ASK Cubby – Legit Questions, Questionable Answers

“Basher to racer

I just got into rc in may of 2015 and your website has been my most valuable resource for learning about whats out there. Now I have evolved from a back yard basher to a wannabe offroad racer. Everyone knows just by going to a race which buggies and sc trucks are the best on the market. But the electrics used at the track on race day are obscenely expensive. Is there any way you could review some budget brushless systems against high end tekin and orion systems. Also can you win with an older version of the high end stuff ie. B44.1 against b44.3 or tlr scte against the 3.0 version just a couple examples.

Just something to give bashers confidence to go the track and compete at club races. And not break the bank.

Chris B.”

Cubby- Yo to the yo Chris, excellent letter you sent in.

I have told this story several times before. A couple years ago I watched Kinwald run an old school RC10 in the vintage class and run laps just a few tenths off what he (and the other big pros) were running with modern equipment. Of course Brian was using modern tires and electronics, but the chassis was as old school as it gets and he was less than a second off the fastest lap of the day by a modern chassis. What did that tell me? 1. That Kinwald is still insanely talented. 2. That modern racing is more about tires than the chassis. 3. That Kinwald could still pwn the local fast guys at most local tracks with an old gold tub. And lastly, 4. I can’t beat him even on his worst day running a 20 year old platform.

So, can you win with an older version buggy? Brian sure can, but then he is 100 times the racer you or I will ever be. I will say this to you Chris, a one year old platform, or two years old, or three year old, isn’t going to be a huge deal at the local level for a beginner racer. What is a huge deal is practice. You can cut more off your lap times by simply practicing than anything else. The number two thing you can do for faster lap times is to run the proper tires. Rc racing has become a game of having the right tires on at the right time, they aren’t cheap, but they are proven to make all the difference in the world for lap times.

Btw, on your comment of “Everyone knows just by going to a race which buggies and sc trucks are the best on the market.”. I would change that comment to “Everyone knows just by going to a race which driver is the best.”. I am quite confident that Tessmann, or Tebo, or Cavalieri, could win using TLR, Associated, Kyosho, or HB Racing. Just because your local fast guy wins using brand X certainly does not mean that is the best buggy to have. Nearly all the top brands are equally fast, it’s just that some have better parts support than others, some are easier to drive fast, and some are better for certain styles of tracks.

Lastly… you would like to see a comparison between “high-end” electronics and those that are more affordable. That would be pretty cool to do, but this is a bashing website, therefore we aren’t going to review a lot of high-end sensored gear. So the question becomes, can you win with affordable gear at your local track? Maybe, but that depends a whole lot on how good of a driver you are. I am certain that Kinwald can pwn you or me with the cheapest crap to ever come out of Happy Flower Speedo Company, but he would certainly pwn us even worse by using the latest and greatest from a better company. Do you have to pay the big bucks for electronics? I think it is a waste until you are at least to the point where you can complete an entire race day without crashing. Once you get to that point, THEN start worrying about cutting bigger checks for nicer electronics. But if you are still crashing 3-5 times per heat/main, you can save a whole lot more time simply by staying on all four wheels (read- you need a LOT more practice).

“X-Maxx Battery

Hi Cubby. You do a great job, I can’t wait to read the Cub report every monday. I have read every single one of them, where’s my prize?

My question to you is what batteries would you recommend for my X-Maxx? I have been running a pair of 3S turnigy, but now one is all puffed up. I am scared to even keep it in my house.

Keep up the good work,

Francis M.”

Cubby- Well hello there Francis, thanks for the email.

So you have read every single Cub Report? That does deserve some sort of prize. I haven’t counted them up (maybe one of you super-fans can) but there is a LOT of them. Shoot me your snail mail so I can send you some sort of surprise package.

First off… what do you do with a “puffed” LiPo? I don’t know what the official company line is right now, but I discharge mine at a very low rate until completely discharged, I want to get all the energy out of them before I head to my local Best Buy to recycle/drop them off. I discharge mine down to 3 volts per cell on my charger (at a 1C rate), than attach a single automotive light bulb (about a 2 amp draw) until the light goes completely out (which is just a few seconds). Yes, I know some people keep on driving with a puffed pack until it simply doesn’t work any more, but for safety concerns I personally do not.

So to get to your real question, what are some kick azz packs for the Traxxas X-Maxx? The best that I have personally used are the MaxAmps 2 x 3S 9000s. Nope, they aren’t cheap, but they put out fantastic voltage for a 6S set-up and have insanely long runtimes compared to most other packs. You can read our full review Right Here.

So there ya have it, yet another ASK Cubby is in the books. Do you have a burning question? Need relationship advice? Don’t have any other friends to write to? If so, shoot me an email- thecubreportrc at gmail dot com. If I get around to actually reading your email, it might make the big time here on BigSquidRC. If it does, you’ll get a free BSRC stick pack, or if you are even luckier, I might deem it “Letter of the Month” and you’ll win a BSRC t-shirt.

YOUR Cub Reporter