Notte78

I have no experience with on-road cars, but I am hoping that will change shortly. In order to get myself started....

What are the pro/cons about shaft drives and belt driven cars besides personal preference?

tza1981

Belt driven gives you less friction, better rollin and is more stable. But it is more problematic with dirt. So for the parking lot the shaft drive is definitive preferable. For competition choose belt drive.

tamiyarcracer

Shaft drives are usually more efficient. But many people say they have torque steer. But because of the power transfer, they might not be the best option for high powered motors.

But I have really enjoyed they ones I have.

Notte78

understood...As much as I would love a high end model, I've learned it will pay off starting with an entry level (in this case shaft driven) to get that important practice and build confidence before running with the big dogs.
Thanks for the info, much appreciated!!!

jhberger

iTrader: (1)

Shaft is definitely more efficient. Belt is smoother and a bit easier to drive, especially with high powered motors. Shaft is pretty buletproof. A TC3 is a great starting point. Simple, rugged, very tunable, lots of parts still around, About $75 for a good used roller.

Notte78

If the shaft drives are more efficient at power transfer I would have to assume they are quicker? Speed is not my concern at this point, but later on it will be.

I also see a benefit of belt drives is they are easier to drive and smoother. Wouldn't that be a plus for somebody like myself that is going to be new to on-road. I know the choice is ultimately up to me, just trying to see it from both sides.

jhberger

iTrader: (1)

One of the RC mags did a head to head of shaft and belt -- Yokomos, I think. Results were inconclusive and lap times were almost identical.

If you are starting out and running anything more powerful than a 21.5, the advantage might tilt to belt. For VTA, for example, It's probably a toss-up.

I've run both and feel that the shaft was quicker off the corner and kept pace with the fastest belt drives down the straight. I think the belt has better corner speed and crashes less.

Results may vary.

1101

It was Kyosho TF5 carbon. They have a belt & shaft version of the same car.
Results werent collated very well, but overall feeling was not that much difference, belt being a bit better in corners (no torque steer)

spongerX

Shaft can be tricky to drive in low traction situations. Power is instantly transferred to the wheels. Belts have a bit of "give" before the power gets to the wheels so the power is delivered a bit smoother. Similarly in a crash belts absorb a lot of the shock before it gets to the motor.

I run belts in a very dirty conditions and have no issues with dirt/small stones. The trick is to run your belts a bit looser so the stones don't get wedged into the pulley and if they do the belt can easily ride over them without getting chewed up. Ball diffs in dirty conditions on the otherhand are a real pain.

1101

I'd agree with belts themselves not being an big issue with stones etc

However , Ive had issues with stones being trapped under the pulley's, jammed in the wheels/hub/CVD & grit ruining pinions/spurs. Would be just the same with shafties

SammyZ

iTrader: (138)

i like the shaft

Foxxrocket

Yep. I've found 2mm sized rocks in the sealed transmission case of my TC4.

AudioStylz

iTrader: (15)

Well I've owned both a TC3 and a Losi XXX-S touring car. I used to race them both, 1 for stock rubber (losi xxx-s) and the other for stock foam (tc3).

I didn't really notice any real difference between the two on handling, as for torqe steer with the shaft drive. I didn't notice any of that.

Really it's all about personal preferance honestly.

pakk

iTrader: (80)

If there is little to no difference, why is there very few shaft belts in production? Trend?

1101

perhaps the difference becomes real with low turn/mod motors.

-RC_CAR(??) mag did a test of a cheap,bog stock, heavy, plastic tub TF5 shaftie not that long ago.
He found it very competitive against the $$$$ carbon belt jobs at club level racing (beating all but one other car)