PLEASE see my latest video where I discovered the rear shocks have different shaft lengths from factory! One thing id like to comment on post-video: Here in MI it is hovering around 100 degrees F. For climates over 90 I would recommend upgrading the ESC fan. I was able to fit a 30x30mm fan no issues. Its a bit tight but any 30x30mm fan (commonly used for motor fans) should work just fine. Prior to upgrading the fan I was hitting about 185 internal temp on the ESC. Now im closer to 150. 185 is the highest I want to see any of my ESCs at. For awareness max motor temp per Spektrum manual is 300 degrees F. Seems a bit high to me but have not come remotely close to that.
@@smurfwithavette yeah we have had some hot temps in SE Mi. Dirt Burners man when it’s hot outside it gets toasty in there , Novi track too, straight in the sun. 300 is super hot agreed, I try to keep stuff under 160 when possible.
How tall of a battery pack can you fit in this car? Would a 1.65 inch tall pack fit? I am thinking about ordering this buggy but I would really like to use the batteries I already have lol
Can't u adjust the steering trim individually with the transmitter by putting it in set up mode and I think u pull the trigger and turn the wheel to the right to adjust the right side etc.?
This is true! Unsure if it is detailed in the manual that comes with the buggy. If not, it is in the transmitter manual online. The bluetooth module/phone app just makes it much easier and allows for quick, precise adjustments.
So I’ve read a handful of reviews on Amazon, AMain and Tower Hobbies and there were as many one star ratings as all the others combined. Most of them had to do with missing diff and shock fluids and screw issues, over or under tightened, can’t recall. Basically poor QC issues. To be fair there may have been a dozen reviews total between the three sites. What is your opinion? Do you think these were rare, random bad kits shipped, even though they had the same issues? Is there QC issues with Losi/Horizon and this is more common, and concerning, than reported? I was 90 percent sold on this as a RTR but admittedly the reviews are lowering that percentage. I know RTRs aren’t top of the line primo and I fully expect to break and replace parts as time and crashes dictate. But what troubles me here are the out of the box complaints before a single minute ran. Sorry to ramble but I’m hoping to get yours, and anyone else who would like to chime in, opinions about the bulk of these limited reviews being mostly negative. Thank you :)
So here's the good news. Its still a great buggy and Horizon has 10/10 customer service. I think these issues are ridiculous but likely valid. If you buy this buggy, just make sure you go through everything (tear down wheel hubs, diff/shock fluids, check meshes, ect). I would recommend checking out my latest video on this buggy, where I have run into several issues including a missing wheel bearing and different rear shock shaft lengths! Horizon sent me everything I needed to correct the buggy(s). th-cam.com/video/HUF5OBoXGA8/w-d-xo.html Like I said, still a great buggy for the price in my opinion. Nothing wrong with a teardown out of the box (for new folks it would be a learning experience and for experienced folks it would give them peace of mind). Happy to answer additional questions about this buggy I have quite a bit of time on the track and wrenching around on it.
@@smurfwithavette I appreciate your reply. I’ve built one kit, have another to do, rebuilt a lot of stuff I’ve broken and upgraded but there’s still plenty I don’t know. If I may with some questions … what weight diff/shock juice? I’ve only changed one pinion gear, don’t understand exactly how to check mesh. So far I’ve been “if the gears turn smoothly it’s great!” Is there something I should actually be doing? About the same time as your video here I saw another guy’s video and then his second where he speed tested it. Car ran great but had an annoying metallic whine, is this common? Or are his diffs dry? Haven’t seen any follow ups from him yet so not sure what he found if anything. With some reservations I’m probably going to still buy this buggy, already bought two batteries for a couple hundred in anticipation, really don’t want to switch to the Arrma or spend almost three times the amount to assemble a kit. Just kind of frustrated that out of all the vehicles I have, this will very likely be the first out of the box to be an issue. I appreciate your feedback, wish me luck! lol
@@Dirk_T_13 So on the fluids, its going to be personal preference and will depend on the track conditions. Track conditions include how wet/dry the surface is, and how grippy the surface is. I am on a outdoor HIGH grip track. It will take time and experimentation to understand how X change in diff or shock weight will change car characteristic wise. Just know that when tuning with fluids, its about finding the sweet spot. For example, thinner front diff fluid will increase off power steering and thicker front diff fluid will increase on power steering. You might not know YET what unstable off-power vs on-power steering feels like. I would buy a bunch of different diff fluids ranging from like 5k to 15k and experiment with different setups. I run 10-10-7 (10k front, 10k center, 7k rear) as a starting point and experiment from there. Trust me, you will notice a different when changing fluids, keep in mind that tires make a good deal of difference too (this might be a bit more advanced). Shock fluids are the same, takes time and experimentation, I run 47.5 front and 40 rear). Also keep in mind that everything here is personal preference. What combo that makes you go quick may not make another person go quick. Google "tekno Differentials-and-Gearing1.pdf" and you will see a 1 page guide on tuning diff/shock fluids. Now on the gear mesh, this is something that I always have found hard. A metal pinion on a metal spur gear is always going to sound 'bad' (like there's something maybe wrong when there's really not). Eventually you will know what it sounds like when it is REALLY bad, requiring immediate attention. Basically what you want to do, is hold the spur gear in place with 1 finger and wiggle the pinion with another finger. The pinion should have a VERY little amount of play. I am talking, just enough to see and hear a click as you wiggle it. Look up this 5 min video for a EZPZ guide: "Set Your RC Car Gear Mesh The RIGHT Way by DO RC"
I would never set my cutoff below 3,4V , otherwise you risk damaging your lipos. And the auto detect will always detect the correct number of cells no matter how much they're charged. The difference in voltage is to high to make a miscalculation. And usually when no 7075 aluminium is used its 6061 aluminium 99% of the time.
All good info, I would have rather they charged another hundred or two more and keep the better chassis, few bits here and there. I’d immediately upgrade this for Pro Line positrons, at least for my local track (mostly slightly damp clay). Or I can just build the kit 🤷♂️ I’m at a quandary to just buy this (have a Serpent rtr truggy that needs some work and waiting - again, for parts) orrrr i know someone selling a Tekno ET48 slider that’s very lightly used… catch is pretty much need to buy everything, dude wants $500 🤷♂️ All that said I really don’t race much, just run laps at open practice, maybe race a few friends for lols…
Agreed. If they priced this at $750ish and included more hop-ups, that would have been well worth it. I'm actually running positrons right now! Great tire on my local outdoor med-high grip track.
The plastic chassis was a dealbreaker. I race with my ARRMA Typhon “TLR” tuned (nothing on that thing is actually TLR but OG Team Durango DEX8, but Horizon will use whatever branding they can) and it comes fully loaded without cheaping out in the aluminum parts.
A fully charged 3s pack is roughly 12.6 volts (4.2v/cell). Storage voltage on my 4s packs is 3.8 volts per cell, with 75% charged roughly 4 volts per cell. 4 volts multiplied by 4 cells equals 12 volts being reported to the esc when plugged in. Esc will figure the pack (12v) is closer to a 3s (12.6v) than 4s (16.8v), and operate assuming it is a 3s pack, draining the voltage per cell well under 3 volts (absolute minimum I would want it at!). Only exception I can think of is MAYBE it knows my Spektrum batteries are a 4s because of the smart technology. Curious what your thoughts are.
@@smurfwithavette a 3s battery is a damn 3s battery no matter if it’s charged or flat! A 4s battery is a 4s battery no matter if it’s charged or flat. Can tell we live in the gender “fluid” era, when kids think a battery can choose to identify what “s” it is dependant on how charged it is. Seriously
@@smurfwithavette I despise the "gender fluid" crap comment by @mr33spitnbarz28, but his initial comment is "kind of" correct even though he seems to be confused that the ESC knows how many cells are present. It's like he got the math answer correct but had no idea how the formula worked. Your math is off "4 volts multiplied by 4 cells equals 12 volts" is wrong. It's 16V. I have my ESC set to 4S because that's all I run, but a safe 3.2V cutoff for 4S should yield you 12.8V which technically could look like a 3S battery at max charge, but generally they'd be slightly higher than that initially and would most likely still be detected as 4S. Edit: I would recommend a cutoff of 3.2 to 3.4V generally as well, so you should be safe.
PLEASE see my latest video where I discovered the rear shocks have different shaft lengths from factory!
One thing id like to comment on post-video: Here in MI it is hovering around 100 degrees F. For climates over 90 I would recommend upgrading the ESC fan. I was able to fit a 30x30mm fan no issues. Its a bit tight but any 30x30mm fan (commonly used for motor fans) should work just fine. Prior to upgrading the fan I was hitting about 185 internal temp on the ESC. Now im closer to 150. 185 is the highest I want to see any of my ESCs at.
For awareness max motor temp per Spektrum manual is 300 degrees F. Seems a bit high to me but have not come remotely close to that.
@@smurfwithavette yeah we have had some hot temps in SE Mi. Dirt Burners man when it’s hot outside it gets toasty in there , Novi track too, straight in the sun. 300 is super hot agreed, I try to keep stuff under 160 when possible.
How tall of a battery pack can you fit in this car? Would a 1.65 inch tall pack fit? I am thinking about ordering this buggy but I would really like to use the batteries I already have lol
I’m eager to know this too
Just dropped a 6 pound spring on each corner with a small spacer and oh my God is a wheeling machine!!!
Can't u adjust the steering trim individually with the transmitter by putting it in set up mode and I think u pull the trigger and turn the wheel to the right to adjust the right side etc.?
Yep! This is a thing. But theres a level of higher precision that you can get with the app which makes it a bit nicer
There is a way to set the end points for the steering without the bluetooth, you just have to put it into learing mode.
This is true! Unsure if it is detailed in the manual that comes with the buggy. If not, it is in the transmitter manual online. The bluetooth module/phone app just makes it much easier and allows for quick, precise adjustments.
So I’ve read a handful of reviews on Amazon, AMain and Tower Hobbies and there were as many one star ratings as all the others combined. Most of them had to do with missing diff and shock fluids and screw issues, over or under tightened, can’t recall. Basically poor QC issues. To be fair there may have been a dozen reviews total between the three sites. What is your opinion? Do you think these were rare, random bad kits shipped, even though they had the same issues? Is there QC issues with Losi/Horizon and this is more common, and concerning, than reported? I was 90 percent sold on this as a RTR but admittedly the reviews are lowering that percentage. I know RTRs aren’t top of the line primo and I fully expect to break and replace parts as time and crashes dictate. But what troubles me here are the out of the box complaints before a single minute ran. Sorry to ramble but I’m hoping to get yours, and anyone else who would like to chime in, opinions about the bulk of these limited reviews being mostly negative. Thank you :)
So here's the good news. Its still a great buggy and Horizon has 10/10 customer service. I think these issues are ridiculous but likely valid. If you buy this buggy, just make sure you go through everything (tear down wheel hubs, diff/shock fluids, check meshes, ect). I would recommend checking out my latest video on this buggy, where I have run into several issues including a missing wheel bearing and different rear shock shaft lengths! Horizon sent me everything I needed to correct the buggy(s). th-cam.com/video/HUF5OBoXGA8/w-d-xo.html
Like I said, still a great buggy for the price in my opinion. Nothing wrong with a teardown out of the box (for new folks it would be a learning experience and for experienced folks it would give them peace of mind). Happy to answer additional questions about this buggy I have quite a bit of time on the track and wrenching around on it.
@@smurfwithavette I appreciate your reply. I’ve built one kit, have another to do, rebuilt a lot of stuff I’ve broken and upgraded but there’s still plenty I don’t know. If I may with some questions … what weight diff/shock juice? I’ve only changed one pinion gear, don’t understand exactly how to check mesh. So far I’ve been “if the gears turn smoothly it’s great!” Is there something I should actually be doing? About the same time as your video here I saw another guy’s video and then his second where he speed tested it. Car ran great but had an annoying metallic whine, is this common? Or are his diffs dry? Haven’t seen any follow ups from him yet so not sure what he found if anything. With some reservations I’m probably going to still buy this buggy, already bought two batteries for a couple hundred in anticipation, really don’t want to switch to the Arrma or spend almost three times the amount to assemble a kit. Just kind of frustrated that out of all the vehicles I have, this will very likely be the first out of the box to be an issue. I appreciate your feedback, wish me luck! lol
@@Dirk_T_13 So on the fluids, its going to be personal preference and will depend on the track conditions. Track conditions include how wet/dry the surface is, and how grippy the surface is. I am on a outdoor HIGH grip track. It will take time and experimentation to understand how X change in diff or shock weight will change car characteristic wise. Just know that when tuning with fluids, its about finding the sweet spot. For example, thinner front diff fluid will increase off power steering and thicker front diff fluid will increase on power steering. You might not know YET what unstable off-power vs on-power steering feels like. I would buy a bunch of different diff fluids ranging from like 5k to 15k and experiment with different setups. I run 10-10-7 (10k front, 10k center, 7k rear) as a starting point and experiment from there. Trust me, you will notice a different when changing fluids, keep in mind that tires make a good deal of difference too (this might be a bit more advanced). Shock fluids are the same, takes time and experimentation, I run 47.5 front and 40 rear). Also keep in mind that everything here is personal preference. What combo that makes you go quick may not make another person go quick. Google "tekno Differentials-and-Gearing1.pdf" and you will see a 1 page guide on tuning diff/shock fluids.
Now on the gear mesh, this is something that I always have found hard. A metal pinion on a metal spur gear is always going to sound 'bad' (like there's something maybe wrong when there's really not). Eventually you will know what it sounds like when it is REALLY bad, requiring immediate attention. Basically what you want to do, is hold the spur gear in place with 1 finger and wiggle the pinion with another finger. The pinion should have a VERY little amount of play. I am talking, just enough to see and hear a click as you wiggle it. Look up this 5 min video for a EZPZ guide: "Set Your RC Car Gear Mesh The RIGHT Way by DO RC"
I would never set my cutoff below 3,4V , otherwise you risk damaging your lipos.
And the auto detect will always detect the correct number of cells no matter how much they're charged. The difference in voltage is to high to make a miscalculation.
And usually when no 7075 aluminium is used its 6061 aluminium 99% of the time.
Thank you man keep making videos about this car please
Thank you! I had a pretty crazy finding. If you are considering this buggy check out my latest video.
All good info, I would have rather they charged another hundred or two more and keep the better chassis, few bits here and there. I’d immediately upgrade this for Pro Line positrons, at least for my local track (mostly slightly damp clay). Or I can just build the kit 🤷♂️
I’m at a quandary to just buy this (have a Serpent rtr truggy that needs some work and waiting - again, for parts) orrrr i know someone selling a Tekno ET48 slider that’s very lightly used… catch is pretty much need to buy everything, dude wants $500 🤷♂️
All that said I really don’t race much, just run laps at open practice, maybe race a few friends for lols…
Agreed. If they priced this at $750ish and included more hop-ups, that would have been well worth it. I'm actually running positrons right now! Great tire on my local outdoor med-high grip track.
Thanks for review
Of course! I had a pretty crazy finding. If you are considering this buggy check out my latest video.
GREAT REVIEW 🤙🤙🤙🤙
Thanks! 👍
Good comprehensive review.
Thank you! I had a pretty crazy finding. If you are considering this buggy check out my latest video.
The plastic chassis was a dealbreaker. I race with my ARRMA Typhon “TLR” tuned (nothing on that thing is actually TLR but OG Team Durango DEX8, but Horizon will use whatever branding they can) and it comes fully loaded without cheaping out in the aluminum parts.
But the Typhon does not have a sensored motor. Your paying for the electronics on this buggy. The chassis on this one is 4mm aluminum.
Plastic chassis?
There is no plastic chassis 😂 I own this buggy and race it.
Your wrong about the 75% auto calculate thinking it’s a 3s
A fully charged 3s pack is roughly 12.6 volts (4.2v/cell). Storage voltage on my 4s packs is 3.8 volts per cell, with 75% charged roughly 4 volts per cell. 4 volts multiplied by 4 cells equals 12 volts being reported to the esc when plugged in. Esc will figure the pack (12v) is closer to a 3s (12.6v) than 4s (16.8v), and operate assuming it is a 3s pack, draining the voltage per cell well under 3 volts (absolute minimum I would want it at!). Only exception I can think of is MAYBE it knows my Spektrum batteries are a 4s because of the smart technology. Curious what your thoughts are.
@@smurfwithavette a 3s battery is a damn 3s battery no matter if it’s charged or flat! A 4s battery is a 4s battery no matter if it’s charged or flat.
Can tell we live in the gender “fluid” era, when kids think a battery can choose to identify what “s” it is dependant on how charged it is.
Seriously
@@mr33spitnbarz28not correct. The esc is not that smart and could overdrain the battery. You are not taking LVC for 3s vs 4s into account
4x4 isnt 12 bud its 16 @smurfwithavette
@@smurfwithavette I despise the "gender fluid" crap comment by @mr33spitnbarz28, but his initial comment is "kind of" correct even though he seems to be confused that the ESC knows how many cells are present. It's like he got the math answer correct but had no idea how the formula worked. Your math is off "4 volts multiplied by 4 cells equals 12 volts" is wrong. It's 16V. I have my ESC set to 4S because that's all I run, but a safe 3.2V cutoff for 4S should yield you 12.8V which technically could look like a 3S battery at max charge, but generally they'd be slightly higher than that initially and would most likely still be detected as 4S. Edit: I would recommend a cutoff of 3.2 to 3.4V generally as well, so you should be safe.