Blackpearl#1

iTrader: (14)

Have done a lot of searches and read tons but the one thing I can't find, is going from Losi to Mugen to Associated to Serpent etc... what the differences are in driving/handling? Not to bash any models, just curious what you guys that have switched among a few different ones like about what buggies? Our track is outdoor dirt that usually is good but does get dry/dusty sometimes pending on mother nature. Gets watered when needed. New track layout this year has a little bit of everything. I now run 2wd sct (22SCT) and have a medium type of driving style? Not super aggressive but try to be as fast as possible while staying right on the edge of traction without too much sliding around. I love to go inside on the throttle with traction and passing the power sliding guy who is trying to drift the corner. Any and all input is appreciated. I will try to add a link to the track. It is silver fox rc raceway near LaCresent MN/Lacrosse WI.
https://m.youtube.com/#/channel/UCLP...6wTUSAzUIZbexg

gatorage

the only thing i can tell you is with 4wd and 3diff try to find a buggy with most of the weight forward in the chassis... this make it easy to drive/jump. yea your rear will slide more but you have the weight in the front to pull it out/around the turns and you will put more power down and have more steering+control. it jump nose down so you are able to stay on the gas when you land... + 1/8 buggy have that big wing in the back to keep it down. there is almost no point to have weight in the back unless your on a track that has alot of 180 turns and you need accelerating to get to the next turn. the best two layout i seen(this does not make them the best buggy) as far as weight forward is the JQ Products "THE eCar"(#2) and the best layout is Tekno RC EB48.2 4WD. i would get something set-up like these two cars. even the Mugen MBX7 and Losi 8IGHT-E 3.0 have really good layout. the lay-outs that have the 2 batteries in the back look better but you haft you control the back end more witch can be faster but is much harder to do.

Delawareguy

iTrader: (11)

I would also be very interested to hear some of the pros/cons of each brand. I'm trying to decide on a buggy but I can't find much info comparing different brands. Having this info in one place would be helpful.

Zerodefect

You'll likely go try a few different brands before you find the one you really like. I had more than my fair share of "3 race cars"

Tekno: really good rotation everywhere. Jumps well. Sometimes a little twitchy on a blown out track. Shocks were sub par quality, sticktion was the biggest problem mostly. Not a very plush car. Limited tuning.

Mugen: Good ground game. But I hated it's shocks with a passion. Just couldn't make it work for me. Fragile arms. Excellent gears and drives. Crazy huge tuning changes had little effect on how the car handled.

Kyosho: Big and heavy feeling. Worked fine everywhere, but never felt "cutting edge". Olde school safe bet. Excellent shocks. I'm not sure I liked it's suspension travel on the ones I tested. But I'll bet I can fix that. Body looks like an up-side down kitchen sink.

AE & Losi: Not going there anymore. They eat parts.

Hotbodies: Haven't got my hands on their new car.

JQ: Kyo copy. Nothing wrong with that. Goofy lack of CVD's.

Serpent: I hated owning that car. It's fast everywhere, but never goes exactly where I wanted it to. I was always chasing the car and track conditions. Always fighting it, as it went for tight to loose, then tight again, 3 or four times per lap. It was like driving 2wd buggy, where you're just trying to survive and make a clean lap, not really racing anyone. Excellent, almost Xray, parts quality. I think this car had a nasty rear weight bias, and like the poster above said, I don't think that's for sportsman level racers like us.

Xray: My current ride. Most durable and adjustable car I've owned. Really sensitive to tire choice though. Also sensitive to setup changes. (It's easy to screw it up) Best shocks I've tried yet. But I would convert an XB8 to electric rather than buy an Xb9 at this point. Most complete kit as well. I think I changed the servo arms to Hitec plastic arms, everything else is stock.

Delawareguy

iTrader: (11)

I found this info very helpful. Was the Tekno the EB48 or the EB48.2?

I was looking at the Serpent because I think it looks amazing but based on this I'll probably pass on it. I've also been looking at the XB9e but I've heard a lot of mixed things about the car.

blade329

iTrader: (114)

I've owned/raced buggies/truggy's from these companies.

AE (RC8Be,RC8.2e,RC8Te): Fragile and twitchy. Did like the Truggy better than the buggies. Great shocks.

TLR (8ight 2.0 buggy/truggy): Good cars with bad plastics. Slop develops fast. Handle rough tracks very well. Tekno conversion makes these cars better.

Mugen (Eco USA/Std): Awesome. High quality, excellent handling and durability. Needs no upgrades. Drive train lasts a long time. Chassis slap an issue.

Serpent (811be 1.0): Super high quality. Difficult to tune on rough/loose track conditions. Parts expensive.

Xray (XB9e): Excellent buggy. Easy to drive. Very high quality parts. Poor e-conversion. Parts expensive.

Hot Bodies (Ve8): Awesome. Super stable and easy to drive. Very durable. Needs a lot of upgrades, lacks tuning options and weak e-layout.

Delawareguy

iTrader: (11)

Blade, What do you mean by poor e-conversion?

Pulse_

basically he means the XB9E adds nothing compared to a conversion you could do yourself based on a nitro XB9

its good, but not "purpose built" like a tekno or the last Losi 3.0E for example

hkrob

iTrader: (18)

Anyone have any feedback on the JQ Ecar.

Blackpearl#1

iTrader: (14)

This is exactly the type of input I was looking for guys and thank you so much for not turning it into a bash fest. I really appreciate the unbiased input. Delawareguy, I hope this helps you and many others to come in the future. I try to title threads to be easily found with the search option and helpfull to all. Good luck with decision. Any more input again, is appreciated.
Kris

Pulse_

it's a converted JQ yellow edition.. I raced a JQ v1 converted for 3 years

quality is average, durability good, it's nimble, light feeling, provides great traction, a bit loose from the rear, not great on dusty or rough tracks, excellent when there's grip or a smooth surface or on small tracks, great steering in the corner entries but can be a litlle twitchy in the exits, excellent looks, awesome support from the team, JQ cars change too often though, the white edition is very similar to the mp9 which is great but there's no white edition eCar

if you have any question ask Chris Marrale, he's been a massive support for me when I raced the Car

iTz Nicholas72

iTrader: (19)

Buggies I've owned:

Losi 8ight 2.0 E - Easy to drive, durable, parts wore way too fast...

Hot Bodies Ve8 - Very easy to drive and super stable, weird layout that may require you trimming the motor shaft to clear battery. Needed a good amount of upgrades for the medium outdoor track like, skids, horn, rear shocks and tower. HPI parts support has been very flakey theough GP the past few months too...

Mugen MBX6 Eco - Pretty easy to drive and forgiving since it has am on power push. Durable unless you have a pretty massive crash and you might break a front arm or two. Not sure why people hate the shocks...

Going to run the 6 for the rest of the season and then retire it to a backup/loaner buggy. Either going to get the MBX7 or am EB48.3 if they have one by then...

Pulse_

it's a converted JQ yellow edition.. I raced a JQ v1 converted for 3 years

quality is average, durability good, it's nimble, light feeling, provides great traction, a bit loose from the rear, not great on dusty or rough tracks, excellent when there's grip or a smooth surface or on small tracks, great steering in the corner entries but can be a litlle twitchy in the exits, excellent looks, awesome support from the team, JQ cars change too often though, the white edition is very similar to the mp9 which is great but there's no white edition eCar

if you have any question ask Chris Marrale, he's been a massive support for me when I raced the Car

here is a feedback on the ebuggy I had

mbx5r converted: very strong, heavy, excellent quality/durability, lacked steering, very easy in the rough and when driven hard

808 converted: somehow similar to the JQ, light feeling, great traction, poor diff bearings and not the best transmission, can be twitchy in dusty conditions,awesome quality, very durable, fun

dnx408 converted: very precise, stiff chassis, awesome in high grip situations, very sensitive, super easy to drive fast, not the best traction in dusty or rough conditions, wear is not the best (similar to JQ)

XB9E: very stable, sensitive to setup changes, excellent suspensions, great in the rough, best quality out there, durable, simple design, effective, expensive parts but one of the best e-buggy for sure

mbx6 eco: super easy in the rough, excellent handling overall, lacks a bit steering, can push in the corners but this makes it very predictable, needs little tuning to make it work, easy to drive fast, excellent quality, durable,.. maybe the most balanced buggy I drove

MP9E TKI: well designed, a lot of great little details, wears faster than the Xray but still good quality, high end components, excellent geometry, awesome shocks, anodization is crap, awesome drivetrain, great steering overall it turns just like a buggy should the front end never surpasses the rear, super easy in the rough, old design but well it works..

EB48: metal parts wear fast, awesome in the jumps, very nimble, agressive steering, excellent on high grip, lack of balance in rough and dusty conditions, components are very close together whch can result in a higher temperature of the electronics, purpose built design, quality issues are now solved on the EB48.2

3.0E: very well balanced between the steering and stability, purpose built for electric, great looking, modern design, quality still not on par with xray/mugen/sworkz/serpent, easy to drive in just about every situation, can have a very agressive front end without loosing the rear

.. I may have forgotten a few of them

blade329

iTrader: (114)

It's like Pulse said. Not so much a poor conversion, but a lazy one. No guides for the wires. The battery tray is too big with only two straps. The radio tray has to be taken completely out to work with it. No dedicated e-buggy manual. I'm being a bit nit picky because I really like the way the buggy drives. The Mugen e-conversion is far better.

Zerodefect

Our Xray 808 conversions were all faster than the 808E purpose built car.

That feedback likely made it back to Xray. The 808E had the motor further back and had twitchy arse heavy handling, almost like the Serpent.

So that's partly why the XB9E is just a lazy conversion. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I also think they lost their butts on the 808E, so why make another unprofitable kit. The conversion is cheap and easy.

No guides for wires needed. My ESC servo wire is wrapped in fuel line and goes over the diff brace into the switch hole on the Rx box. Works flawlessly. Motor and battery wires are so short it's a non issue.

I'm thinking about converting an Xb8, but I don't need the latest and greatest, all the time.