A friend of mine recently purchased 2 of these--
Yamaha YFZ450 RC ATV
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2131016&cp


Now I grew up with your standard nicad powered toys r us cars like the FAST TRAX, but the YFZ450 is insainly fast and powerful compared to what I thought electric RC's could do! This 4wd kicks gravel up leaving deep tracks there is soo much power! :) Especially when the silly action figure is taken off (very heavy), then this thing cruises even faster (but looks a little odd then).

Is this a good electric powered offroader? Or is there far better I should invest my money into instead of this? It is dirt cheap at 65 bucks after all and we had an absolute blast with them on a generic gravel course we setup. ----

The next question would be, what batteries should I use with this, or whatever electric offroader you might suggest? My friend is using some 2000 mah battery I believe, and I see there is 4000mah battieries such as this--
4K Top Qualifier 4000mah 6 Cell Sport Pack
http://www.maxamps.com/index.html?lang=en-us&target=d6.html&lmd=38645.687025

Is that a good battery? It is dirt cheap, and I really want something that will get us more then 5 decent minutes of hard use... I really hate how the first 5 minutes rock, then the next 5 is the slow down effect until it dies at about 10..... You might as well change the battery after 5 minutes of use as after that there is not enough power for it to be fun anymore. I realize the RC he has is probably a power hog considering it is 4wd, large, and fast, but dang if it ain't fun as heck when it has a fresh battery!!! :freak:

Would that 4000mah in my link be 2x the battery life? Would we get say- 10 powerful minutes, then 10 more degrade minutes?

Then you have LIPO POLY (lithium) battery packs. Although very expensive, and requires special chargers and equipment I don't even understand, you can get 8000+mah packs that claim to run 30 minutes!!!! ((at the max amps site linked above))

Is this worth it? Would they work with the vehicle I listed (7.4v-- .2 higher then the vehicle we are using says it needs)? Do they (lipo) have awesome performance until completely out of power, or does the vehicle gradually go slower as the battery is used up like the standard non lithium batteries?

I hope you fellows can give me some professional advice here, not looking for professional stock racing, just some backyard fun that lasts longer then 5 minutes, or acts like it is running on full power for it's full 10+ minutes of use. Know what I mean?

sorry if this is in the wrong forum, my first post here :wave:

LOTS of questions...
You came to the right web site.. Hopefully others will chime in with some additional information.

I will see what I can do to get you started..

As far as the vehicle goes:

Radio Shack has improved its vehicles in recent years but they are still toy level similiar to what you are used to running. If you break a part they are hard to get replacement parts for. As for speed... you are just getting chilled from the tip of the iceburg. Read the customer reviews on the link you posted. Then there is the price.. You had a blast running it. SO you have to decide.....

There are MUCH better vehicles to invest your money in. Faster, More durable and the ability to upgrade performance. Get the best Hobby Level vehicle you can afford.

Check out a local hobby shop to see what they carry and have spare parts for and do some research on the web.

Traxxas vehicles are a great place to start.
The Stampede and Rustler are great starter vehicles at a great price. They will go around 20 MPH out of the box
The ultimate bang for your buck is the Emaxx. It will do about 25-30 MPH. It is two speed shift from the radio. Four wheel drive, four wheel independant suspension. Great customer service.

These is also Hot bodies Ezilla.

The Duratrax Evader is a great package.

I recommend you search out.
Traxxas
Duratrax
Losi RTR
Associated RTR

As far as batteries.
Lypo batteries are the wave of the future... New technology. I would hold off.. they are very expensive and they are still working the bugs out for the RC Car application. They do all the they claim.. Great power and run time though. They would work in any of the vehicles you would be looking at.

The 4000's you highlighted are a great deal. Get Nickle Metal Hydride batteries. They are much more durable than the Nicad 2000's your freind has. The Higher the number the more capacity and run time. ALL batteries drop off in performance at the end of the run.

You will need a peak charger. MANY different brands and the price ranges are wide. I recommend a good AC/DC in the mid price range. Integy sells real good ones as well as Tekin, and Duratrax. Again, Get the best you can afford.

So I have given you a lot of research to do... You should research before you buy if you think it is something you want to stick with for a while.

Fell free to continue to ask questions. You can't learn if you don't ask.
Keep us posted with what you decide!!

Most of all have fun.
Dan

very good advice dan, and much appreciated.

I am not sure what I'll do... That radio shack RC is silly looking, with or without the rider, and some of the vehicles you mentioned look really freaking cool..... When I saw my friend take out those RC's yesterday I thought.... What a joke.... I am supposed to be impressed by toys?.... Then he turned them on and blasted gravel at me as the 4wd tore up the driveway :freak: They go about 20mph on a fresh battery(web site claims 1100 feet per minute) another site (forget which) said 22mph.

Dirt cheap at 65, and just not sure I wana spend 150 for a real hobby car that might go a few mph faster, but does look much cooler lol. I see what you mean by the reviews though, a lot of broken parts :( I am undecided ATM as to what I'll do about a vehicle. I'll look around some more.

batteries---

I will definately stay away from LIPO for now though. 70 bucks for 6000mAH vs 30 bucks for 4000mAH is why. And all the extra care that is needed, is something I am not familular with.
I am very happy you mentioned the "Nickle Metal Hydride batteries" as I see you don't have to discharge them before you can recharge! Very nice :thumbsup: Very cheap too, I found these with a little searching--
http://store.batteryjunction.com/theshorelinemarket/two735nihipo.html

Would that be good? Or Is there NiHM batteries with a higher mAH then 3500? Or will these be about as good as i'll find? I just wana make sure I get the highest possible run time. An ad at the bottom of the page had a 5000mAH cell..... I take it there must be a way to buy or build a 5000mAH rc car pack?
This the kind of charger I should be looking at correct?--
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXCLD5&P=FR
Maybe there is better, but those 120$ chargers seem a bit pricey for me lol.

I am glad I came here to get some help before plopping money down on anything :)

DONT BUY TOYS FROM RADIO SHACK!!!!!!! If your looking for something cheap look for tamiya rtr kits. Also they have a rtr bandit for $116. Check<a href=http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-1606754-2202639 target=_top > eBay! </a>
<img src=http://www.awltovhc.com/image-1606754-2202639 width=1 height=1 border=0>!
http://cgi.ebay.com/RTR-Traxxas-Bandit-Losi-Body-Upgraded-Motor-Race-Car-NR_W0QQitemZ6053033503QQcategoryZ44016QQssPageName ZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

When buying anything R/C I have always asked my self what am I going to do with it,and what is it designed for. It makes no sense to pay for a high quality fully adjustable car/truck that is made to race if you are going to play in the backyard. If you plan to race you don't want to buy something that is made to run in the backyard. There are some very good kits that are specificly made for bashing in the backyard. I can't see paying for all that race technology for bashing in the backyard. I think DJ1978 had some very good sugestions for R/C starter kits. One thing to keep in mind is whatever brand you buy make sure you have easy access to parts. I'm not a real big fan of the ready to run kits. The kits are easy to put together and when you break it you can fix it. :thumbsup: I like cars or trucks that are easy to maintain you don't have to dissassemble the whole car to clean it. I would stick with the NiMh battries for now wait for the price of the new technology to come down a bit. Put your money into a few extra motors, battries, speed controller, tires, rims,motor spray,spare parts. It goes on and on. Have fu good luck :thumbsup:

Well, I am pretty much torn between 3 trucks....

DuraTrax Evader ST RTR for $160
http://www.towerhobbies.com/products/duratrax/dtxd20.html

Traxxas Rustler RTR for $140
http://www.hobbytron.com/Rustler-RTR-Truck-W-Radio.html

XTM X-Cellerator RTR for $160
http://www.hobbytron.com/XTM-X-Cellerator-1-10-Electric-Stadium-Truck-RTR.html

I think they all look great, and yet I can only buy one! :(


The evader sounds really solid, the rustler is tried and true (and cheapest), the XTM also looks good and is decently priced.

I am just looking for some fun backyard driving, which one should I get?

Also- I decided to go with those 3500 NiHM batteries as they are really cheap (20 bucks each). Will I really have to have a high end charger to get the most out of them? :confused:

Any of those truck will be tons of fun!!
Check out local hobby shops to see what parts they carry. If you are going to be pimarily ordering then it is not a big deal.

The Duratrax Evader ST is the best equipped vehicle of the three.

You don't need a high end charger... Just one that is NiMh compatible and
AC/DC Get one capable of charging at 5 amps of higher. You want to charge these at 4-6 amps.

The XTM is a nice truck. I just don't know about parts support if you break something.

Any of these will be a blast to drive and have fun with. All of them will be adequate to start you racing if you choose.

If I were choosing my preference would be...
Evader St
XTM
Rustler

Have fun!

for backyard fun, heck go with the evader st, for the price and they are pretty easy to get parts for, Give that a shot, The Rustler I would not get it is harder to get parts for because it is hard to get parts for them at my local hobby shop because nobody runs them,

The three you listed you are looking at are all good choices.

I think the key here is that you are wanting to buy one and get into the rc sport.

I would stay away from Radio Shack or other store bought vehicles - they will break easily, not much for upgrades, and most are not capable of being raced per say on a club track atmosphere - may last a race or 2 but you probably will nto be happy.

I know the rustler is a stout solid truck and the evader is very upgradable, have not have much interaction with the other but they are all in the mainstream rc world so you know there will be help and information on them.

Just find something you like and be patient when learning to drive, tune and work on them. DO lots of searches on the net and the boards here also before shooting questions off - many other new people have asked questions and you would be amazed at what you can find in the history on the board.

Have fun!

See ya later,

mike

If you are looking towards bashing than go with the traxxas stampede. it is super tough. i have had on for almost four years and only lost a few servo at the hands of my stupid driving. they ar very easy to get parts for and a simple design. your can uprgade the parts for some extreme speed. the parts are very easy to change and it is a great starter truck.

if your are looking for more battery packs than you should go with nimh packs.
the more mah there is in a pack the longet they will last and the better the performance.if you are saving money than a radio shack they have 3300 mah nimh pack for $35.00. they are very good bashing packs,but with them you will need a good charger. the duratrax pirannah peak charger will get the most juice in you packs for the money.they are like 55 and towerhobbies.com,and they may take a while to charge but you will get the benifits when it is done.driving at around 35-40 mph i get a good 30 min. out of my pack.lipo's are very good but they are a little to expensive for my taste. i hope this helps. :wave:

Thank you for the advice people :thumbsup:

I think I'll go with the Evader ST as it does sound very good. I'll be ordering it and any parts I may end up needing online, as their isn't much for hobby shops in my local area (radio shack is about the only place lol)

I'll let ya all know how it turns out when I get it in a few short weeks :)

yea the evader rules just dont do stupid things, stupid+fast=broken parts!!!! so the speed of the evader is pretty great out of the box, good choice!!! :thumbsup:

I have an evader st myself even know I am a on road guy, who wouldnt want to play in the dirt every now and then!!!!!!!! but it really is a good truck and when or if you break something they are easy to get parts for and it is cheap

you might want to look at the sportwerks raven st rtr.

Best piece of advice I can give would be to see what your local hobbyshop has in stock. They will be very helpfull in the end. This is also very important for getting replacement parts. I started in this hobby 16 years ago with a Tamiya Grasshopper 2, and now am runnig a FTT4, FT TC4, and a PRO 3. Once you get bit by the bug you have it for life.

Thank you for the advice people :thumbsup:

I think I'll go with the Evader ST as it does sound very good. I'll be ordering it and any parts I may end up needing online, as their isn't much for hobby shops in my local area (radio shack is about the only place lol)

I'll let ya all know how it turns out when I get it in a few short weeks :)

Don't worry about the hobby shops,You can anything you need off the net.