Optima mid vs Lazer?

The place for all things Kyosho.

Moderators: scr8p, klavy69

Twister
Regular Member
Posts: 24
Joined: Fri Jan 31, 2014 4:45 am
Location: Västervik Sweden

Optima mid vs Lazer?

Post by Twister »

Hello all :D

I am currently brainstorming for a new vintageracer and choosing between mids and lazers, and some adviice would be much appriciated. The track we are running is a tight indoor carpettrack so swb mid was the first car on my mind perhaps with oneway up front. But lazers are the newer car and a amazingly smooth
And silent drivetrain. What car is to be preffered on tight carpet tracks and what are their pro's and con's?

User avatar
Hcp22
Approved Member
Posts: 1858
Joined: Sat Jun 19, 2010 6:31 am
Location: Gothenburg Sweden
Has thanked: 33 times
Been thanked: 16 times

Re: Optima mid vs Lazer?

Post by Hcp22 »

The Lazer will be the fastest all days in the week 8)
Cheers
Lars

My Feedback

Twister
Regular Member
Posts: 24
Joined: Fri Jan 31, 2014 4:45 am
Location: Västervik Sweden

Re: Optima mid vs Lazer?

Post by Twister »

Hi Lars yes after reading up on the subject it seems like lazers are faster and more tunable. The reason for the mid is the short wheelbase and the design is absolutley brilliant :D However laser it is, off to ebay for bargainhunts :shock:

User avatar
MattiasL
Regular Member
Posts: 19
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2015 10:24 am
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Been thanked: 10 times

Re: Optima mid vs Lazer?

Post by MattiasL »

I have one of each. The Lazer is very easy to drive and as fast as anything modern on a five minute run, due to it being so easy to drive. You can just put it right where you want it lap after lap.

The Mid is very difficult to drive, and does not really handle brute brushless power too well. The Mid is a bit more durable than the Lazer though. You will be able to replace knuckles and c-hubs on the Lazer in your sleep after a while. The bracket that holds the rear shock tower is quite weak as well.

Lazer all the way ;)

User avatar
alcyon
Approved Member
Posts: 229
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2014 12:36 am
Location: Kuala Lumpur

Re: Optima mid vs Lazer?

Post by alcyon »

Depends on the surface you are running on.
lazer zx
easier to get to the diffs. If loose sand gets in the body the belt drive will still work.
Parts can be very expensive..especially alloy arm mounts, arms, and the front gearbox.
optima mid
tougher than lazer. Spares not as expensive. If you run on loose sand the belt covers must be sealed 100%.
Actually surprisingly easy to drive with harder springs.

Cons of both cars is spur gears arent of standard pitch and difficult to get especially for the lazer.
if you are running on loose sand or low traction you will need ball diffs for both cars.

Twister
Regular Member
Posts: 24
Joined: Fri Jan 31, 2014 4:45 am
Location: Västervik Sweden

Re: Optima mid vs Lazer?

Post by Twister »

Thank you for your input it is good to know about ease of drive and maintenance. This is my longterm project so i will take some time to pick parts for a ultimate racer :D Alycon i have read your threads here and on oople, brilliant work! How is those diffsprockets coming along? Thanks again for good advice :D

cashrc
Regular Member
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2015 11:14 pm
Location: McKinney, TX USA

Re: Optima mid vs Lazer?

Post by cashrc »

I campaigned a Lazer ZX when I was stationed at Ramstein AB, Germany. We had a track on base, and a local rc car club. We had weekend races, and I dominated 4wd with that Lazer. She want the fastest buggy, but the way the Lazer handled made me look good. :shock:
I can attest to the spur gear being a weird pitch..Isome of the guys referred to it as a "metric 48 pitch". My Lazer was basically stock, I ran a15 turn double and the car was very reliable. Had a habit of picking up rocks in the spur and chewing it up, once I deleted the spur gear cover, that went away. It would jettison gravel before it had a chance to destroy the spur.
Good Car, I miss mine.
Cash

User avatar
alcyon
Approved Member
Posts: 229
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2014 12:36 am
Location: Kuala Lumpur

Re: Optima mid vs Lazer?

Post by alcyon »

Twister wrote:Thank you for your input it is good to know about ease of drive and maintenance. This is my longterm project so i will take some time to pick parts for a ultimate racer :D Alycon i have read your threads here and on oople, brilliant work! How is those diffsprockets coming along? Thanks again for good advice :D
Thanks for the compliments. I have not tested the sprockets yet..as i am going to race my lwb mid on the 8th of feb...it has ball diffs now because traction is terrible on that track.
all my energies are now concentrated to get my mid to win.

rccars4sal
Approved Member
Posts: 1001
Joined: Thu Aug 22, 2013 1:05 pm
Location: USA
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: Optima mid vs Lazer?

Post by rccars4sal »

Optima mid in swb form can be fairly twitchy on low traction surfaces. On carpet though, should be able to tune out any you like. Lazer was always a bit more stable I think in part from longer wheel base and better weight distribution.

My preference would be a swb mid on a carpet track. That thing could be a real hero with good traction and a fast servo.

Twister
Regular Member
Posts: 24
Joined: Fri Jan 31, 2014 4:45 am
Location: Västervik Sweden

Re: Optima mid vs Lazer?

Post by Twister »

rccars4sal wrote:Optima mid in swb form can be fairly twitchy on low traction surfaces. On carpet though, should be able to tune out any you like. Lazer was always a bit more stable I think in part from longer wheel base and better weight distribution.

My preference would be a swb mid on a carpet track. That thing could be a real hero with good traction and a fast servo.
That is my conclusion also, i have always had a good eye for the optima mid turbo as i had one in the late 80's ( yup i'm a old fart :wink: ) and it was awesome. But those days it was dirttracks and no lazers around- just cats and yz-10.
My set-up was always oneway upfront with skinny tires and lowturn losimotors and it is still the car i had most success with. When lazers came out i changed to Yokomocars and that was a bummer.. So Lazers i never did drive regrettably.
However mid swb is still an option, maybe i'll pick up one of each.

A follow up question is what options is necessary om tight tracks?
Low caster knuckles? Geardiff? I am sourcing parts all over for upcoming races. Thank you all and best regards.

rccars4sal
Approved Member
Posts: 1001
Joined: Thu Aug 22, 2013 1:05 pm
Location: USA
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: Optima mid vs Lazer?

Post by rccars4sal »

I would get both castor blocks,, the type with some angle and the type with no angle,,,Going to also recommend ball diffs, and the hard trans gears from thorp or mip. Other than that, wheels, tires, springs, swaybars, turn buckle links, fresh new rod ends(ball cups).

User avatar
alcyon
Approved Member
Posts: 229
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2014 12:36 am
Location: Kuala Lumpur

Re: Optima mid vs Lazer?

Post by alcyon »

rccars4sal wrote:I would get both castor blocks,, the type with some angle and the type with no angle,,,Going to also recommend ball diffs, and the hard trans gears from thorp or mip. Other than that, wheels, tires, springs, swaybars, turn buckle links, fresh new rod ends(ball cups).
The antiroll bars are highly sought after and the price can run in the hundreds. Its better to retrofit a modern car
arb to the mid. As most tracks in the US is indoors and has lots of traction, you dont need ball diffs.
harder springs will do.

User avatar
EvolutionRevolution
Approved Member
Posts: 1495
Joined: Tue Feb 01, 2011 3:24 pm
Location: Netherlands
Has thanked: 20 times
Been thanked: 36 times

Re: Optima mid vs Lazer?

Post by EvolutionRevolution »

alcyon wrote:
rccars4sal wrote:I would get both castor blocks,, the type with some angle and the type with no angle,,,Going to also recommend ball diffs, and the hard trans gears from thorp or mip. Other than that, wheels, tires, springs, swaybars, turn buckle links, fresh new rod ends(ball cups).
The antiroll bars are highly sought after and the price can run in the hundreds. Its better to retrofit a modern car
arb to the mid. As most tracks in the US is indoors and has lots of traction, you dont need ball diffs.
harder springs will do.
Kyosho Spider EP (essentially a narrow Optima Mid SWB; part no. SPW-3) antirollbars ought to fit the chassis. You might have to improvise a little to attach them to the arms though...

User avatar
Coelacanth
Approved Member
Posts: 7348
Joined: Thu Jul 29, 2010 6:20 pm
Location: Alberta, Canada
Has thanked: 16 times
Been thanked: 270 times

Re: Optima mid vs Lazer?

Post by Coelacanth »

EvolutionRevolution wrote:
alcyon wrote:
rccars4sal wrote:I would get both castor blocks,, the type with some angle and the type with no angle,,,Going to also recommend ball diffs, and the hard trans gears from thorp or mip. Other than that, wheels, tires, springs, swaybars, turn buckle links, fresh new rod ends(ball cups).
The antiroll bars are highly sought after and the price can run in the hundreds. Its better to retrofit a modern car
arb to the mid. As most tracks in the US is indoors and has lots of traction, you dont need ball diffs.
harder springs will do.
Kyosho Spider EP (essentially a narrow Optima Mid SWB; part no. SPW-3) antirollbars ought to fit the chassis. You might have to improvise a little to attach them to the arms though...
If you already have the clips to mount the stabilizer wire to a bulkhead or shock tower, improvising the rest is quite easy. Just install a 4.8mm ball stud on each arm and use either a short turnbuckle with 4.8mm ball-ends on each end (this allows for adjustability), or plastic links if they're the correct length (less adjustability).
Completed projects: CYANide Onroad Optima | Zebra Gold Optima | Barney Optima | OptiMutt RWD Mid
Gallery - Coel's Stalls: Marui Galaxy & Shogun Resto-Mods | FrankenBuff AYK Buffalo | 1987 Buick GNX RC12L3

Welshy40
Approved Member
Posts: 304
Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2011 1:55 am
Location: Surrey, England

Re: Optima mid vs Lazer?

Post by Welshy40 »

Lazer by far a better car, mind ypu my buddy Rama aka Alcyon may say otherwise. You can still buy chassis and all varients including my design the tub. Also all towers, steering plates, L braces all from fibrelyte and belts are being made again and sold on ebay, so not too hard to race it. Im still racing mine and can beat the new cars easily and have proved this numerous times but did create a cf rear gearbox so i could tension the belts to handle a 4.5 brushless. It wheelies sometimes and is so much fun to drive unlike the new cars sold now.
Designer of the Lazer ZX / ZXR Tub Chassis (now available again from Fibre-Lyte)

Sponser links below
http://www.fibre-lyte.co.uk/
http://www.kamtec.co.uk/

Post Reply

Create an account or sign in to join the discussion

You need to be a member in order to post a reply

Create an account

Not a member? register to join our community
Members can start their own topics & subscribe to topics
It’s free and only takes a minute

Register

Sign in

  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post
  • Optima rerelease vs optima mid / Lazer ZX-S evo
    by FC5687 » » in Kyosho Re-Release Forum
    12 Replies
    2675 Views
    Last post by FC5687
  • My Turbo Optima, Optima Mid and Lazer ZX-R
    by wydraz » » in Kyosho Forum
    6 Replies
    1121 Views
    Last post by Coelacanth
  • LWB Optima MID with Lazer suspension.
    by DennisM » » in Kyosho Forum
    18 Replies
    3321 Views
    Last post by bully
  • Late LWB Optima Mid & Lazer differences??
    by DerbyDan » » in Kyosho Forum
    3 Replies
    906 Views
    Last post by adam lancia
  • My Lazer ZXR-R and Optima Mid Turbo Special - Pics
    by Dieseler » » in Kyosho Forum
    5 Replies
    1013 Views
    Last post by Kyosho Fan2
  • Kyosho Optima Mid and Turbo Optima Mid
    by wydraz » » in Kyosho Forum
    7 Replies
    1957 Views
    Last post by Bo Wallen
  • Optima Mid and Turbo Optima Mid Differences
    by vintage AE » » in Kyosho Forum
    19 Replies
    6153 Views
    Last post by lin6499
  • Optima/ Mid One way By SRM & MID spur adapter from Brimod .
    by Mad Racer » » in Kyosho Forum
    2 Replies
    723 Views
    Last post by Mr. ED

Return to “Kyosho Forum”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No User AvatarBing [Bot] and 11 guests