N614

iTrader: (2)

Hi Guys,

Just wanting to get feedback from anyone who is running the sakura's, in particular the XI, but also info on the Zero. Wanting to know how they are for durability in crashes, but more importantly in wear.

Looking at the sakura XI, Xray T3 and the hot Bodies TCX, haven't ruled out a Sakura Zero either. Love the price of the kit and parts of the Sakura, but if you go through dog bones every other meeting then it would work out cheaper to buy the T3 and hardly never replace them, know what I mean?

The xray is the most expensive, followed closely by the HB, then way behind on cost is the sakura.

Any feedback and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Will be running stock 21.5-17.5, moving on to mod 8.5+. Surface will initially be astro turf, but want the chassis to be capable on bitumen as well.

many thanks

Jason

malcnz

I found the Sakura excellent and as strong as anything else.
I changed mine to the XI rear narrow arms and they are more fragile as harder but the rest is bullet proof and showing little wear so far.
I went to a spool in front and dont run alloy drive shafts as they break so gone back to steel.
If you are looking at a T3 then I would get the XI DH model as it will be cheaper still but closer in spec to the others.
I have gone a TC6.1 and the build quality and engineering is a little nicer than the sakura in regards to fit etc but only went to it because others are running at our track and local parts support and my other vehicles are AE...but nothing wrong with the sakura.

Badman Racer

iTrader: (6)

Jason
I have the new 3Racing Sakura XI HD and it is really good. I have run it at 2 big events with very good results. I have had no issues at all with the car since the build. I run 21.5 at the moment, just getting back into TC after a long break running 2WD only. The build is really good as is the local parts support from Feral Batteries.
I also run a 3Racing FGX/F103 hybrid which I took to TITC and all I had to replace in the 10 days was a rear arm I broke in a crash.
There is also a new double uni coming for the Sakura very soon.

Brett

davenz

Hey Jason. I am currently running the sakura zero and the sakura s.
Since I purchased the zero approximately 1 month after its release in 2010, I have had very few breakages. Trust me I have had some big hits/crashes.
Personally I believe value for money you cannot beat the sakura.
I am from New Zealand and have had no issues getting parts from overseas shops.
One of the good things with the sakuras most parts are interchangeable from the zero to the 's' to the x1.
My zero is basically std as it comes but with the 's' chassis and the x1dh 2 peice suspension blocks, but the 's' has been modified slightly with the zero alloy parts, zero shocks, the x1 steering and have made a bracket to turn the sevo 90* and not directly connected to the chassis ( with a bracket like the xray have released for the t3'12).
At this point and time I would not trade the sakuras for any other chassis. Until the release of the zero, I raced xrays only.
I hope this helps you with your desicion to purchase a sakura.
Dave

rccartips

iTrader: (3)

Sakura Zero is very good especially on high bite tracks. The short springs make it very reactive and lively. My daughter runs a 4.5 mod motor in it, wear is very good. Durable as well, I can't recall replacing anything significant in 6months.

wollow86

iTrader: (7)

Hi Jason. Haven't tested the XI DH at Warners Bay indoor yet (the astro turf in question), but have run it as the XI.

Car was far better then I am. And with the new DH upper and lower decks, and split blocks I couldn't be happier at Edgie. The best time I've managed at Edgie in stock with the XI was at Challenge Cup, with full goop, warmers, a warm day, and a track that had had a full day and a half of running on it. That was a 18.2. Last meeting with the XI DH, on a cold dusty track, no goop or warmers I got down to an 18.4. My best club day time ever, on the lowest grip the track has had in ages.

You cant beat the price, local parts support, with cheap parts. There's 2 XI's running locally, with 4 Zero S's. The Zero S in basic kit form took out 21.5 last meeting with a 1-2.

I have both XI DH (which was upgraded from XI spec) and now a Zero/XI hybrid (yet to be run, will be next weekend). Plenty of parts for both so you'll be covered to get started. So far I've only killed 1 front arm, a front knuckle, and a bumper holder. I do use the T3 front bumper though. And 3Racing servo savers a pretty crap.

The other well supported cars locally are the T3 and TC6. www.MRJRacing.com.au has those.

Matt.

Bappe

i seems to be the only one that had problems with breakage with the sakura.. (XI)

i have raced touringcars xince 1997 and rarely break parts, with the sakura i broke 2 front arms, 1 steering hub and one c hub, and that was in light crashes. i even tried to boil the plastic in water.

but there is a way to make the car more durable, a better front foam bumper, the original one is too soft and doesnt take a hit very well, i used a xray bumper. also you can switch to xray hubs and steeringblocks (i did) and didnt break a part after that
also the servosaver is garbage, you are better off with a tamiya servo saver

tamiya mini springs are a good upgrade too, and tamiya shock internals (oring, spacer and bladder) to make the shocks alittle better

thats what i did to my car, very neutral handling, i had a really hard time to get f/r balance in terms of rear traction/steering.. so ended up switching to a associated tc6.1 and havent looked back since then
nothing broken on the tc6 so far


might ad that this was with 17.5 boosted, if you are running in slower blinky classes the car might hold up a little better in std form, but i suggest looking at the tc6.1 for the same price, alot more setup information and easier to get help if needed imo

wollow86

iTrader: (7)

The T3 hard bumper makes all the difference. The standard one is pretty poor.

The tamiya mini springs do fit, but are to soft. Theres to much gap between the blue and yellow as well so it's harder to balance the car. My current setup uses the 5.75 front and 6.0 rear, tamiya blue are close to the 6.5.

Having said that I'm now using full size TRF on the car with HPI springs. Haven't tested that yet. The main difference is the plastics between TRF and 3racing, in particular the shaft guide. But on track I couldn't feel a difference between mini trf and 3racing (same small size).

6376vette

Just to throw this out there. Our track is pretty rough on cars. The walls can be downright brutal at times. I have not had a single part break on my sakura that wasn't totally my fault. I never felt like the part should have held up. The other cars that hold up well are the xray and serpent. I am consistently running the same lap times or even faster than the xray and serpent in my sakura. Guys have been very disappointed with the durability of both the associated 6 and 6.1 along with the tamiya 417. Only a couple of those cars are left. Most drivers switched to sakura or xray.

I have been running my zero for a year. Started in vta with a 25.5 and now it is a usgt on 21.5. Still on my kit set of axles and dogbones. Switched to the aluminium cups in the rear for weight not wear and switched to a spool up front for performance not because of wear. The plastic spool cups wear a little quick but the heavy duty metal ones were just released and should solve that problem. Other than that I have not replaced anything but bearings because of normal wear.

Bappe

There is a quite big difference in Speed between 21.5, 25.5 and boosted 17.5 and mod, if you are running in those slow classes most cars will Hold up well, But when you are starting to drive with faster speeds it shows quite fast which cars that hold up. (tried boosted 21.5once But was like a sleeping pill)

wollow86

iTrader: (7)

I run my XI DH in 17.5 boosted, and feel the same as 6376Vette. Nothing has broken on the car that I wouldn't have expected to break on any other car. (many times I HAVENT broken something when I though I would have for sure)

I have had the same issue with the spool out drive cups, breaking pretty easily. Although I'd rather break a $4 part there then a CVD... I've recently changed to a front oil diff (300000wt) anyway and prefer it. No issues with that at all.

6376vette

I agree with the speed differences but I still stand by my comments. Granted our walls are rough on cars but people gave up on the associated and tamiya cars in 25.5 vta because they weren't durable enough. You hit a wall in mod you break something regardless of chassis make. For associated it was mainly rear arms. For tamiya it was mainly c hubs. These weren't all of the weak spots but they were the most common.

By the way our track recently claimed two xray top decks. Not saying xray is weak by any means. just trying to show how tough our track can be at times. So far no sakura top decks or chassis have failed. (Now that I said that mine will probably break tomorrow) haven't lost any tamiya or associated decks or chassis either so I give them a point for that.

6376vette

I have also been amazed at times that my car has continued to run after what should have left me broken on the side of the track.

Try the new metal out drive cups. So far they seem to be doing the job very well on a sakura xi that races at our track. I have a set but I am waiting on my current set of plastic ones to give up before I switch.

oceanhighz

iTrader: (49)

Good feedback to read as I'm getting ready to try a Zero S, as I'd like another chassis option for entry level racers at our track. I runa TC6 converted to a 6.1 and have honestly broken very little on the car. I don't understand the people breaking them where it wasn't their fault. I'm new (started last fall) and haven't broken much on the car, and all of it was of my own fault.

Anyway, definitely will be posting up comparative feedback once I get a sakura zero s, and the upgrades I think it needs. Hopefully that comparison will help others as well.

6376vette

I'm not saying the associated and tamiya cars are bad by any measure. They just don't hold up as well on our track. But that's why I was sure to point out that our track can be very punnishing to all cars. It just seems that you can really beat on the sakura and the xray more than the associated and tamiya. On a more normal track they would probably be just fine.

Looking forward to your thoughts on the sakura. Check the zero s thread for the couple of upgrades that most people get first. Feel free to send me a pm with any questions.