Which budget 4wd with stick packs?

[Lonestar]

Hi guys,

I am after a 4wd for indoor club racing... but competitive club racing I am currently reviewing my options for a 4wd, as I used to run 2wd and vintage, but my track dumped the latter class So as I like to make the most of my racedays, I need a 4wd to fill up the time between the real driving, ie 2wd rounds

As I will already have to buy a kit, I don't feel like buying saddle lipos on top, I have plenty enough stick lipos like that... so my 4wd will have to take stick packs.

And as I sold my 2wd this spring, it also means I'll have to buy one too... which means not much dinero left for a 4wd kit then!

So - what 4wd's do we have that don't break the bank and take stick-packs and are reliable as our jumps are usually pretty manly and hard on cars? Parts availability won't really be an issue as in my area there aren't that many shops anyway...

- Tamiya DB01 - 01R - from what I've seen, not that reliable, the ones that race with us often come limping on 3 wheels back to the pits
- HPI Cyber10B - prolly my lead option right now, but moving away from the "budget" category...
- LRP Blast : read some good things, but steering geometry isn't one of them
- Ansmann Master Smacker - discontinued...
- HPI Brama - looks VERY basic
- TeamC/Ansmann new thingy - very confused by the lineup and badges...

Am I forgetting any?

And then, the $200 question : can these buggies, in not far from "stock" form, be competitive against the more expensive cars? There's a guy in our area who goes very very fast with a cyber10B, but then again it's loaded with hopups and prolly costs more than a fully loaded D4 (and then again he's a former onroad vice world-champ, so he'd drive circles around us with a Grasshoppper)... So basically, can $150 or $200 buy you reliable 4wd racing?

Thanks for any input

Paul

[peetbee]

Originally Posted by Lonestar

- Tamiya DB01 - 01R - from what I've seen, not that reliable, the ones that race with us often come limping on 3 wheels back to the pits

I'm surprised at that, unless it's the front wheel nuts undoing themselves!
I was in the same boat as you and went for the DB01 and it's been very solid.

The new TeamC/Ansmann thingy looks good though, if I didn't have the DB01 I'd be tempted with that out of the others. And the Master Smacker being discontinued is a good thing!

What parts are easy to get where you race and what's everyone else running?

[nicefrog]

The new Team C with the stick pack chassis is called the TR04, There's the standard TR04 RTR which Ansmann named the Blizzard and then there's the TR04 PRO which is the same as the competition kit with saddle packs TC04 but with the stick pack chassis. I hope that clears that up . Ansmann do not sell the TR04 PRO which I guess may clear up any legal issues with you getting one from an international seller. You'll see not for sale to the UK on some sites that carry the Team C cars because of previous problems with this. You will get a TC04 for around your 150usd and Woody just made 8th place in the Nationals with one straight out of the box with no extra parts so it goes ok. Just a matter of where you can get it shipped to . Of course you can always get it from Ansmann also, it'll just be a bit over budget

[gps3300]

Originally Posted by Lonestar

!

So - what 4wd's do we have that don't break the bank and take stick-packs and are reliable as our jumps are usually pretty manly and hard on cars?
Am I forgetting any?

Paul

Kyosho Lazer ZX-5 RTR takes sticks packs

[quincey]

dark impact,gravel hound-havent bust mine yet! and ive had it for 4 years!!,durga durga durga!!!

[DCM]

The DB-01, as long as it has a slipper, alloy suspension mounts and at least the front CVD's is probably the most robust car I have every owned, currently I have 4 for me and the kids, and yes, they do break but you got to be doing something REALLY stupid to do so!!

[F1END]

I'm guessing the limping DB01s have popped a wishbone...

As DCM says, once you have the alloy suspension mounts on and a slipper, it's solid. TRF shocks help too, but cost.

It's about $55 on top of the basic DB01, or you could go for the DB01R - with all the hop-ups already on it.

[Si Coe]

From having looked at Stu Woods X4-Pro, it seems like the only real difference between the TR-04 and TC-04 is the chassis and shell. The drivetrain on the X4-Pro is already raised enough to clear a stick pack, but the chassis isn't wide enough to get one across it. We calculated it might be cheaper to buy an X4-Pro and fit a Blizzard chassis than get a Blizzard and uprate to X4-Pro spec.

[Matt-Photo]

I had a similar choice a couple of weeks back, and went for the Cyber10B.

Is it equal to the more expensive models?.... I don't yet know. I'm still getting my driving skills and electrics up to scratch.

However I can tell you the kit goes together nicely, the suspension is supple and fully adjustable, and the transmission is smooth. I have yet to hit a 'big' jup yet, but off the smaller jumps, the cars flies nice and straight.

The kit setup handles well, and the car seems to drive well.

I chose the Cyber because I was looking for a low cost car, based on a full-on competition model, could take stick packs - plus I wanted a kit.

So the choice for me was between the Cyber and the Durga.

However do take a good look at the Team C/Ansmann thing (Blizzard) - it looks very much like a rebadged Cyber 10. OK, the plastic mouldings are subtly different, but the DNA is clearly the same.

[Lonestar]

Guys - thanks for the input, keep it coming

Regarding the DB01, there's two guys at the track with either DB01R or a decked out DB01. They aren't our fastest and cleanest drivers, but they do drive fairly well still, and they usually either break arms or shock towers... The car with the above mentionned hop-ups (mandatory slipper, CVD's, and needed others) actually becomes a bit expensive for budget-racing

Here's a pic of the kinda track I race on during the winter. The jumps are really, really unforgiving:



(hopefully this gets resized when posted )

thanks for clearing the TeamC/Ansmann lineup - makes sense now

Paul

[DCM]

I have only ever broken the usual stuff that you will break when racing, but less of them, if you know what I mean.

Depending where you buy them, the DB01 is good value, and if you are worried, just buy the Atomic Carbon rear tower. I got mine when the kits were first released, and apart from suspension parts, it is still as it came, same pulleys, spur, steering, front tower etc. No car is indestructable though, so it will all come down to where you can get spares from (and if you are racing, you really should carry the bare essentials)

[markwilliamson2001]

I would be looking at a 2nd hand Cat SX 1 perhaps? Might be worth a look?

[Lonestar]

Guys

thanks all for the help and sorry for the late reply... after talking it with my pitting buddy, we finally decided on running one class only, and that'll be 2wd for obvious reasons... So no 4wd for me in 2010/2011. We'll see the year after

Thanks again,
Paul