EbbTide

iTrader: (39)

Hey guys, a buddy of mine really wants to start racing RC cars but he is new to the scene just like me and we are not sure which truggy kits or RTR kits would be recommended for a $600 budget to get started without much modification out of the box.

He had his eye on the HPI Trophy Truggy; but I am sure you guys know better kits for the price.

Thanks in advance :-)

R/C Lidz

iTrader: (59)

if you have a $600 budget for everything I would look into short course racing...

EbbTide

iTrader: (39)

He just wants a good foundation to build on to see if he can get the hang of RC driving. He intends to upgrade the engine, exhaust, suspension etc. if he feels confident enough in how he does during practice sessions.

nitroal

iTrader: (46)

first you should check out your local track and see what others there are running. if you have troubles or need set up help, they are more likely to help you out. also helps to know what parts are available locally. with your budget, you might be better off looking in the for sale section and finding good, used truggies. while the rtr trucks can be good, most of them will need significant upgrades to be competitive and very few in your price range will have very good support at the track.

Zerodefect

...if he feels confident? You ain't going to get confidence from a RTR. RTR's are for cheapo bashers that don't care that thier car stinks.

He'll need to upgrade The engine and radio gear right away, RTR parts stink. Servos are pur rubbish. Engines are thirsty and a pain to tune. Just pure frustration. I can tune my car to perfection. But I can't tune RTR's to run at all.

Build a kit from scratch. Avoid RTR's like the plauge. If he is unsure, then don't bother. Generally RC racing is an addiction once you see it. If he's not sure he wants to jump in hardcore, then he needs to be in a simpler/cheaper class like Slash, 2wd SCT, or 4x4 SCT.

I'd suggest:
-Mugen Truggy (while the buggies are close to each other, in the truggy world the Mugen really stands out above the others, but the Serpent looks sharp as well)
-Airtronics M11x
-Hitec 7955 servos
-OS 28XZ , Mugen 21 BO2, or OS 21XZB (all are an absolute breeze to tune and breakin)
-AKA SS Impacts and S Grid Irons or HB Pink Megabites
-TAG body spray and Simple Green for the tires.
-Byrons 30% fuel.
-Ofna truggy box on 4s lipo
-Protek 1000mah 2s Rx lipo
-Turnigy charger

Get the good stuff right from the start. Don't waste money on cheapo gear. It'll just be twice as expensive in the long run.

monster95

iTrader: (2)

Damn man, can you give a starting list for everything you reccommend for buggy as well?

Zerodefect

Sure.

It's the same as above but with:
-Xray XB9
-3 stripe Xray springs, maybe a pair of 2 stripes for up front
-+1mm rear hubs
-PM me for me secret shock setup for this car (I don't want the locals to find my setup)
-OS 21xzb, 2090 pipe, Novarossi or Mugen short compact header, P3 plug, Sweep pipe gaskets (10+ minutes easy)

rcuser567345

iTrader: (7)

cant race an hpi trohpy truggy lol. for an rtr, the losi 8ight t 2.0 rtr is good and it can be raced rather competitively.

romax

iTrader: (1)

If you plan on any track time the hpi would not be a good choice. If you must go with an RTR here is a link to the few decent truggies i have seen at the track. It is going to be hard with a 600 budget.
http://www.amainhobbies.com/index.ph...y-Ready-to-Run
Have you looked at 1/8 buggy? In your price range you would have a better chance of getting something better. Also it is a little cheaper to race buggy cause parts don't wear as fast, tires are cheaper and last longer, etc.

EbbTide

iTrader: (39)

Thank you guys for all of the help. My buddy has never even had a Nitro RC car but as soon as he saw my new Savage he got extremely interested. He used to race Motocross on an amateur level and is currently getting his car ready for some drag strip time and has been wanting to get back into something competitive other than full sized vehicles. Once I got him to see how many different things you can customize and upgrade on RC cars, he was hooked instantly. But he is still not sure how much money he wants to put in it before trying it out himself. I guess I can let him bash around on my Savage but I doubt doing that could compare in the slightest to driving a real racer.

And it doesn't have to be an RTR car, he is open to kit suggestions. I am just trying to get info for him on which manufactures to look into since he is not very tech savvy with researching on the web.

I am definitely going to show him that parts list that ZeroDefect setup and see if he would be interested in trying it that way.

Sorry for my personal lack of knowledge but I am more of a basher so I am more into putting my cars through hell lol.

romax

iTrader: (1)

In that case i second zerodefect's recomendation with one exception. I feel that a .28 is too much engine especially in the Mugen cause it's a light truggy but, that's just personal preference. BTW we also raced MX untill 2008. My son was a Team Green rider till he had a career ending injury. Nothing compares to flying thru the air on a bike but off road r/c is pretty fun, and i can crash all over the place and never feel a thing LOL!

EbbTide

iTrader: (39)

lol yeah that was my argument as a positive for RC racing, no PAIN!

Question about the radio equipment. Why so expensive? I understand the servos need to be quick and strong but what positives does the advanced radio have?

rcuser567345

iTrader: (7)

I used to use a cheaper radio that came with a Kyosho rtr I had (before I started racing, when I was just running around the track). The problem with it, I did not have a feel for the car, probably because of the slower response time of the rx and tx. Then I switched to an Airtronics M11 with a 2.4ghz module and what a difference! Much better! I can actually have a feel for the car, rather with the cheap one, I input controls based on what I see without a feel for the car, with the M11, its so fast, I feel connected to the buggy/truggy. Airtronics, KO Propo, Radiopost, and Futaba are top of the line, You can find an Airtronics M11 with a 2.4ghz module installed in it for less than $180 with the receiver.

The servos are very important to invest in. Good servos will last, cheaper ones will fail on race day, when you need them most! I've heard great things about Radiopost servos and have had a good experience with Hitec and Savox servos. (higher end Savox and Hitec).

Redxz

iTrader: (13)

An older truggy design, but great kit for a beginner, and a good stable performer.
https://www.tamiyausa.com/product/it...uct-id=49497SD
TRF801XT 199.99 while they last. Purchased two of these, and couldn't find a scratch on the box. Boiled the stock arms for 20 mins, and let cool down with the water, but bought the shorter arms, and shafts for spares $60.00.

EbbTide

iTrader: (39)

Well that definitely makes sense. Thanks for explaining a bit.

If you can link me to that MX11 with receiver deal, I might pick one up for my MT and chuck the OEM one out. But I only see the MX11 kit for around $400. Saw it for $389 at RC planet the cheapest so far.