Hey guys, been out of this hobby for a year or so and even then it was mostly oval(nitro and electric) for many years. Thinking about getting into 1/8 scale nitro as that is the only rc racing in my area. Without starting any arguments, what would be some of the best vehicles in 1/8 scale buggys,(money is always a consideration lol) including rtr and why? Oh, one more question, would a used buggy from the last couple of years, maintained well and in E/C be competitive with todays? Thanks, Beach

My recommendation is to go with the RC8 RTR and get some big-bores (AE or Jammin). With some minor setup changes it is pretty good out of the box. With the stock RTR engine, you might want to consider buying a different pipe. The JP3 pipe seems to work well on that engine. The Losi 8ight is a very good buggy too, but it all depends on what you are used too as far as driving style. The 8ight is a little more aggresive, while the RC8 is a little more forgiving. But look around at tracks near you to see what they are running and what you can get help on and parts for. You do have to take that into consideration, as it will make racing a lot easier if you can get some help from people that know your buggy.

xray 808 hands down

xray 808 hands down

I can't agree more....the 808 is probably the best driving (out of the box with no mods, special parts, or anything else), smoother, and by far - has the absolute best quality out there. Not one repair at all related to the car itself this year (bearings, but that is normal). I have friends that have other makes, and they do seem to have more issues in the repair department. Remember - you get what you pay for.

The car is far more consistent that anything else out there...you will not be disappointed. Personally, why buy something you need to modify to make better? Just start with something better to begin with :thumbsup:

Kyosho

you are going to have as many answers as all the different brands out there. I think maybe you should try to narrow it down, maybe like a price range or something:

If you have 900 to spare then get MP9, middle of the road Losi, AE, 808, etc. On a tight budget get the hot bodies.

I have owned Kyosho, Mugen and Losi, driven friends Xray, AE and Jammin, but the one that suits best my driving style is the Losi, can't deny I have had to work out the bugs, and countless hours of frustration but in the end, I still prefer it over the other ones.

you are going to have as many answers as all the different brands out there. I think maybe you should try to narrow it down, maybe like a price range or something:

If you have 900 to spare then get MP9, middle of the road Losi, AE, 808, etc. On a tight budget get the hot bodies.

I have owned Kyosho, Mugen and Losi, driven friends Xray, AE and Jammin, but the one that suits best my driving style is the Losi, can't deny I have had to work out the bugs, and countless hours of frustration but in the end, I still prefer it over the other ones.

Actually, that is the best point of all - start with a targeted budget, and then do research. Awesome choice in the D8 as well for the price - and hey, it won the Worlds, so it definitely can seal the deal!!:thumbsup:

Thanks for all the sound advice. That gives me some great starting points. What about something used like an ofna ultra comp II, Hyper 7 or Thunder tiger eb4 se in excellent shape? Would any of those be fast and or reliable enough to compete at all with todays buggys? Thanks again, Beach

Well there a better options in the used market, a friend just picked up a Kyosho for 350, if you are going for something used try at least to get newer versions!!!

and if you are really interested I could probably work up on a package deal, everything you need to start up!!

Thanks for all the sound advice. That gives me some great starting points. What about something used like an ofna ultra comp II, Hyper 7 or Thunder tiger eb4 se in excellent shape? Would any of those be fast and or reliable enough to compete at all with todays buggys? Thanks again, Beach

I have the Thunder Tiger EB4 S3 really nice buggy can't go wrong with it parts are easy to find and price is not that bad.

you are going to be as fast as you can be, it's 90% driver and 10% car. IE IFMAR World Champion Hara!!!!

8ight 2.0 when it comes out in November...Best buggy and most durable by far. If you get it and want my set-up to get started feel free to P.M. me. The set-up is great, I use it for every track as a stock set-up and then go from there.

What about the O'Donnell buggy...how are those doing in the real world? I agree it's mostly driver so I just want something bulletproof.

I prefer the Jammin over a number of buggies, however there are a number a great buggies out there from MP9, RC8, MBX6, HoBoa 9 (Hyper9), 808, D8 (IFMAR Winner), and 8 2.0.

If it's price point I'd go Hot Bodies D8, you can't get a better buggy for the price. I was at the IFMAR worlds last weekend and watched all the latest versions of the buggies, all preformed very well.

I can't agree more....the 808 is probably the best driving (out of the box with no mods, special parts, or anything else), smoother, and by far - has the absolute best quality out there. Not one repair at all related to the car itself this year (bearings, but that is normal). I have friends that have other makes, and they do seem to have more issues in the repair department. Remember - you get what you pay for.

The car is far more consistent that anything else out there...you will not be disappointed. Personally, why buy something you need to modify to make better? Just start with something better to begin with :thumbsup:

hows it drive without a wing?

hows it drive without a wing?

That's funny stuff right there Kevin! Sorry Mike! You would have thought it was
his first time on the track.My vote is for the 808 hands down. Buy the time you
buy an RC8 and do all the up grades and figure out the set up, you could have
bought a 808 and performed right out of the box.:thumbsup:

hows it drive without a wing?

Kevin, LOL!! Hey, they specifically engineered high strength wing mounts into this version!!!

Not trying to jack this thread, but if you had to choose between the 808, MP9, or wait for the Hyper 9, which would you go with? Or say money wasn't an issue, would there be something better than any of the above?

money not an issue, hands down MP9.......

Not trying to jack this thread, but if you had to choose between the 808, MP9, or wait for the Hyper 9, which would you go with? Or say money wasn't an issue, would there be something better than any of the above?


Between the ones you mention, I would personally recommend the 808. I own one, and have yet to break or wear anything out on it (outside of bearings, etc). It has incredible fit and finish, and has held up to a whole year of racing without really any problems.

If money was no question, I would still recommend an 808, but the MP9, the new Mugen, RC8, or the Losi Eight 2.0 are top notch choices as well. Realize that the prices are higher for a reason - you get what you pay for. But, you end up ahead when you do not have to replace parts each week.

It is hard to tell someone that my brand better than another, because I am biased by my own experience with my car. Talk to some guys with different cars, and ask them what they like or don't like about them - or what they have had to do to them to make them drive the way they want them to. My 808 is stock - they are competitive right out of the box. I have not upgraded a single thing on it.

All the cars you mention above are great cars, you can't go wrong with any of them. Just talk to some guys at the track and see what they say about their cars - all the brands mentioned would not disappoint you :thumbsup:

Proof the Capable buggies. I personally will be ordering the Jammin X2 buggy when it's released. I currently have 2 X1's

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y95/EvoSpeed/A-MainResults2008Worlds.jpg

How can we get to the second page of this thread without someone mentioning what the LHS is capable of getting easily? Yes, I know mail order is big now, but sometimes your in a pinch.

Another angle would be, what are your racing buddies running? Yes, sometimes you like to be different. But if you break, and you have a different car, you have to have all your spares. No possibility to bum one off a buddy.

Thanks again for all the great responses. I've always been an associated guy and their buggy looks pretty good, but anyone have any feelings one way or the other on some lesser mentioned brands rtr like Himoto etc? Are they even worth the price(admittedly much cheaper) for someone who intends to race from time to time? thanks again Beach

I have not talked to anybody running the Himoto, but one thing you would want to consider is parts availibility either at the LHS or even online such as www.Amainhobbies.com :thumbsup:, or www.Nitrohouse.com :thumbsup:, or Tower Hobbies, etc.

Ok, well I see 4 Hotbodies in the list above but no Xray's and only 1 MP9. Do you think that is due to better buggy or better setup/driver that day?

Ok, well I see 4 Hotbodies in the list above but no Xray's and only 1 MP9. Do you think that is due to better buggy or better setup/driver that day?

I think that your stament kinda answers itself really .....Any team driver can make any buggy, truggy etc. handle well .Thats why these brand war topics/forums suck they prove nothing to me .It all falls on the wallet ..lol how much can you afford and go from there .Me myself i run mugen it has proved to be the most bullet proof truggy i have run .I have owned others i.e. Xray buggy and jammin truggy .But i have always went back to mugen trugy /buggy .Because even though some other brands may handle better or what ever i have learned over experince that mugen is realable and to me that beats any hot car or flavor of the mnth.bert

I would probably do very little to "hopup" at least until parts began to wear and were replaced. So what I am looking for (hopefully) is the best combination, of speed, handling and reliability and price, possibly even in a rtr out of the box, based on others experiences. My driving should still be pretty decent for an old fella lol. I have been racing in some form(carpet, dirt oval and occasionally offroad for nearly 20 years with a few championships under my belt) just have really zero experience with 8th scale nitro buggies. Beach

Well, I got a good deal on an MP9 so I went with that. Thanks for all your input.

I would not judge much of anything from the worlds race because a lot of big names were not in that race due to the fact that they had to run their Quals on a muddy track i.e. Drake , Pavidis , Lutz , Not to take away anything from the others , but they had a drier faster track . Just do as much research as you can, stay in your budget . Buy what you like , new or used. :thumbsup:

I would not judge much of anything from the worlds race because a lot of big names were not in that race due to the fact that they had to run their Quals on a muddy track i.e. Drake , Pavidis , Lutz , Not to take away anything from the others , but they had a drier faster track . Just do as much research as you can, stay in your budget . Buy what you like , new or used. :thumbsup:


I was there to watch and the mud was only on the Tue, Wed. Thursday thru Sat were dry and fast. Sunday was the best day.

the HB D8 is no slouch dont knock it becasue its not a 500to 700 dollar buggy its 370 brand new and the only maker in the worlds with 3 buggys in the main just my opion. when the aftermarket starts making bigger and badder hop ups i think it will fare well

Another angle would be, what are your racing buddies running? Yes, sometimes you like to be different. But if you break, and you have a different car, you have to have all your spares. No possibility to bum one off a buddy.

Ain't that the truth! That's why I like Hartman at all my races, he has doubles of everything. Hmmm....Now you think about it.... Why does he need so many parts? Ha ha ha!

I am going to try and get a new Losi 2.0

I am going to try and get a new Losi 2.0

I am building what I call the RC8 2.0 ... I bought everything separate off ebay, plus doing all the modifications including Ofna big bores for about $380 I believe. Still cheaper than buying a kit new without the big bores. Sucks ya gotta modify it, but I luv my Associateds. Can't wait to drop the new VSpec I just broke in, in. Yeah that sounded wierd at the end.:freak:

xray 808

www.casterracingusa.com

i started with the ofna pro comp2 and it was very strong car,hit a tree head on and nothing broke,cool,then bought a caster from a friend and that was that,like a mugen all mugen parts fit it and feroney parts fit it diffs handle any motor,ninja,rbs,ex i like them.but its what you want and how much you want to spend, my 2 cents. todd

I'm in the same situation as you and i might be thinking about a hyper 7 TQ

Fioroni............

this may be a little after the fact... im brand new to the hobby , ive never raced. I had an ofna lx one rtr last year, took it to the track a couple times... decided i wanted to get a kit. I got the d8. And am in love with this buggy. Ive had it to a couple different tracks now, and i think the buggy makes me look good. its a whole new ball game now. Once i get this thing dialed in and figure out all my radio tweaks, i think ill be in good shape with the d8.... granted ive never driven anything else... sorry about the long windedness.

I have an Xray 808, great buggy. But if money is a consideration go with the HB D8, it just won the Worlds.