Originally Posted by
billdelong
I've been racing for about 10 years and have gone through roughly a dozen brands of budget radios and a handful of luxury systems including Spektrum, Radiopost, KO Propo, Sanwa, and Graupner. The radio that has worked the best for my needs is the
Graupner X-8E. Key features on why I love it:
- 2 Year Warranty, best in the industry, which I have used to replace a trigger on an older X-8N without any issue.
- Rx's are in the $30 range
- Mini-USB charge port, many systems require you to remove the battery to charge which is a hassle
- Touch Screen menu, easiest to change between model memories and make steering speed changes of any brand I have tested
- LiPo Included, many brands do not include a LiPo
- Ergos: spring tension, infinite steering angle adjustment, lefty option
I have been burned by FlySky in the past, their Rx's are very unreliable, especially on off-road with big jumps. Check the Noble thread and you will see that nothing has changed where multiple people are having Rx's issues with that system too. Spektrum would have a tendency to glitch at the worst possible time, very unreliable for me, even with their updated DSMR modulation. Radiopost is no longer in business so not worth explaining my issues with that system. KO Propo did not stand the test of time for me, required me to "calibrate" every channel on every model memory every 2-3 race days which was a pain. Sanwa was just as good as Graupner in feel where my lap times and consistency were the same, but menu navigation with the jog wheel was just pure torture after being spoiled with a touch screen. Graupner has been the longest running system for me by a long shot. After 3 years of use, the potentiometer went out on my steering and they shipped me a replacement steering drop down assembly for $40 with the system outside of warranty. While waiting for the steering drop down is when I began testing Sanwa and couldn't wait to go back to Graupner after the steering drop down arrived... I have learned to keep a backup drop down for next time
Be sure to check for availability to get parts after warranty expires, if you can't get a steering drop down replacement, then I would encourage you to keep searching for another brand of radio.
More things to consider here:
Which surface radio system is the best?
If things ever go wrong with Graupner, then the only remaining brand for me to consider trying will be Futaba, only reason holding me back is they are way too expensive to get the same features that I have grown accustomed with my Graupner.
Good Luck in your search!
thanks for the great break down! I appreciate the way you broke down your experiences here, as it gives me a real list of things to consider for myself as well.
This weekend we spent a LOT of time at the track. all day Saturday testing and tuning, then Sunday races. I PR'd our current track layout in a huge way. Went from average 30second lap times to avg 25-27 with a best lap being 22 seconds (I realize that means nothing to the people who don't drive this track, but it shows where my improvements have been substantial).
With all of these adjustments and improvements and about an additional 15 hours of track time this past weekend between Thursday-Sunday, the biggest challenge I am having now is that my throttle response just sucks. It feels like I have basically all or nothing. I can cruise the truck around the track with the throttle pulled about 1/3 to 1/2 the way but when I pin it, there is a second of lag where it feels like the truck is building boost, like a turbo charged vehicle. I'm running a 3300kvw motor + esc system that comes with the TA SC10 truck.
I compared that to the throttle response on my boys Losi 22SCT factory stock set-up (Dynamite 12t motor, brushed, non fanned ESC but I don't remember brand) and while my motor may have more power, and definitely stays cooler, the response is just miserable in comparison. The guys at the track tell me that my only option to get the instant throttle response that I want is a sensored motor + new esc combo.
That's fine if that's what it is. I have another thread on that topic as well and I'll probably go with the HobbyWing pro x10 + the V4s motor... but I'm still just trying to find any way that I can eek more power and control out of this current system because it is fast and strong, just horrible response and it blows my mind that the Losi stock 22sct system is so much more responsive being that it's about $100 less out of the box.