Serpent Vector NT Forum [Archive]

StevePond

01-22-2002, 05:32 PM

Just got finished building the VNT, and while I'm not too crazy about the ease of assembly, the finished product looks like a nice compromise bewteen the very complicated Veteq and the Vector 2000. It will certainly be more enjoyable to wrench on in the pits. :D

WillJ

01-23-2002, 03:07 AM

Hey Steve,

It seems not many people like the Veteq. Quite a few of Serpent's top drivers stick with the NT or even the 2000. I think Ielasi was even driving a 2000 when he TQ'd at the Worlds. Do you think it's just because the Veteq is hard to work on or is it a performance issue? Also, what performance benefits do you think the NT offers over the Vector?

StevePond

01-24-2002, 10:28 PM

The Veteq is certainly a very capable car, but the range and methods of adjustments are very different and confusing if you don't take the time to learn how to adjust the car properly. The car is also very complex, which leads to some pretty lengthly down time for repairs, regular maintenance and tweaking. I wanted to change the rear shock springs on the Veteq for example, and it took my quite a bit of time because the rear shocks are burried between the rear bulkheads, sway bar, cantilevers etc. It takes someone with more dedication than the average racer to keep the Veteq on track. I still think it's a great car, but it's a little too much to handle for the privateer.
The NT is a marriage between the Vector and the Veteq. It has the rear end of the Vector 2000 with a subtle change in the upper suspension arms. It has a one-piece chassis, but much of the mid section and the front suspension are from the Veteq. The stock front suspension has a different shock configuration, but optional cantilevers allow the use of the pushrod front suspension.

Are there any benefits of the NT over the Vector? I don't have a enough wheel time with the Vector to offer any concrete comparison between the two.

WillJ

01-25-2002, 03:18 AM

Thanks Steve. Let us know how your NT is on the track.

Mr Gription

01-26-2002, 01:43 PM

SteveP
Could i ask you a favor please, i was curious what the offset measurement was on the front and rear wheels or your Serpent, i bought a Neo Saber, and the car looks identical to the Vector, i was curious if the wheels would interchange

Thanks

StevePond

01-28-2002, 09:56 AM

If my memory serves me, it's 14.5 mm in the outer portion of the wheel and 26mm in the inside of the wheel.

hdcchrome

02-07-2002, 01:31 AM

Is the VECTOR NT better than the VETEQ???

StevePond

02-09-2002, 08:58 AM

I'd say the Veteq is better than the NT, until you need to do maintenance or repairs, then the NT is better than the Veteq.

Saboteur

04-04-2002, 12:42 PM

Man these cars are land rockets....they are super fast....just about as fast as your money will leave your pockets. :D J/k I know michael salvan races the veteq...also lamberto collari i think..They must be really good with 1/8 to have no prob running them. Even though one of my LhS has the NEO Saber, and the other has alot of serpent 1/8, id go with serpent...most lhs today have parts for this car. Not really sure with neo...id have to go into manhatten just to buy replacement parts for neo cars. When im "rich" ill probably buy a NT. :) but for now...just gonna get into nitro 200mm.

fmolzer

06-27-2002, 12:35 PM

Does anyone have any feedback on the 02 Veteq compared to the original version. SteveP, have they done anything with the upgraded model to adress your concerns with ease of wrenching? I am tempted to get one, but also know that I tend to spend a lot of time dialing in my cars so I need a platform that allows me to do so with relative ease. Any input?

Saboteur

06-27-2002, 02:48 PM

Wow. Its been ages since someone replied to this forum. LOL :D

fmolzer

06-27-2002, 03:07 PM

Better late than never. I ahve been looking to get into 1/(th scale for a while, last weekend I saw a HOA 1/8th scale race and I was convinced, there is no looking back.

Saboteur

06-27-2002, 03:12 PM

Yes I am conviced too. But since I wont be visiting the track often and of my budget, Ill stick to 1/10th nitro for now. :)

fasRC

07-03-2002, 11:39 AM

I have both the older vector and the veteq 02 and they both seem to handle about the same. Vector is a lot easier to work on compared to the veteq. Veteq looks a lot nicer and the guys at the track seem to hover over it more often????? I guess once you learn to set any of these newer cars up correctlty, you will be very competitive. I see tooling around with your car half the fun of the hobby, although my wife disagrees. lol....I don't race much....but I do go to the track at least once a week and I seem to keep up with the guys that race a lot....

One thing.....you learn how to drive an 8th scale and go back to 10th scale......your lap times increase by a lot.....it feels like you going in slow motion;)

evilGearhead

07-03-2002, 11:23 PM

ive got the veteq, and i just upgraded to the '02 version,
the kit was only a $100. the main improvement of the '02 is that the chassis is one piece, the main gripe about the original veteq was that the 2-piece chassis is very prone to getting out of allignment, and after you spend hours fooling with it to get it setup right, it really ticks me off to have to set it up again after each race, but thats fixed with the '02.. both the vector and the veteq will run about the same in the hands of a beginner/intermed. , but for the advanced racer, the veteq really shines.
i have alot of xtra time on my hands, so i usually prefer an xtra-complicated car, and if you like to play around with settings, the possibilities are endless. but if you get a veteq, a HUDY, or comprable setup bench is absolutely neccesary

mdbeachy

08-14-2002, 01:28 PM

I just bought a Veteq on ebay, it looks like it will be a great car. But I need to go over it top to bottom to make sure that it was put together right. After that I hope to do some racing with it which is bound to lead to some broken parts. My LHS doesn't carry serpent parts, does anyone know a good on-line store to get parts for these things?

WillJ

08-18-2002, 05:00 AM

I've always had a good experience with www.ashfordhobby.com

dg2b

08-27-2002, 04:43 PM

Is it true that Serpent is replacing both Vector NT and Veteq for a car called "Serpent 950."

My understanding is this Serpent 950 will come out next year and is a cross function between the Veteq and NT.

Any has any further info on this?

Enrique.v

08-27-2002, 07:43 PM

Maybe but the "950" will be awesome..

dg2b

08-27-2002, 08:05 PM

So, if I want to get into 1/8 onroad now, do I wait for the 950 or is the NT 2002 a good investment knowing that it will be discontinued (production not necessarily parts) next year.

BTW, when is the 950 coming out. Any articles detailing it (and features) somewhere?

Enrique.v

08-27-2002, 08:08 PM

I would wait for the "950" although the Vector 02 is a very good car if you need one fast. Right now from what i know of there are no articles on the "950"

Saboteur

08-28-2002, 12:07 AM

You wont have to wait till that new car comes out. You can win a race with any of the 1/8th onroad cars Serpent has available now. All it takes is a good setup and good driving skill. If I had the cash, I'd get into 1/8th onroad and race with a neo saber kit. Then l8er I'll probably move to serpent, or stick with the neo, which is a lot cheaper than the serpent.

Enrique.v

08-28-2002, 12:09 AM

Some people like to have new stuff..and stuff that last's too;)

Saboteur

08-28-2002, 12:30 AM

Well the neo and the serpent kits that are out are cool and they last long too. :p But I didnt say you shouldnt go for the new car. You can get it if you want, but you can still race with whats out now and still be able to win a race. :)

ken k.

08-28-2002, 09:59 AM

Here you go!
http://www.automodelisme.com/article.php?sid=626

There is all kinds of info in the VIP room on Serpents site. The car will be out in November. It will be debuted at the Chicago hobby show next week:)

dg2b

08-28-2002, 01:15 PM

Thanks for the link. I guess I need a login name to go to the VIP room?

I always like the "newest" car but money will be the driver on either getting the 950 or going with something else. I will check out the neo and see what kind of offering they have.

If the 950 is not too far off from the NT's price, then it will not be that bad.

Saboteur

08-28-2002, 01:27 PM

Here is the site for the Neo cars and other brands.

http://www.dsi-int.com/

dg2b

08-28-2002, 01:53 PM

Going into the GSI website showed 1/8 buggy and 1/10th onroad. Any site for the 1/8 onroad would be good.

Saboteur

08-28-2002, 04:51 PM

Well they are supposed to post info and pictures of the Neo cars but I guess they havent yet. Check out my LHS...they still have a sale on the neo cars. Just one thing...the sale ends Sept1st!!!...So snag your wallet, check out the specs, give a call, and buy your neo:D :)

www.ahc1931.com

Neo specials: www.ahc1931.com/neo_specials.html
I want the neo tnt kit that comes with the bmw body and engine.
Its really 179.99 though.

teamorionhk

08-30-2002, 03:16 AM

"I would wait for the "950"..."
Honestly, I have lost my confidence in Serpent's product. Serpent released the following car versions in a very short time span of merely 2 years: Veteq, Veteq 2002, Vector NT and Vector NT 2002.

The car design principle keeps on changing: from split chassis, low CG tank and back to one piece chassis and modified tank. From laydown multi-linkage suspension to now using normal suspension. Everytime when a new design came up, e.g. multi-link suspension, we were told how much better the new design was. However, very often these new designs did not work as well as we were told.

After spending so much money in updating the cars. I decided that I had enough. "950" is not on my menu.

dg2b

08-30-2002, 12:07 PM

Interesting discussion.

Sounds like Serpent had done the "alpha test" and asked the users to spend the money and do the "beta test" for them. They listened to their customer on the complaints and "would have been better" recommendation and now is coming out with a new design thereby outdating or rather obsoleting their current cars.

I am holding off in buying something big at the moment until I see the 950 run or can read more about it. I am also looking at the MRX3. The club which runs 1/8 here seems to be running a lot of Mugen and Picco.

Would love to run 1/8. In the meantime, I'll just keep running my V1R.

mdbeachy

08-30-2002, 12:46 PM

WillJ, thanks for the tip. I ordered from them Wednesday (ground freight) and they had it here Thursday at 2.

mserradebrito

09-14-2002, 07:38 AM

Great car that I have in my buch of R/C cars and fast too with the Rody Roem prepared engine fitted on it 80miles/hr easy it flies !!!!
No need for any special tuning BUT
get a 4WD because two whell drive and it goes all over the place... so take care ...
Mickael

Saboteur

09-14-2002, 07:34 PM

Nice ride dude. I have a nitro ride myself but its a 1/10th 200mm sedan. It tops out at about 58-60mph. Its my first and only nitro as of now, and she's my pride and joy. I took pics of it today at my sisters house and Ill post them soon. Happy Rcing.:cool:

Enrique.v

10-09-2002, 12:21 AM

The 950 will be out soon! SWEEET!!:D

Digit

03-05-2003, 12:03 AM

i might get this car new in box for only 350$, and does any 1 know if i need special wheels, since they arent those quick release types? and also, does it come with engine mounts, clutch, gears, and wheels?

kakolitoy

03-05-2003, 11:38 AM

Anyone wants to sell a 02 NT I am interested.

Digit

03-05-2003, 06:09 PM

does ne1 know if the ofna hyper.21 8port race will fit in this car, or must it specify "on road"

Digit

03-05-2003, 11:00 PM

if the vector nt 2002 spec comes with tires, what shore are they???and again, will the ofna hyper .21 8port race fit in this machine?

Saboteur

03-05-2003, 11:44 PM

Im not sure what shore the foams are. That engine will probably fit, though for onroad cars its best to get an engine that designed for onroad cars. Check out OS's line of onroad .21 engines, Novamega, JP, or RB.

supra528

03-15-2003, 07:21 PM

is it worth getting a vector for my first 1/8 scale car??? i found one (rolling chassis only) and im very serious about getting it... im going to have to wait till my bday to get the engine though but thats like on may 28th... and i also got a spare radio waiting to be installed

mike

Saboteur

03-15-2003, 08:18 PM

The Vector is a great 1/8th car. If you have any problems building or repairing stuff you can always come here or go to serpents webpage.

peterl944

04-14-2003, 10:48 PM

Just finished the build up of an NT. The car seems really great so far, very fast. Only complaint I have is the fuel tank seems to be leaking and it's really making a mess out of the car. I know this has been an issue for a while. I was wondering if maybe there is a new tank out or something or maybe someone has a good fix? I am going to try to find an o-ring that may fit in the cap instead of the foam seal that came in it. I will post if it works out.

Ed Doonan

05-22-2003, 04:44 PM

Hey pete any pic's

your friend in Mass.
ED

peterl944

05-22-2003, 06:52 PM

We gotta meet up and run these things some time. Maybe up in Enfield at the track or something.

I don't have any pics of the car without the body, but it looks like any other Vector NT. I ended up getting a deal on an OS VZR with an OS pipe for it, the motor is pretty fast and seems real reliable.

Here's a pic of the body I painted up though.

peterl944

05-22-2003, 06:59 PM

http://www.radiocontrolzone.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=121747

Ed Doonan

05-22-2003, 07:12 PM

Pete i'm having problems posting pic's. Think you can help me out pm your # i'll call you.

offroadcrazy01

08-25-2003, 01:12 PM

How long have you had your os-zr does keep with the other more costly engines I was thinking about getting one would you buy it again.I was thinking the os-zr or the sirio what do you think os has always been good to me on offroad