Originally Posted by windellmc

1/5 is just too big for most tracks. An RTR 1/5 is more expensive than a 1/8 race setup.

1/8 cars and trucks break a lot less than gas trucks. They can handle rougher and slicker tracks which means the track owners can get by with less track maintenance. It means tracks do not need as much water during race day.

If you build a 1/8 shock correctly it can go for several races with no maintenance. My GT shock oil would be dirty after one qualifier. The diffs are the same way and although a lot of guys can get a ball diff to last several races the 1/8 gear diff is almost foolproof.

You can run tires until they are almost bald and still get around the track due to the 4wd. GT tires are often 1 or 2 run deals before the truck is literally undrivable. Truggy tires last significantly longer than buggy tires even.

The XXX-nt vehicles were notorious for breaking something if you did not land on all fours every time. 1/8 vehicles can cartwheel down the track all day and not break. When they do break their suspension arms cost the same as the GT.

1/8 is flat out faster on pretty much any layout and in the end most who race like more speed. The bigger car is also a little easier to see. The four wheel roost on loose tracks is also fun to watch.

I know several guys who were very fast, hardcore GT guys. They used to complain about the 1/8 vehicles quite a bit. Now they have all switched to 1/8 buggy and truggy and love it. They will even tell you the GT is more of a toy than the 1/8 vehicles.

The other thing is the excitement that a track full of 1/8 gas buggies generate due to engine noise alone is impressive. Electric is kind of boring after that. If you have never seen 10-15 really good gas drivers on the track for a main you will probably not get the big gas buggy thing.

GT and 2wd racing in general was always more popular in the US. 1/8 buggy was/is the dominant gas off-road class in the rest of the world and has been for years. I have ran all the off-road classes quite a bit and while the GT has a certain good feel to it the 1/8 buggy is much more drivable and quite a bit faster. The other side is it takes a lot of skill to be competitive in 1/8 because so many guys can at least get around the track okay. If you are not on your game you are lapped traffic.