Kyosho Ultima DB 1/0 Scale Short Course Racing Buggy Review

I just bought this. Comes with a really fast and responsive steering servo. Great shock setting even as stock. Motor + ESC is responsive but a little slow. Yet, I think it’s meant for stock-class racing. If there’s a mod class, perhaps you could dump a different motor and esc in. I.E. the XeRun SC10 + Hobbywing 3674 size motor, or for those with more to spend, a Novak Havoc Pro SC/Ballistic 550 Short Course System.

As stock, it’s got no lack of torque, as I can even push my baby girl in her stroller around with this, but not enough acceleration or top end speed to get over intermittent jumps. Overall, a very good racer. Excellent steering geometry and suspension geometry. Battery pack position can be easily modified to improve the car’s balance on jumps. Composite chassis is hard as nails and wouldn’t even land a scratch after much kerbside bashing.

Here’s the Kyosho Ultima DB product video. Everyone loves the bikini babe in it.

A further note… I wonder why they call this 1/8 though. It’s the same frame as an SC truck, same tyres as an SC truck. To begin with, an SC truck is a 1/8 length and track. Team Losi Racing (TLR) calls their XXX SCB a 1/10. But that’s the same dimensions as this, in fact 4 cm longer! I hope I won’t be barred from running this at the Bottle Tree Park 1/10 Electrics Offroad Track.

Here’s the original video text:

the Kyosho Ultima DB brings scale back to electric racing in the form of a modern off-road desert racing buggy. it’s large 1/8-scale size comes from the Short Course platform of the Ultima SC, but it’s not just the same truck with a new body. The Ultima DB features a very scale body with a rugged and functional roll cage. The cage attaches to the chassis at six points and withstands very strong impacts without body damage. The solid roof panel is and roll cage are made from a very durably molded composite that will endure much more punishment than an standard body. It also features a rear motor and transmission guard to protect against rear impacts.

The Ultima DB comes completely factory assembled – even the body is trimmed, assembled and the decals are applied. You simply need to install a Ni-MH or Li-Po battery of your choice, attach the body, and you’re ready to run. In spite of all it’s user-friendliness, the Ultima DB is a current design that has the benefit of the World’s most experienced RC racing engineers. The Ultima RB5 and RT5 are at the core of the Ultima DB, which means it not only looks great, it’s shares the same DNA as the race-bred vehicles upon which its based.

Sharing many of the same parts as the Ultima SC, the DB can use most of the replacement parts from the Ultima SC, and its relation with the RB5 and RT5 means that most of the optional high-performance parts are ready to be installed.

The Ultima SC is already on its way to proving that it’s the best performing short-course truck on the market, with commanding wins at the 2010 Silver State at the hands of Joe Pillars, and recently the 2010 Cactus Classic, piloted by Mark Pavidis. All of the performance of the SC is preserved in the Ultima DB, and it’s got the added benefit of a modern, scale desert racing buggy body. There’s simply no better value and performance that you can find in one package.

Truck Beadlock Wheels – What They Are and Why You Probably Don’t Want Them | Tundra Headquarters

Hi folks, I was just getting interested in Rockcrawlers and Short Course Trucks & Short Course Buggies (SCBs). One of the things I noticed is the trend of Beadlock Wheels. How do these work? What are they good for? Are scale Beadlock wheels of any use other than decoration? While we’ll explore scale beadlock wheels in later posts, lets understand more about live-size beadlock wheels….

The following is taken from:

http://www.tundraheadquarters.com/blog/2009/04/29/truck-beadlock-wheels-why-and-what/

Truck Beadlock Wheels – What They Are and Why You Probably Don’t Want Them

Mark | Apr 29, 2009 | Comments 8

When getting more involved in off-roading your truck, it quickly becomes clear that there is a whole world of specialized off-road equipment that exists solely to serve those who are intent on exploring their local wilderness trails. While some of this gear is readily apparent when installed on a truck – like roll bars, nerf bars, and lift kits – there are other items that have a more hidden, mechanical aspect to them, even those which might appear decorative at first.

Anyone interested in off-roading will eventually hear someone talk about beadlock wheels, or perhaps see beadlock wheels installed on a truck. Beadlock wheels are fairly distinctive, as they resemble a standard wheel with a raised steel or polished edge all along the rim which overlaps some of the rubber on the tire. This edge or lip will feature many bolts or rivets.

An example of a simple beadlock rim.

It is easy to mistake this accessory as a fashion statement – indeed, since the look is quite distinctive, many companies offer faux beadlock wheels. However, beadlock wheels are actually a specially designed safety device that is designed to protect drivers from having the bead of their tires separate from their rims while driving.

On a street tire, the bead is firmly held onto the rim due to the air pressure inside the tire. At the inflation pressures recommended by the manufacturer, there is little or no danger of bead separation while cruising down the highway. However, if the pressure is allowed to fall below a certain point, then the grip that the tire’s bead has on the lip of the wheel becomes increasingly tenuous. This could lead to it sliding off at the worst possible time.

Why would someone intentionally lower the air pressure in their tires to the point where it could dangerously separate from the wheel? Off-road, tire deflation is often done in order to create a wider footprint for the tire itself. Releasing air causes more sidewall sag, which in turn widens the contact patch on the tire tread. This can be useful when crossing sandy areas, muddy passages or when attempting to better spread out the weight of a vehicle over soggy or uncertain ground.

In other applications, such as drag racing, tires are frequently run with very little air pressure inside of them to not only increase traction via a wider contact patch, but also to encourage sidewall flex when launching a car or truck off the line. This flex absorbs some of the force of the acceleration and helps to prevent tire chatter and spin.

In both cases, beadlock wheels mechanically lock the tire bead to the rim, taking air pressure out of the equation and helping to ensure that the tire remains firmly in place no matter how wild maneuvers might get out on the trail or the strip. Beadlock wheels can also help save drivers should they suffer a flat tire while miles away from civilization, as they can keep the damaged tire from separating from the rim even at zero inflation. This can often mean the difference between an expensive tow and a long, slow drive back to a service station.

Unless you routinely subject your truck to potentially hazardous trail conditions in the middle of nowhere, then there is probably no need to invest in a set of beadlock wheels. Keep in mind that while they work great at low tire pressures run at low speed, the beadlock wheel design is not approved for standard street use by the DOT. In addition, these special rims are not cheap, and while they might look hardcore, there are definitely other more practical areas where you can spend your money to improve your truck (like lift kits, bigger better off-road tires, skid plates and bars, winches, steel bumpers…etc.).

ADDITION: We neglected to mention some of the other disadvantages to beadlock wheels in this article. Unlike a normal wheel, installing a tire on a beadlock wheel is a time consuming process. Each and every bolt on the beadlock must be carefully tightened in a specific pattern. We mentioned that beadlock wheels are expensive, but we forgot to say that most “cheap” beadlock wheels (with cheap being a relative term) and even many expensive wheels are often impossible to balance. This is a big part of the reason that beadlocks aren’t DOT certified. An unbalanced wheel can be extremely dangerous at highway speeds.

Beadlocks are also maintenance intensive – every time you take them out you’ll need to re-torque all the bolts on the beadlock. If one of them breaks, well, you’re going to need to replace the whole set. The reason? Beadlock bolts are pretty small, and they’re designed to share the load and stress from the tire bead equally. When one of the bolts breaks, the rest are all subjected to an inordinate load…which can cause them to fail at the most inconvenient time. So, the prudent move is to replace the set whenever one of the bolts breaks. (That’s not cheap either.)

Finally, beadlocks are big heavy beasts. Their weight reduces your vehicle’s acceleration abilities, and it doesn’t help your fuel economy either.

Bottom Line: Beadlock wheels are for advanced off-road use only. Unless you’re serious about heavy-duty off-road fun, save your pennies for some other off-road accessories.

via Truck Beadlock Wheels – What They Are and Why You Probably Don’t Want Them | Tundra Headquarters.

Short Course Racing: ROAR States New Buggy Class Rules in the Works – RC Car Action

via Short Course Racing: ROAR States New Buggy Class Rules in the Works – RC Car Action

May 24, 2011  by Trevor “Chilly” Duncan

With the introduction of the Kyosho Ultima DB, and now the Losi SCB, ROAR intends to release rules specific to the Short Course Buggy class. Similar in many ways to the Short Course truck rules, the new buggy rules will also include extra detail related to required body elements and construction, standard offset wheels, permitted accessories, cost controls, etc. The Short Course Buggy class is built using components similar to those used in the SC truck class, but the buggy style body adds an extra dimension of scale appearance, as well as unique performance due to its smaller body that doesn’t catch air on larger jumps. Manufacturers developing Short Course Buggies that would desire to be ROAR legal are encouraged to contact ROAR to discuss the specifics for the class. The rules are nearly complete, but will still require the approval of the ExCom before final publication.

Trevor “Chilly” Duncan