R/C Tech Forums - View Single Post - 8ight 2.0 vs 808 vs O'Donnell
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Old 10-14-2008, 09:08 AM
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boostfiend
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Originally Posted by tex1
Losi - Innovative and exciting. I did not meet a single driver that did not go faster with this buggy when it was introduced. Years on our current shop buggies and the parts wear is very good. FYI - I run mainly on an indoor track that doeas not have the fine silt and powder that will destroy buggies. We also take careful time towards using special lubes to protect the driveline parts and our shock and other suspension care has decades of learning and attention to details. We did some very interesting things with this car and the 2.0 should be very good. $$
I really enjoyed the 8ight last season. At first I treated it like it was going to snap/break at any moment, but it always came thru shining. As I got more comfortable with the car, I could push it to the point where it really began to shine. The only issues I had with the car was the plastics, which were sub-par in my book. Too flexible in some areas and too weak in others. The radio tray for example kept cracking/splitting where it bolts to the chassis. I feel a change in design could fix this problem, but it's still a problem. Hopefully the 2.0 will improve on the design.


Originally Posted by tex1
Xray - Copy is the best form of flattery! The materials are impecable. I truely believe these guys stand apart in their attention in this department. The 3mm chassis is the place where I see the wear problem. There are some growing pains with the drive train and motor positioning. The center drive shafts will touch off on the center outdrive cups and harm your gearbox pinion bearings. The motor sits so low it will touch the clutch bell on the chassis if you case a jump hard. Very fast, durable and nimble. Parts can be a little tough in some areas. $$
I didn't see but one of these all year at my local track, but the one I saw looked quite good. Performance wise. Had I been able to wrench on one, I might have chosen it for my next car. Hudy makes nice stuff, no question about it. ...but I feel the car was/is better suited to flatter European tracks. It certainly does very well across the big pond. I feel it needs to be a bit tougher to tackle the rather brutal tracks here in the US.

Originally Posted by tex1
ODonnell - One here at the track and after a lot of work it just felt like driving an old school car. Watch out! Tebo will be smoking fast in what ever he drives next! This car is quite a bit heavier than both of the previous cars mentioned. Quality looks to be very good but not on par with Xray.
Parts? I have no idea. All of us were about 1/2 to 1 full second slower per lap. 3 expert drivers were doing the driving and testing. ??
This is the car I chose to run for next season. After building one, I can honestly say that I was impressed! The drivetrain is very light and very free. Plastics are top notch - not too flexy, not too stiff. With the 'mid bore' shocks, it's harder to setup compared to the cars with 'big bores'. Not an excuse, but a fact. I don't have enough 'seat time' to give you an honest review on performance, but so far it responds so well to any input that I was instantly comfortable driving it. Whereas with the Losi, it took a lot of time to fine tune it to my driving style. The Z01B IS a little heavier than my Losi, but at the same time, it's much stronger - in the right areas. Performance to me feels like a well planted car that is 'flickable'. - and able to shed some weight without becoming loose and flexible.

Originally Posted by tex1
Mugen MBX-6 - Out of the box...WOW! Local fast guy picked one up and built it like his old Mugen. It was right on my same lap times with my current car. It weighs in at just around 70g heavier than my Xray ready to roll. Durability should be very good. Price is even better! Parts may be a little more expensive being Mugen. $
I really hope to see one up close. I'm not a fan of the 'ball' front ends, but if they can make it work, more power to em. Mugen was and still is in my mind as being one of the few world class cars out there. In the right hands, it could take many a win. Granted, that could be said about any of the cars being discussed.

Originally Posted by tex1
Kyosho MP-9 - Steering and the smoothest drive train is still retained. They are very good in this department. The radio box and suspension adjustability are very much improved. Plastics are a little different than what I remember from their past offerings. I have seen some breakage that has my curiosity up. I'm in the plastics business and I would expect this to change. Looks to me like single bad run materials. This car is worth the money considering the package you get when compaired to former offerings. Lap times are very good and will run with my current car. Old Kyosho refined! Very nice. Parts are hard to come by for the time being. $$$!
This was near the top of my list for my next buggy. I really had a hard time taking the MP9 off the list - and in the end, I question some of my reasons. Price wasn't really a factor, but moreso long term quality. Buying a new car when it first comes out is a risky venture. If it's par with the past Kyosho offerings, they have themselves a winner for sure.

Originally Posted by tex1
No one mentioned the Champ! The Hot Bodies car does get around the track very well. Durability and consistancy in the hands of the sportsmen drivers will tell the tale. This chassis is worth looking at for the price. $
I'm not one of those "If it's cheap, it must be junk" kinda people, but to me, the D8 looks thrown together. In stock form, it just looks more like a toy car rather than a race car. I would like to know how close Hara's was to stock, but even then, I don't think I'd change my mind about the car. It must be good enough to take the abuse of an hour long main at the highest level, so my opinion may be moot.

All in all, I think we can all agree that it's the driver that makes the car look good. No matter which car is in question. I think we've all seen a top notch car in the hands of a rookie driver. They turn too late, come into corners too fast and may not be able to setup the car correctly. It's hard to apply your style when you've yet to learn a style.

Regardless, of the cars in question (8ight, 808 or Z01B), there is not one that stands alone as the 'best.' That said, there isn't one that stands alone as being 'junk' either. They are all 'world class' racing buggies.

Any of these buggies would be an excellent choice to race with. It comes down to how much the driver is willing to learn.

Now with all of that said, I still believe that radios, servos, engines and tires make more of a difference than the chassis. I believe that someone getting into racing should buy the 'good stuff' off the bat - including chassis. I've seen many guys racing with a fantastic world class chassis and a cheap radio/servo/engine combo. They fight with setups and complain about tuning to the point that they just quit coming to the races.

Either way you go for chassis, do yourself a favor and buy the top of the line radio and engine. Then, rather than a host of hop-ups (which none of the above truly need) get a selection of tires to choose from. The right tire will make the car shine, no matter what chassis you are driving.
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