Kyosho ZX5 FS2 or ZX5 FS2 SP?

[tommy turtle]

Hi,

After being out of racing for 23 years I have decided to get back into it but there are so many choices. I have just bought a Cougar but would like a 4wd too and have decided I want the Kyosho. There is a great deal on the FS2 at the moment and the SP would cost me another £140 on top. I just wondered what peoples opinions are as to whether I should just spend the extra or not bother. I don't mind spending the extra if it is genuinely worth it as I would be unhappy if I saved the money but missed out but I don't know enough about the car. Any comments would be appreciated. I will be going out and purchasing one tomorrow so need to make a quick decision.

Thanks

Tommy

[hloland]

The difference is Big bore dampers and some minor changes, like rear suspension (Kyosho changes that every new zx5 model), plastic in steering and color of the aluminium.
In my oppinium the FS2 is the better choice.

[Highjumper]

What is different between the FS2 and the FS2Sp Rear?? Booth have MID Arms and The Plastik Hubs! Or what do you mean??

Greets Kim

[Timee80]

I think the sp rear end is wider. the standard shocks are excellent anyway I wouldn't bother with the big bores

[tomtom]

I would buy the SP, those car are expensive but you hardly break anything or need upgrades. It's a lot of money but resale value would be good in case you need to and big bores and parts alone on Kyosho cars are expensive.
I bought a non SP used and upgraded to SP2 as I needed it for the mid conversion I run and it was so expensive to upgrade I could have bought a new kit and some more.

Just sold myRB5 to buy the WC and very happy with the updated parts.

Check Inside Line Racing for a good price on a FS2 non SP.

[shanks]

Just get an fs - you really don't need anymore

Ps I have one for sale with everything Inc motors esc servos batteries spares etc etc :thumbsup:

[brooksy]

If you pm pedros20 on here he's got an fs2 with big bore shocks in it for sale and its in mint condition aswell. Think he's wanting 225 for it,in my opinion its a bargain at that:thumbsup:

[tommy turtle]

Thanks chaps.

Im going to buy one off of Inside Line this morning but thanks for the offers of the others. I'll probably just go for the FS2 then but there is still time to change my mind????

Thanks

[gainsy]

Speak to Kev lee at insideline, being a top kyosho driver he will know exactly whats best to buy

[fastinfastout]

well of course being a kyosho driver, and him wanting to keep his job, that he will tell you newer is better. Any factory driver will tell you newer is better. The manufacturers are in it to make $. They dont want to hear their drivers telling people to keep your old cars, and not to buy new. The same thing goes with most other sports, not just RC.

The newer products are not necessarily 'better' for the average consumer.

Regarding this question at hand here, if you can find a normal FS, then get that. I see them on sale sometimes on ebay, for nearly half the price of a new FS2SP. With the savings you get, put it towards some good electronics.

[Neil Skull]

Well I have to say for such a good saving get the FS2!!

And I work for kyosho UK so trust me that price is a super bargain not to be missed.

:thumbsup:

[RudeTony]

well of course being a kyosho driver, and him wanting to keep his job, that he will tell you newer is better. Any factory driver will tell you newer is better. The manufacturers are in it to make $. They dont want to hear their drivers telling people to keep your old cars, and not to buy new. The same thing goes with most other sports, not just RC.

WOW!!
Sorry dude but your comment is a little out.
Of course Kyosho want to make money just like every other business out there but they also make it clear that all their drivers are to enjoy the sport and we are far from pushed to make people buy new products. Please don't take offence, it's how it is.

On the original question, there are many other differences on the new car to the old car - ceramic diff balls front and rear as a starter.

As for value for money - as far as I can comment it doesn't matter which you buy - both excellent cars. If you are at the highest level of racing then obviously the newer car but if you are just enjoying the sport then standard car is more than good enough - you can always upgrade it at a later time - hope that helps you a little

[RogerM]

I'm with Tony here, I LOVE my FS2-sp and am so glad I decided to go with a new car for this season.
That said there is nothing at all wrong with the FS2 ... still an awesome car.

If you go for an FS2 I would say upgrade the main diff balls at the time of build (just standard steel in the FS2 kit) and buy the #70 silver front spring. Put 3B pistons 40wt oil in the front and 3A/30wt in the rear ( I still use AE oil) and you will have a car that can at least equal the current CAT/B44.1 etc etc etc.

Somebody above said the rear end was wider on the FS2-sp ... not true, same wishbone lengths. The hubs are slightly different (camber link holes are 1/2 a hole spacing further out on the FS2 than the FS or FS2-sp). There is a difference in teh rear driveshafts too, but that effects driveshaft plunge only so I doubt that will be your biggest concern for your first season back!

If I was spending my own money I would get the FS2-sp BUT that is just my opinion. The cars are so similar though I'd happily exchange my FS2-sp for my mates FS2 for a qualifying run and not feel disadvantaged against the other brands!

[tommy turtle]

I've bought one!

And it was the FS2 SP. Almost went for just the FS2 as it is far better than i'm going to be but decided to just pay the extra as I knew that I might flap after buying the old car thinking that I shouldn't have been so tight. Had I have been wealthier i'd have bought both but I guess that would have been greedy. Anyway thanks for your comments. Time to get building it and go racing. Oh and regarding whether or not the chap at Inside Line tried to convince me on the new one or not, well he didn't. Infact he simply said either would be great for me but that I might then want to buy a couple of upgrades at a later date for the earlier car. Very helpful and recommended and I will probably buy most of my gear from there from now on.

Cheers

Tommy

[RogerM]

I'm hopefully putting a build guide up in the next couple of days so might be worth keeping your eyes out for.

Hint, get yourself some M3x16/M3x18 & M3x20 caphead screws & some ID3/OD6mm washers ;)

[brooksy]

I think you'll be very happy with your purchase Tommy. Im finaly getting to grips with my Fs2 and had the best result with it yesterday at Broxtowes Christmas Cracker.

One young lad was there running a lazer and he finished 4th in the A final behind three of the country's best drivers.

[Martin Wallace]

I think you'll be very happy with your purchase Tommy. Im finaly getting to grips with my Fs2 and had the best result with it yesterday at Broxtowes Christmas Cracker.

One young lad was there running a lazer and he finished 4th in the A final behind three of the country's best drivers.


someone mentioned the WC version??

(is this the SP part in zx5 fs2 sp?) or what am i looking for.

[DaSloth]

the WC is the RB5 (2wd)

the current latest versions are:

ZX5-FS2 SP (4wd)
RB5 SP2 WC (2wd)

[Martin Wallace]

the WC is the RB5 (2wd)

the current latest versions are:

ZX5-FS2 SP (4wd)
RB5 SP2 WC (2wd)


ok thanks for that mate, do they plan a wc version of ther 4wd soon or is that it for a while now.

[DaSloth]

i'm not aware of any new cars or models coming up. i think the fs2 SP was their "WC" car.

The only further update out for the 4wd is LAW43 which changes suspension geometry. I've not tried it myself yet, but i doubt it is a necessity and they certainly wouldn't update the kit just for that.

HTH

[Skye]

The FS2 SP only came out about October time so I wouldn't envisage a new model for another 12 months at least...

I don't know that though, just my opinion...

[Martin Wallace]

i'm not aware of any new cars or models coming up. i think the fs2 SP was their "WC" car.

The only further update out for the 4wd is LAW43 which changes suspension geometry. I've not tried it myself yet, but i doubt it is a necessity and they certainly wouldn't update the kit just for that.

HTH
thanks buddy, certainly tempting at 239 but end of december come to soon :( for the discount

[brooksy]

If you've been looking at insideline racing at that price it's the fs2, not the fs2 sp. Although there is a few changes to the new car its not vastly different.

[InsideLineModels]

thanks buddy, certainly tempting at 239 but end of december come to soon :( for the discount


Hi, the kit is priced at £239.99 until it's sold. It's only tihe additional 5% that will stop at the end of December.

Kev

[Pedros20]

If you pm pedros20 on here he's got an fs2 with big bore shocks in it for sale and its in mint condition aswell. Think he's wanting 225 for it,in my opinion its a bargain at that:thumbsup:

That explains it Phil, got up this morning & had 3 Pm's asking me if I still had my FS2? Thought it was odd as i'd not even advertised it. LOL!:lol:
SOLD it now though,.
Cheers Phil

See you at Worksop.

[brooksy]

My pleasure Pete. At that price and in that condition it wasn't going to take long before it was sold:thumbsup:

See you at worksop.

[muratti]

I was unsure wether to buy the FS2 or the FS2 SP too 3 days ago and ended up buying a FS2 off my local hobby shop where it was very cheap and i had a bonus card there. I really don´t regret buying the FS2 although i am just halway through the build i am over the moon as far as engineering and especially parts quality and the tolernaces goes. For that price in never expected to get such smooth sealed ball bearings for example.
Being a hardcore TAMIYA fan since i was 12 and loving there material quality and tolerances (i have build about 80 Tamiya kits in my life) i must admit that Kyosho did an even better job on this FS2 as far as material quailty and tolerances goes.
If the car drives just as good as it gets build i will have to admit that i underestimated Kyoshos 1/10 electric buggies for some time now.
Saying that i always thought they build the best 1/8th Nitro cars in the world.
So what i am saying is that if i the FS2 performs well on my track i will surely buy the FS SP too because i am that fascinated about the car!

[RogerM]

Compared to the way it drives the build is not good at all a pleasurable experience (seriously though, how smooth dos she go together) .... this car is awesome, truly brilliant ;)

[muratti]

I didn´t expect another answer from you hardcore Kyosho man like i (used to be i must say now?) a Tamiya hardcore fan. :lol:

[Rich D]

I didn´t expect another answer from you hardcore Kyosho man like i (used to be i must say now?) a Tamiya hardcore fan. :lol:


Hey Johannes, im with you bud. The Kyosho velvet shocks are amazing. I have a Kyosho Vega RB5. Sticking with the 511 for this season but may swop to Kyosho next season if Tamiya dont produce any more 511.

[Ted Maul]

I'm hopefully putting a build guide up in the next couple of days so might be worth keeping your eyes out for.

Hint, get yourself some M3x16/M3x18 & M3x20 caphead screws & some ID3/OD6mm washers ;)

Looking forward to reading that... (hint hint) :D

[tommy turtle]

Well i thought i'd give you an update on my SP. Over the xmas period i've built my new Cougar and my FS2 SP. As I have said before I am getting back into this after 23 years so when I built the Cougar first the build quality seemed very impressive and its got lots of carbon etc which is certainly pretty. Because of this I was almost dead set on getting a Cat SX3 as I couldn't see any other car being more impressive build wise. Unfortunately I couldn't bring myself to buy the Cat which was in stock too from my nearest model shop as I don't like the shops attitude and it was later that day that I found the FS2 at Inside Line and he was nice and helpful.

When I opened up the FS2 kit I was a little disappointed on first impressions as it seemed very plastic compared to the Schumacher with less shiny fancy bits and then I started on the build. The build instructions and organisation of the packaging was awful in my opinion compared to the Cougar but I love building the cars thankfully so it just meant longer building and less socialising :-). Other than that the car is fantastic. The way the car goes together is miles ahead of the Schumacher with every fitting being perfect and with real quality. As an overall package it is great and I will probably stick just with Kyosho in future. I still like my Cougar mind but I would definitely say Kyosho make a better car. This is purely my opinion but I would highly recommend the Kyosho's to anyone who can't decide on what to get. Now i've just got to get it set up and go racing with them both.

Cheers

Tommy

[RogerM]

I didn´t expect another answer from you hardcore Kyosho man like i (used to be i must say now?) a Tamiya hardcore fan. :lol:

:lol: ... I am an engineer who works with sub micron tolerances daily so that might explain why I believe there is value in quality.
To be honest the main reason I drive the Kyosho cars is simply that nothing else I have ever had experience of (including an X-ray touring car before anybody throws that in) has the quality of fit and finish that Kyosho achieve. The fact that they achieve that level of quality from mouldings is even more impressive IMHO.

I would always recomend Kyosho for that reason alone, the fact that the Lazer FS platform is quite simply put the best 4wd car I have ever driven in 25+ years is just the icing on the cake. Add to that a bullet proof transmission (when built properly of course), silky smooth leak free shocks and wear rates that mean you will forget where you put your spares box for a nice glazed cherry on top.


Yes I am a huge Kyosho fan, but because they have earned that respect from me both on and off the track, also my father's before me (I can't put in print what my father said when I suggested trying a british brand 2wd back in the late 80s) :woot:

[Robocop]

Hi
Little like what you said but i did have a sx3 and liked it but felt the car was a little on the brittle side i am not a bad driver but lack of of servo saver,cost me at the end of season finals and breaking a shock tower put me right down.
Cost of the parts was high too one reason i got rid of the cougar,£15 a shock tower for a bit of carbon fibre diff halves wearing too quick for my liking reason i will be getting a rb5 for the summer

[InsideLineModels]

Well i thought i'd give you an update on my SP. Over the xmas period i've built my new Cougar and my FS2 SP. As I have said before I am getting back into this after 23 years so when I built the Cougar first the build quality seemed very impressive and its got lots of carbon etc which is certainly pretty. Because of this I was almost dead set on getting a Cat SX3 as I couldn't see any other car being more impressive build wise. Unfortunately I couldn't bring myself to buy the Cat which was in stock too from my nearest model shop as I don't like the shops attitude and it was later that day that I found the FS2 at Inside Line and he was nice and helpful.

When I opened up the FS2 kit I was a little disappointed on first impressions as it seemed very plastic compared to the Schumacher with less shiny fancy bits and then I started on the build. The build instructions and organisation of the packaging was awful in my opinion compared to the Cougar but I love building the cars thankfully so it just meant longer building and less socialising :-). Other than that the car is fantastic. The way the car goes together is miles ahead of the Schumacher with every fitting being perfect and with real quality. As an overall package it is great and I will probably stick just with Kyosho in future. I still like my Cougar mind but I would definitely say Kyosho make a better car. This is purely my opinion but I would highly recommend the Kyosho's to anyone who can't decide on what to get. Now i've just got to get it set up and go racing with them both.

Cheers

Tommy

Glad you're happy with your new 4wd Tommy, will hopefully see you at the track soon!

Kev

[muratti]

:lol: ... I am an engineer who works with sub micron tolerances daily so that might explain why I believe there is value in quality.
To be honest the main reason I drive the Kyosho cars is simply that nothing else I have ever had experience of (including an X-ray touring car before anybody throws that in) has the quality of fit and finish that Kyosho achieve. The fact that they achieve that level of quality from mouldings is even more impressive IMHO.

I would always recomend Kyosho for that reason alone, the fact that the Lazer FS platform is quite simply put the best 4wd car I have ever driven in 25+ years is just the icing on the cake. Add to that a bullet proof transmission (when built properly of course), silky smooth leak free shocks and wear rates that mean you will forget where you put your spares box for a nice glazed cherry on top.


Yes I am a huge Kyosho fan, but because they have earned that respect from me both on and off the track, also my father's before me (I can't put in print what my father said when I suggested trying a british brand 2wd back in the late 80s) :woot:

Really like what you wrote here. I can fully agree to what you said about build quality. Although Tamiya is very close they don´t seem to get to that tolernaces when it comes to fit a plastic into a plastic part. I have had some Kyosho cars in the 90s ( a PRO XRT and a Super Eight Mitsubishi Lancer) but i can´t remember that quality.

[superstu55]

Quick question, can you fit the rulux wheels on the new fs2 sp?? Cheers.

[Pedros20]

Not with the standard kit hex's, no. There bigger than those on B44, Losi etc

[superstu55]

Thanks for the reply, can you get any yellow wheels for the fs2-sp, looking to buy one but really need yellow wheels to go with my colours, thanks..

[DaSloth]

yes you can get yellow wheels, if i remember correctly its the same part number, but with a Y on the end.

I've seen them on JESpares before and im sure Kev at insideline could get you some too!

[InsideLineModels]

Yes, yellow wheels are available, but white wheels are faster :thumbsup:

[kek23k]

Yellow are more distracting to other drivers, thus giving you the advantage! ;P

[Gayo]

So that's white for qualifiers and yellow for finals :thumbsup:

[Chris Larner]

For some stupid reason I find it hard to drive when I use white wheels!
So for me it's yellow all the way. But suppose its what goes best with your shell.

[superstu55]

yes you can get yellow wheels, if i remember correctly its the same part number, but with a Y on the end.

I've seen them on JESpares before and im sure Kev at insideline could get you some too!

Great stuff, cheers :thumbsup:

[kek23k]

So that's white for qualifiers and yellow for finals :thumbsup:

I think that must be the winning combination! :D

[Take 'A' Chance]

Anyone using the new NCG drop down kit for the fs2 sp rear end.

Looks expensive for essentially a couple of brackets to attach.

Has anyone found a cheaper solution to getting the rear down low without buying the kit.

[traffman]

I have the drop down kit fitted to my fs2.

I will report back after Sunday , it certainly lowers the car which i what i needed.

As for the other improvements are the beefier wishbones .

Not a bad price for what you get though.

[Take 'A' Chance]

So in addition to the drop down NCG kit i will get wishbones that are different to the ones that come with my fs2 sp kit? I didnt realise this as i hold a stock of wishbones and was under the impression that the NCG kit came with stock fs2sp ones. Can you send a photo of the kit installed? When you get back from racing...

Cheers

[traffman]

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h164/traffman/IMG_0151-1.jpg

Hard to detect from the pic , however they are beefier round the hing pin.

The car is more planted and a touch more positive than standard.

Not bad for 39 pounds.

[traffman]

Front.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h164/traffman/IMG_0152.jpg

[Take 'A' Chance]

Nice one, i think i can see what you mean and just about make out the adapter at the bottom of the shock. Doesnt look like it will catch on anything as i first thought.

Cheers.

[Take 'A' Chance]

I have been running these hubs robbed from an RB5 they have 2 additional locations to set the rear hub height. and are stock offset etc.

They drop the rear by about 10mm if you wanted it that low and they are less than a tenner to buy.

[Gayo]

That will also change roll center and dogbone plunge a lot...:confused:

[Take 'A' Chance]

I know but for some reason it works a treat ive finally got the rear end on the car doing what i want it to.. Dont know why but seems good.

[Gayo]

All good then:thumbsup: