4wd vs 2wd?

[ChumsGum]

I'm looking to get back into the hobby after a 10 year absence. I want to get into off-road electric buggy racing with either a 4wd or a 2wd. Which do you guys prefer and why? Price and maintenance issues are not a factor. Please give me your opinions on 2wd vs 4wd performance/fun factor/etc.

For example, I think 2wds take to the air much better than 4wds.

Thank you in advance.

[Gutter Ball]

Where I race, the 4WD's kick butt! They jump and corner much better than the 2WD's. The 4 and 2WD's race together, so when an XX4 comes pulling up behind, us 2WD's give them the inside and they go on their merry way. I just purchased 2 XX4's!! I just wanna experiment :) I still think all the fun is in 2WD though...but who knows? Maybe I'll convert!

[very low budget racer]

am I the only one that thinks 2wd for bashing is more fun than 4wd?

[outsider]

For most terrain 2WD is great for 1/10 scale. But I would like to try a 4WD and see how it handles.

[nitroracer911]

I can convert my CEN back and forth from 2 to 4WD. 2WD is more fun... 4WD will go faster much quicker off road because of grip.

I would go 2WD. Plus there is less to go wrong...

[outsider]

Anyone have an XX4? I was wondering if this is a good kit. I looked at the exploded view on the website and there appears to be alot of belts. And is the motor between the rear and front axels?

[ChumsGum]

I really don't care about the added maintenance that comes with 4wds.

What I really want to know is what makes a 2wd or 4wd buggy more fun than the other? Why is it that we enjoy bashing with a 2wd more so than a 4wd?

At your track, do the 4wds consistantly beat out the 2wds?

[Serius Black]

The XX4 is a great car, the Worlds Edition is probably the best performing 4wd on the market at this time. That's not to say that you couldn't beat a XX4 with a Schumacher or Yokomo, but the XX4 is a little more capable out of the box.
I've run a Yokomo MX4 and the Losi, and can tell you first hand that the XX4 is far easier to build and maintain. It also felt much easier to drive, and tended to respond to tuning changes a little more predictably.
Before you run out and buy a 4wd buggy, head out to your local track on a race night and make sure there are enough people running 4wd to keep things interesting. If there are only three guys running 4wd on a good night, you may want to stick to truck or 2wd buggy.
I've turned my fastest laps ever running 4wd, and the fastest lap ever recorded on ANY layout on our track was set by a 4wd buggy (driven by a 14 year old kid).
The downside to 4wd is that you'll have to run saddle packs, you WILL be doing more maintenance than you would on a 2wd, and batteries and motors will suffer a little more due to more drag in the drive train, and the fact that you've got two more wheels to turn.

[jeepinator]

Originally posted by ChumsGum:
Why is it that we enjoy bashing with a 2wd more so than a 4wd?

I only "bash" with my monster truck(s) ... but, it may be because the 2WD's or more durable ? Less susceptable to breaking that bashing often causes ?

For me 4WD drive is more fun on the track because I can drive way more "loose" and hang it out a little. I can make the doubles if even I take a bad line, I can do 4 wheel drifts around sweepers, etc
Things you may not want to do racing, but fun when "practicing" on the track. So, for me 2WD is not more fun than 4WD.

[PCC]

I own a HPI Nitro MT Racer. It is a shaft-drive 1/10 scale 4WD truck. Off-road, it is plenty fast and corners well. This is because of the 4WD.

When I lost a CVD pin on my front axle the truck suddenly felt like the rear end was on ice. I couldn't keep it going straight unless I was really easy on the throttle. The back end whips around in the blink of an eye with RWD and I have a high-speed/high-torque steering servo (Hitec 925MG).

I can't imagine trying to drive a 2WD buggy with a high-strung race engine around a track when I'm having a hard time controlling a 4WD truck as it is.

[Serius Black]

PCC -

Driving a car that was designed to be 2wd is much easier than driving a 4wd that breaks a belt or loses a CVD pin. I've lost front wheel drive on my belt driven HPI cars, and driving with only power to the rear wheels is nearly impossible.
If you pulled the car off the track and messed around with tires, suspension, and weight distribution, you might be able to get the former 4wd car to handle a bit better, but positioning of the battery, motor, and electronics in a 2wd vehicle make it inherently more stable.

[chucksolo]

I for one enjoy both. I, like Jeepinator, only bash my trucks though but I enjoy the sheer speed of my 2wd Nitro Rustler and then the power of my 4wd T-Maxx is a blast. Either on will be fun. It all boils down to what you plan to do with the car/truck.

[Gutter Ball]

I just got my XX4 today! Needs to be fixed up though. I had a 9T Double in my B2 and let me tell ya, the back end on that thing was soooooooooooooo hard to control. I thought it was me, so I let the top 2WD driver give my car a go. Heh, he was surprised that the back end would swing out so easily. He suggested I go with a higher turn motor. Not wanting to buy another motor, I just set the throttle ATV down to 50%. Still squirrely, so now I'm running a 16T Double and have MUCH better control. Hmmm, what would be a good turn motor to put in a XX4???

[TC3Racer]

yea thats a good thing to point out. in 4WD there are lots of belts. in 2WD you dont have to worry about any of that stuff.

[jeepinator]

I am not a big Losi fan ... but I must say that the XX-4 is one extremely well ballanced car. It is easy to drive insanely fast. I love it !
But, the huge downside to this kit is maintenance. The dreaded rear diff rebuild makes me get queesy just thinking about it :p
I spend 4 hours wrenching on my XX-4 for every 1 hour spent on my B3.

I quite simply think 4WD is more fun on the track. If you plan on racing, be sure there is a big enough 4WD class to race with.