firefoxussr

iTrader: (5)

Long story.. always loved RC cars... Never had a hobby grade.
Got this Nikko Ferrari F430 (2006 Radio Shack Holiday Special 2100 feet/min!).

After hooning it for two months or so, the second time of running it on a damp/puddled lot...Rx is not good. The receiver exclusively responds from about 1m-3m away (even after using sealed container of rice to dry for 4 days). I think it's time to move on to a real hobby grade car.

I essentially want a car that does the following:
-usable for large paved lot and occasional on-road/track racing
-waterproof to some degree (rains a lot here/trauma of killing my car)
-mid/rear engine, RWD or 4WD
-1/10 w/ 255-260mm WB (lots of body options)
-30mph plus top speed (old car was 22mph+)
-LED lighting capable or prebuilit (run this car at night a lot)
-Prefer speed and precision over drifting/NASCAR
-Can use standard/Tamiya plug & 7.2v

Does this exist:
-4WD where you can simply disconnect the FWD portion for RWD only fun?
(i assume it would be wise to remove the FWD shafts/gear/diff too)
-Tx with multiple model memory?
-Height adjustable suspension (like 4mm variance)
-Waterproofed Rx/servo/ESC.... what happens to the motor if it gets wet? Or is that not really a concern?
-All these 2.4ghz Txs... are they able to work with most popular recievers? i.e. Tamiya reciver works with HPI Tx?

Prospective cars:
-HPI Sprint Sport
-Tamiya TT02
-RGT R2 (recommended by local track owner, hard to find much info... parts hard to find too?)
-TA TC4
-World GT (i don't think this one is suitable for anything but track due to clearance)

Thank you in advance for answers.

RIP Ferrari

NorCalLump

iTrader: (53)

HPI Sprint 2 Flux. Done. Just need Lipos and charger.

http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...z-Radio-System

bizkit1

iTrader: (27)

Biggest question I would ask is, "Do I plan on racing later on at a local track?" I would go to a local track and see what they have, as far as what they use/stock the most of and ask alot of questions. Just explain to them that you want to get in a certain amount at first and maybe later expand to other cars. Once you buy one, you will buy more... Don't let them throw a rtr car at you, unless that's what you want. It's better to build so that you know how to fix it yourself and learn your car and what you can do with it.

Good luck!!

Biff73

This,add a 26t motor pinion & a set of decent grip tires
http://www.thundertiger.com/product/6576-F.html

ThePanda

iTrader: (68)

my vote would lie on the ae tc4. Otherwise look at a ta06. As far as the transmitter reciever thing, the transmitter will only work with a a rx that is compatible, usually that means from the same brand.

WarWest

Sprint 2 flux

zaraz

iTrader: (38)

tamiya tb04 pro

kawi650

iTrader: (8)

I know its not on your list but the Traxxas Rally would be a good choice. It's waterproof, durable, and overpowered, pretty much the basher trifecta.

firefoxussr

iTrader: (5)

Thanks for the input. Shame it isn't like BNF airplanes. (The TA06 is awesome)

I did go to two local tracks and a local indoor drift meet up last week.
The TC4 was not recommended for whatever reason (fragility?), when I mentioned liking RWD World GT was recommended, and 4WD Touring recommends were for the RGT R2.

To be honest the appeal of the HPI Sprint RTR series is high. Seems like anything and everything is available. Is the Flux sealed better from water than the Brushed? I would assume so.

I think like in 1/1 cars... a dedicated DD and a dedicated racer is best. Probably a Flux for DD/Touring and then a WGT(or F1) car for racing.

ThePanda

iTrader: (68)

No car is "waterproof" you will have to dissemble the whole thing and take out all the bearings and dry everything if you want the car to last. I have a sprint, and i dont reccomend it at all, 90% of screw are self tapping and the quality feels questionable.

firefoxussr

iTrader: (5)

I should clarify... I don't intend to run it in water more than 1-3cm deep (and that's on accident). I did that to my Nikko... now the car is unusable due to receiver malfunction.

Cleaning, maintenance, etc are no issue. Drive it by a shallow puddle and the receiver or motor are toast is a problem.

What is a good alternative to the Sprint?

asc6000

iTrader: (15)

x that, you can buy waterproof electronics but anything steel will corrode at some point. Some cars I have do get run in water, but it's either a basher that may only get a shot of wd40 afterward or maybe a nice crawler that I am willing to do a partial tear down to prevent all my money going to rust. Hard core stuff never ever gets wet. Have boats for that.
The cars mentioned are from different realms of the sport so I would narrow down the category / class you want to be involved in then look at the cars only in that category. All can be used for fun of course but if you ever want to "race" with others you will need a similar car. ( tc4 wouldn't race with tt02's )
In any case welcome to the world of hobby level cars.

Justin33

iTrader: (45)

If your track has a tamiya mini class an m06 pro might be perfect rwd rear motor lots of clearance great for a beginner lots of hop ups and parts support in most areas and super fun and close racing if thy have this class in your area. Plus i is relatively cheap although not super fast unless you throw out the svercan brushed setup and go with a low turn brushless setup

wareagle84

I have two HPI Sprint 2 Flux's and absolutely love them for bashing. However if you're looking for "precision" as you said and if you're going to get serious about racing at the track, you'll want something else. The steering is a bit loose and "erratic" compared to other (Tamiya's) with better layout/designs I think. You can do some mods to make it better and tighter, but as anyone with the Sprint 2 will tell you, it's not great at competitive racing. I've had my Flux that's set up for drifting out in the wet driveway plenty of times and no issues as log as you dry it off with compressed air and keep it WD-40'd.

Juan Aveytia

It only takes a couple of drops of water to get into the receiver or speedo. And you'll be replacing the receiver or speedo. It's never a good idea to let your electronics get wet. Traxxas I believe makes a water proof speed controller. But, you would still have to somehow waterproof your receiver.