TakeAim

Who in your opinion are the top 3 either RTR or kit for a 1/10 scale 4x4 buggy. Our group is starting to run them. I prefer something that is mechanically sound and built strong with parts reasonably available.
TakeAim

Zachfeen

iTrader: (9)

The most supported and proven buggy at this point is the AE b44.2. The Durango is a nice buggy but parts support is very hit and miss, out local track supports them so they are popular here. The caster is nice but there is no local parts support period.

I ran my b44.2 last night for the first time and it is a dream to drive, nimble and very predictable.

rvinvents

iTrader: (9)

i have ran both the durango and b44.1 with kyosho big bores i decided to get rid of the durango for 2 main reasons 1 the b44 was easier to drive 2 parts were cheaper and available everywhere although i may switch back to the dex as parts are becoming more available and i am getting better at driving the buggy

rvinvents

iTrader: (9)

+1 on predictable and planted too rango is a bit loose even with the weights added

freaksofnature

iTrader: (74)

also dont rule out the losi xxx-4+

Zachfeen

iTrader: (9)

Why wouldn't we rule the xxx g+ out? It is no longer manufactured, parts are scarce at best, no one really runs them anymore so getting it setup would be more difficult, with the b44 or dingo there are thousands of other people running them so there are setups to start out with.

JFuel11

iTrader: (152)

You can find B44.1s at a great price used and they are a great chassis. The B44.2 with the BB shocks is rock solid, easy to find parts and just works!

Tran901

iTrader: (95)

I love b44.1 from all I have seen looks like 1/10 4wd buggy will hopefully comeback for 2013!

Revo Dan

iTrader: (101)

I love mine

justpoet

iTrader: (16)

Locally, the B44.2's seem to be dominating, as they're the newest kit and everybody jumped to them. There are a couple Shu's running occasionally that seem to do well compared to the skill level of their drivers. There's also an older Kyosho (before saddle packs) that consistently does well.

While we're on the topic though, including reliability, one of the big things I've seen happening is the ball diffs blowing out a lot on the AEs. Do any of the 10th scale 4wds have a drive system like an 8th scale where you'd typically use oil and gear diffs instead of ball diffs, have shaft drives, and still be competitive, or is constant diff rebuilding just something I'd have to expect if I joined the class (which I think I want to do, but mainly so as to practice indoor during winter to be ready for 8th scale season)?

bigwavedave33

iTrader: (1204)

hard to go wrong with a 44.1 or 44.2 now, but IMHO the best out of box 4x4 buggy is the kyosho ZX5 SP.

MarkA

iTrader: (21)

Ummm, yeah, +1 to Zach

MarkA

iTrader: (21)

The new Xray runs gear diffs and having seen one run now at my local track, that is absolutely the way of the future. He can literally turn inside of my 44.2 and get the power down quicker on the exit of the tight corners like I can only dream about. He's also currently out of action with the broken shock tower issue that is plaguing those first-batch cars right now so all is not totally rosy with those.

No 4wd buggy is ever going to be described as reliable, ever. My 44.2 snapped the pin on the rear driveshaft (cheap Chinese mfg'ing from AE these days) while leading the Amain the other week. That run would have been only it's 11th. My diffs are already shot and the car is now sitting largely disassembled because the diff gear in the rear decided to explode into many shards of white plastic on the cars' 12th run. That was after I spent almost as much time during assembly just spacing the side-to-side settings on those to get it to mesh right with the input gear as I did on the rest of the car and then re-checked that play after almost every run.

I would also advise to wait and see if the class is going to have any staying power by you unless you're really committed to the idea. In my area, we're now only even running the class on a pre-arranged every-other-week basis as the combination of repair and maintenance needs has turned off many of the people who ran out and bought either a 44.2 when they came out or something else to race with those who did and there's not all that many people as eager to race it now as there was even just a month ago.