WallRocket

iTrader: (1)

I've spent the last few years at my club racing a first gen Losi 22 buggy with Hobbyking electrics. This year I decided to break the bank and upgrade. Bought a Losi 22 5.0, Tekin ESC and motor and a Savox servo, also bought lots of new tyres (no longer making 1 set last half a season). I'm still using my antique Hitec Aggressor SRX Pro radio though. I've had this radio for 8+ years, it does the job, its comfy to hold and has most of the features I need. It's just pretty basic and basic looking.. A few people have told me its worth upgrading to a Sanwa/Spektrum/Futuba ect as it will make me a better driver.
Just wondering if that is true? Looking at a Sanwa MT4S, Futuba 4pm or a Hitec Lynx (I really do like Hitec, also looked at the FS Noble). But a big part of me is just worried the money is only really going towards bling and features I will never need.

Just tempted to keep my old radio as it still works fine, have it binded to 4 RC's and part of me likes the fact I'm the only one using this type (never ever seen anyone else use one in my 15 years of racing.). Almost everyone at my club is using Sanwa/Spektrum

Is a better radio going to make me faster? A friend said it will make you feel more connected to with the car after he traded in his old Spektrum for one of the new flashy models and believed it made a difference with his laps.

mushroomed

iTrader: (8)

You may notice a difference in the response time, you could test this by driving someone else's car if they don't mind.

But I think the biggest difference in the higher end radio systems is the physical adjustability. Being able to adjust the wheel and trigger angle, travel, tension, grip size... all of these things make a big difference in having the radio feel comfortable and consistent.

Personally in upgrading from a Futaba 4PL to a Sanwa M12s I mainly noticed these differences in adjustment, and in particular that I was able to be more precise and consistent with braking after the upgrade.

If it all possible, hold the radio you want to get before you buy it. Better yet, test it out!

chuck_thehammer

adjustable end points.. limits to travel of linkage
adjustable curves of action.... to adjust for limited traction... current limiters.. brake power. a few even has a form of anti-lock brakes.

most mid-level radios offer this stuff.

I do miss my duel rate steering button on the handle like the Futaba 3PK had..
for me.. it was set at 60 percent for racing.. but in a wreck,stuck to the wall ... my little finger could press the duel rate button.. and steering goes to 100 percent,, but only for the time I have the button pressed.

except for this one issue.. I like my Futaba 4PLS.
I have been running Tekin ESC for about 12 years now.
RS gen 1 and RX8 in tenth scale dirt.... the RS also in carpet racing.

the rc guy

A better radio only reflects your ability..It can help in some ,thru adjustment..

billdelong

iTrader: (33)

I don't believe a new radio will make you any faster. I have experimented with a budget Radiolink system and was still able to hit the same fast lap times and 98% consistency. It really comes down to what features you want to have and whether the radio is causing you any problems. Only concern I have with your older Aggressor is that it uses direct sequencing which can be problematic; more info here:
Which surface radio system is the best?

I say keep what you have until it starts to act up, then replace it... I'm really surprised that the pots have lasted 8 years without having to be replaced!

Northernbob

I upgraded my radio to a drop down that didn't really help my driving only track time will do that. But, it was more comfortable to hold. The adjustments made holding the radio more natural helped me relax more during a race.
DX5C to DX5pro.

Roelof

For a worse driver better material will not improve a thing, money will not buy better laptimes. For a good an awesome driver I do not think it will be that much better but today's high speed transmitters will -as mentioned- give you a more direct feeling making more consistent laptimes

RazorRC

iTrader: (5)

It depends on how bad your old radio is and how good the new radio is. I do a lot of back to back tests with Radiolink, Sanwa, Futaba, Spektrum, Flysky, etc. in the same car, on the same pack, etc. and definitely notice a big difference between some and a small difference between others. In contrast to Bill, I found my Radiolink RC6GS to have pretty poor linearity in the wheel and trigger controls, and would definitely stay away from that.

Something like a 4PM and MT-S, it's pretty much imperceptible to me.

billdelong

iTrader: (33)

Just to clarify, the "feel" of Radiolink is quite cheap, and yes the radio just feels "notchy" with less precision plus it lacks many ergos, but it functioned just fine. Someone starting out with a lower quality radio won't be able to tell the difference, but having experience with a higher quality system and go back to a low quality system is noticeable, but didn't effect my lap times nonetheless.

RazorRC

iTrader: (5)

Thanks, I actually mean the throttle and steering curves are not right. They aren't linear, there is an abnormal curve to them, meaning the throttle and steering are not 1:1 with how much you are turning them/pulling the trigger. I had to mess with the expos a lot to get them to feel even close to correct, but they were still not 1:1. In my review video I explain the settings I had to set them to.

It's possible your 4GS was different than my 6GS, they are running a different firmware at a minimum.

billdelong

iTrader: (33)

I did get a RC4GS at one point, but never used it on the track, only got it to measure the faster frame rates compared to the RC3S and RC4G that I also owned. I only raced with the older RC3S and kept the other systems as backups. I struggled to get the steering speed to work properly with the RC3S and was forced to use EXPO on the steering to make the radio very reasonable to control, didn't use any EXPO on the throttle. Only recently have I gone to 0% EXPO on my Graupner system, it's entirely possible that I forced myself to use EXPO on Radiolink not realizing it was a linear issue, but seriously no problems with about 15-20% EXPO. I have since sold all my Radiolink systems and have secured backup parts for my Graupner instead, not because my lap times were worse, but because of all the convenience of features offered by Graupner.

Coopz

iTrader: (22)

I had a RC3s, it was ok but the steering wheel never had enough travel in it.

Kswarrior

This is my 2nd season back from a decade or so away from racing. I still had my Spektrum DX3S when I came back and ran it for awhile. Couple other guys were still running their old DX3s and dx3pro and started having problems. Although my radio had far less use I was worried it may go down on me so I started looking at new radios. I held about every late model Futaba, Sanwa and Spektrum has even tho most were out of the price range I was willing to spend. Spektrum was a no go right away because all of them felt toyish to me. I personally thought the Sanwa MTS although a bit better feeling still felt a bit toyish. Futaba 4pv was the one I liked the most in my price range.

Did the Futaba make me faster? I do feel more in control with the Futaba then I did my old Spektrum..I'm not going to claim it isnt psychological of having a better radio tho. My lap times did drop and more consistent. The radio fits my hand way better, the wheel and throttle feel way smoother, and the overall feel is just way better to me.

I will mention. One of our far more seasoned drivers had all his stuff stolen. People rallied and started giving him stuff. He had ran Sanwa radios for years and a guy gave him a high end Futaba. He was really struggling and just didnt like the feel of the radio. He ended up buying a Sanwa mt44 and it was like someone flipped a switch. When he gave the guy back his Futaba the guy told him that although both Sanwa and Futaba do the same thing, they get their differently (if that makes any sense) . Basically saying some people just drive better with Sanwa while others drive better with Futaba. Pretty much the same arguement with car manufacturers from what I understand.

TheRulesLawyer

iTrader: (3)

I have a RC4GS. The steering speed function is really weird. If you turn it on even at 99% there is a really noticeable difference in speed. If you're looking at a non-computer radio due to budget I'd say its still a good choice. It has a ton of utility. Still it is not a high end radio by any stretch of the imagination.