SBV2 pro buggy, is it any good?
 

i plan on purchasing an MRC SBV2 pro by the end of the summer and want to know if their any good. ill be running spektrum, novak 5.5 and SPC 4600 6 cell nimh's, along with either a JR servo or a waterproof traxxas servo

does anyone run it? if so, tips?

thanks

Just going on specs and looking at it, it looks pretty good. Where are you going to get parts for that thing? And what made you decide on that car? Thats a bit of an odd choice. You obviously dont mind purple, so since you can get over that flaw you ought to look at the Hot Bodies D4 WE here. Its a very solid car and its proven. I'm not sure how long that Academy is even going to be produced because they haven't sold many of them at all.

idk really, its just different from a lot of things ive seen, and, i already planed for part deficiencies, im ordering $400 in spare stuff that i know ill break, i actually looked at the hot bodies buggy, but i dont like the 3x3 configuration, it would make all my other packs worthless

So far on my son's I know that the factory setup is good but the shocks (30wt/white springs) were too soft for almost every track we've been to. Stiffer shock oil (35) and harder springs are in order. Associated springs will fit the Academy shocks but are very tight, Losi springs are slightly too big in diameter but that's what we're using as we have a bigger assortment to tune with and they work fine. I believe he's running green fronts and pink or orange rears right now and it handles great but still not enough pop on some jumps.

Other than that it's awesome. No durability issues so far other than the plastic outdrives - order extras (2 sets) as they wear very quickly. The factory tires are even pretty decent, but we use red ifmar studs on loose tracks.

It drives so different from the SB pro kit - the SBV2 really flexes and sticks to the track compared to the older version. Most hobby shops can get Academy parts but some have to be ordered in sets of 2, so plan to buy everything in pairs if you special order. Stormer usually keeps a pretty good assortment on hand.

The SBV2 Pro is a very good performer, but you will want to do the following to get the most out of it or have on hand:

1. Purchase AE lower shock cups, and use AE springs. The lower cups will allow the springs to fit perfectly to the cups as Academy cups are just a tad bigger. I liked running green front springs and silver rear springs.

2. From memory, the B3 titanium turnbuckle kit will work on the SB V2 series. I ran lunsfords all around as I preferred those to the stock steel, though the stock steel is pretty strong.

3. If using stock tires, (they are actually pretty good) go with a better foam. the stock foam doesn't last very long. I used losi firm foams, others, were using proline grey I believe. I ran a full sized rear losi foams in the fronts as they were pretty big compared to other 4wd front tires, but worked well.

4. purchase the steel outdrives for ultimate durability.

5. purchase the rear 3 degree toe in mount

6. Don't build the diffs with the kit diff grease. Use AE grease or something similar.

If I recall correctly, AE shock pistons can work in the Academy shocks with some filing. You could also just use the stock pistons and drill as needed.

The SB Pro kit used a much more flexible plastic and the top deck was two piece. Also, the motor mount left ALOT to be desired. the sport version was better. The V2 Pro did alot to solve this.

I really enjoyed my SB V2 Pro when I had it, and if there was a class for it out here I would have kept it.

As for parts, I would say the usual suspects as other kits I woudl stock up on. Only thing I broke that I can remember on the SB V2 Pro was the front shock tower.

RC Dad's sons really get those wheelers going (we attend some of the same events). if I lived where they were, would be a third academy at the track! :lol:

its a good piece, i know brian reigle ('wyd') runs 1 after moving out of a b4 and x6, he's pleased with it. 1 tip i could give is find out what motors folks in ur area run, and maybe even go 1-2turns slower. slower is faster and slower is easy on tires ;)

R

palmtree whare in fl are you

It's a good four wheeler but it's hard to get parts for it, I would get a four wheeler that most hobby shops carry parts for like associated or a losi.

From what I have seen and been told - if you need parts either call MRC yourself or have your hobby shop call them for you. They seem very happy to help.

I built the original SV2 car for the Car Action review years ago - really enjoyed the built, thought it was very good piece. Wish I could have driven it!!

Love mine definitely put the steel outdrives in it (I think the newer kit's have them already)and A-main has all the parts.

Can I have a link to the top chassis brace?

This is not for me but somebody asked this on another forum and I am commited to answering it!!!!

OK not all the part's:D:blush:but stormer has it on order https://www.ssl-stormerhobbies.com/c...ns&pn=ACDVT006

I ordered that upper deck about a month ago. Still no word from stormer yet. I have a feeling it may never come in. :mad: In the meantime you can order the FRP top deck. I have a friend that just ordered it but it seems you can only get it directly from MRC and I guess my buddy got the last one. Hopefully they get more in.
http://www.modelrec.com/search/product-view.asp?ID=6893
Tough to say if it is tougher than the standard V2 deck but I guess its better than nothing. My SBV2 is literally being held together with thick 4" zip ties and some epoxy putty. Works better than you would think. I would say one of the nice things about the SBV2 is that you can win one off ebay for relatively cheap. My other buddy just ebayed his and only got 88 bucks plus shipping.

Oh yeah A main and Stormer are great places to order parts for the car. Just kind of sucks not being able to buy parts for this car at your LHS. Luckily, I've pretty much stockpiled enough parts to build another SBV2.

1st, some background on me so you understand my perspective. The sbv2 is my first offroad car. I've been doing rc for about a year now and my sbv2 is 6 months old.

The car, in my opinion is below average in durability. I've watched a lot of other 4wd's take a lot more abuse and not break. Just so you know I run a mamba 5700 motor, and its pretty wicked fast. My guess is if you ran a 13.5 it'd hold together a bit better.;)

Tuning this thing has been a challenge. It's a light car. With my trakpower lipo and no ballast it weighs 1600g. It's been tough to find the right spring, shock oil, piston combo that works, but I think I'm finally getting close.

Steering is great after you do the mod. Stock shocks....I gave up on those. Not enough droop travel, rebuilding is a pain, parts are harder to get. I used to break/bend a lot of front shock shafts. Sometimes parts run out at Amain or stormer or MRC, it gets pretty frustrating. So I switched to b44 shocks. Everyone's got these parts and losipartshouse is an awesome place to shop.

In summary, I think when this car is working right, is a blast to drive. I also think it's a high maintenance beatch. To make sure I can run all day at the track, I carry a smorgasboard of spare parts with me. Then usually, at the end of the track day, I have to order parts to replace the spares that got used.

I'd rank it up there along side any of the top spec race kits, and above a few of them.

Extremely durable, And certainly requires no more maintenance then any other top spec car. Any kit running a "wicked fast" motor will break parts when crashed, and depending on perspective suffer from excessive wear.

Out of the box the car is improved by the steering mod, and the shocks do need looking at, Simply using the associated pistons does wonders and costs next to nothing. I wouldn't use the kit supplied shock oil. Steel out drives are supplied with the latest batch of kits which is an excellent amendment to the kit.

On the track, Quick, agile, hooks up, stays planted, flies true, Its a great car.

Hell, I bought a second one.

Still, Like everything, It won't suit everyone.

This is a very good car. I have one for about a year or so now & it is very strongly built it survived a lot of abuse with only one broken part (rear gearbox top) and that was because (I believe) I was using an aftermarket carbon rear shock tower, which is a lot stiffer so the next weak thing broke(the gearbox top) I since changed back to the original shock towers, so far so good.
I got a lipo brace to keep my lipo bricks from moving around the chassis (Diggity) as I run lipo only now days.
I did the steering mod to get more steering throw at the spindles, I switched to steel outdrives in the back diff for added reliability & less wear, Got fed up with the original shocks after I bent the shafts a few times (I was rear ended once & I crashed into someone going the wrong way the other time) so put Losi items on the car instead, much better IMO. I also added a front & rear bumper that I found on ebay that might protect the car from a crash or someone running into the back of my car, might help, so far no one did.
You mentioned you want to get $400.00 worth of parts... that's a lot of bucks waisted IMO, If you think you are going to break so many parts just get another kit and use it as a spare part stash(like Metla suggested), does this make cents?
I have a ton of parts that I have not used (arms,hubs,spindles...).
I use a mamba max w/5700 motor & it's very fast w/ lipo power.

Your going to get a lot of different opinions as you can see,I've been running the buggy since march and have only broke a shock tower and have had no problems getting parts from a main and stormer

Lots of positive comments from people who actually own and run them, Has to be worth more then someone looking at a picture and claiming sales were so low that parts will dry up....

That aside, I wasn't recommending a second car for parts, I was just meaning I was so impressed with mine I bought a second one, and run them both.

Quite a few moths ago I spent $80 or so on spare parts, I still have nearly all of them unopened....

well thanks guys i really appreciate the help. sadly im putting the car on hold untill i get a good paying job, for now im just gonna upgrade my pede since its dialed in to perfection for my track.

bdw live in boca, few blocks from rc boca (dont buy from them unless i have to because they suck big time) and i run at the track in south county regional park

thanks a bunch

Like Smoke said, a lot of differing opinions. Most people who have one, really like it. And parts really isn't a problem, we have most of them in stock. If you have any specific questions, please let me know.

Tim

OK, I'm needing some help here Tim@MRC. I bought a second hand SB Sport Graphite & its been upgraded with AE shocks.

The problem I have is the diffs. They are steel & thats fine, but I tried to take it apart & the bolt broke. OK, no problem I'll buy new ones. Apparently my new bolts are bigger 2.5, great, except now the thrust washers won't fit, so now I'm looking for those. Then i look at these rings & they're soft judging from the grooves in them. Thrust washers same thing.

What parts do I get to bring this thing up to a pro level diff? I check the manual, sadly it gives no sizes for the parts & I don't read japan. I don't want to waste anymore time. Help! I want to 4 wheel & soon. BC

Bigcheese,

Here are the part numbers for the original SB Pro diffs:
WT-25 diff rings
ST-T63 Diff screw and thrust washers

And this is the breakdown of parts for the SB Pro car : http://www.modelrectifier.com/resour...RTS%20LIST.pdf

I hope that is what your needing, if those are the wrong ones let me know and ill do my best to get you the correct numbers.

Guys, are the parts interchangeable between a SBV2 Pro & SB Pro Kit?
http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...article_id=607

can't seem to locate any spares for the latter....

Sadly, there are only just a few parts that interchange between the two cars. The SBV2 car was basicly re-designed from the ground up.

Things that are the same between the two are the shocks, steering hubs (depending which SB car you have. there was a change that upgraed the car to the SBV2 style axles and bones) If yours has the axles that use a locknut to hold the wheels on then they are different. After that there really isnt much that swap between the two.

As far as parts, I would contact MRC and see if they can get what your looking for. The SB sport and the SB pro were discontinued a few years ago, but they should still have some parts for them.

thanks beeanner, that was helpful.

Beeanner - thanks for the quick reply. I'll check into it.

Will the V2 diffs work in my SB sport????

I'd rather use the updated diff if I can. I know that the screw is larger at 2.5, because thats what broke on mine.

Hi Bigcheese,
If you shoot me an email, I have a file that has a lot of upgrades that you can do to the original SB. It was compiled by "Cain". In there, he has a diff upgrade to use AE diff parts.
For the diff screw, the problem I found is that the spring they used is too short and bottoms out too soon, which causes the screw to break if you try to tighten it. I've used a diff spring from an old MRC diff, but any diff spring that is slightly longer would work.

Tim

feel free to shoot me a message too. I think I still have that file. Lots of people contributed to it and we got a bunch of good info on getting the V1 series to work.

Tim, check your email.

You guys both have PM's. Thank you in advance. I'm just tickled to get this buggy running nice.

I had read somewhere about the AE diff spring & I just bought a couple along with traxass thrust washers 2.5 mm I.D. I'd rather use the larger bolt, but if the AE spring fixes it i'll use the stock one. I want to use harder washers too.
BC

I received the SB document. Its very nicely done & some super information. Some of the upgrades have been done by the previous owner, but will definately use some of the changes. I am relieved to see theres hope to make this old buggy competitive. Thank you!!!

Do you have pics of your buggy? wouldn't mind getting that nostalgia feel! :)

That buggy is still competitive, the main thing about the SB Pro that I didn't like was the stock motor mount, since it limited how low of a pinion you can go (the stock Pro mount, not the Sport mount).

The custom machined motor mount on your SB Pro should fix that Bigcheese. Plus your SB Pro is an "LE" model (limited edition), which has the VXB hubs and driveshafts (much beefier then the original Pro).

There is some extra center posts included in the hardware bins I believe, you can use the extra hole that runs down the top chassis plate to the chassis near the center of the car and use the post to stiffen up the chassis as a tuning option.

Generally, if the track is rutted up, you shouldn't use that extra post, but if the track is smooth, stiffen it up will give you a more responsive car...

What's also strange is, I found that the Academy tires that looks like the holeshots tended to hook up much better at where I used to run it as compared to the Holeshots that everyone was running. I could never make the Taper Pins hook up, but you might run it at a track where it'll come in handy...

So long as you adjust your diffs good, and sand the slipper pads ever so often (since all slipper pads glazes up), the buggy hooks up very well...

Another team driver of that buggy (or used to be) is JK Racing. He and I used to pit together at the local track and his SB Pro was DIALED. Oh yeah, the advantage of pitting next to the MRC/Academy guys is that he used to replace the parts for me if I broke it in front of him... Ahh, missed those days when we had three Academy SB Pro drivers pitting next to each other and sharing setup information...

Are you planning to go brushless in your setup Bigcheese?

Tom - I have a Mamba max 4600 going in it. A JR8450 servo, spektrum 3500 receiver & protek 4000 2s lipo.

Cain - I bought a new body yet to be painted, so don't have any pics yet.

I thought those drive shafts looked nice. I did see the extra post but hadn't thought of using it for a stiffener. The thing that I like is I can use a lipo stick pak without having to mess with a saddle config. I've had a xxx4, but wanted something shaft drive too.

The extra posts should be in the screw kit last time I checked... Maybe it's already on the car... I can't remember :lol:

Those fusion tires are really suprising. I know at several tracks they were used with great success for 2wd buggy. If Grand Prix would push there tires, could have a winner there.

Good luck on the vehicle!

I can't find a body for this SB sport!

We got an SB body from Stormer about a month ago. Not sure if they have any left as I believe it was some sort of special order but it's worth checking out. If they don't have any in stock you should be able to email them and request it.

I thought that the V2 body was a direct fit for the V1?

Give MRC a call and ask for Tim. he should be able to get you what you need.