas about them, and I am telling you the good stuff.
Every buggy has flaws, and I don't know them all, but honestly it is all about parts demand at your LHS, and what you are comfortable wheeling around the track.
Hope I was of some help, and if not, thanks anyways for reading my ramble.
-Brandon
04-15-2008, 11:55 AM
#3
Tech Addict
Revelations hobby shop Airland has a very good stocking of most of the Major brands of cars.
They have parts for:
Kyosho
Losi
Mugen
Among others that i'm unsure of.
Check out the track and what people are driving. You will frequently see the "Pro's" out at that track including Adam Drake, Mike Truhe, Chad Bradley, Gary Guest, Cody King, Andy Smolnick, Jeremy Kortz, and a few others.
Most of the regulars will give you honest opinions about the vehicles and a few of the hobby shop employees are well versed on many of the cars and will give you honest opinions.
They have parts for:
Kyosho
Losi
Mugen
Among others that i'm unsure of.
Check out the track and what people are driving. You will frequently see the "Pro's" out at that track including Adam Drake, Mike Truhe, Chad Bradley, Gary Guest, Cody King, Andy Smolnick, Jeremy Kortz, and a few others.
Most of the regulars will give you honest opinions about the vehicles and a few of the hobby shop employees are well versed on many of the cars and will give you honest opinions.
04-15-2008, 02:07 PM
#4
I was just in the same situation as you - out of the hobby for a long time (in my case over 10 years), looking at 1/8 buggies and wondering which one to choose. I had narrowed it down to the Losi 8ight based on its popularity and universal parts support, but then I was checking out the for sale/trade forum here and found a fantastic deal on a barely used XRAY XB8 EC. That did it for me, and since our local off-road track doesn't have a hobby shop super close to it I was going to have to stock up on spares via mail order anyways so that didn't limit the brand I had to choose. Also, the track is just about finished being built so I don't know what guys around here run - no opportunity for me to learn from anyone when I don't know what's out there.
It might just come down to finding a great deal on a used buggy that does it. You've run them before, so you might be more picky than me, but since this is the first one I've gotten I figure I can't go wrong as long as I go with a reputable brand.
I will say that the other posters on this thread have good points though - pick something supported if you can, and what people around you are running and have experience with so that you can learn from them.
It might just come down to finding a great deal on a used buggy that does it. You've run them before, so you might be more picky than me, but since this is the first one I've gotten I figure I can't go wrong as long as I go with a reputable brand.
I will say that the other posters on this thread have good points though - pick something supported if you can, and what people around you are running and have experience with so that you can learn from them.
04-15-2008, 02:22 PM
#6
Yep, if your not in a hurry, visit the track and buy something that the local fast guys are racing. That way they can be a kind of tech support and maybe can help out if you break a part. Nothing worse than having to go home early because you broke a part at the begining of the night and no one has a spare.
The factory sponsored guys are supposed to help the average Joe so if you have any celebrities at your track, maybe you want to go with the brand they represent. Sometimes it is hard to get help from them because they are busy helping lots of people, but just something to think about.
The factory sponsored guys are supposed to help the average Joe so if you have any celebrities at your track, maybe you want to go with the brand they represent. Sometimes it is hard to get help from them because they are busy helping lots of people, but just something to think about.
04-15-2008, 06:20 PM
#7
Kyosho, Mugen or X-ray would be my favorites. Losi is Ok. I've just never been a big fan myself.
04-15-2008, 09:08 PM
#8
I race at Rev and have tried a few cars.....
I had The Jammin x1 cr,rc8,losi 8ight and now the Hyper 8.5.
Out of the list i like the Hyper the best. It is fast, handles great(smooth or blown out track)!!! The only thing is that Airland doesnt carry parts for it.
So have extras or maybe one of us will 4 you.(I think that will change when the Hyper 9 is out and EVERYONE has a 9)
If you get out to Rev on Thursday or saturday of this week,my name is Chris Coerper look me up and I will let you take a few laps with my 8.5.
I had The Jammin x1 cr,rc8,losi 8ight and now the Hyper 8.5.
Out of the list i like the Hyper the best. It is fast, handles great(smooth or blown out track)!!! The only thing is that Airland doesnt carry parts for it.
So have extras or maybe one of us will 4 you.(I think that will change when the Hyper 9 is out and EVERYONE has a 9)
If you get out to Rev on Thursday or saturday of this week,my name is Chris Coerper look me up and I will let you take a few laps with my 8.5.
04-15-2008, 10:15 PM
#11
Ok aside from the usual, 'find out what your LHS supports' because that is important.. I can give you my opinions on the 8ight, RC8 and Hyper 8.
I have owned an 8ight for about 3 weeks now and about 2.5 gallons. The 8ight is fast, but it took some work to adjust it to my driving style. Even still its a handful at times if I get happy with the throttle. Its also very durable as I've had my fair share of cartwheels and collisions with it.
As for the RC8, one of my racing buddys just got one over last weekend. A first gen kit without the service pack. After he got the engine all broken in he let me take it for a few laps. With the box stock setup, the RC8 is fast. I don't even know if I would change anything. Everything about driving it is easy.. You can get on the throttle earlier, you can turn without worrying about over rotating and it has steering for DAYS. Wait till you see the turning radius, its hilarious.. It could probably turn circles on a picnic table. The talk about weakness in the shocks seems to be true though... However, I just heard from the guy that owns it and he has to replace some o-rings in teh shocks already. Oh and even as a gen 1 kit the RC8 is durable.. Its taken plenty of hits from an inexperienced driver and survived.
Last year I raced a Hyper 8. Now as much as I played with the chassis I could not get the car to turn like the 8ight or RC8. Driving the Hyper feels like I'm driving a brick around the track after driving the 8ight. (no offense Hyper owners) Its a very tough car but IMO, is no where near as fast as the higher end cars. Its such a big difference that with the Hyper 8 I felt like I should be racing sportsman... With the 8ight I can actually compete with the fast guys.
So If I could do it again I would probably still go with the 8ight even though it takes more work to go fast compared to the RC8.
I have owned an 8ight for about 3 weeks now and about 2.5 gallons. The 8ight is fast, but it took some work to adjust it to my driving style. Even still its a handful at times if I get happy with the throttle. Its also very durable as I've had my fair share of cartwheels and collisions with it.
As for the RC8, one of my racing buddys just got one over last weekend. A first gen kit without the service pack. After he got the engine all broken in he let me take it for a few laps. With the box stock setup, the RC8 is fast. I don't even know if I would change anything. Everything about driving it is easy.. You can get on the throttle earlier, you can turn without worrying about over rotating and it has steering for DAYS. Wait till you see the turning radius, its hilarious.. It could probably turn circles on a picnic table. The talk about weakness in the shocks seems to be true though... However, I just heard from the guy that owns it and he has to replace some o-rings in teh shocks already. Oh and even as a gen 1 kit the RC8 is durable.. Its taken plenty of hits from an inexperienced driver and survived.
Last year I raced a Hyper 8. Now as much as I played with the chassis I could not get the car to turn like the 8ight or RC8. Driving the Hyper feels like I'm driving a brick around the track after driving the 8ight. (no offense Hyper owners) Its a very tough car but IMO, is no where near as fast as the higher end cars. Its such a big difference that with the Hyper 8 I felt like I should be racing sportsman... With the 8ight I can actually compete with the fast guys.
So If I could do it again I would probably still go with the 8ight even though it takes more work to go fast compared to the RC8.
04-15-2008, 10:37 PM
#13
I race at Rev and have tried a few cars.....
I had The Jammin x1 cr,rc8,losi 8ight and now the Hyper 8.5.
Out of the list i like the Hyper the best. It is fast, handles great(smooth or blown out track)!!! The only thing is that Airland doesnt carry parts for it.
So have extras or maybe one of us will 4 you.(I think that will change when the Hyper 9 is out and EVERYONE has a 9)
If you get out to Rev on Thursday or saturday of this week,my name is Chris Coerper look me up and I will let you take a few laps with my 8.5.
I had The Jammin x1 cr,rc8,losi 8ight and now the Hyper 8.5.
Out of the list i like the Hyper the best. It is fast, handles great(smooth or blown out track)!!! The only thing is that Airland doesnt carry parts for it.
So have extras or maybe one of us will 4 you.(I think that will change when the Hyper 9 is out and EVERYONE has a 9)
If you get out to Rev on Thursday or saturday of this week,my name is Chris Coerper look me up and I will let you take a few laps with my 8.5.
From the research I have done it sounds like -
RC8 - fast out of the box (typical ae) but a bit fragile
8ight - fast after you dial it in - still can be a handful (typical losi) but strong
Hyper - decently fast, very stable, but not as agile, strong.
777 - old reliable, but expensive.
Seems like not much has changed
Thanks to all of you for your input!!
Last edited by largeorangefont; 04-15-2008 at 10:49 PM.
04-16-2008, 10:38 PM
#14
i was in the same boat as you, i used to race a revelation in 1/10 touring. Found out they got rid of the on-road track so decided to buy a buggy, and of all things i got the team magic m1 turbo.. nobody runs it so it will interesting trying to figure it out, i plan on going tomorrow to practice and finish getting it broken in. I watched the races on saturday and it looked like the top 2 guys were running kyosho.
