Hey Big Squid,
It’s Luke L from Florida. I was just wondering what would be a good starter car forCompetition grade Rc racing. I’d like to know if you know of any good cars for a dirt (actually clay) track. I’m willing to spend about $100-$200 and possibly go a bit over my limit.

They use buggy, Truck, and short course I believe. Here is a link www.newredhobbies.com . (I’m thinking of short course but, I don’t know too much about Rc cars) Also short course is allowed in all category’s so it seems dominant.

Cubby- Yo hey Luke, congrats homie, I have selected your email as “Letter of the Month” and thus you are entitled to an uber BigSquidRC t-shirt. Hit Brian up with your snail mail and he’ll get one on the way to ya.
So what’s a the best “competition grade” vehicle for $100-200? Wow, that’s a pretty tight budget there, but you do have some options. While not “competition grade”, I would recommend the ECX Torment SCT to stay in your price range. Sticker price on the Torment is only $190 and would be a decent truck to get your feet wet with. It’s not going to break any lap records, but it handles well, can take a good beating, and most importantly- is affordable to try out. If you race it for a while and decide this hobby is for you then you can really break open the coffers.
I’m also going to recommend one more vehicle to you, the Durango DESC210 RTR. Why would I recommend it to you? The Durango RTR is much more a race vehicle, and in RTR trim, the thing is a bashing beast. I spent an afternoon ramming it full speed into trees, ditches, off roofs, and broke literally nothing. Being a noob racer you are going to hit a lot pipes (and HARD) and the DESC210 RTR is going to allow you to have some huge slams without a bunch of wrenching afterwards.
However, there are three downsides to the Durango. The first being price, the second being its motor, and the third being its tires. Durango just dropped the pricing on the DESC210 RTR to $290, so it’s a bit over your budget, but if you can break out some extra cash it will be worth it down the road. Also, the included motor is a 17.5 sensored unit. Ya, I know all the local race morons are ga-ga over 17.5′s, but to me they are the dumbest thing ever created by man. The 17.5 “stock” brushless class basically makes you gear a motor to death to keep up. Bluntly- that is incredibly dumb. I’d recommend bolting in a lower turn motor for some real power that lasts. Lastly, the stock tires work fine on certain surfaces, but not well on prepped tracks. Pro-Line has numerous tires alternatives that will give you the grip you need to actually compete (and be easier to drive on a track). Of course these upgrades are going to put a hit on your wallet, but the Durango with proper tires and motor is an animal on the track and well worth the moolah. Best of luck and let us know what you end up buying. Don’t forget the pics!

Cubby
What is your honest opinion of Traxxas product right now? Is it as good as everyone says it is?
Big fan and thanks,
Adam R.

Cubby- I just love loaded questions like this one, so sure, I’ll answer it. I mean that’s what I get paid to do right? You didn’t ask me what I thought of Traxxas as a company, you state “Traxxas product”, so here it goes… If I had to give a one word reply it would be “dated”, “neglected”, or even perhaps “overpriced”. Ya sure, they’ve got some newer platforms like the Rally/Slash 4×4, the drag car and the XO-1, but a large part of their product line-up was engineered back in the mid-90′s. IMO the real meat of their products, vehicles like the Pede, Rustler, and Maxx’s, are overdue for a ground up overhaul.

But… Traxxas obviously has some upsides- their customer service and parts availability top the list. If you get a new truck and it’s messed up Traxxas customer service has a great reputation for bending over backwards to make it right. Even more importantly, when you do end up breaking your new truck most local hobby shops stock a prodigious amount of Traxxas parts. Even the little mom and pop shops that carry more Dungeons and Dragons than rc typically have at least the bare essentials of Traxxas parts on hand, and that can’t be said about any other brand. Finally, the quality control on most Traxxas parts is good, certainly on par with some of the brands known for “racing” gear. Ya sure, the knucklehead racing crowd loves to talk about what crap quality all Traxxas product is, but to say that means they’ve never compared parts next to each other without bias. Ya sure, the racer dude may have paid twice as much for brand XYZ so he thinks he needs to justify the extra price by throwing Traxxas under the bus, but if you do an honest evaluation most Traxxas parts stack up just as good as some of the racer brands. Is Traxxas as good as everyone says it is? Now that’s a hard one. I’ve only got two choices for an answer, yes or no, so I think I’m going to go with “No”. Here’s why- the competition has caught up and passed Traxxas in many product categories. For instance, lets look at the Stampede, perhaps the biggest seller Traxxas has ever produced. The Pede finished last in our 2wd MT shootout last year. The Pede is still
a good truck, but the competition has put out better trucks that are priced lower. Sadly that is the story for much of the Traxxas product line-up, there are now better and less expensive alternatives to be had.

Check out THIS LINK for more Durango news right here on BigSquidRC.

RDRP has announced a new extended length chassis for the Durango 2wd DEX210 buggy. The 7075 T-6 aluminum chassis is stretched a full 11mm for better handling characteristics and is more than twice as rigid as the stock unit. The chassis has been CNC machined, it comes “murdered-out” with black anodizing, and has that trick laser etching that is such the rage right now.

Looking for more RDRP news? Hit THIS LINK.

There are sale items from Team Durango, TrakPower, Axial, Duratrax, Futaba, and a whole bunch of more manufactures, hit THIS LINK to view some of the specials or view the video below for more information.

Want to read our last Axial review? If so, hit THIS LINK.

We just received a few “sneak preview” pictures of the brand new hop-up parts for Team Durango vehicles from ST Racing Concepts. From the looks of the pictures they’ve got numerous aluminum and carbon fiber goodies for all you Durango fans on the way. We’ve reviewed numerous STRC products and they have been some of the best in the business, we are really looking forward to seeing how their new Durango option parts turn out.

We haven’t received any pricing or release date information but we’ll pass it along as we receive it. Until then HERE is the link to the official STRC website to check out all their other fine products.

To read more STRC news right here on BigSquidRC THIS is the link you want.

4WD Mod Buggy Overall Result
1. Ryan Maifield – Associated/Reedy – 200 pts
2. Jörn Neumann – Durango/Speed Passion – 199
3. Ryan Cavalieri – Associated/Orion – 196

2WD Stadium Truck Overall Result
1. Ryan Maifield – Associated/Reedy – 200 pts
2. Jörn Neumann – Durango/Speed Passion – 198
3. Ryan Cavalieri – Associated/Orion – 198

2WD Short Course Overall Result
1. Ryan Cavalieri – Associated/Orion – 200 pts
2. Ryan Maifield – Associated/Reedy – 199
3. Ryan Lutz – Durango/Tekin – 196

Team Durango makes perhaps the best racing rigs on the planet, hit up THIS link for their official website.

Have you read our Team Durango buggy review? You can check it out right HERE.

First up are new 7075-T6 aluminum C-Hubs. These bolt right up to your DEX210, DESC210, or DEST210, and are much more durable than the stock plastic parts. The new C-Hubs come with a black finish to add that trick look to your rig.

Next up is a new +8mm aluminum rear wing mount. This comes in two different styles, one for rear motor set-ups, and one for mid-motored. These are also made out of 7075-T6 and come murdered out in a black finish. The added 8mm of height at the rear wing gives more clearance for the rear tires and helps to improve aerodynamics.

For more information on these and all of RDRP’s fine line-up of products hit up their Official Website. To view more RDRP news click THIS link right here on BigSquidRC.

Right now these are available only for the center shafts of the Durango DEX410 series buggy. The part number is #TD210010, and they have a street price of $60. Click over to the Team Durango Website for more information.

Are you a big Durango fan? If so, check out more Durango news right HERE on BigSquidRC.

Looking for more Durango news here on BigSquidRC? Check out THIS link.

Want to catch up on all the Team Durango news here on BigSquidRC? HERE is the link you want.