Narrowing it down
05-05-2008, 03:11 PM
#1
Narrowing it down
I am looking at the following, narrowing down to a 1/10 scale car to add to the collection. I am not into the saddle pack, as I rather switch to lipo and have a hard case lipo. I am considering the following.
1.) Losi XXX-4 G+
2.) AE T4
3.) Kyosho Lazer
4.) Tamiya Durga, more interested if the 501 were for sale anywhere
any comments welcome. I particularly am curious if there are any deficiencies with the T4. I saw someone that just hated it. I was considering purchasing until I read the comment.
is the 501x an actual production car fr sale anywhere?
1.) Losi XXX-4 G+
2.) AE T4
3.) Kyosho Lazer
4.) Tamiya Durga, more interested if the 501 were for sale anywhere
any comments welcome. I particularly am curious if there are any deficiencies with the T4. I saw someone that just hated it. I was considering purchasing until I read the comment.
is the 501x an actual production car fr sale anywhere?
05-05-2008, 03:16 PM
#2
That is a sort of odd combination. Three four wheel drives and Associated truck T4; did you mean B44 that would be the AE four wheeler. From what I have run and read; I would not go with Losi it doesn't seem to work well on rough track, the Lazer is well liked but sometimes parts can be an issue, Durga will require several items to be equal to the others (slipper, shocks, axles, etc), if you meant B44 many really like it. Some think it is easier to work on than the BJ4.
B44 uses saddle packs, Durga and Losi side by side, Lazer has both in line and saddle pack chassis, T4 is in line in middle (if you meant the truck).
501X is very expensive as I understand.
B44 uses saddle packs, Durga and Losi side by side, Lazer has both in line and saddle pack chassis, T4 is in line in middle (if you meant the truck).
501X is very expensive as I understand.
05-05-2008, 03:19 PM
#3
Looking for a 501X. Here is one for sale.
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXPJR1&P=SM
Kind of pricey.
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXPJR1&P=SM
Kind of pricey.
05-05-2008, 03:44 PM
#5
The Lazer ZX5-SP is proving to be a very good car. It has the best racing pedegree out of the cars you listed. The 501X is a good car but struggles on some tracks. T4 is a truck and a good one at that. The XXX4 has always been and is still a fragile 4wd car that only really shines on smooth blue groove.
05-05-2008, 03:46 PM
#6
wow.... I can buy two durga's for that price.
I know the B4 is hot, was trying to stay away from the saddle packs. Thus the T4, and it's what is stocked by the lhs.
The kyosho I would need to stock parts, which I have learned my lesson to do so anyway.
sounds like it should be between the B4 and my willingness to do saddle pack and the Kyosho Lazer and stock parts.
I know the B4 is hot, was trying to stay away from the saddle packs. Thus the T4, and it's what is stocked by the lhs.
The kyosho I would need to stock parts, which I have learned my lesson to do so anyway.
sounds like it should be between the B4 and my willingness to do saddle pack and the Kyosho Lazer and stock parts.
05-05-2008, 04:39 PM
#8
I would have to disagree about the XXX-4 G+ being fragile. Once the optional aluminum front pivot blocks are are used it takes quite a good lick to break it. And then it is only the carriers and front belt cover that break. Xfactory even has a kingpin mod to extend the life of the carriers too or you can upgrade to aluminum. We have quite a few XXX-4's running around here and they run very well without alot of breakages. My X5 started out as a XXX-4 and the reason I did the conversion was to improve the rough track handling of the car. On a smooth track the XXX-4 is extremely fast.
05-05-2008, 06:39 PM
#9
Saddle packs are no different than stick packs, just use a jumper wire instead of a battery bar. Its quite simple.
If your only gripe with the b44 is saddle packs you should re think your options. If you want lipos max amps and Trak power have them, and they are in line, price wise, with there stick pack counter part.
Now that I have been running saddle packs for a couple of months I actually perfer them over the stick packs. Just my .02
If you want a buggy with stick pack only, go with the zx5 sp.
That buggy is incredible. There is a (experianced) guy here at the local track, who bought it at the lhs in the morning, built it at the track and raced it the same day. He placed 2nd with the out of the box set up, the buggy was not 100% dialed and he had only 2 batteries though it practice wise.
I drove it, and my lap times were slightly faster with his buggy than mine.
though mine was not set up well either.
The zx5 sp is my next buggy, just because of how great it was out of the box. Not to mention the suspention is incredible.
Good luck on what ever you choose.
If your only gripe with the b44 is saddle packs you should re think your options. If you want lipos max amps and Trak power have them, and they are in line, price wise, with there stick pack counter part.
Now that I have been running saddle packs for a couple of months I actually perfer them over the stick packs. Just my .02
If you want a buggy with stick pack only, go with the zx5 sp.
That buggy is incredible. There is a (experianced) guy here at the local track, who bought it at the lhs in the morning, built it at the track and raced it the same day. He placed 2nd with the out of the box set up, the buggy was not 100% dialed and he had only 2 batteries though it practice wise.
I drove it, and my lap times were slightly faster with his buggy than mine.
though mine was not set up well either.The zx5 sp is my next buggy, just because of how great it was out of the box. Not to mention the suspention is incredible.
Good luck on what ever you choose.
05-05-2008, 08:47 PM
#10
Just a couple of thoughts.....
I personally think what you do matters for what you get just as much as what you are getting should be of good quality, handle well, be reasonable to work on, etc. If you are going to go racing and you really want to do well then the T4, B4, XXX-CR, RB-5 or anything 2wd is going to work to your advantage to go with. I think there are some other experienced racers that will agree that for racing its best to practice and make 2wd the benchmark for your driving and run 4wd as almost reward to yourself for driving good. Running 4wd can really make you lazy as a driver. My very best 4wd runs and races are after alot of 2wd practice and alittle 4wd practice. Another thing to consider is if you are new to unsure of your skills every 1/10th scale 4wd around and I don't care whose it is, is going to be more labor intensive, prone to failuire (as in the case that some have twice as many parts to break) and will most likely necessitate the purchase of 2 sets of tires when it comes time for new rubber. If racing isn't your thing and you want to take stuff outside and just have fun in the dirt the 501x has exposed diffs which get dirty very quickly and the XXX-4 is not the best on rougher terrain. Your going to have your own personal experiences with each car that may be positive or negative. For example XXX-4s are constantly bashed on this forum for being weak, poor handling and slow. My experiences have been completely different. On the flipside I had my fair share of issues helping a friend keep rear diffs in his ZX-5. Others say they have never replaced one...The point being is that your driving, desire to keep the car maintained and the conditions you run it on will be a larger factor than how good the car is considering what you are looking at.
I personally think what you do matters for what you get just as much as what you are getting should be of good quality, handle well, be reasonable to work on, etc. If you are going to go racing and you really want to do well then the T4, B4, XXX-CR, RB-5 or anything 2wd is going to work to your advantage to go with. I think there are some other experienced racers that will agree that for racing its best to practice and make 2wd the benchmark for your driving and run 4wd as almost reward to yourself for driving good. Running 4wd can really make you lazy as a driver. My very best 4wd runs and races are after alot of 2wd practice and alittle 4wd practice. Another thing to consider is if you are new to unsure of your skills every 1/10th scale 4wd around and I don't care whose it is, is going to be more labor intensive, prone to failuire (as in the case that some have twice as many parts to break) and will most likely necessitate the purchase of 2 sets of tires when it comes time for new rubber. If racing isn't your thing and you want to take stuff outside and just have fun in the dirt the 501x has exposed diffs which get dirty very quickly and the XXX-4 is not the best on rougher terrain. Your going to have your own personal experiences with each car that may be positive or negative. For example XXX-4s are constantly bashed on this forum for being weak, poor handling and slow. My experiences have been completely different. On the flipside I had my fair share of issues helping a friend keep rear diffs in his ZX-5. Others say they have never replaced one...The point being is that your driving, desire to keep the car maintained and the conditions you run it on will be a larger factor than how good the car is considering what you are looking at.
05-05-2008, 09:48 PM
#11
as for the kits i can only speak of the two i have owned. the b44 & the xxx-4 g+.
i would go with the b44 hands down. i had the xxx-4 g+ that i just recently sold on ebay. it was great but i was ready for a new updated car as it was a few years old. great car though and you can go wrong with either car.
i just bought a b44. its put together with a bunch of upgrades already. i still need to install the electrics but i'm still deciding on what to put in it. but the quality of materials and stuff is really no comparison. the b44 just seems head and shoulders better in my opinion. also it just seems everyone is going towards the shaft driven cars for off-road. i can't wait to run this beast. here are some pics and you can see the quality of it. plus it just looks WAY cooler than all the other 4wd cars...
i would go with the b44 hands down. i had the xxx-4 g+ that i just recently sold on ebay. it was great but i was ready for a new updated car as it was a few years old. great car though and you can go wrong with either car.
i just bought a b44. its put together with a bunch of upgrades already. i still need to install the electrics but i'm still deciding on what to put in it. but the quality of materials and stuff is really no comparison. the b44 just seems head and shoulders better in my opinion. also it just seems everyone is going towards the shaft driven cars for off-road. i can't wait to run this beast. here are some pics and you can see the quality of it. plus it just looks WAY cooler than all the other 4wd cars...
Last edited by mrplease; 05-08-2008 at 02:38 PM.
05-06-2008, 05:08 AM
#12
You should consider a BJ4.
For 2wd, the T4 is as good as it gets. Simple, easy to maintain, and excellent support.
But if your racing, its very difficult for 2wd vehicles to compete with 4wd vehicles.
I had a similar dilemma - most of the guys at our track were switching from 2wd to 4wd. I already had hard case lipos and didnt want to mess around with soft case saddle packs either. So I ruled out the B44. And despite what everyone says, the XXX4 is notoriously weak. And the Kyosho looks great but there is no support for them at my LHS or on line. The Durga has too much plastic and the 501 is too expensive.
I ended up getting a BJ4. You can get them used or new at JConcepts. You can use hard case lipos and get great parts support because the design is based upon AE parts.
But if your racing, its very difficult for 2wd vehicles to compete with 4wd vehicles.
I had a similar dilemma - most of the guys at our track were switching from 2wd to 4wd. I already had hard case lipos and didnt want to mess around with soft case saddle packs either. So I ruled out the B44. And despite what everyone says, the XXX4 is notoriously weak. And the Kyosho looks great but there is no support for them at my LHS or on line. The Durga has too much plastic and the 501 is too expensive.
I ended up getting a BJ4. You can get them used or new at JConcepts. You can use hard case lipos and get great parts support because the design is based upon AE parts.
05-06-2008, 06:59 AM
#13
Most of the weakness problems of the XXX-4 were fixed with the G+ edition. The front arms on the G+ are the strongest I have seen on a 4wd buggy. They also went to flat plate graphite shocktowers which helps alot. Like I said eariler replace the front and rear pivot blocks with the optional aluminum versions and that really makes the buggy quite durable. I recently attended a large race over in Fort Walton. There the track was quite harsh on 1/10 scale cars because on the excessively large 1/8 scale style jumps and it was a hard bluegroove too. It was common for at least half of the racers to have to drop out because of broken parts. And these were experienced racers too. The XXX-4s were holding up as good as all the other 4wd buggies were. As a matter of fact I did not see a broken front arm from a XXX4 all weekend. It was usually the carriers or knuckles which the Xfactory mod would help extend the life of the carriers. And we were racing XX-4, Bj4, X-5, Yokomos, B44, Zx-5. They were all droping out with broken arms and such. I broke two of the crashback arms on my X-5!!!
Last edited by sport10; 05-06-2008 at 03:03 PM.
