Opinions Needed Please :)
 

Forewarning, this will be a bit long winded, but I hope you guys can get a feel for where I am at and help me out. Honest opinions please.

Hey guys, I am a bit, ok probably quite a bit, of a true electric noob... My first hobby grade RC was a Losi XXT kit that my dad bought for me when I was a young kid. Then we moved to T-maxxs, then last year I stepped up to my Baja 5B :party:. You guys are seeing the trend I am sure, a true lack of purely electric powered vehicles.

Anyways, I am a college student and am looking for something quiet that I can run on campus. As much as I love my Baja, its out of the question due to the noise. Pooop! Soo I started thinking about building an onroad backslash, but after thinking about it, with a road vehicle I think I would prefer 4wd, so 4x4 backslash, then thinking about it again I was thinking revo suspension is notorious for being great, so maybe find a slayer roller and go from there. Ironically, that night I stumbled upon this thread here http://www.rc-monster.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21901. First off :surprised: and 2nd, its like a backslash but with lower cog and revo suspension - its my ideal rc project. (Kudos to Ethan, I really enjoyed reading that build thread.)

So, if I go down that route, it would probably be a project that I would work on as time and money come along, but I am absolutely CLUELESS with what electronics I would stuff in there. My main requirements are Affordability, Reliability, Run Time, and Power - in that order. I like torque and speed, and from what I gather, the new battery and motor technology gives you the best of both worlds, unlike my much loved gas models.

I understand running packs in series and parallel and mah ratings and such, but need some help for what a good motor and esc combo would be. No LHS's in the city where my college is, so if possible I would like some power, but I dont want to tear apart the vehicle at the same time. I am guessing 2s or 3s would be about right, but really have no clue.

Thoughts? Is the revo suspension really all that?

Welcome to RCMonster!!!!

My initial thought is that the Slayer conversion is going to be a bit on the expensive side. I've done Revo conversions (been here, done that!), and my Converted 3.3 now sits on a shelf, probably never to be driven again. The technology gained with the new buggys, truggys, and SC's makes them a more affordable, and most importantly, much more reliable conversion.

I had sworn off Traxxas after I got my Flux, and proceeded to liquidate all of my Traxxas stuff. But recently I got the SC bug, and now have two Slash 4x4's. WHat I like about them is 1) affordable, 2) year round ability to use them, 3) they can be set up for offroad and on road and be fun and competetive at both. I like the set up of the SCRT-10 and I think the OFNA? SC 4x4 better than the Slash, but I liked the waterproof side of the Slash, and didn't want to spend time and money on doing conversions.

With the Slayer, you'll def want to ditch the tranny - that weight alone will make your truck much heavier than a center diff. Looks like a fun project, but if your doing it on a college budget, my bet is that it will be sitting in a closet until spring quarter, then when you need beer money, we'll see it being sold as a roller!

My 2cents
 

Get a 4x4 Slash
New Rollers are availible on Ebay for $150.00
Get a Mamba Monster 2650 combo $225, Can be found even cheaper.
3-3s Lipos and a charger via Hobby King (since your on a budget) Approx $150

One of the cheapest ways out and durability of the Slash is pretty dang good, with the addition of Platinum Edition parts it is next to bullet proof providing the slipper is set correctly.
And yes, it'll be very fast also !

To build or convert anything else 4wd and durable your likely spend hundreds more.

Bummer, was hoping for some more input. While out cleaning the garage today (alternative motives - another project with my father, his '69 Dart) I was thinking about the responses you guys gave. Sounds like either 1) you guys arent up for doing much fab work :P or 2) its just a bad idea. Im guessing #2. So tossing out the Sluggy idea, I started thinking maybe Ill do a 4x4 Backslash after all, but then I came across a box containing all of our old narrow maxx parts and some UE parts...

I started thinking about doing something similar to a gorillamax build, but with a homebrew chassis and narrow a arms (we got into Tmaxxes when they first came out, so we have narrow rpm arms, cvds, lunsford turnbuckles, etc) and that will put me at about 317mm width at the hubs, so right around a buggy width. Yeah I am sure buggies have better steering geometry and all that great stuff, but I enjoy stuff that stands out.

So with that said, im thinking T/E-maxx front and rear ends, buggy diff like a Mugen or something-I need to do a search and see what the rest of you guys use as center diffs, Mambe Monster 2650 combo???, 3s2p battery combo???-help me out here guys, flat pan chassis with braces , 17mm buggy wheels and street tires, narrow maxx cvds, buggy body, wing and wing mount, and probably a revo spec driveshaft cut to an appropriate length as a center dogbone. I have virtually everything except the buggy specific parts and electric components...

Don't get me wrong, the slash looks very capable, I just think for doing something like a backslash conversion, it could be done better, plus I have a box of nice, albeit outdated, parts that are collecting dust.

Am I still off my rocker?

Whatever you decide, the first things I like to consider when doing a new build are:

- Parts availability. It's always nice to have a vehicle that will have parts for quite a while. No sense building something that will be obsolete soon.

- Amount of custom work. It's not that most people here don't like making custom parts, it's more about fixing/remaking it when/if it breaks. If a custom part breaks, your day is done and the truck is down until you can remake the broken part. This is fine if you have the files for those parts and a CNC machine to make them, but when your custom work is a one-off part created via dremel tool, it can be a PITA. If you want something you will be using a lot, I would stick to something pre-built and just add the motor mount, battery tray, etc from the RCMonster store. Makes things much easier.

As far as specific vehicle: I would just go with a good buggy of your choice (Ofna, Mugen, etc). They are basically bullet proof, have lots of metal parts where it counts (driveshafts, etc), flat chassis for low COG, strong diffs, etc. A buggy platform can also be used to make a CORR truck with little modification if that's your thing. And they are light enough where 4s on a 2000kv motor is perfect. A MMM/2650 setup on 4s would be a pretty good place to start IMO.

I guess after making a bunch of different vehicles, I've found that vehicles that "stand out" are the ones that stay broken longer because of their unique-ness.

Thank you for the input BrianG :). Definitely thought about parts availability and amount of custom work. Both very good points...

Realistically the one thing that would be the only "custom" part would be the chassis and yes making another one via dremel and even with a di grinder, well making one the first time is fun, second time, not so much. Everything else I am shooting to be able to pick up from either the LHS or online should it break.

Do most buggies run 1 or 2 packs at the same time? It seems like it is a lot easier to evenly distribute the weight with only one pack, 2 is challenging lol.

I've done a buggy with 2s saddle packs and the same one with one 4s pack. The saddle pack was probably better balanced, but overall heavier. And finding a place to put everything and have it all fit under a buggy body can be challenging. The single pack route is simpler and cleaner looking, and requires less wiring (no Y cable to the ESC).

Alright, well tomorrow I am going to talk to my boss (I build lightweight racing rims-its wicked cool and by far a fun job) and see if in the next time he orders materials if he would be willing to sell me a sheet of 6061. It should be cheaper since we order in bulk. I dont think we ever use 7075.. hmmm.

Single pack it is :P Guess whether I go 3 or 4s will depend on the power system down the road... Should run times of say ~20 minutes be attainable with a single pack? I am sorry I sound like such an idiot!

Plus wheels, body, battery charger, radio (extra receiver even)... Now I remember why I got my baja last summer :lol:. Its ok, I know, you gotta pay to play :P

Where can one find a Mamba Monster 2650 combo for a price that good? Ebay?

Also, where do you guys stand on external BEC's? I notice the Mambe Monster has an internal one, but after doing some reading, it seems like many folks recommend investing in an external BEC as well.?