What's the different between B4 Team-kit and B4 Factory Team-kit?

[tobbe]

Hello!

As the title says, what is the main difference between the B4 Stealth Team-kit and the B4 Factory team-kit? The reason why I ask is that I've found a cheap NIB B4 Stealth-team kit and I maybe buy it and later upgrade it with all the FT-parts, but first I need to know what is the difference?

[LEGEND]

The factory team kit includes a few upgrades like threaded shocks and a carbhon fibre battery strap. etc:) But honestly if you can find a cheap one that is in good condition then get it as there isn't much difference between the cars.

[Metla]

I asked this exact same question on another forum a couple of days back, I was after opinion as much as a list of differences, Didn't get a whole lot of answers but I will copy/paste a list I was given.

and here it is, With thanks to JeffEmbracedDC (http://forums.radiocontrolzone.com/member.php?u=72804) over at rccaraction.


some of the differences are style, some are performance, and some are durability.

The differences between the Team and the Factory Team are these

STYLE
Blue motor plate
blue aluminum screws
Blue front spindles
DURABILITY
Ubontanium Shock Shafts
Titanium Turnbuckles
PERFORMANCE
Carbon arms
Carbon knuckles
Carbon caster blocks
Carbon rear carriers
Carbon main chassis
Carbon shock towers
Carbon top plate
Carbon rear chassis brace
Threaded shock bodies
Woven carbon fiber battery strap
Lightened steel Outdrives
Steering rack bearings
I think it comes with a sway bar kit.
There are a few more that cross over style, durability and performance. One being the blue aluminum servo mounts. they're stronger, look cooler and will give you more reliable steering. Another is the aluminum hingepin brace. looks cool and makes your car stronger.

I think that's it.. however, I can't tell ya for sure. I don't even own one.

Real world results:
your car looks cooler
your turnbuckles are lighter and much much stronger
your shock shafts stay smooth longer which results in less rebuilds. They're also stronger than standard steel shock shafts.
The carbon parts are lighter and harder. The standard composite components flex a little more and add weight which ultimately makes the car easier to drive for beginners. This is more of a personal preference than an "upgrade" but they are in the kit to make it truly "factory team".
The lightened steel outdrives are of course lighter, they look a little cooler, and they supposedly make you accelerate faster. However, they're not as strong as the standard steel outdrives.

[Metla]

I personally purchased the Factory Team kit, for two reasons.

I'm a habitual waster of money, If there are upgrades I'll want to buy them, so might as well get it out of the way and just get the kit with the upgrades.

and

Threaded shock bodies....These are a must have.:wtf:

[tony6187]

hi,the differences are that the ft version comes with threaded shock bodies,the chassis and suspension components are carbon composite (team version is plastic composite).the ft also to the best of my knowledge has an uprated servo saver spring,front hinge pin brace,titanium tie rods and ligthened outdrives.the difference these parts make especially the carbon parts is open to much discussion but i think its down to personnel preference:)

[josh_smaxx]

STYLE

Blue motor plate yes
blue aluminum screws no
Blue front spindles yesDURABILITY

Ubontanium Shock Shafts yes
Titanium Turnbuckles yesPERFORMANCE

Carbon arms yes
Carbon knuckles no
Carbon caster blocks no
Carbon rear carriers no
Carbon main chassis yes but plastic is better
Carbon shock towers yes
Carbon top plate yes
Carbon rear chassis brace yes
Threaded shock bodies yes
Woven carbon fiber battery strap yes
Lightened steel Outdrives yes
Steering rack bearings yes
I think it comes with a sway bar kit. noAlso has blue servo saver bolt, blue alloy servo mounts and extra bearings in the transmition (more than RTR anyway)


All in all its a great kit, i still run the carbon chassis but thats because i cant afford to buy another plastic one at this time, i love all the alloy bits on it and its much nicer to drive than the RTR version.

[Metla]

Interesting, Glad to know I wasn't lead too far astray.

I did query the chassis as I was certain I had read many preferred the plastic instead, I didn't get any answer to that question at the time.

In what way is the plastic considered better? Is it because the flex in the material gives the car a more forgiving feel?

I presume the Factory Team kit is lighter then the Team kit?, Mine will be used in a class with a standard motor so any other area where I can eenhance performance is a bonus.

[josh_smaxx]

Plastic is better because its; more forgiving, easier to drive, doesnt snap as easy and when you but saddle packs in, it cant short them out whereas when the carbon has worn down a bit (from batteries going in and out) it can short out as bare carbon is conductive... very conductive.

Same goes for wishbones ect, they are lighter and all that, but they snap alot easier when made from carbon, if i were you i would replace all broken carbon parts with plastic, cheaper and stronger.

[Metla]

all good, If and when they break I will give plastic a go, Though in general I prefer how carbon chassis handle.

Having said that, I haven't driven a B4 yet.

[tobbe]

Oh, that was a lot of hop-ups on the FT version! Maybe I then save for a new B4 FT because it will cost me more money to upgrade the car to FT than buy a new FT version:(

[Richard Lowe]

The main difference between the two cars is how they feel to drive, chassis flex and car weight are very open subjects and normally end up in a big thread where everyone agrees to disagree :wtf:

In my experience the carbon parts make the car feel a lot sharper and are more consistent through bumps but the car seems to generate less, albeit more consistent steering.
A plastic car will feel more 'hovercraft like' and react slower and can be a bit inconsistent on very rutted surfaces. Plastic does seem to generate more steering for whatever reason, but it can be inconsistent.

A lot of people do seem to prefer the way the floppy; sorry plastic chassis feels though :)

You will go just as fast with a Team spec car as you would with a FT. If you're concerned about the weight difference you can more than make up for it by running older cells like 3300's instead of the latest 4200+ mah cells that are a lot heavier, if you're running stock you should have no trouble lasting.

[Metla]

Interesting, I'll have to weigh my batteries and see what the difference is, Though I have been using my 3300's in the stock class already. I may drop down even further if it saves weight.

The track I race at has a stupidly long straight to accommodate the gas cars, so when we race stock electric buggies generally whoever has bit more pace down the straight has a major advantage.

[tc2k]

My car was the stealth and the only real must have upgrades are teh Titanium Turnbuckles as the steel ones bend too easily. The rest are nice to have but I dont believe are that essential, even the HD Servo saver spring, I now have it but never had a problem with the original one

[josh_smaxx]

Loving my carbon chassis :D