The best 1/8 brushless buggy?
 

I have a E-Revo Brushless edition and 6 1/5 gasoline powered trucks (1xFG Leopard, 3xHPI Baja 5B, 2xMCD Ultimate). All are great fun but now I want to try a 1/8 brushless buggy.

I have read a bit and I do have one or two favourites already but to keep this an open discussion I will not mention these. So... What do you see as the number one 1/8 brushless buggy car on the market?

Please keep it to facts. I just want your view and input based on the experience you have with these cars.

Just to list the buggies on the market here is a list:

- Losi 8ight-E 2.0
- Associated RC8e
- Ofna Hyper 9e
- Caster (looks like two or three choices)
- MRC

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Note: I drive on race tracks only. No bashing.

I think you may find it easier to identify what vehicle would be best for you based on what you feel you need out of a vehicle.

For me personally, i needed a vehicle that could do the following:

- Handle single pack, long lipo style setups
- Had weight of electronics as close to center of chassis as possible
- Big Bore shocks
- Aluminum chassis
- Direct drive setup

Based on those feature requirements, I decided to give the Hyper 9E a try and I have been quite happy with it. I like the handling of the vehicle better than my previous RC8 conversion and my MBX5 conversion.

Here is a pic of the layout on the chassis:

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/a...ing39/h903.jpg

here is a pic of my vehicle when I was running the Castle 2200Kv combo which fits.

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...E/DSCF1656.jpg

Also, people are removing the receiver box and mounting the ESC to the chassis as well.

But ultimately, I would say for you or anyone else, identify what you feel are requirements your vehicle must have or do, and go from there.

I recently purchased an RC8E "Limited" which i'm now starting to finish. I did some research, and went with the RC8 because its well engineered, well supported, and the price was decent. If money were not a factor, i would go with an MP9 with an aftermarket "E" conversion. I dont remember the name, but there's a guy in Northern California that makes a very nice (low profile), and fairly inexpensive conversion kit for it. The materials quaility of the Japanese buggys (and XRAY) seem to be better than our U.S. made stuff. And yes, i know a lot of our U.S. stuff is being made elsewhere too:lol:

Thats all I know!

Caster Fusion PRO :nod:
check out the forums at www.casterracingusa.com

I really like my car it will turn inside any RC8 or Losi and feels so stable on the track. The saddle pack layout really helps balance the car and keep the center of gravity low.

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s.../untitled1.jpg

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s...0409_20292.jpg

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s...1809_18281.jpg

If I ever got a 1/8 buggy it would be a Caster since it would be cheaper to buy a 2nd 2s LiPo and wire them in series than buy a 4s pack. Plus Caster isn't priced as high as Losi, AE, all the other name brand companies. Caster is also making more of a name for themselves, they just won a race or two over in Asia.

One thing to keep in mind, and this is what I got from a couple of lipo retailers, they recommend that you use your lipos together as a set, not having one old lipo with a newer one.

I have the Caster Truggy and I love it. Most balanced EP1/8 I have driven yet. Ill be getting a buggy before next race season....

Ahhh, that makes sense Cain. Maybe I might just get a single pack 1/8 layout buggy. I really have no funds for anything RC related currently:lol::(

no prob. You may want to do like others have on the board if you are not worried about getting your packs from USA manufacturers and look at those flightmax ones. Maybe some of those will work in the Caster vehicle if that interests you. I don't think they will fit in the Hyper 9E however as the tray on the Hyper 9E is not wide.

I don't mean to jump your thread or anything, but I have been asking myself this same question since I saw a couple of nitro->brushless conversions at Tea's Hobby Shop in Chester, MN on Saturday. I haven't raced in years, just some occasional bashing, and was just interested in seeing what was going on out there with the off road track. To say I was very impressed by the new brushless stuff is putting it lightly. I think both vehicles were using the Tekno conversion kits. I really like the idea of the nitro style clutch and manual brake, but the extra cost involved, buying the car itself and then a conversion kit, and still needing motor/esc and batteries really makes me think twice.

I think at this point I'm really liking the looks of the Hyper 9E. It seems, teething issues aside, to be a pretty good vehicle. I really like the layout, aside from the ESC over the radio box issue everyone goes back and forth over. I will admit that the Inferno VE looks awfully tempting though...all depends on how long I can hold off from clicking the old Place Order button. I just wish something that interested me was available as a kit these days. All this preassembly nonsense takes a good chunk of the fun out of the hobby for me...

For motor/esc I am strongly favoring Tekin's RX8 setup, with a 1700 or 1900kv motor, especially with all the reports of how cool-running that system can be.

I have done a bunch of research trying to find the right packs (not looking to spend mega-bucks on batteries until there's a real ruling on cell count, maybe not even then) and some Zippy Flightmaxes look like they should fit, with 1mm of width to spare - search for z40002s-25 at hobbycity. (I would URL it but apparently I can't, as a new member) Hopefully 4000 mAh will give me a long enough runtime.

I am thinking of just running two of these in series, despite the room for a 4S+ pack. Despite the beefy looking battery holder I like the idea of the hard case packs, so I'll be able to stack/servo tape them together with just a little offset for the wires. This also seems like the safest cell count to bet on...maybe? If not, I can still use them individually in another vehicle without much effort. The Zippys will also help me keep the cost down so that I can buy a DX3R. My current radio for my old nitro and electric stuff is a Futaba 3PDF...it just doesn't seem right to steer this much technology around the track with what, a 7 or 8 year old radio?

I am so close to just pulling the trigger on this setup, I figure this thread is the perfect place to get a sanity check...not that there is really anything sane about this hobby! :D

Wait for the HB Ve8, IMO. It's the closest to a purpose built 1/8 electric buggy yet. Just a few more weeks.

+1
http://www.hotbodiesonline.com/kits/en/67535/

whoever does get one of the VE8 I would like to hear what your side to side balance comes out to be and the setup you are running.

That's the exact same thing I was thinking of when I saw the massive 2-page spread in all the RC magazines. It seems that the lipo that's strapped the chassis is a 2s and not a 4s. Still, it kinda confuses me...if you're starting from a clean slate, why would you place the two heaviest components on one side?

The molded chassis (lighter) was a step in the right direction, and was inevitable.

http://www.hotbodiesonline.com/graph...5/IMG_3686.jpg

Hmm...I'm not particularly wild about that battery tray...looks awfully small. I definitely prefer the layout of the Hyper, especially with ESC butted right against the motor. Keep that wiring nice and short and efficient.

Also, is it just me or is that a composite chassis? I wonder what the weight difference is?