sell682

iTrader: (81)

I just got back into the buggy scene and I see a new trend of mid mount 2wd buggys. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the two mounting systems. When should I opt for one setup verses the other. Thanks for the input in advance.

TailsNeon556

Mid motor cars are supposed to have higher corner speed than rear motor in really high grip (astro / carpet etc) Rear motor has more forward bite when traction is not absolute. Rear motor works best on US style tracks .. Mid motor best for euro type tracks

fredswain

iTrader: (1)

I am of the opinion that over time as more and more people start running mid motor and learning how to set them up, the view that mid motor isn't as good on low bite surfaces will slowly go away. I think over time mid motor will ultimately prove itself superior.

TailsNeon556

I wouldn't go that far.. Regardless of setup.. Every mid motor car at my track (LIR) is loose and has terrible forward bite..

rcjunky1

iTrader: (10)

mid motor is were its at. Some say it has less rear grip so it is better on high grip tracks, but I find its also better on low grip tracks, for example, my local track was low grip dirt and mid motor was better because with proline step pins you could get the rear grip so with mid motor it would give you more front grip, since you already had plenty in the rear it was faster, so the only time rear motor might be better is in mid girp situations, but mid motor is always easyer to drive, you really need to compare a X6^2 to a B4 to really notice the differamce.

flame56mx

iTrader: (520)

I was always under the assumption that rear motor was better in my area. Med/low bite tracks, and I figured everyone was right. But, after driving rear motors for a few years, I decided to give the mids a try, and so far there is no lack of rear traction-actually just the opposite IMO..

mc4798

iTrader: (13)

+1

After driving and getting accustomed to my TQ mid-motor buggy proably couldnt go back.

There is a diffrence but it seems to me it is just more planted... once you find the right combination of tire / setup it is all gravy.

cnelson3

iTrader: (66)

I haven't seen much success with the mid motor cars at my track. we run on med grip dirt/clay and our track is tight. get to the corner and accelerate hard out. personally, i don't see how set up can make up for the lack of sufficient weight applied to the rear tires. Losi makes a weight kit for the mid motor configuration but in essence, your just making the car heavier and putting the weight back behind the rear axle (kind of counter productive). just my opinion....

Davidka

iTrader: (86)

Mid will continute to improve. The single biggest reason that rear motor is seen at better is because the best drivers have been refining setups on most of the current cars for a decade. Now that Losi offers a mid car and the best guys will use it, you will see setups (and driver performances) that will lower the frequency of that opinion. The tires and most track surfaces are good enough now.

flame56mx

iTrader: (520)

I thought the same thing, and in some situations still do. Until I drove my car for the first time, I believed the advice of others who have never driven a mod motor car. Just recently was able to put in a long day of practice on our outdoor track, and I am able to carry more speed in some areas than with I could with my RB5- it works better for me, and the way I drive-may not be for everyone, but everyone who drives my car so far-likes it ..

Dave H

Does anyone know if any of the Europeans (or anyone else) ran mid motor at the recent Reedy race? And how they did? Granted the track condition might be different than what they are used to, but aren’t those generally the guys with the most mid experience and success?

YoungChazz

The mid-motor X - 6 Squared in the hands of Ellis Stafford won the U.K. National Championship two years running and tied for it last year. (Ellis was 2nd on the tie-breaker.) By the end of 2009, Ellis' second winning year, the X - 6 made up almost 70% of the field at U.K. Nationals. The field is now over 80% mid-motor, with several different brands. We are great in high traction.

There is a small group of guys in the U.S. having just tons of fun doing dirt oval. I have attended one of those club races, and it was just a blast. Great guys laughing, helping each other, and having fun. It's probably the ultimate in low-traction off-road racing, with drivers sliding their cars around two big sweepers connected by straights. Lap times are around 4-5 seconds.

There are several dirt oval tracks where the X - 6 has been banned because they think it's just too fast. Because you use the throttle to drift the X - 6 through the corner, you're on it already before the straight. While the rear motor guys are gingerly feathering the throttle because their pendulum cars are about to spin out, our drivers are hard on it. Stupid fast.

Now why they want to keep going slow and ban the fast car I can't say. The point is that the mid-motor X - 6 Squared is incredibly fast in low bite situations.

See the vid on our site from an ultra low-grip sandy track called Pheasant Run in S.E. Michigan. Step Pins & rooster tails. Dan Griffin runs away from several rear-motor factory guys.

racer1812

iTrader: (31)

Untill I see US drivers on US tracks running mid motor and winning big races I'm not buying into mid motor being faster. TLR drivers aren't using it on the 22 in the US, there has to be a reason. We all know they have tested it in the 22 by now and they still go back to the rear motor config...

all IMO

Davidka

iTrader: (86)

Your "IMO" is uninformed. Frank Root and several other Losi drivers are experimenting with the mid setup. Frank used it to TQ the last JBRL race (I think it was JBRL, one of the big cali series).

Consider that the fast guys don't get fast waiting for someone else to tell them what is fast. They figure out what works for them themselves. It usually isn't the same thing as what works for us mere mortal drivers.

fredswain

iTrader: (1)

While it may seem like you are speaking poorly of the mid motor setup, the reality is that you are speaking poorly of the mid motor drivers at your track. Give it time. You'll see. I'm predicting within the next 2 years you won't be able to win without mid motor. It won't happen tomorrow so give it time.