This information was exactly what I was looking for. Thank you for the quick replies. I don't think my skill at this point will reap the fine tuned improvements from some of these mentioned. But for now I think titanium turnbuckles, rpm ball cups, some V2 threaded shocks, the MIP drive syetem and a good set of tires will get me a good starting point to learn the ins and outs. One last thing though, i was looking my ride over and noticed I've lost that little rubber cover for the slipper adjustment nut. Is there a better way to handle that? I don't want to buy a replacement if they're going to fall out frequently, or is this time just a fluke?

What a longer chassis brings to the table is a slightly more stable car going through rhythm sections and jumps. Think of a seesaw… The shorter it is, the quicker it can rotate up and down. On an RC car a shorter chassis will allow the car to rotate more quickly, thus lending itself to flipping over both towards the front and back, whereas a longer chassis tames that characteristic a bit, thus creating a more stable formula with which to work. The B4.2 & RB5 are 2 of the best vehicles to receive the elongated upgrade in regards to them not losing a bit of steering.

A longer car generally means it tracks wider, but these two were barely affected. Some other vehicles that were revised suffered push issues. As with anything it's give and take and rarely can you have everything.

Anyone tried the B5 type ball cups on a 4.2? If so what was your solution to the turnbuckle rubbing the rear spring?

I am thinking of picking up a 4.2 kit. Does anyone know when AE will stop supporting this platform?

They will still make parts long after you get rid of the car. Curious, why not get a B5? A new one can be had for $205 and less if you pick up a used one.

I am thinking about getting the RS for my son. Just wanted to make sure the parts support was there before i pulled the trigger.

I just bought an RS recently. Ive been having a pretty good experience with it, but the out of the box suspension is way too soft in my opinion. Also the set screw on the pinion gear came loose pretty quickly so I'd check that before you ran it.

Does anyone wonder if the B5 will have a significant advantage over the B4.2? I just got a B4.2 myself (RTR but upgraded with most factory team parts) a few months ago. I've never done any racing yet but I hope to try out some events later this year.

It depends on the surface you are running on. On very loose dirt the B4 with its rear motor configuration could have an advantage a B5M, but not over a B5R.

The geometry is supposedly the same from the B4 to B5 but I can tell you that I upgraded my B4.2 to a Centro C4.2 and then switched to a B5M and the B5 is a much better car. So much that I ended up with a T5M and will be getting a SC5M when they get here. I have sold my spare B4.2, My T4.2 and will be getting rid of my SC10.2 very soon. Might even sell off the Centro roller as well.

In the last year, I've had a B5R, B4.2 and now a Lite. The B5 is a better car. Rear motor or mid motor, it's just better.

I guess what I really meant was I wonder how *much* better the B5 is. There's probably no question the B5 (or B5M) is better in most situations. I wonder if anyone did any comparison of lap times between the two, that would be interesting to see.

In any event, I don't expect to come close to winning any races on my first few times out even if I had the fastest car ever built. Hopefully my B4.2 serves me well as a good learning car.

The B4.2 is still a great car. Definitely capable in the right hands. I don't think you can put a "how much better" on it. Its just better. Some people say a lot less breaking, but I never really broke much on mine, one chassis after hitting a wall the wrong way. An arm here and there. RPM ball cups are a must though.

I raced a B4.2 at the first 4 months of this year. I had all the goodies on it and I often beat the mid motor cars. As the months went by, though, more people started switching from rear motor cars to mid (and they started figuring them out) and I started getting left behind.

I bought a Lite and immediately was impressed how much more corner speed I had and how much more stable the car was overall.

You can run a B4.2 but if you want to stay at the front, you're going to need to get a mid motor car. Heck, I just raced a larger outdoor race this weekend (on an 1/8th scale sized track that was blue groove) and and EVERY car in mod and stock was mid motor. All the development in the future is going to be for mid motor platforms.

My b4.2 still getting up over the new b5m lites 😁
2wd 17.5t stock buggy Sunshine Coast australia

My friend recently bought a B5M Lite. I got a chance to drive it. It was much better than my B4.2.

I went in skeptical, because I don't always trust the racer community. Every new car that comes out is suddenly "the best ever". Driver's magically gain a second on lap times with every new release. I was hell bent on keeping my B4.2. In this case, the hype lived up to it.

The B5m, on clay, is a beast. The corner speed is better than any other AE buggy have driven before. That was with out of the box setup. I'm going to have to get one now.