SMOKESHOW86

iTrader: (2)

So here it is boys, I am looking at getting into 1/8th on-road and would like some opinions on different cars. The car that I would get would be new, engine/ pipe combination is not a concern neither is the electronics in the car.

In my area (Ontario, Canada) there is good parts support for Mugen, Kyosho, Delta, and Serpent. I am not looking for this car is best because I drive it, etc... What I am looking for is opinions on how the cars typically drive (Agrressive, smooth), what the big parts breakage items are, how the drive train holds up over time, what additional items need to be added to the cars to make them either faster, more durable, or just easier to work on.

This car would be raced in Hamiltion as well as probably Toledo. As for my personnel skill level, I have raced elctric TC for 2 years, I have a year of 12th scale and a summer of 200mm nitro racing and a bit of 1/8th off road. I am a consistant B to C main driver in my area. Thats usually out of 4 mains.

I do not want to go to a car like a Montica or Shepard do to nobody runs them in the area and dont want to either wait for parts to be shipped to me or stock pile huge amounts of parts for the car.

Your help and opinions is much appreciated.

cmego

Smokeshow I live in Windsor & race in Toledo, I drive a Serpent 950r and I did ok with it last year being my first in nitro racing 3rd in points. I could at times beat a lot of cars on the track that were newer but there was always a few I could never beat. It really comes down to setup,clutch,motor,driver there are a lot of good cars out there.The Evolvas & Mugens are pretty popular in Toledo, the Deltas are the same as an Evolva.
In Hamilton it seems like a mixed batch of Delta's Evolvas & Serpents.If I had a couple of things to complain about on my car is that it seems to always have a push, the 2speed is a pain to make consistent,and parts seem to cost more. But i have no regrets buying this car.BTW I noticed you wanted availability on parts locally there seems to be more parts for Kyosho & mugen because more drivers drive them, but if you need Serpent parts you may have to order them but there is some good mail order places that are fast & dependable.

Taylorm

.smokeshow............at the Toledo track it seems most guys run Mugen, and Kyosho/Delta. I ran a Serpent 960 last year and Marvin davis also runs a 960. At our last club meeting i believe there is going to be 3 new guys who will also be running Serpentin '08. I would pick any of the above 3 and stay away from the Motonica/Shepherd not because they're bad cars, but if you break at the track it's great to have someone there with spares. My first time out last year i broke a bumper right away in practice and Marvin Davis had a spare so the day was not lost......Pick any of the big 3 and you'll be set............

cmego

Taylorm is right Marvin usually has a good assmnt of parts for the 960 I have a good assmnt for the 950R.I am still trying to figure out who Taylorm is?Taylor my actual name is Kirt Scammell.

Taylorm

.......I'm Matt Taylor........I only ran the first race of the year last season........hoping to run all of the club races this year and maybe the GLC....Hope to meet you this year Kirt..........

moy

iTrader: (4)

kyosho has the cheapest part of the 3.plus lower arms are interchangeable,you will not get a stock of right arms.and the evolva is very stable on entering and exiting corners.now durability you wanna go mugen,mugen is like a tank.serpent is nice too but if you break an arm you dont wanna spend $8 for a piece. the kyosho got the 2007 world champ and the serpent got TQ.

Serpent-Dan

iTrader: (18)

Serpent parts are interchangable also you can use lefts on rights and vise versa

Team Kamikaze

iTrader: (3)

MRX 4X no doubt is a tough car to break and is one of the best handling car out there, the new 08' 960 is a way stronger car than the 06' and 07' models, a lot of improvement has been added, new handling properties, new geometry suspension, stronger material, it comes with a lot of used to be option parts, which now becomes standard, the new Kyosho M3 is new and are still being tested by a lot of racers, yes the parts are CHEAP, but a lot of parts are option that you still have to buy and still EUI, Sheperd....... well it is a new car, but have been winning races in Europe since it's introduction and the price of the spare parts are very reasonable.

AKSHUN

smokeshow, i race at Hamilton and toledo as well, ive been running Mugen and im very happy it, when i first started out i broke a few parts such as front and rear arms, bulkheads, shock towers etc.... but now its a case of wear and tear on the pulleys and belts and other parts of the drive train, they last surprisingly long considering the speeds that we are getting out of these little beasts.
My money would go to any Mugen , Kyosho or Serpent, they are all good and there is lots of support at both of the above mentioned tracks, the trick is just maintenance, keep em clean and free of tire dust and debris,
See ya at the track!!

GSwayze

Smoke, your new kit entry price for the Serpent 960-08, Kyosho M3 and Mugen MRX4x are virtually the same (at SRC anyways). If you're looking for Ontario 1/8 trackside parts support without any prior personal parts investment, then I would list the brands in order of preference this way:

1. Serpent, 2. Kyosho, 3. Mugen

Kyosho parts have historically been the cheapest. However, our friends at Serpent USA have done a great job with a new pricing structure despite a weak US dollar. This new structure will result in some dramatic reductions in Ontario 1/8 trackside pricing by SRC on many parts virtually eliminating the cost differential. Come have a look at the SRC parts racks and see how the various 8th scale cars are supported in Hamilton, Ontario.

Mark Unger provides trackside parts support at Toledo with good inventory across the 3 brands noted above.

Technical support is equally available for these brands in Hamilton, ON and Toledo, OH. Perhaps the addition of Josh to Motonica may have an effect in Toledo.

In any case, racing season is just around the corner and new kits are in currently in very high demand. I would suggest considering the SCAR Class in Hamilton ON which mandates a super low priced $150 spec engine!

I hope this helps.

MugenDrew

iTrader: (36)

1. Mugen 2. Kyosho 3. Serpent Fort Myers "the test track to the World". One of the most demanding on the planet. Metal boards and a "parking Island" in the middle of the sweeper. Florida is Serpent county, it's owned by Mugen. Left arm and right arm gimmick, you will find somebody that's breaking the other side trade with them. Kyosho is a good car. Takes a good hit to break it or the Mugen. Yeah parts are the least expensive(nickles and dimes). Start reading the Serpent 960 thread...enjoy.