TC4 RTR vs Cyclone S RTR
 

A friend of mine is looking to try and get into onroad racing. He wants to start out as cheaply as possible. I was originally thinking he should get a TC4 rtr or a cyclone s rtr. Which one would be the better choice? Thanks.

I dont really know the differences between the two, but the general advice you will hear a lot here is that you should check the local store and see which car they support more. If they have parts and hopups for both, then the differences between the cars actually matter :P If you cant get replacement parts for something broken and have to wait for shipping...boo.

More than likely you will be able to get parts for the AE car easier...but I could be wrong.

i don't have either, but i can give you a few suggestions. first, the cyclone s rtr is belt drive, while the tc4 rtr is shaft. if you prefer shaft, tc4. if belt, cyclone s. both are plastic tub chassis. associated is very well known, great car from what i've heard, popular. many people run it at the track. cyclone is heard of and very well known too, ever since it won the IFMAR world championships. that's the pro, the s is based off it, looks like a great car. s i've never in person seen myself. pretty hard to get parts, about the same performance from some opinions i've read off mags and the internet. shaft is usually less maintenence, but i've heard it has torque steer. belt has none, but more maintenence is required. belt and shaft i think are about equally efficient, but not sure. belt is lighter. all current pro touring cars are belt.

from what i've heard, cyclone s would be my choice, because i am loyal to belt, and like to try something different. besides, if just parking lotting (:D), and later getting to race, tc4. if you want what others have at the track so you can share set ups, tc4. if you want to try something different and experiment with set up, cyclone s. it's really opinion.

;)

- viper55

I own a TC4 and have talked my brother and gf into getting one now. Its a really easy straight forward car to work on, the aftermarket is great and there are plenty of people out there to ask if you need help. The shaft drive is awesome as you don't need to worry about jumping teeth on a belt or it slipping off due to rocks.

I havent seen as many people giving info on the XRAY and honestly to me it seems more like a "race car" than a basher (Which is what i use my tc4 for) and i have yet to break anything on it with over 10 hrs of run time (in 2 weeks only!)

You have to be careful though because i also have a tc4 but since they came out with the tc5 they don't make a lot of parts for the tc4 anymore so if you wanted to upgrade it you wouldn't get far with that while the cyclone s is still going to be the same and you can upgrade it with no problems because they do not plan on changing the pro kit since apparently belt driven cars are dominating the scene.

really? i have no problem getting any hopup part from my LHS or ebay and other online sources. many people are still racing the tc4 and beating the tc5 and belt driven cars. {shrug}