1:10 Scale Electric Off Road Buggies

2wd

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4wd

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vintage

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trucks

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2wd 〰️ 4wd 〰️ vintage 〰️ trucks 〰️

The cars we run come in kit form from a range of manufactures. The cars can become heavily modified and tuned over time, but for the most part the hobby is about car set up and driving skill. Like most hobbies you can achieve a lot with base spec kit and learning the skills of driving and set up.

The most popular race category is the 2 wheel drive moden cars. They are less expensive to purchase and repair, and the lower grip means slower cornering speeds than the 4 wheel drive cars.  Modern cars are very robust, and there are many more set up parameters than the vintage cars. New models do not get released often and cars a decade old can still be very competitive.  

Common Cars we run in 2wd and 4wd Moden

  • Schumacher: Cougar LD3 (Mod or Dirt), CAT L1R

  • XRay: XB2, XB4

  • TLR (Team Losi Racing): 22 5.0, 22-X4

  • Associated: RC10 B64, B6, B7, B74

  • Sworkz: S12, S14

  • PR Racing: SB401, PRS1

  • Serpent: Spyder SRX2, SDX4

  • There are other niche brands, and many variations.

Electronics:

Motors:

Today we use Brushless motors, although some vintage racers still use brushed motors.

To get started a 17.5t (turn) motor is ok, but with the size of our track you can quickly progress to the speed of 13.5t and this is a common motor for many vintage models. A 10.5t motor is probably the most common at our club, with only the most experienced racers going much faster than that.

Motors are classed as sensored and either modified or stock.

Sensored means that an additional cable runs to the electronic speed controller (esc) and offers some additional tuning. Stock motors are for a special ‘stock’ class of racing that we don’t run. A modified motor allows for some tuning of the timing to get faster speeds. Investing in a modified sensored motor with a programmable esc will mean you need to have less motors as you race craft improves.

The Vintage section of the club allows racers to race cars from the 80’s 90’s and early 2000’s against similar performance models. These older cars can be a bit more fragile and you will find the racing less aggressive & more courteous with a great respect for how hard it can be to obtain parts to keep these vintage cars running. There are of course also the re-release (ReRe) models in the mix. 

Common Cars we run in VINTAGE:

  • Schumacher: ProCat, Cougar, TopCat, BossCat

  • Kyosho: Optima, Ultima, Lazer

  • Mardave: Meateor

  • Associated: RC10

  • LOSI: XX, JXR

  • Some members also race Tamyia models, and can often do very well. We also run a LunchBox special at the end of the season.

To anyone coming back to the hobby, or getting started the electronics can be overwhelming. The vintage problems of batteries ‘dumping’ no longer exists. Modern batteries have plenty of power to last a 5 minute race.

Common Electronics:

Batteries - 7.4v 2S Shorty Lipo are the battery we use. (These can come in a shallow profile). There can be quite a bit to learn about batteries, but here are the key points.

  • LiPo (lithium polymer) batteries need some special care and can explode if mistreated. Using the correct storage and charging method is important.

  • 2S Shorty relates to the physical size designed to fit into the car. They come with either 4mm or 5mm tube type connectors. 5mm is most common.

  • 7.4v is the regulation battery voltage, (although you can see 7.6v) This is made up of 2 x 3.7v cells, hence 2S

  • mAh is the battery capacity and more expensive batteries have a higher capacity. This is only important if the discharge rate requires it. Ie, you are running a very power hungry motor. 5000 - 6000mAh is most common.

  • C rating is the discharge rate. You will see this as 100c or 120c, these are the most common for the battery type we use.

  • You can attend an entire race meet with just 2 batteries easily enough. They take about 20mins to charge between races. Having just one battery is possible, but can become a little stressful.

Electronic Speed Controllers (ESC)

Modern esc can be either stock, modified, brushed or brushless. HobbyWing is a common brand.

Because our club does not run a ‘stock’ class it is best to get a programmable model. These are programmed with a plug in adaptor and can be adjusted with a special box or a phone app.

You can programme:

Drag Brake: How much you slow down when the throttle is released,

Boost: Some additional speed by electronically advancing the timing.

Turbo: A kick of power at full throttle down the straights.

The skill is to programme the ESC to provide the power and brakes you want while keeping temperatures low. When your electronics get hot, the safety features will slow you down. An ESC in stock, un programmed mode will blink it’s LED. We call this ‘Running Blinky’

Transponders:

You will need a transponder to record your lap times. These plug into a spare slot on your receiver. They contain a digital code unique to you. We hold this number in our race timing software and ask you to provide it when you enter a race. It is best to have one for each car you run.

There are many types and some weird compatibilities. We recommend the MRT