Willsls1 342 Posted March 18, 2023 So weather has been nicer and got an itch to run my VQS and Sand Viper today. Broke the front shock tower on the VQS after a couple of rolls. The Sand Viper is definitely more rugged than the VQS. It runs brushless fine and jumps like a champ. Ordered the adjustable tie rod kit and some 3Racing shocks for it. Might actually start tracking it at our local carpet track. The VQS looks cool but seems to be made of glass. Already replaced the chassis and rear shock tower. It couldn't handle brushless very well either. I might just make it a shelf queen just sucks cause I like to run all my cars. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alvinlwh 5895 Posted March 18, 2023 One can buy three of the other and yet the cheaper one is better... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gabranth 216 Posted March 18, 2023 My problem with running VQS on the dirt is that it ingest debris like no tomorrow. So many entry points and then they got trapped inside that chassis. I love mine but that car might as well double as soil sampling machine 1 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sogogi 3217 Posted March 18, 2023 I was curious about vqs…. But looks like it is not my cup of tea.. (I also run all my cars no shelf queen for me) 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kowalski86 3034 Posted March 18, 2023 Sometimes simple is better, one was built to show off over engineering/stylisation, the other was simply built for fun. 3 hours ago, Gabranth said: My problem with running VQS on the dirt is that it ingest debris like no tomorrow. So many entry points and then they got trapped inside that chassis. I love mine but that car might as well double as soil sampling machine Isn't one of the main design principles of a buggy for the body to double as a chassis cover? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
c64orinoco 667 Posted March 18, 2023 I still haven't built my VQS, I've had it for um, maybe 2 years now? I'll get around to it someday. It does look to be a very fiddly build which doesn't bode well for reliability. Not like a Hornet which is a simple build and will stand up to ridiculous punishment. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Willy iine 18806 Posted March 18, 2023 @Willsls1 Sorry to hear about the broken shock tower.. do they have CF towers like on the Egress for your car? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gabranth 216 Posted March 18, 2023 14 hours ago, Kowalski86 said: Isn't one of the main design principles of a buggy for the body to double as a chassis cover? Not for VQS, the body just hang loose on top leaving huge gap 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
one_hit 1046 Posted March 19, 2023 I think the front shock tower is in a vulnerable position on these cars, even the Egress carbon one is prone to breaking. On my Egress I broke it and the wire wing mount as well. The Vanquish looks even more fragile. The rear shock tower is also mounted on a thin piece of plastic (G11). On my vintage Vanquish all these G parts (front shock tower, rear shock tower, G11, G2) started to get brittle and break on their own even just sitting on the shelf. When I build my VQS it will probably just live on the shelf too due to its fragile nature 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Saito2 6686 Posted March 19, 2023 I took a page out of the Traxxas playbook to help with this problem. The Stampede has kind of flexible, almost rubbery shock towers it seems (these are also body mount anchor points so they see a lot of stress in high speed roll-overs). I made my own towers out of flat 1/8" ABS plastic sheet using the factory tower as a template. I also use all four mount holes (not just the top two like Tamiya does) by countersinking the bottom holes in the tower and using appropriate screws (needed for clearance). This strengthens/braces the gearbox lugs that mount the tower which can be vulnerable too. The flat ABS has some flex which isn't great for accurate performance but aids durability which I felt was more important since these are really competitive vehicles anymore. Taller and/or carbon towers look cool but their rigidity and extra height put even more strain on the gearbox lugs through more leverage and less impact absorption during roll-overs. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OldSchoolRC1 984 Posted March 19, 2023 Biggest issue with the VQS is that the shocks bottom out before the chassis does, so any hard landing goes right to the shock towers. It does much better on smoother surfaces. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Willy iine 18806 Posted March 19, 2023 7 hours ago, one_hit said: I think the front shock tower is in a vulnerable position on these cars, even the Egress carbon one is prone to breaking. On my Egress I broke it and the wire wing mount as well. The Vanquish looks even more fragile. The rear shock tower is also mounted on a thin piece of plastic (G11). On my vintage Vanquish all these G parts (front shock tower, rear shock tower, G11, G2) started to get brittle and break on their own even just sitting on the shelf. When I build my VQS it will probably just live on the shelf too due to its fragile nature Is that right.. wow. This is probably why these cars can't win any races.. lol. At least they look fantastic next to my other Tamiya buggies. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
one_hit 1046 Posted March 19, 2023 1 hour ago, Willy iine said: Is that right.. wow. This is probably why these cars can't win any races.. lol. At least they look fantastic next to my other Tamiya buggies. Yup, broke those parts. It was a blast driving it around the track but breaking stuff takes away some of the fun so the Egress now sits on the shelf 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kowalski86 3034 Posted March 20, 2023 From what I understand, wasn't the Avante originally designed to "win one race"? On the other hand the DT-03 was designed to be simple and rugged, its interesting comparing both buggies side by side. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Willsls1 342 Posted March 20, 2023 On 3/18/2023 at 6:38 AM, Willy iine said: @Willsls1 Sorry to hear about the broken shock tower.. do they have CF towers like on the Egress for your car? Not that I've been able to find. There aren't very many hop ups for this car from what I gather. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Willy iine 18806 Posted March 20, 2023 2 hours ago, Willsls1 said: Not that I've been able to find. There aren't very many hop ups for this car from what I gather. I see.. time to design your own? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
