Dragster or Firestorm

[fishymamba]

Today I was looking at the prices for an rc dragster. With all the accessories and a lipo battery plus a few spares the price of the dragster came up to $262. The thing is I was looking around and I found the HPI Firestorm which also costs $262.
I asked a few of my friends which one I should get and they all said the Firestorm. I have wanted a dragster for a really long time, but is it a smart choice? The only place I can run the dragster is at a park a few blocks down the street. But I can run the Firestorm any where. So should I go with the dragster or the Firestorm? Thanks everybody I have gained a lot of knowledge from this forum!

[pasan]

Well you've obviously made the deduction for yourself haven't you? There's not much you can do with the dragster except go fast in a straight line. You can do that with Firestorm, and a lot more.

[ironoutlaw]

the dragster does not have a very good turning radious , infact it pretty much doesnt have one at all , the firestorm would be alot funner i have had a few dragsters and they are cool but, they loose there coolness fast

[st_dragn_wagen]

dragsters are cool if your going to race them. but for just bashing you'll be bored with it before you can drain 3 battery packs

[fishymamba]

Well I already have a savage which I bash. The only reason I want to go fast is that my friend just go a HPI RS4 and I want to buy something that can go faster than his car.I do have a mamba max system in my B4 but that car just isn't made for that kind of power. I can get on-road/pan car kit but all the ones I have seen are a bove my price limit.

[fishymamba]

I do have a HPI E10 but I shot the transmission when I put the Mamba Max in.

[st_dragn_wagen]

if a new one is out of your price range, how about buying a nice used one then?

[fishymamba]

My price range is a maximum of $300. That is enough for most cars, but I also want a lipo battery with that.

[bchymas]

Have you checked out the Tamiya F103GT? It's got two-wheel direct-drive, similar to the RJ Speed dragsters but it's a lot more versatile. For drag racing you could just lock the diff, easy to do with some of those Traxxas friction plugs. When you're done drag racing, just unlock the diff and you've got a very light-weight, well handling car. I had one and it was insanely fast, even with mild motors. There are lots of hop-ups around for it too.

[fishymamba]

I was just looking at them! And I spotted the F1 version. That would be a good car wouldn't it? Or are there little parts avalible.
The F1 version is a little expensive after you add the $45 shipping from Japan. But The F103 Courage Kit is inexpensive. I think That is the best choice.

[bchymas]

I was just looking at them! And I spotted the F1 version. That would be a good car wouldn't it? Or are there little parts avalible.
The F1 version is a little expensive after you add the $45 shipping from Japan. But The F103 Courage Kit is inexpensive. I think That is the best choice.

The cool thing about the F103GT is that it accepts regular touring car bodies. I don't know much about the F1 version. It does share some interchangeable parts with the F103GT however.

[pasan]

The F1 scene is coming back it seems, Tamiya have introduced a new set of rules for 2009 and several clubs have F1 races. I too have been looking into the F103 even though they're uselss it's still nice to have a proper scale looking R/C that's competitive. rcmart/dinball have plenty of accessories for the F103 chassis. There's a very active F103 forum at RCTECH, thats where I've gathered most of my knowledge. The chassis is certainly capable of giving a 4WD TC a run for its money. There are three distinct versions of the chassis afaik and I don't think you can change the wheel base without some modification, like you can with the M chassis.

[fishymamba]

I am not planning to race in the near future because I can't find any on-road tracks near me:(.
I have one question about the F103GT Courage kit. Does it come with a pinion gear, If no what pitch pinion will I need.

[fishymamba]

And will a 2 cell lipo fit in the battery tray?

[bchymas]

The F103GT does come with a pinion gear although I can't tell you which one. I bought mine used. When I got it, I ordered a Robinson Racing metric 48p .6 19 tooth pinion. Be careful though, the 19 tooth pinion just barely fit inside the motor cage, if it had been a 20 tooth it wouldn't have fit with the stock spur gear. I recommend an 18 tooth pinion or lower. Also, I don't think a typical Lipo battery will fit the chassis without some modification. You may be able to do a little dremel work to make it fit though.

[fishymamba]

OK. Thanks for all the help! The lipo I am going to use is actually smaller that a typical nimh pack. So I will just velcro it to the chassis. Thanks everyone!

[bchymas]

OK. Thanks for all the help! The lipo I am going to use is actually smaller that a typical nimh pack. So I will just velcro it to the chassis. Thanks everyone!

Lol, one more thing about the F103GT incase you decide to get one. They are very low to the ground, especially the front. I bought mine to run on street and was constantly irritated when it would hit small pebbles and scrape things up. I thought about shaving some of the front steering block off to raise the front wheels up but decided to sell it and get a TT-01 instead. If you have a smooth place to run it with few rocks you should be fine though.

[fishymamba]

Can't you just raise the ride height instead?

[bchymas]

Can't you just raise the ride height instead?

The front suspension on the F103GT is fixed to a plastic block that attaches to the chassis. The suspension arms don't move at all, the only suspesion travel up front comes from small springs located near the steering knuckles by the wheels. That's why I was thinking that the way to raise the chassis higher from the ground would be to shave a couple milimeters from the bottom of the plastic block that attaches to the chassis. Maybe there's another way to do it, I'm not sure.

[bchymas]

Getting larger diameter wheels/tires would also do the trick of course.

[Helgaiden]

Well you can put that mamba system in the E-Firestorm...it has a gear diff which can take whatever brushless power you throw at it and with that you could probably take on your friend's speed. Assuming you gear it right, of course. :)

[fishymamba]

The problem with an off-road going fast is that it just flips over. I have broken 8 shock towers on my b4 from flipping at a very high speed.

[fishymamba]

Thanks bchymas for all your help! I am going to order the car tomorrow! My and my buds will probably race at a nearby school where they have smooth asphalt basketball courts. So the ride height wouldn't matter. Again thanks for all the help!

[Helgaiden]

the b4 isnt built the same as firestorm. The plastic is softer, more flexible, and the truck as a whole is more inclined for bashers as opposed to the race oriented B4.

You're comparing apples to oranges, bro. Also, body on a truck like the firestorm covers the shock towers unlike on the buggy. :P

[bchymas]

Thanks bchymas for all your help! I am going to order the car tomorrow! My and my buds will probably race at a nearby school where they have smooth asphalt basketball courts. So the ride height wouldn't matter. Again thanks for all the help!

You're welcome. The F103GT is a very challenging car to control on some surfaces but it's also rewarding and a lot of fun. If you can get to where you can manage that thing on the street well you'll be a better driver than most.