VXL or Not?

[ccm-iceman]

Total newbie here & apologies in advance for invading your forum space... but...

I'm trying to research what car to buy for my son for XMas and he's hell bent on an e-Revo 1/16VXL. I want to learn the difference between cars & power plants & speed controllers. I've been reading about both cars and am trying to get my head around info on this forum re battery types, esc's, motors, etc.

It'll be his first proper off-road car & he is 10y/o.

First, can anyone say if it is worth going for the VXL at first or can components be upgraded (if greater speed is wanted or as parts pack up)?

Second, does it seem mad to try to buy a second hand car (on ebay), as I've seen the beating they tend to take?

And finally, do you have advise for someone who is just getting into RC off-roading (& massively keen).

With many thanks.

[Evo_ermine]

I know one good thing about the Traxxas models is your can set the ESC to a 'training mode' which limits power to 50% which is handy for kids to get used to the car before you unleash full power.

[jimmytheone]

I'd go for the VXL version, as stated above it has a 'training' setting on the ESC so its easier to get you going.

As for batteries, I use Zippy and turnigy, ordered from hobbyking.com. I haven't got a revo so not sure on the battery sizes.

My son uses my Traxxas Rustler VXL all the time and the training mode really helped him get to grips with controlling it.

Sounds like your son is gonna have a great christmas.

[TerrorTrooper]

No worries!

Thats what forums are for mate, Asking questions, and most will be happy to help with any questions you may have.

The 1/16 Revo is a good choice of car for a young newcomer, (sounds like hes already made that decision for you.) its small enough to be 10 yr old friendly, has excellent spares and hop up support, parts are relatively cheap too, admitedly its not the easiest car to strip, but will likely be a learning experience for you too.

The XL2.5 Version has a brushed ESC and motor, and a 27MHz radio system, thats its only real difference with the VXL.

The VXL will have more torque and speed, and will be working more efficiently and may likely have a slightly better runtime.

Brushed and Brushless are worlds apart in terms of everything.

My experience of traxxas brushed systems however, is their motors dont last that long before the internal cooling fans melt of performance drops due to the brushes and commutor wearing. The VXL motors are excellent and almost maintenance free, the ESC's are average, but by no means poor.

They also cog very little compared to some cheaper systems like the EZrun. Also, the Traxxas Link 2.4GHz radio is actually a nice bit of kit, and will work far more glitch free than any 27MHz kit. Not to mention you wont have a 10" Aerial sticking out the car or wont have to worry about interference if you ever go to bash with other RC'ers.

For an extra £100 i would say the VXL is worth the extra as doing said upgrades at a later date will cost you more than £100

As its his, and your first car, i would advise on buying new to be honest.

Firstly, theres something about "new toys" to a 10 year old on Xmas,

Secondly, Warrenty may be important if your not too used to this sort of thing.

Also, Buying second hand is an excellent way to get a good car with many hop-ups for less than new price, but cosmetic reasons aside, there can often be little things that need sorting that may be difficult to diagnose as a newcomer, or dissapointing to your little boy on the big day..

As for batterys, i would stick to NiMh (like the included pack) for a while until your up to scratch with the technology, and your boy becomes a competant driver, as with LiPo's

it will be insanely fast, and lipo's require a little respect and knowlege to look after properly.

I would reccomend getting a decent fast charger however, as included trickle chargers are awfull..

Ultimately, whatever you decide, there are many many helpfull and knoledgeable members here who will be happy to help, and dont worry, there are no stupid questions, we were all novices once.

[windsurfingman]

Bear in mind that run times with NiMh will be short using a VXL - I was getting about 8-10 mins and they will gradually slow down during some of that time.

[Dom C]

As above go for the VXL one have you considered the new savage xs thats a similar price and size? (bit bigger)

I'd go straight for Li Po the advantages are massive, if you buy from hobbyking they are as little as a fiver a pack! Ni Mh also become slow after only a few minutes where as Li Po's will discharge at the same rate throughout the pack. Also longer run times and quicker!

[snoop1050]

Bear in mind that run times with NiMh will be short using a VXL - I was getting about 8-10 mins and they will gradually slow down during some of that time.

people always say that but its not really true in my experience lipos arent a must.

in my 1/10 slash 2wd with sidewinder SCT system (4pole 3800kv) using a 8.4v 3000nimh battery doing speed runs up and down my street i easily get 20+mins and thats basicly going full throttle for 10 seconds , going to an almost complete stop and then coming back the other way for the whole of the batteries charge, the car doesnt slow down much towards the end of the battery either unlike the brushed motor i had before it

the other thing people say is its almost impossible to get the a car moving with nimh because they dont have enough amps and it starves the motor which i dont agree with although their is video evidence of this i suspect they have the ESC settings all wrong for nimhs

sure trying to get off the line as slow as possible and my car cogs as i demonstrate in this video, but if you notice i can easily get off the line with 20+% throttle leaving a line of rubber on my kitchen floor as it goes, i spend most of the video trying to get off the line slow though as i wasnt sure how easy the rubber marks would come off the floor lol

nimhs struggle with high punch control though, i can barely get moving with anything above 70% punch control, but with 0% -70% the car easily gets going , the lower the better for nimhs even though you would expect it to be the other way around as punch control limits acceleration which you would expect means lessening the amp draw on the battery

obviously lipos have their advantages over nimh/nicd but dont rule out nimhs for someone who just wants to bash around close to where they live

Edited October 18, 2011 by snoop1050

[Tug]

VXL, end of.

Stick to nimhs for now, both my sons have VXLs, a merv and a slash. They're plenty quick enough, with good run-times. I improved the run-times by buying a second identical battery pack and a parallel connector for each. This does increase the amount of cables inside the cars, but the double run-times are worth it.

And as said before, get a decent charger, something lipo friendly for the future.

Good luck and keep the questions coming!

[ccm-iceman]

Thanks to everyone for your help & insights. Seems clear to go with a new VXL and will be following posts re. upgrades, batteries, esc's etc. Many thanks again.

ps. We're in Stroud and will likely be found running it up in Minchenhampton common. Please stop if you see us up there.;-)

[cat7]

Theres a similar thread to this one in the 'micros' subforum http://www.msuk-foru...__fromsearch__1 which I'd recommend you read.

We were in a similar situation to you a few months ago and settled on a VXL running on 2S lipos - its superb, really quick, handles well and is quite tough. Having tried the stock nimh to start with there is no comparison, we'd never go back to nimhs now but obviously you'll need to factor in a decent charger and batteries to go with it. As others have said you can always run it in training mode to start with but you'll find your son soon gets used to it - my oldest was driving my savage flat out at the age of 9 and thats a much bigger beast which requires a lot of care and skill. Kids learn very quickly, much more so that adults

Weak spots are diffs (I'd suggest you buy a spare ring gear, part 7079 straight away just in case) , the steering servo which will either strip its teeth (£4 ish for a new set) or stop working altogether (buy a hitec HS82mg instead) and the front A-arms which are a bit brittle (buy some RPM ones, they cost much the same and are a lot better)

A wheelie bar is almost a mandatory upgrade as they are so powerful, and hollow steel balls are recommended as they last much longer than the plastic ones (only a few pounds)

If you're looking for alternatives, an HPI E-firestorm flux 2.4GHz from http://www.modelsport.co.uk/hpi-e-firestorm-flux/rc-car-categories/18/9900/990010&ChassisID=513 costs much the same, appears to be a lot stronger (havent bought one yet but am about to), but is a bit bigger (so needs more space) and is 2-wheel drive instead of 4 so may not be as easy to drive fast (or more of a challenge). JESpares still have a few of the old model left at £180 including an Ansmann 2.4Ghz radio, which is a bargain http://www.jespares....category_id=509 although the new version is a bit more powerful and is waterproof

Edited to say you might want to also consider the new Savage XS, which is a similar price to the revo. Its still quite new on the market though and there have been a few iissues reported by the 'early adopters' so I'd recommend doing a little research first

Edited October 19, 2011 by cat7

[Cabbagey]

If you're looking for alternatives, an HPI E-firestorm flux 2.4GHz from http://www.modelspor...0&ChassisID=513 costs much the same, appears to be a lot stronger (havent bought one yet but am about to), but is a bit bigger (so needs more space) and is 2-wheel drive instead of 4 so may not be as easy to drive fast (or more of a challenge). JESpares still have a few of the old model left at £180 including an Ansmann 2.4Ghz radio, which is a bargain http://www.jespares....category_id=509 although the new version is a bit more powerful and is waterproof

I can vouch for the firestorm, I've heard the flux wheelies

but if his heart is set on a MERV the they are great cars.

[Jumper]

merv is good but you can get the brushed one and a ezrun 13T combo for 80 less than the vxl more power too and you might need a different motor plate

[Ross9999992]

brushed + 60a ezrun combo + tenbol mount + cheapo 2.4 + lipos = vxl money + reliability + lipo's

and you might even get a charger for the lipos included in the cost

i've got a merv for my kids(8 and under) and they can all drive it fine on 2s lipo power

[rcmadness]

Traxxas is a brilliant buy, plenty of spares and upgrades!

Pretty cheap also, I advise the for sale section or eBay for spares as you can pick up a bargin.

[lorrylemming]

I would go for the E-firestorm flux over the mini erevo because it is easier to work on, larger but not silly (big plus for 10yr old) and spares support is at least on par with traxxas.

[Norv]

oooooh choices choices choices, I do like the merv and had been planning on getting one for ages until I saw the savage XS, yes there have been ESC problems with some but HPI's warranty team are pretty strong, the only issue I have had is my pinion coming loose which was a ten minute job to resolve. its prety sodding cool to look at and buckets of fun to drive, maybe a bit mental at times even on 2s, I will probably still get a merv one day when cashflow allows but im glad I got the xs first.

The firestorm is a GREAT vehicle you wont find many people who have anything bad to say about em, especialy the latest waterproof ones, but its a bit bigger and nowhere near as cute as a merv or an XS.

Bottom line is I think you had allready decided on the merv, you wont be dissapointed if you get a new VXL, as for the lipo issue, get them after xmas if you decide you need em, the car will be plenty enough fun on nimhs to start with, when you do upgrade it will bring fresh excitement.