RC10Talk - The Net's Largest Vintage R/C Community

Very well as far as the RC10 & 10T is concerned- the largest difference to me is the newer buggies and trucks have a number feel, which makes them easier to drive and lets you concentrate more on the track/traffic etc- than if you car is stepping out on corner exit or not. There are large improvements in the newer stuff as well, but the oldies can be just as quick-

On a recent fully scientific test with no room for error my XX Kinwald with the ESC and brushless motor pulled from my RC10B4.1 RTR ran .5 sec slower on a 10 lap test on the same track than said RC10B4.1 at the hands of a stop watch controlled by an independent source (wife) .

Could a better driver had made a bigger gap, maybe, but for all intents and purposes they were equal in my hands.

Coelacanth wrote:I was just wondering...with people all still saying how great the RC10's and Optimas/Ultimas were, back in their day, and still holding their own against today's buggies, if you discount electronics, how much further can offroad mechanical technology advance? Sure you have your lightweight materials but what more can be done to improve on the high-end suspensions & drivetrains of the late 80's?

To put it another way: Take a vintage RC10 or Optima or Ultima or whatever, bolt on all the upgrades you can find, put in a brushless system with modern battery, and compare it to something that's race-ready today. How competitive would that old RC10 or whatever be?

You were wondering about how can current cars advance any more they they already have? Take a look at the Cougar Sv

http://www.racing-cars.com/pp/Car_Showroom/Cougar_SV.html

Weather or not it's "faster" I am not sure, but at least they are trying to advance the design of 2wd buggies. Unfortunately the usual suspects (Losi and Associated) seem to be just rehashing current designs.

I am happy Losi finally saw the light and made a bit better SC, while I also was hoping for a "game changer" this truck is better then nothing. Also it's a familiar platform so there is already a host of hop ups that will work for this truck. I would have liked to see a 4wd version, then I wouldn't have to resort to Jammin, or the Ofna SC trucks. However since I am Losi guy, at least now I have a decent 2wd to chose from .

DHC6 wrote:

Coelacanth wrote:I was just wondering...with people all still saying how great the RC10's and Optimas/Ultimas were, back in their day, and still holding their own against today's buggies, if you discount electronics, how much further can offroad mechanical technology advance? Sure you have your lightweight materials but what more can be done to improve on the high-end suspensions & drivetrains of the late 80's?

To put it another way: Take a vintage RC10 or Optima or Ultima or whatever, bolt on all the upgrades you can find, put in a brushless system with modern battery, and compare it to something that's race-ready today. How competitive would that old RC10 or whatever be?

You were wondering about how can current cars advance any more they they already have? Take a look at the Cougar Sv

http://www.racing-cars.com/pp/Car_Showroom/Cougar_SV.html

Meh...if anything, that car illustrates my point exactly. It looks like a high-end buggy at the peak of electric racing buggies in the late 80's with modern hop-up parts & electronics. I fail to see much that's revolutionary with the chassis, drivetrain & suspension.

Really??? What other buggy out there is mid engine, has a new type of steering system, can tune the chassis flex to suit your track, the ability to fit any type of battery, be it saddle, or stick, lipo, or other types, interchangeable internal gear ratios, motor is mounted so that the rotation is the same direction as the car, you can change the height of the Diff to maintain optimal drive shaft angle... seems to me it's a bit more then just another high end buggy with a few "hop up" parts bolted on. Last time I checked you couldn't tune the flex of your RC10, or RC104.what ever, or do any of the the other mentioned features. Also I never herd of a hop up part that lets you change the internal gear ratio of your car. At least they are trying to do something different.

Mid-engine? Optima Mid.

"New steering system"? Is "new" in this case really revolutionary, or just reinventing the (steering) wheel?

Tuning chassis flex? Okay, that might be a worthy feature, but I've already seen bolt-ons for various older buggies that accomplish the same thing.

Interchangeable gear ratios? People have been doing that for decades. On the old Optima/Ultima cars, you can change the gears that matter by popping off the gearbox cover and loosening a grub screw, a 2-minute job.

New isn't always revolutionary, but that's just my 2 cents. YMMV.

I guess you missed the part when I said 2wd buggy. Not 4wd. And changing the spur gear is not changing the internal gear ratio. I never said "revolutionary", I also never said better, just new, and they are trying much harder then the others to make a improvements on the 2wd buggy, unlike every one else who has kept the same design for the last 20 years. What bolt on let you adjust the flex of your chassis of an RC10? I don't ever remember seeing a bold on the let me change the flex of my XX either.

DHC6 wrote:I guess you missed the part when I said 2wd buggy. Not 4wd. What bolt on let you adjust the flex of your chassis of an RC10? I don't ever remember seeing a bold on the let me change the flex of my XX either.

I wasn't only referring to the RC10, you were. I've seen chassis stiffener bolt-ons for Schumacher, I believe, they may also exist for other brands. At any rate, it's my opinion that RC buggies reached a technological pinnacle back in the late 80's and not much--IMHO--has come along that was truly revolutionary, if you discount electronics (ESC, brushless, battery technology).

We can agree to disagree.