RTR or "Team Built"?

[LucasRacing]

Im trying to get into this "racing scene". My interest has been jumping back and forth between monster trucks and racing trucks.(triple-xt's, T3, ect.) But I have finally made my mind up. Im going to get a T3(sorry Losi guys). I have heard that getting the new RTR T3 is a waste of money because youll spend way more money getting hop-ups than just starting out with a FT. I DONT HAVE ENOUGH MONEY FOR A FT! By the time I get all the electronics and motor ill have enough money for a college education. Plus im not one of those "if you didn't build it, it aint worth having" type of guy. I am a big RTR fan. The "Team Built" T3 has cought my eye. Its only $153. But its still more money than the RTR by the time you get a radio system and electrics and a good motor. My question is: Is the RTR T3 a good enough truck to start off in racing?

After I make some more money ill get a high quallity radio and esc, ect. ect.

[XXXER]

Hey Lucas, glad to see you found the BB, i think you might remember me from chat, but this place is much better for getting some Technical questions answered.

Is it good enough to race? Out of the box, not quite...You see, the RTR comes with a 20Turn motor, sealed endbell, which is not a stock motor, so you will need to pick one of those up. Bearings, you know that bearings are essential, so you need some of those. You will end up spending more, if you upgrade your truck to FT specs, I always say, get the best now, it is just better and cheaper in the long run.

You will need some basic tuning things(shock pistons, springs, tires, etc.) But the truck uses the same geometry as all of the other ones, so, it is an Ok truck for racing, in my opinion.

[HauntedMyst]

It is cheaper in the long run, but really, most of those this are a waste of money unless you are at the high end of racing. I have a Team and a Factory Team and there is no performance difference. 9 out of 10 times I race the team for fear of scratching or damaging the FT, which is nonsense on my part. Bottom line, get the team truck.

[F.A.S.T. Racing]

Hi Lucas. I bought a T3 RTR for my son in April. We race at The Dirt in Hemet, CA. It's right down the street from our house (how cool is that?!). The RTR is raceable after a few changes. The stock steering servo that came with ours had plastic gears and broke with the second battery run. HiTec will warranty it with a set of metal gears.
I spoke with a guy at Associated just today, who told me that they are changing to metal gears in production now. Try to order a new kit and you should get metal gears off the bat. The stock motor is slow, but will help you learn how to drive (it helped my son). Better to go around slow, than fast and crash. A Reedy MVP upgrade (about $30.00) will make you competitive in the stock class. It is rebuildable. The speed control should work fine as long as you keep an eye on temperature. We ran three batteries in a row without stopping to let it cool, and smoked it (this is our first truck. We didn't know any better). Associated is taking care of that for me also. The stock tires depending on where you race might be ok. We changed to step pins for our track. about twenty bucks. The suspension seems fine the way it is. We went to lighter shock oil when we first serviced the shocks, but kept the valving the same. We run the recommended setup in the manual.
The Associated guys are very cool, and really care about customer support. They have handled everything that broke or smoked.
They want your business, and I am glad I gave them mine. We just started racing, and really feel welcomed by their support. I bought bearings, but haven't installed them yet. I'm going to use the bushings up first.We're not fast enough yet for them to make a difference. Buy the RTR, and spend a little at a time later. Good racing!

[LucasRacing]

I really apriciate all the reply's. There long too. But great information! I will consider all of the opinions. I need to weigh them out a little($$$ wise).


Thanks Again! :D