squarehead

iTrader: (75)

It's only been a couple of weeks indoors on carpet, and I'm already tiring of the low 12th scale turnout. I love the class, but I'm going to shelf it for a while until the car counts come up later in the winter.

I am going to buy a high-end touring car, I have actually convinced the wife, so I'm good to go. I will be running primarily stock and 19T, mostly on rubber but a potential for foam. Skill level right now is very rusty but improving rapidly with every 12th scale battery pack. I have been racing R/C cars since 1983, so I'm not a spring chicken. Not afraid to spend money on the right equipment, either. I am open to most cars, and there seem to be a lot to choose from, but I think I have narrowed it down to two.

Head-to-head, which car is a better purchase, the Xray T1FK05 or the Corally RDX? Please keep biased (sponsored) opinions away, as I am not getting things for free and I'd like to keep the dollars spent as smartly as possible. Both cars are supported equally at the local track hobby shop, and there seem to be more than a few of each being run by local drivers.


Help! I can't decide between chocolate or vanilla!



doug

1armed1

iTrader: (79)

I had a FK-05, not sure what setup was on it but it felt really good.
I drove a local guys rdx, he is sponsered bt corally.
His car also felt really good.
Both cars were really stable, but my car fealt like it had more steering, but that could easily have been in setup.
Dayton

Brian McGreevy

iTrader: (10)

Doug, I know you don't want my "biased" opinion, but feel free to talk to me on AIM or PM me if you have any questions. I think both cars are great cars and equally capable of winning, but as with any car, each has it's pluses and downsides. I'd think the RDX has very few of those downsides, but that's for you to decide

Dasupacat1

iTrader: (25)

I think X-ray just came out with a thicker carpet chassis. Which you might want so that's more $ to spend.
Both are sweet cars. Just go with whatever your lhs stocks spares for.
Can't go wrong with a Jrxs.

ChadCapece

Xray has plastic shocks. JRXS has plastic bulkheads. Corally has all the right components. I know if I were to buy a belt-drive TC today, I'd get a Corally.

Dasupacat1

iTrader: (25)

Does Corally still have them screw on body posts? Could of sworn there's plastic on that Corally also. What tourer doesn't?

burgboyz

iTrader: (70)

Definitely go with the fk05! The quality and craftsmanship are primo. Also, the fk05 has the most conerspeed out of any car I have ever driven. Only one problem with it that I've found, you can only use xray 48p and PRS 48 & 64p spurs. others don't fit the lay shaft or they are too wide and rub on the bulkhead. One of the guys at my local track is still running the standard chassis and is still unbelievable on carpet. With respect to our rdx drivers, they are also very fast cars. which proves one thing, with quality equipment it is still up to the DRIVER to finish FAST!!!!

ChadCapece

Plastic shocks suck. I've used them before. And why would someone want to pay $300+ for a belt drive car that has plastic bulkheads? I've seen them break before. Never seen a Yok, RDX, Xray, or 415 break a bulkhead.

Dasupacat1

iTrader: (25)

I guess it's worth it to spend $50-60 more for a car with alum. bulkheads. Damn got my Losi for 309. Maybe I got a bad deal?

jamescam

iTrader: (10)

If you are racing on carpet the Carpet spec RDX has everything you need to be totally dialed in on carpet compared to the additional components you have to add to the XRay kit. For example the RDX comes with a thicker chasis and battery strap those 2 pieces alone will add over $100 to the cost of the XRay kit.

Speedo

I personally think that the Xray and Corally are the best cars out there right now. I ran an FK04 last year and loved it. It was a much better car than the Yoke, TC3, and TC4 I owned before it. Quality and precision go a long way. I plan on picking up an FK05 for this year's indoor season, but only because I already have some Xray setup experience, and have the required springs, etc. If I was in your position, it would be a toss-up either way. The Xray may be slightly more expensive to get into, having to purchase a battery strap and thicker chassis for carpet, but then again I have no idea what/if you would need to buy for the Corally to achieve its full potential on carpet.

I will say that the plastic shocks that come with the Xray are horrible. They are the only part on the car that doesn't fit with the standard of quality. I'm not sure if the Corally has any parts like this, but it might be something to consider. I will likely replace the shocks on the FK05 with Tamiya shocks.

Josh

syndr0me

iTrader: (32)

I guess I'm not a good enough driver to speak about the inherent capabilities of both, but they seemed equally capable when setup right. I think that's the case for most modern touring cars these days.

Having owned both, they're very similar in quality, with a very slight edge given to the FK05. Durability is also hard to say. All cars break when you hit stuff or have damaged components. The FK05 probably also gets the nod in this category, though I see plenty of broken XRay's when I compete with them.

The RDX (again, my humble opinion) is way, way easier to work on, and has a much less convoluted design. It's just remarkably easy to get to any part of the car in a hurry, something that was maddening to deal with on the XRay. In fact, I would go so far as to say I hated worked on that car, and didn't feel very motivated to do so. With the other two things being so close, this was the determining factor for me, and ultimately what kept me in the Corally camp.

I also have to give a shoutout to the Corally USA guys. They put up with a lot of abuse from me :-D, but are extremely helpful, and always have parts in stock if you can't find them elsewhere. They're also acting as more than an importer by making hopups for the car under their Specialized R/C brand, something nobody else seems to be doing. Again, with all things being so close with modern touring cars, something small like factory support is huge. I've heard the guys are also very helpful at big races, but I haven't been to one yet (maybe Snowbirds) to experience that firsthand.

John Tag

iTrader: (42)

I would say X-Ray...Dont let the plastic shocks fool ya..If you watch most set up's all factory drivers use them. There smoother than butter when built right. RDX would be my second choise, nice out the box car.

syndr0me

iTrader: (32)

Actually, I think it only comes with the thicker topdeck, right? The 4mm chassis is still a $100 upgrade.

syndr0me

iTrader: (32)

Also, Corally does nifty things like include parts that were once aftermarket as standard kit items. The one piece white diff pulleys being a prime example.

But hey, I get beat by XRay's every week, but those guys could beat me with an RC10, so, whatever. :-D