TheRo0sTer

iTrader: (1)

I don't want to turn this into a brand war. I want to see what others think between the two 4wd options I'm looking into. If you have driven and or owned both, what did you like and why did you decide to pick the one you stuck with? It's been 25 years since I've raced anything electric, but back then I liked the way my Associated Buggy and Truck drove. They had more into and out of the corner steering and less push. Now back then you only had the XXX-4 or you bought Yokomo, Schumacher or one of the few others out there. I don't believe Associated had a dog in that fight. Let's hear what you think if you've driven both or if you have only driven one, besides "I've always driven X" what made you pick your 4wd?

22x4 Elite vs B74.2

Pros and Cons ---> GO!

TheRo0sTer

iTrader: (1)

I would like to add, it is crazy how many of the 4wds look so similar in layout. I know the specs in dimensions and angles are different.

Ghostdog

TA are very competitive now imo. Don't own one, but watch them race a lot.

b.j.a

iTrader: (2)

Are you driving on indoor clay? Carpet? Outdoor dirt?

AE is an obvious no-brainer for carpet. The consensus at my indoor clay track is that the 22x4 is a bit faster than the AE but they're both plenty competitive. The biggest issue by far with the 22x4 is parts availability since so many basic parts are so hard to find. I've had two sets of rear arms on backorder at amain for over 2 months now....

BigBuckORamma

Honestly, thats been TLR the last 2 years. Something happened with their whole production chain post COVID, and they have never recovered.
Plus there are so many modifications being done to the 2WD, that a lot of 22X-4 parts get used. So, for example, you couldnt find 22X-4 rear arms, or hinge pins, because both are needed to do the rear arm conversion. Same is true of the front end mod making 5.0 front spindles, especially the 0 degree caster blocks, all but impossible to find. Same with the SCT Spindles. To the point that other companies started making alternatives.
The same issue happened with the 22X-4 Elite was released. The spare Elite parts went on backorder almost immediately due to demand. I just got my order from Horizon, for the rear chassis braces, just several weeks ago. After having ordered all of the Elite parts the day they were put on the site. They have all trickled in over the course of nearly 6 months.

That isnt to say AE is perfect either, just ask the people trying to find the Low Tooth Count internal diff gears, or the new plastic diff rings and pinions. They too, are made of unobtanium.

Sadly, i think these sorts of annoying shortages and manufacturing back logs are just one of those things that is now officially "indicative of the world we live in", and likely wont be changing for the better any time soon.

OffRoadJunkie

iTrader: (9)

I believe one thing that needs to be taken into consideration is, which company puts the most effort into their racing products and will be supportive for the long haul. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears Losi has been switching more of their attention to their bashing line, rather than their racing line. If you read some other posts, you will see that a lot of drivers are leaving Losi due to this. They take a few years to update their kits and rumor has it, they are currently working on an updated kit.

AE, on the other hand, comes out with an updated buggy just about every year. Although there are minimal changes, they should be recognized for trying to stay up-to-date and being more serious about the racing side of this hobby.

There are many other excellent brands to choose from, if you are interested. Xray, Schumacher, Yokomo are definitely worth looking at. HB and Tekno are also good and have a new 4wd kit out as well.

TheRo0sTer

iTrader: (1)

Very good point to share on updates.

TheRo0sTer

iTrader: (1)

Clay track. I have a 22x4 Elite that I've been driving, but waiting months to get a part is not giving me the tingly feelings I like when handing money over to a shop or company. I might have to see what the local track's inventory for B74 parts looks like.

OffRoadJunkie

iTrader: (9)

In my 30+ years in this hobby, I don't think I have ever been to a track that didn't have AE parts. Well, there was one track, but they didn't have a hobby store. Just a track. Some might remember the track that was out there by the San Diego stadium back in the '80s.

TheRo0sTer

iTrader: (1)

In the mid 90s I raced at handful of tracks with no store on site. I'm thinking more like the parts I would need, like new front arms! LoL I started the ball moving and I'm buying the 4wd, T6 and B6. I want class options at the local track.

HOTROD716

I had have both, ran on high grip clay 13.5. The TLR gave me faster lap times, but I was not as consistent. The AE was more consistent, but was not as fast. The TLR plastic ring and pinion is stronger than AE's plastic version. I like the option of the carbon chassis on the TLR, but I can get the AE below legal limit with carbon arms, gear cases, and graphite side pods. The front shock shafts on the TLR break a lot, but the AE seems to loosen screws more easily, even with locktite.

I tried TLR and AE both 2wd and 4wd, TLR 2ed, for me is a lot better, so I went with the 22x-4, but I was ok with it, but never got conformable with it. I am open to trying new things, I switched to Schumacher, for the LD2 was great for me on the track I most frequent. I got the L1R, because I really like what Schumacher has done. The last CAT I got was the original XLS, so I am excited to go back to belt drive again.