Limitless or Hobao for speedrunning?

[Echang090]

Long time lurker first time poster!

So I've decided I'm going to finally pull the trigger and treat myself. I've been looking at the Limitless and Hobao and wanted to know what people think between these two. Advantages and disadvantages? Seems like there's less plastic on the Hobao?

 

[Diem Turner]

Welcome to the forum!

They're both great platforms to work from. The Hobao, however, does have a couple of distinct advantages. First off, it's a slider so you can fit proper speed running electronics from the get go. Second, you have way more real estate to work with. Third, Hobao quality is a bit better than Arrma. Fourth, It doesn't have the problem with the front drive shaft that the Arrma platform has (it has a downward angle which can cause problems at higher speeds beyond 140-150mph). One downside might be parts availability.

I love my Infraction which I use, pretty much, exclusively for speed running. It's a nice place to start because it's RTR right out of the box. If this is your first foray into speed running, it might be a better place to start so that you can get your feet wet with stock electronics before moving on to more powerful systems (which, by their nature, will increase the chance of accidents). Parts availability and aftermarket components is a plus for the Arrma side of the argument.

If this is your first speed runner, I'd recommend the Arrma. If you already have experience under your belt, I'd probably lean towards the Hobao (I assume you're talking about the VTE2). That's my take anyways.

Great to have you aboard, Godspeed and good luck regardless of which you choose. Both are great and will provide many good times. One thing I will always recommend when it comes to speed running: Don't jump into it with the intention of going 130mph on your first outings. You'll have a bad time with pretty much 100% certainty. Start out on 3S, 4S at the very most and learn the car (I've gone over 120mph on 3S). Hone your driving skills. Learn how to set it up properly. Start slow, and work your way up in small steps. Don't make big jumps. You'll get a lot more out of the car and your wallet will thank you. There are a lot of hidden costs involved in speed running, not the least of which is gears. Once you get into it, you'll see what I mean.

 

[Tex Koder]

Long time lurker first time poster!

So I've decided I'm going to finally pull the trigger and treat myself. I've been looking at the Limitless and Hobao and wanted to know what people think between these two. Advantages and disadvantages? Seems like there's less plastic on the Hobao?

Welcome to the ᴙRanch!

Thought I saw some movement behind those trees... Glad you decided to come into the light.

Welcome to the forum!

They're both great platforms to work from. The Hobao, however, does have a couple of distinct advantages. First off, it's a slider so you can fit proper speed running electronics from the get go. Second, you have way more real estate to work with. Third, Hobao quality is a bit better than Arrma. Fourth, It doesn't have the problem with the front drive shaft that the Arrma platform has (it has a downward angle which can cause problems at higher speeds beyond 140-150mph). One downside might be parts availability.

I love my Infraction which I use, pretty much, exclusively for speed running. It's a nice place to start because it's RTR right out of the box. If this is your first foray into speed running, it might be a better place to start so that you can get your feet wet with stock electronics before moving on to more powerful systems (which, by their nature, will increase the chance of accidents). Parts availability and aftermarket components is a plus for the Arrma side of the argument.

If this is your first speed runner, I'd recommend the Arrma. If you already have experience under your belt, I'd probably lean towards the Hobao (I assume you're talking about the VTE2). That's my take anyways.

Great to have you aboard, Godspeed and good luck regardless of which you choose. Both are great and will provide many good times. One thing I will always recommend when it comes to speed running: Don't jump into it with the intention of going 130mph on your first outings. You'll have a bad time with pretty much 100% certainty. Start out on 3S, 4S at the very most and learn the car (I've gone over 120mph on 3S). Hone your driving skills. Learn how to set it up properly. Start slow, and work your way up in small steps. Don't make big jumps. You'll get a lot more out of the car and your wallet will thank you. There are a lot of hidden costs involved in speed running, not the least of which is gears. Once you get into it, you'll see what I mean.

Everything Diem said ^^^
take it to heart.

Both vehicles are rollers, so make sure you have the Funds in the bank to flesh out the rigs.


Personally going with a RTR is wiser.
Just because you can have it up and running as soon as you get it out of the box. Just add batteries ,of course.

If this is truly your first time with speed cars... Infraction 6S can get you there right quick ,but for the sake of your wallet -you might want to start with the 3S BLX version or even the Vendetta. They are insanely fast for "little" cars...
Just so you learn and get comfortable/confident with those speeds.

Any of these models will give you a rush!
Just depends on how much you want to

It's your call.

 

[Ron Burgandy]

Stay away from the classifieds!!

 

[Echang090]

Thanks! maybe I'll have to rethink my goals. been watching a lot of youtube and how fast did you run today. Love hearing the whoosh! Still inclined to build though....

 

[ArrmaFreek2022]

Thanks! maybe I'll have to rethink my goals. been watching a lot of youtube and how fast did you run today. Love hearing the whoosh! Still inclined to build though....

Curious, which car is your favorite?

 

[Diem Turner]

Thanks! maybe I'll have to rethink my goals. been watching a lot of youtube and how fast did you run today. Love hearing the whoosh! Still inclined to build though....

I'd urge you to consider going with an Infraction V2 to start out with. It will prevent you from getting lost in the minutia of what components to get and will get you to 85mph out of the box, which is a great place to start. As your confidence and abilities increase, you can begin upgrading components, piece by piece. Me and several others will be more than happy in helping you make smart choices in where your money is best spent. There's no need to reinvent the wheel. Many mistakes have been made and lessons learned so you won't have to repeat them. We'll be here waiting to help you wherever we can to get you to where you want to be.

Just to be clear, I'm not saying that there's only one way to go about it. If you want to build, go for it. Who am I to stop you? I'm just relaying what I've learned from my own experiences (I just winged it for quite some time before finding my way to this forum) and trying to make sure your experience is as positive as it can be and (as much as possible) free from unnecessary agony. Take it for what you will and make the choice that makes you happy. We'll be happy to assist whichever road you choose to go down.

 

[dk10438]

I might be in the minority but I'd recommend against a new infraction simply because you will have a car full of spektrum electronics that have very little resale value. Transmitter and receiver probably aren't suitable for speed runs secondary to range issues. Motor and ESC are probably adequate up to 100 but eventually you're going to want a castle system for the data logging anyway. I've seen BNIB V1 Limitless' in the 325-350 range and the V2 is 429. Throw in radio link (70), DS3235 (30), and castle system (400) and ur done, at least for now. Or just check out the classifieds and get the spektrum ESC/motor for 120 and that puts you right at the price for a new infraction which is going to give you headroom in the future...

Or buy a used infraction that's already set up for speed running. I get the feeling that there's a significant percentage of people that think they want to speed run and got bored quickly....

 

[Echang090]

Curious, which car is your favorite?

Limitless cuz there's more videos but the Hobao looks nicer (less plastic). However, my LHS said they never have parts and they kinda laughed when I asked and said there's ebay and amazon

 

[Diem Turner]

I might be in the minority but I'd recommend against a new infraction simply because you will have a car full of spektrum electronics that have very little resale value. Transmitter and receiver probably aren't suitable for speed runs secondary to range issues. Motor and ESC are probably adequate up to 100 but eventually you're going to want a castle system for the data logging anyway. I've seen BNIB V1 Limitless' in the 325-350 range and the V2 is 429. Throw in radio link (70), DS3235 (30), and castle system (400) and ur done, at least for now. Or just check out the classifieds and get the spektrum ESC/motor for 120 and that puts you right at the price for a new infraction which is going to give you headroom in the future...

Or buy a used infraction that's already set up for speed running. I get the feeling that there's a significant percentage of people that think they want to speed run and got bored quickly....

I've found that people who go over 100mph are usually hooked. I know I was

Limitless cuz there's more videos but the Hobao looks nicer (less plastic) and my LHS said they never have part. They kinda laughed when I asked and said there's ebay and amazon

Not the first time that I've heard about parts availability issues with Hobao vehicles. I'd say go with the Limitless then. The new V2 has sufficient room for an XLX2 (Personally, if you're going to be piecing together the electronics, might as well go with the best ESC from the get go...avoid the "buy cheap buy twice" fallacy). Pair that with a Castle 1717 and you have a great base setup with which you can grow. Or, as @dk10438 said, take a look around on classifieds to see if you can find one in good condition there.

 

[dure16]

I've found that people who go over 100mph are usually hooked. I know I was

That is precisely the reason I haven’t shot for 100mph even though I have cars that could probably do it. My RC budget can’t afford the speed running addiction

 

[Diem Turner]

That is precisely the reason I haven’t shot for 100mph even though I have cars that could probably do it. My RC budget can’t afford the speed running addiction

Probably a smart move. But damn it's fun. If you're not involved in competitive racing, drag and speed running provide the best venues for continuously setting and achieving goals which, to me, helps drive my interest and keeps moving it forward. I'm not saying you can't do that with bashing, but I'd argue that it's different.