On road car for non racing
 

Right now Im getting into stock 2wd buggy racing, but I want to get an on road car for some fun on the street in front of the house and some parking lot action. I don’t want to spend a ton of money, so I’ve been looking at the Serpent S411, Schumacher Mission FT and all of the Xpress FS/XS kits. Any of these worth while or should I look in a different direction?

If you're looking to run on the street, you might want a rally focused chassis like the Tamiya XV-01 or XV-02. Roads are usually fairly bumpy.

Covered in small stones as well which wreck belts etc. A shaft driven tamiya might be best with a few hop ups.

Look at what is being sold as RTR on-road bashers - simple shaft driven cars like the Tamiya TT-02, Kyosho Fazer and Traxxas 4-Tec. So I would look at something like that rather than a race-derived chassis.

As said above, most public streets are much rougher than you think and have loads of stones and debris on them.

You might even find that an off-road basher makes just as much sense as an on-road one for street fun.

Traxxas rally car or 4tec.

Most normal 1/10 "On-Road" cars we're usually talking about on rctech are mostly of limited at best for use on public roads (for all the previously mentioned reasons, i.e. bumpiness, gravel / stones, etc.) as they don't have enough ride height to compensate. So, rally cars are really not a bad idea.

If the parking lot is smooth. A belt car is fine. There will be the possibility of debris getting caught in the belts. I’ve had it happened. But not as much as I expected. I also have the 4Tec and the older Vaterra v100. Tub style chassis with shaft drive. Yea the occasional rock has gotten in. Usually jammed the steering more

I would look at an XV01 for this kind of running, nice enclosed drivetrain, and much better to build that a TT01/TT02.

I race on road, and had a few different cars to run on parking lot. Had buggies and short course, but didn’t like the handling. Then got a 3racing s64. It’s ok but not very fun or not much to modify. Tamiya tt02 perfect with a sealed gear box. But can’t stand the weird suspension and dog bones. And not very fun with a 4wd. Now I use a Schumacher Mission FT. Retired USGT tires, electronics, batteries. Fast enough, easy to maintain drivetrain, some modifications work to do. I changed the shocks. Increased ride height to 6.4. Added some weight in front. Car runs surprisingly good. I like it a lot.


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I would figure out what is most important to you, price, size, customization options, looks, RTR vs kit, parts availability etc. There are loads of RTR options these days that come with cool scale bodies (e.g. 4Tec 2.0, Fazer Mk2, V100, Apex2, RS4 Sport 3). The Kyosho being by far the best value of the bunch. If you start looking at kits, the TT01E/TT02 stuff from Tamiya is super cheap and quick to build. If you want something a bit more race car, and as previously mentioned, the XV01/02 or a TC01 should work. If you don't care much about having the ability to use all the standard 1/10 scale road car wheels/tires and bodies, you could look at some of the slightly larger cars (e.g. 4tec 3.0, 1/8 Vendetta/Infraction, QuantumR). If you want to go full blown fun mode, an 1/7 Arrma car is crazy amounts of enjoyment :) Just be ready to spend $$ on tires :D

I did look into 4Tec, but it's 200mm chassis and very heavy. I thought about getting a Kyosho MK2 after the TT02. But none of these cars have adjustable settings (camber & so on). Tamiya kits.... cheap to start, but you have to spend on hop up to improve the handling or the look. Even the hex screws and ball bearings sold separate.

I really like the 4Tec 2.0 myself. It's well made, durable, has lots of optional upgrades (adjustable links, sway bars, droop screws), but the best thing about it is the adjustable body mounts. It's very cool that pre-drilled bodies from HPI, Vaterra/Losi, etc fit on the 4Tec without having to put additional holes in the body. I also like that you can adjust the wheelbase ever so slightly and that the rear trackwidth is actually narrow, so if you fancy running deep offset wheels you can without having the rear of the car be wider than the front. If you want to run a square stance, you can just use deeper hexes on the rear to even it out. You're right though, it's a heavy pig for sure :D

Now that you mention it, I think you're right. I don't think any of the brushed RTR kits come with adjustable turnbuckles. I know most, if not all, have upgrades but then that goes back to depending how much $$ one wants to spend.

Yes, my FT is tuneable and raceable. I added a gear protector to run on street. But it’s also a USGT legal fwd racer. I bring it along as my backup or run it to have fun.


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There's good reason why this kit has been going strong for almost 10yrs now.

Tamiya TT-02 Chassis Platform -

There another player in the corner: Carten 410
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Mostly a rally legend, but with upgrades. Still, closed carters, shafts, etc.

Pretty easy to find, at lease in Europe...