THE Cub Report, Version- Enough New Cars

Hey now everyone. Whether you be a notorious industry insider, or a first day noob, here is a hearty welcome to THE Cub Report.

While I was out in Cincy last week I ran across some guys bashing in a parking lot. I don’t see guys just out bashing all that often, so of course I had to pull my rental car in and take a look. The parking lot guys were driving normal bash trucks- ECX, Traxxas, and ARRMA were all represented. All the trucks were electric, and although a bit on the cold side, it looked like they were having a blast.

I love talking to everyday bashers, I feel like I can learn more from them than from talking to one of the industry’s elite, so of course I started up a convo. All four guys were fairly new to the hobby, one guy got a truck about a month ago, then another, etc. We had a great chat and I feel like they learned a lot from me, but perhaps I learned more from them.

One of our main topics of conversation was how they all wanted to upgrade. While they liked their trucks, they all wanted more. Here is where I found out something odd- instead of installing a series of hop-ups to gain performance, they all simply wanted to buy new trucks. Seemingly gone are the days of spinning some wrenches to go faster, now, at least to them, it was about cutting another big check for an entirely new vehicle.

But… you guys that have been in the hobby for a while know what I’m talking about here, if those guys would have installed some relatively inexpensive hop-ups, chances are their current trucks would end up being faster/tougher than the new trucks they were wanting to buy.

There are plenty of “cheap” mods on the market that can make a huge improvement to an affordable RTR. Heck, shock oil is dirt cheap and can turn an ill handling beast into a truck that stays planted everywhere. Simple ride height and camber adjustments are FREE and can also transform the handling of a truck. Spend a little more money on some high-end Pro-Line wheels/tires and a LOT of traction can instantly be had, in fact, more traction than is likely to be found on any RTR at any price point.

I wonder if many hobbyists don’t know what a truly kick ass handling vehicle actually feels like to drive. Me, just like many of you, are spoiled. We know the huge difference that a Futaba 4PX with a high-end Hitec servo can make on a vehicle. We know how a Spektrum AVC can transform an undriveable car into one that is dialed. We know how much more raw wattage there is to be had from a Castle brushless system running on a high quality Lithium battery. I know, I know, much of today’s marketing is all about the latest and greatest cars, but it seems like some of the leaders in our industry have lost sight that the best progression in this hobby is – new car, hop it up, then new car. Not just new car, new car, new car.

Hey, I like new cars as much as the next guy, but I typically only get one when an older unit is worn out, not just because I want to hop on the latest weekly car trend. And… hop-ups make the most improvement on low end RTRs. You can start with a high-end Durango and throw hop-ups on it and make it somewhat better, but massive improvements can be made to an ECX AMP series vehicle for very little cash.

All I’m saying is… if you are a noob, try improving your gearing, optimizing your shock oil, and throwing on some good tires before you cut the $500 check on a new rig. You might be amazed just how good your current truck can be with very little money out of pocket.

That’s it for this week, get out and support your local hobby shops and bash spots when ya can!

YOUR Cub Reporter