No prob.

I THINK there has been some recent updates to the transponder code/protocol, so I'd honestly ask the track you're racing at. Ask them if it's an RC4 system (newest I think) and which transponders will work with their system. I believe the new RC4 protocol is backwards compatible with some of the older transponders.

You're probably looking at $75 used if you find a deal. Otherwise they're about $100.

Also, dont forget about Ebay. I bought fuckloads of great deals on ebay. Tire lots are the best. I'd pay like $75 for 10 sets of tires or something that were in 85-90% condition. Good enough for me.

Although, make sure of the tire restrictions for whatever SCT class you're running (if there ARE any restrictions). You dont want to drop a ton of money on tires you wont be able to race with. And you'll typically want to practice with the same kind of tires you'll be racing with obviously.

[Edited on June 2, 2015 at 10:09 AM. Reason : .]

6/2/2015 10:00:58 AM

there are so damn many manufacturers/models/options

6/2/2015 9:40:20 PM

They're having a track maintenance day on Saturday. I'm going to go out there and help and ask questions.

6/3/2015 8:48:39 PM

Good call.

Take this with a grain of salt, but things I'd ask...

Popular classes
Class spec rules (motor/tire/battery limitations, etc.)
Is electricity available?
What kind of timing system do they have
Do they have transponders for rent or do you have to buy your own?
What's the typical raceday schedule? (How much time in between heats/mains?) This way, you can plan out your battery charging schedule, if you dont want to buy enough batteries to have one per heat/main. With LIPO's these days, as long as they have enough time to cool, you can charge them again in the same day and run the same pack, for example, for heat 1 and the Main.
Do they water the track in between heats or before the main? This would possibly make you want to tinker/adjust your car to take advantage of the increased traction

6/4/2015 12:50:44 PM

Today went well. Worked my ass off swapping out some of their corrugated flex pipe with that thick HDPE stuff the run fiber optic cable in, but it was fun. Good bunch of guys who were very willing to help me out. Got a few leads on some guys selling used stuff. Looks like I'll be going with 1/8 buggy, probably nitro.

6/6/2015 4:41:36 PM

Where did you go yesterday? What track?

I need to clean up my cars and replace a couple diffs and I might go racing again

6/7/2015 9:26:43 AM

rocky point raceway. it's only a few miles off I-40 exit 408 before you get to Wilmington. if you search "RPRW" on youtube, you can find some videos. they also have a facebook page with some pics. they have a race next saturday. the track owner actually offered to let me drive one of his cars next week, but i'm cooking bbq and having a bunch of family down for my wife's bday. let me know if you decide to come down. there's not much shade or power out there, but i have an ez-up and a generator i can take. just need to find a buggy that won't break the bank.

6/7/2015 9:39:17 AM

Most of the guys out there run Mugens. Between two of them, I can put together everything I need except a bump box. Used Mugen MBX7, novarossi engine, etc.

6/14/2015 10:10:22 PM

Most of the guys out there run Mugens. Between two of them, I can put together everything I need except a bump box. Used Mugen MBX7, novarossi engine, etc.

6/14/2015 10:10:22 PM

I'd totally run Mugen then. It's nice to be able to share parts in a pinch if you dont have a spare on hand.

6/15/2015 9:00:42 AM

what kind of power/speed would that setup have?

6/15/2015 9:44:26 PM

^all about gearing...you could get a lipo-powered brushless 1/8 buggy up to 100mph with a big gear and a 4s battery (and some space).
not that you would make it go that fast for use on a offroad track

a fully charged 4s lipo provides 16.8v

[Edited on June 15, 2015 at 11:20 PM. Reason : .]

6/15/2015 11:19:32 PM

Yeah I'm trying to figure out the gas setups now.

I haven't really taken a look at them since the lipos

I remember a couple of .21 motors making a couple hp but I don't know what the ballpark is now.

6/16/2015 12:28:30 AM

Yeah I'm trying to figure out the gas setups now.

I haven't really taken a look at them since the lipos

I remember a couple of .21 motors making a couple hp but I don't know what the ballpark is now.

6/16/2015 12:28:30 AM

.21(3.5cc) is legal size for racing 1/8 scale

make about 2.65ps @ 34,000 rpm

usable rpm range is 4000-42000rpm

these are specs from a O.S. Speed motor but they are all somewhat similar

6/16/2015 8:53:47 AM

there's too damn many variations of the nitro engines

6/16/2015 7:05:20 PM

Pick up a cheap beater motor...learn how to tune it to keep the right temps and how to keep it running while waiting on turn marshals, etc. Abuse the fuck out of it. Learn how to rebuild it.

And have a nicer motor for real practicing/racing. You'll end up with a ton of motors I'm sure, but if I were new to nitro I definitely wouldn't want to drop $texas on a Novarossi and fuck it up the first few times out by running it too lean, etc.

I was always a fan of Go-Tech motors. Especially for smaller tracks. They're cheap as fuck and despite what people will tell you, they can keep up with motors 2-3x the price.

6/17/2015 11:24:33 AM

alpha racing motors are pretty cheap and quite easy to tune..
nowadays all of the motors are somewhat easier to tune

6/17/2015 5:30:42 PM

High performance nitro is not as easy to run as a high performance electric setup. If you like tinkering with engines as much as running laps then go with nitro. It can be fun and adds an interesting element to the race but it can also ruin your day. Electric tends to be more consistent and reliable. They are plenty fast these days too, probably even faster than considering some of the insane brushless/lipo shit available. Just take a look at a Traxxas Revo with 4s, they do standing backflips and go entirely too fast. Part of it is the huge wheel/tire combo but still...

6/18/2015 3:47:10 AM

I agree electric 1/8th scale is much simpler overall. Very reliable and way faster than they need to be. Even at the largest of tracks, I had the esc dialed back to ~80%. Wayy too damn much power with 4S batteries and brushless motors these days.

But if his track only runs nitro, there's not much choice. Even if they'll allow an e-buggy to run with the nitro class, you don't wanna be "that guy"every week.

6/18/2015 7:37:45 AM

^^, ^
i completely agree

if you're new to this and want to get a lot of track time, nitro is not the best choice. Although tuning can be fun and interesting, its a good way to waste a LOT of time at the track.

6/18/2015 11:06:13 AM

got everything put together with the exception of a starter box. it should be here towards the end of next week.

https://goo.gl/photos/fj7jPwvjxz67DJ7H6

[Edited on June 20, 2015 at 3:26 PM. Reason : sd]

6/20/2015 3:23:44 PM

awesome

6/21/2015 3:37:44 PM

finally got my starter box yesterday. finished putting it together tonight. took the stock wiring out and replaced it with some 12 awg silicone wire and a deans connector for a single 4S lipo. never done much soldering before, but i guess i got the hang of it after i watched a youtube video and got an iron with enough power

planning to break in the engine tomorrow if it didn't rain at the track too much tonight.

[Edited on July 3, 2015 at 12:22 AM. Reason : dfas]

7/3/2015 12:22:06 AM

I have a few ARF kits sitting around, along with a couple engines and radios...just need to find a good place to fly and time to do it.

http://www.sigmfg.com/IndexText/SIGRC44ARFR.html

http://www.carlgoldbergproducts.com/discontinued/gbga1075.html

http://www.carlgoldbergproducts.com/discontinued/gbga1075.html



I want to sell a couple of the engines (I think I have a .51 and .90 Supertigre). They'd be perfect, but whenever I ever build these, I'm going all four-stroke.

7/3/2015 11:02:43 AM

broke the engine in and made a few laps. i need a lot of practice.

7/3/2015 4:01:45 PM

got my first race tomorrow. going to try to stay out of everyone's way.

7/10/2015 4:54:07 PM

How did it go? I know what you mean about staying out of the way! It's hard sometimes

7/11/2015 5:34:16 PM

wrecked a lot. learned a lot too. definitely improved as the day went on. my tune was off in the main causing me to flame out a few times. the bottom end was too rich. there's a series of esses and i was so slow through them that as soon as i got out of them and hit the gas, it would blow all that fuel into the cylinder and flame out. happened in the exact same spot every time.

turnout was kinda crappy because of the heat. we had 4 entries in nitro buggy and 4 entries in nitro truggy. some guys could have run both, but we wouldn't have had enough pit guys and marshals.

had a real good time and looking forward to next weekend. if any of you guys want to come, we can help each other out with the pitting/marshaling. i've got a generator, an EZ-up, and a big squirrel cage fan to keep us cool. drivers' stand is not covered, unfortunately, but they are planning to cover it. track is only a few miles from I-40.

7/11/2015 6:27:49 PM

Glad you got up and running! That's 100% the reason I never stuck with nitro though...finding pit buddies every weekend sucked. And beyond that, finding a competent pit buddy was impossible.

At least with electric, if my buggy failed, it is 100% on me. Can't blame anyone else.

That's probably why I never really got much into team sports. I ran track, cross country, and did karate for 15 years.

7/12/2015 6:29:30 PM

If enough racers show up to run A and B mains, then it's not a big deal. We also could've done double 8 minute A mains like they do for electrics. There are options. I've seen a few e-buggies run and I don't think I would enjoy it as much as nitro. I like hearing that little thing scream and I enjoy tinkering with it.

But I wouldn't mind having some cheaper electric something or other to bash around the neighborhood. Would be cool to buy a used 1/10 2wd buggy for that. They seem to be available for cheap.

[Edited on July 12, 2015 at 10:35 PM. Reason : Sh]

7/12/2015 10:30:29 PM

Nitro is wayyyy more exciting, that's for sure. I just liked the simplicity of electric. It was all about the driving. Many of the variables in nitro dont factor into electric.

I love watching the pros race and try to glean driving tips from them. Also always cool to get a view of what their pit setup is, how they have things arranged, etc.


Neo X Nitro Buggy A-Main: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Exf5NiFKtp4
2015 The Dirt Nitro Challenge A-Main: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL2cdjU_Mfc

7/17/2015 10:50:47 AM

Made some more progress this week. Got my lap times down from last week. My last lap of the main was my fastest ever at 39 sec. Fast lap out there is about 32.

Actually didn't finish last. Finished 4th out of 5. Guy running in 4th had mechanical issues.

[Edited on July 18, 2015 at 7:15 PM. Reason : Shs]

7/18/2015 7:13:28 PM

now we take 2 weekends off and i'm sure i'll regress and have to start back at square one next time.

we had 8 entries in ebuggy this week. it was the biggest class. it was my first time seeing them run in-person. looked like a lot of fun.

[Edited on July 18, 2015 at 11:31 PM. Reason : dasf]

7/18/2015 11:13:51 PM

My 14 year old cousin just got into r/c cars so I pulled out some old stuff. I have a tamiya mini cooper (FWD) and a Losi XXT that I'm going to get running. The cooper is fun with a ROAR stock motor. The xxt is a blast with brushless, but I have to fix the diff because it seems to be slipping.

E buggy sounds fun. I'd be down if I was in the area. I have an old kyosho outrage (POS but in good shape) and an associated RC10 buggy that I'd consider running. I don't think the kyosho would hang. It was one of the base model, rubbery plastic deals. The associated was a $300 kit though, one of the later models before the B2, so I'm pretty sure there's some quality shit there, even though it's old as dirt.

Cousin got one of these goofy but cool things:

My goal is to have my stuff set up better and faster so I can taunt the shit out of him

7/20/2015 6:35:32 PM

the RC10 is a 1/10 2wd. the ebuggy class they're running is an electric version of the 1/8 4wd nitro buggy class. i haven't seen any 1/10 scales run out there (except a SCT or two playing around after the races).

7/20/2015 6:54:45 PM

but you should definitely get an 1/8 scale buggy and come race with us. it's a real good group of guys who always help each other out. Rocky Point just announced a four-race series with The Badlands in Myrtle Beach spread across August, September, and October. Pro and open nitro buggy, pro and open ebuggy, and a combined nitro and electric 1/8 truggy class. three 5 min heats and double 10 min A-mains for all classes.

7/20/2015 7:13:42 PM

I'd like to but I'm never near that area. Also I have too many hobbies to be buying new r/c gear

7/20/2015 8:27:13 PM

The bug has hit me again as well. I'm going to go 1/10 scale this time though. There's a track in Haw River about 30 minutes from my house that's indoor offroad and they only run 1/10 electric.

That's what I grew up racing and I've been itching to run 2wd Buggy again.

I've even started planning out what my son will be racing in 5-6 years when he's old enough to go out there with me and run. Gotta plan out my "handmedown" schedule...buy a new buggy now, and upgrade in 5-6 years and give him my old one.

7/20/2015 8:42:22 PM

Just picked up a sweet Losi 22 2.0 buggy, tons of tires, and a huge box full of spare parts. Got a nice ESC, servo, 6.5 brushless motor and 2 battery packs with it too. Now I just need a radio/receiver and a battery charger and I'm at least set to run some practice laps.

7/24/2015 9:06:23 PM

DAMNIT, I have an addiction.

I've got 2 touring cars on the way too. Plan on racing indoor carpet TC at Ho B Max in Durham. I went cheap though and got 2 of the Turnigy TD10 (rebranded Sakura Zero S) kits. One to race, one as a backup/parts car. They are only $50 each at HobbyKing. For $100, I have a brand new kit to run, and a full backup.

Also picked up another Trackstar 120A esc to run in the TC. It's the same one I have in my TLR 22 2.0, so i'll have a backup for that as well. And I only need 1 programming card now. Also a Trackstar 17.5T, and two Trinity D3.5 17.5T's that I'll be running in both the buggy and touring cars.

Built a sweet 75A power supply from an HP server. It's powering my iCharger 106b+ very nicely.

Picked up a few cheap Turnigy nano tech 4600 90C shorty lipo packs and they freaking RAGE. Goddamn I love how cheap all these electronics are these days. It used to cost 3x more to go "fast". Now for 1/3 the cost, you've got a setup that you actually have to REDUCE the speed on. Shit's too fast for the track.

All being driven by a Futaba 4PLS. Freaking SWEET radio. Got a deal on ebay for the radio and 3 receivers.


I went out and ran some laps at Hi Stakes RC in Wake Forest the other day. The offroad track is torn down at the moment but they still had some jumps that I could screw around on. And they've got a baller onroad track that I cant wait to take the TC's out there to run on. As well as a SICK offroad park for crawling. They plan on having wednesday night onroad racing (run what ya brung...TC's, buggies, monster trucks, etc....no classes really unless there's a large turnout). Super chill place and the owner Alfredo is cool as hell.

Ho B Max (indoor carpet TC) races on Sundays I think. Every 2 weeks? Very nice facility. Not a huge selection of parts, etc. But they have all the basics.

Haw River (indoor offroad) races on friday nights.


You can keep up with most of the local tracks, schedules, and r/c chit chat here:
http://www.carolinasrcracers.com


[Edited on August 8, 2015 at 11:39 AM. Reason : .]

8/8/2015 11:25:02 AM

i spent all day at Rocky Point Raceway today. we buried new cable and some PEX to get the generator and air compressor further away. last weekend we almost finished replacing all the corrugated with HDPE. got a little more work to do next weekend, then there's a warm-up race on the 22nd and a points series race on the 29th. trying to get everything squared away for that.

8/8/2015 8:57:51 PM

i wish some folks would run 1/10 2wd at our track. it would be cheap and fun. i really like nitro 1/8, but i need as much track time as i can get. 1/10 2wd would be a cheap way to get more.

8/9/2015 8:15:55 PM

I think I saw for the upcoming race at Rocky Point they were running 1/10 2wd....I'd love to come out if I can ever find the time.

8/10/2015 2:26:09 PM

They will run anything except 1/5 scale as long as 3 or more show up. The problem is most of what shows up is 1/8 scale. I may pick up a 1/10 2wd. I know of a couple more guys who will run them if enough show. I'll let u know if we are going to have enough.

8/10/2015 4:11:23 PM

1/10 2wd is going to drive you bonkers in the beginning after being used to a 4wd buggy. They will absolutely make you a better driver though. You've gotta exercise insane throttle control or else you'll spin out all over the place. That's the one thing I LOVED about my 1/8 8ight ebuggy when I had it. The traction was incredible. I'm wanting to get a 1/10 TLR 22-4...or at least a 1/10 4wd SCT.

8/10/2015 8:17:27 PM

bought a used kyosho RB6 roller

8/12/2015 8:35:12 PM

And it begins

8/13/2015 3:26:33 PM

suggestions on a motor, ESC, and servo?

8/13/2015 8:52:31 PM

You wanna run stock (17.5) or mod?

You really cant go wrong with any of the Turnigy Trackstar stuff from HobbyKing. I've got a 17.5 and a 6.5 motor and they are both monsters. And they're only $32 new. Crazy deal and pretty much everyone loves them.

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__28138__Turnigy_TrackStar_17_5T_Sensored_Brushless_Motor_2270KV_US_Warehouse_.html?strSearch=trackstar


Also running a turnigy servo in my 22 buggy. Can't remember the exact model, but it's ~.07sec and ~150oz torque if I remember correctly. It's been pretty solid so far and has great reviews.

If I had money to burn, i'd get the radiopost 1005m.
http://www.amain.com/rc-cars/radiopost-1005m-standard-high-speed-servo-high-voltage-rpc-rp1005m/p209864


For ESC, I've now bought 2 of the Trackstar 120A's and they've been phenomenal. Got one in the buggy, and about to put the second in my touring car.
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__41184__Turnigy_Trackstar_120A_Turbo_Sensored_Brushless_1_12th_1_10th_ESC_US_Warehouse_.html?strSearch=trackstar%20120

People swear by HobbyWing ESC's too though. If I wasnt running the Trackstar, I'd give a HobbyWing a try. Or wait for a killer deal on a used Tekin RS or RSX. Make sure you get the accompanying programming card nomatter the ESC you get. It'll let you fully customize your ESC settings.

And for batteries, I've been running the Turnigy Nano Tech packs. Ridiculously cheap, and solid packs. I ran them HARD in my 1/8 ebuggy for a year and they had great power and kept up with anyone running more expensive packs. These days brushless motors and lipos put out so much power, it's not so much important to have the best of the best.

I run these:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__63008__nano_tech_Ultimate_4600mah_2S2P_90C_Hardcase_Lipo_Short_Pack_ROAR_BRCA_US_Warehouse_.html?strSearch=nano%20tech%204600
You really only need one or two for a raceday. They dont have any memory, so as soon as you pull it off the track, just plug it in and let it charge till your next heat. You could likely get by with just one battery. Also note, this battery is a "shorty" pack which is a little shorter than a standard pack. It's pretty much required for most mid-motor buggies these days due to space issues, but it also gives you more tuning options in a normal buggy as well. You can move the pack forward or backward to give more rear traction or front steering.

**Also, whatever packs you go with, pay attention to the bullet connector size. The packs I have are 5mm bullets, but 4mm seems to be the standard. So I had to install 5mm bullets on all my stuff, or use a 4mm>5mm adapter.


With all that said, the gear i've listed is definitely "budget friendly" recommendations. I guarantee they will keep up with any other car out there apples to apples. But of course it's just like anything else...if you can afford better, go for it.


[Edited on August 13, 2015 at 9:14 PM. Reason : .]

8/13/2015 9:05:02 PM