bbrace3m

iTrader: (5)

im looking to get into a nitro but want to know what truggy and buggy i should get for a newbie. i dont know a single thing about nitro but have plenty of people to help me out. thanks guys!

got_nitro

iTrader: (24)

Any 1/8th Truggy or Buggy whether it's a RTR or a roller would be good to start into Nitro with. Nitro is nitro and tuning is tuning. IMO a roller with your choice of good servos, engine, tires/wheels and pipe would be the best way to go but that all depends on how much coin you want to drop. Most all of your rollers do not need any hop ups and come with thicker and just better all around parts on them.
Do it right the first time, get help with tuning and set up and you will save TONS of money in the long run. I think it's everyones goal to get into 1/8th scale Trucks, It always comes down to how much money you want to drop.

awdcameolsx

iTrader: (36)

I personaly would go with just a buggy the first year for two reasons.
1: Nitro requires ALOT more work then the 1/10 electrics you are used to and it can get very monotonous doing all the tuning, fixing, pitting, ect. for multiple classes unless it is a huge race that day.
2: A buggy will teach you more finesse. Switching back and forth from buggy and truggy gets a little difficult to consistently dive either as well.

But as far as what you should go with is just a good quality car. Mugen, Losi, Xray all hold together very well. One of those with a decent motor (your nobodys first lasts very long so don't spend a ton here) and get quality servos like high end ace/hitec/JR servos. Even if you get the losi RTR you will need a new steering servo pretty much off the bat.

NitroXray80809

iTrader: (24)

DONT BUY RTR! Also if you race 2wd buggies electric good go 1/8th nitro buggy and you should be fine, truggies are easier to drive and i mean way easier. You can drive a truggy way harder than a buggy and get away with it. Also like in post above just start with one nitro dont jump into two right away because nitro is way more mainence and paitence. For the price start off with a Hot Bodies D8 and some good gear like hi tec or jr servos, good 2.4 radio(nothin real fancy), and a alpha engine/pipe. This all should get you runnin for around 700 which is way cheaper than buying a more exspensive kit and the d8 is perfectly capable of hangin with them!

bbrace3m

iTrader: (5)

i would get a d8 and a decent engine that isnt real expensive for me to learn how to tune on.....

jwm2

iTrader: (5)

Whatever you do stick with one brand. Find the brand you want and then stick with it. The reason is some parts can be used on both. For me its Losi, i can drop my engines in either my truggy or buggy and they will run just fine. Stuff like wings, wheel nuts, shock caps, air filters, radio trays can be put into either and will be just fine as those parts are shared between the Losi truggys and buggys.

Arco

Great advice!

jwm2

iTrader: (5)

Theres several more parts that are shared between the 2 vehicles, but i can't remember them all off the top of my head. But it will save you alot of money on spares if one part can fit on both

tc5 man

get a truggy man, there easier to drive espially if your a beginner i used to run 2wd staduim, mod trucks and i ran buggy last year but you just cant drive them as hard and to me truggys are funner and more forgiveing.

now i does, depend on what kind of track surface you run on example if the track is rutty and dry truggy is the best to run on that.

if you dont, have a lhs go for the hb d8t there not expensive and there just as good as the losis and associated etc . i run a eight-t but next year im switching brands to a hb d8t .

MattFL

I started with a Kyosho DBX buggy. This is by all accounts an entry level buggy, but it was a great introduction to the hobby. It was inexpensive (rtr for $220) and parts are readily available online (not so much at the local store). I broke lots of parts in the beginning, mostly from me hitting things in my back yard, but it is easy to work on and parts aren't expensive, relatively speaking. I have since upgraded to a stronger HiTech steering servo and an OS motor (the original motor let go at 2.5 gal of fuel) and those changes alone made a whopper improvement. For me it was a great starter buggy; fun to play with, reasonably durable as long as you don't hit big hard things and you really learn a lot about what to look for should you want to upgrade to a more expensive buggy. And if you can tune the stock motor then you can tune anything! So for someone like me who just terrorizes the back yard, this was a fine starter buggy. If you want to race then maybe a higher end buggy would be better.

matrixmike28

iTrader: (3)

Buy a quality kit that is supported buy your LHS and other racers in your area. That way you will be able to get parts and setup help easily. Do not buy a RTR and avoid buying a prebuilt because you are going to have to work on it so you might as well hit the ground running by building it in the first place.

Buy quality electronics. (servos and radio) you will regret it very quickly if you go cheap here. You do not have to be a great racer to feel the difference on this one. This is the best place to splurge!

DO NOT buy an expensive motor (such as a speed) chances are with you being new to nitro you are going to toast the motor pretty quick learning how to tune and being new to 1/8th scale you will not be able to use the power anyway so buy a cheap motor and learn to drive and tune before dropping the big bucks here. I would not go over 175-200 on this one.

Last but not least buy soft or super soft (m4) tires in a all around tread such as city blocks or calibers. Most new racers go out and buy hard compund tires to start with (I mean how much less traction can they have right??) thinking that they can get the extra life out of them only to realize they are ice skating out on the track. TIRE CHOICE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF SETUP!!!!!!!!

These are all of the things I wish someone would have told me when i first started racing.

jmaxey51

iTrader: (7)

+1... but if your new to nitro, Alpha engine wont be a good one to start with, they are a pain to break in and real touchy on the tune.... also look at the O'donnell SG buggy, its a little more than HotBodies but needs ZERO upgrades. but either one is a great buggy. i run both buggy and truggy and i started with a buggy because they are cheaper AND they teach you how to drive and if you end up going to truggy later you will be ALOT faster than starting with truggy.

Frank L

iTrader: (148)

I run Losi cars but any brand is good. AE, Mugen, if you want economical then even those damm HB cars are ok. Stick with the same brand like stated above as they will share many parts. I have 4 1/8 scale cars 2 nitro and 2 electric and there is tons of maintenance. But the pay off is on the track.