DEX210v2 or B5M

brown4s · #1 27-03-2014

Your views on which one of these for astro turf would be the better option, or are they both as good as each other ?

Regs

OneKiwi · #2 27-03-2014

They are both good but I think it comes down to wallet and what others at the track are also running.
Thats the practical but its really what you want.

Big G · #3 27-03-2014

B5M by a long shot. Several people have reported how "dialled" the car is out of the box. I drove a DEX210 in the past and it was so hard to drive. Swapped to a C4.1 and went up a final.

Dino_D · #4 27-03-2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big G

B5M by a long shot. Several people have reported how "dialled" the car is out of the box. I drove a DEX210 in the past and it was so hard to drive. Swapped to a C4.1 and went up a final.

You can't really compare the B5M vs the original 210 which has the shorter chassis. The new one isn't out yet but will be available shortly and its +8mm longer like the B5M.

The adjustments on the b5M is very similar to that of the 210. Both cars are equally capable in the right hands. It really comes down to finding the right setup. There are tons of guys who race the 210 with the longer aftermarket chassis, so setups will be readily available. The B5M is still new, so setups will be trickling out shortly.

Best advice is to see which drivers of what brand is willing to help you and offer you setups and tips. Regardless what brand, nothing is worth more than the information given by other racers at your local race track. That's worth its weight in gold. You can have the best brand and no setup and don't do well, or a decent car with a good setup and enjoy it.

Welshy40 · #5 28-03-2014

Its a no brainer, get the associated. Durango is not a consistant car and gearbox design wasnt very good plus you cannot rely on one good set up whereas with the B5M you can.

AfroP · #6 28-03-2014

out of the 2 of the the associated by a country mile.

Durango is massively failing in parts support and has been for a long time.
Part of the reason i moved to a different brand was the lack of parts availability
it says a lot to me as well that this time last year the 210 and 410 were some of the most popular cars at the tracks where i race. but that seems to have shifted now and most of the durango's have been replaced with other brands, mainly schumacher

OneKiwi · #7 28-03-2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by AfroP

the durango's have been replaced with other brands, mainly schumacher

No accounting for some people taste

av4625 · #8 29-03-2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Welshy40

Its a no brainer, get the associated. Durango is not a consistant car and gearbox design wasnt very good plus you cannot rely on one good set up whereas with the B5M you can.

not sure why you think that the durango isnt consistent, mine is very consistent and i run a very similar setup everywhere, just minor tweeks! And i have had no issues with the gear box works fine!

Lee24h · #9 29-03-2014

Associated are nicer cars got a c4.2 after a durango the durango started to feel numb the centro is a lot better dosent look the prettiest but works cant say about b5m but i imagion its the same

mattr · #10 29-03-2014

TBH unless the quality of the plastics has changed beyond all recognition as they've gone from b4.1 to 4.2 and then 5 I wouldn't touch another Associated car.

My b4.1 (and all the spares I bought for it) reminded me far too much of the sort of plastics I had on my cars when I packed in rc, about 25 years ago.
The durango is built on an entirely different scale of quality.
The rolls, flips and barrier clips that are part and parcel of driving used to regularly break off b4.1 extremities. The 210, I actually need to crash into something immovable.

Landing a fast, flat, 6" jump should never cause the front of the chassis to snap off. Or the steering cranks to disintegrate.

fredswain · #11 08-04-2014

I'll try to give as unbiased an answer as possible. I have been an Associated fan since the original RC10 came out and currently have a 210 so take it for what it's worth.

1. They each have IDENTICAL suspension geometries to each other. The can be setup exactly the same in this regards and many parts are actually interchangeable. Advantage: Neither

2. B5M has one chassis option. The Durango has several, not only from Durango but also from the aftermarket in varying lengths and materials. Advantage: Durango. However, this may or may not matter to you.

3. The battery layout in the B5M allows side by side saddles or a shorty mounted sideways. The Durango, with any chassis, allows a full sized stick pack mounted straight, saddles end to end straight, or a shorty straight.
Advantage: It depends. My personal opinion is that a mid motor car should run either saddles side to side or a shorty. Stick packs are a dying breed. My personal opinion would be to give the B5M the nod here although Durango themselves claim victory based on variety that will fit. I put more emphasis on layout location which is why I'm modifying a chassis to run side by side saddles.

4. The gearbox. Some say the Durango gearbox is bad. I personally disagree. Mine is very smooth and I've never had any problems from it. I've never really had any issues with an Associated gearbox either. Some people are just very hard on them. The Durango gives you the option of 3 or 4 gear in either mid or rear motor. I personally find this to be hugely advantageous. I prefer to run MM3 which none of the other cars even have as an option. If grip is very low MM4 is an option but RM is also there as well. Associated claims that you can't have a rear and a mid motor car in one since it is too much of a compromise. Again, I disagree. With the Durango gearbox options patented, it's no surprise that they'd throw this out there in marketing. They know their followers will believe it and slam the competition as a result. They are a business after all. The big advantage of their dual platforms in my opinion is the different battery layouts with each. This is certainly something that Durango should capitalize on in the future. See item 3. Advantage: Durango

5. Suspension. As was pointed out in #1, they each have identical suspension geometries. However, with the V2 the Durango gives you the option of running the rear shocks either in front of or behind the rear arms. To me this is a huge tuning advantage. Weight distribution and rear center of gravity are affected by changes like this. It's just another example, like their gearbox, of the car's versatility and adaptability. Advantage: Durango

6. Parts availability. This hasn't been good from either yet. The B4 had great parts availability but with a car that was around for over a decade, you'd expect it to be. The B5 currently has a parts shortage but only because it's so new. It'll get better. Durango too is in the same situation. However, their mistake was not keeping up with demand until the new car came out. While I understand this from a financial standpoint, the marketing damage was pretty big and should have been forseen. Advantage: TBD

There are things I like about each car. They are both priced much nicer than the competition which is a good thing. Neither is perfect and each has a few advantages and disadvantages over the other. For the most part, they are equals. The big handling difference that people see is with posted setup sheets. These always vary. If you learn how to tune your own cars you'll find them both equally capable. Relying on setup sheets is almost more of a guarantee for failure than success. I chose the 210 before the B5M came out. I'm happy with it. I certainly can't justify replacing it with a B5M.

NeilD · #12 08-04-2014

The B5M is an amazing car. The quality of the parts is excellent and it was very easy to assemble as it is to work on. The out of box set up is very easy to drive and with a few adjustments I've found it even better (for me). It's very easy to drive, jumps superbly and is very strong. I've done around 4,000 laps at my local track with no failures. I rebuilt the car last week and the diff and gears are like new. The diff rings are showing slight wear but not enough to change them yet. Getting spares is a pain but the situation is improving steadily, I've managed to get a good selection of parts although not everything I would like.

Al3xis007 · #13 08-04-2014

4000laps?
14laps a race on average that's 285 races or 23hours
...in a month and a half.....

dpackster1980 · #14 08-04-2014

After my experiences with TD I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole. A lot of people complain about backup and spares.

I'd take Associated any day of the week. Yes the cars is new but give it a couple of months then every track side shop will have them unlike TD. That's the difference between finishing a meeting or going home early.

Associated have more drivers so setups won't be in short supply either.

It's straight forward decision my point of view. I'm not biased as I drive Yokomo.

NeilD · #15 08-04-2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Al3xis007

4000laps?
14laps a race on average that's 285 races or 23hours
...in a month and a half.....

Open practice on a Wednesday from 17:00-21:00 = 280 laps. Open practice on a Sunday from 09:00-17:00 = 550 laps and we got the cars here before the UK.