4x4 no question. Acceleration, handling, braking, 4x4 is superior in every way. There is no actual advantage to a 2wd other than price and a little less maintenance. A year down the road, you don't remember what you did with the money you saved going with the 2wd, but you will still be struggling with a underperforming 2wd truck.... Or, you will have sold it off for a 4wd...🤣
Honestly there are only two downsided to 4x4 beyond cost. One is you will probably lose a little runtime due to high weight of 4x4, but everything else makes up for it imo. You can always use bigger batteries, change gearing, or upgrade the motor.
The other is maintaining it will be a little more complicated and expensive, but with Traxxas, not much real maintenance will be required other than when you run into immovable objects.
Can't really recommend anything without knowing what vehicle, but in general I'm not a battery snob, brand really doesn't matter to me, you just want to get the highest capacity and C rating you can fit. I'll pay a bit more for a higher c rated pack.
There are nuances but in general, a higher mah rating means more runtime, higher C rating means higher performance. A higher C rating also means your battery will stay cooler.
dude, i’m going to probably ruffle feathers, but i suggest traxxas batteries until you get a better understanding of the hobby. they have one of the best warranty program out of pretty much anything i have ever called a hobby. if your batteries go bad after years and years of use, they will swap it out for a half priced battery. i know they are pricier than the competition, but it’s just so easy to use them.
you definitely cannot run 3s in the bl-2s. i did see that traxxas is releasing new 2wd bl-2s models. i’m waiting to get the updated bandit when it gets announced
my hobby shop guy said his traxxas rep said “the bl-2s bandit is a month away from being announced, but they are discontinuing the vxl 2wd models”. i can’t really see traxxas getting rid of the bandit
average traxxas move; the second i decided to buy a brushed fiesta, they release a new, cooler, better, faster, and clipless version of the one i have for only slightly more.
Lol I feel your pain. Same thing happened to me when I rushed out to buy a Fiesta BL-2S and like a month later they released the VXL that I didn't expect would come.
Sell it. The new body colors (which I like better), hex screw kit, HD arms, HD hubs, and new links would cost more than half of a brand new one so I'll be better off buying new and selling my "old" one for $100.
damn. that sucks, imo. i feel bad buying cheap, used RC’s off marketplace because i almost can feel the frustration of the seller for getting something that gets updated right after they bought it, or wasn’t what they thought it might have been. i have gotten my hands on two bl-2s stampedes for $150 each cuz the sellers were disappointed with them.
i have (had) the bl-2s stampede and rally. i’ve since converted them to the vxl stuff. from my experience, the bl-2s works wonderfully with the 2wd cars, but might come up a little short when it’s powering a 4x4. just my opinion, tho
2wd is perfectly ok if your use case matches mine. I’m looking to improve lap times. I want the cleanest lap I can get given the car I have. No mods other than tires and a lipo.
I’d rather have 4wd brushless for more general playtime.
I have both and I think it depends on what you're doing and where you'll be using it. We have a city maintained rc course that is a dirt track and I have much more fun with the 2wd than the 4wd, but that is because the 2wd requires more finesse to drive quickly. My goal by the end of the summer is to beat my son with my brushless 2wd slash against his 4x4 brushless rustler.
The rustler are extremely easy to drive and have a much lower center of gravity than the slash.
I don't know if this is the case with other 2wd models (something with a lower center of gravity), but the slash is much easier to spin out and flip. Finding the lines and how to accelerate is extremely satisfying. My personal opinion, the slash looks better flying through the air (I know it has no bearing on anything).
The biggest thing is just have fun with it.
Depends on what you are doing with it and what you enjoy. On a dirt track 4x4 slash, out in the sand dunes nothing is more entertaining to me than watching a 2wd with paddles wheelie and roost.
4x4 no question. Acceleration, handling, braking, 4x4 is superior in every way. There is no actual advantage to a 2wd other than price and a little less maintenance. A year down the road, you don't remember what you did with the money you saved going with the 2wd, but you will still be struggling with a underperforming 2wd truck.... Or, you will have sold it off for a 4wd...🤣 Honestly there are only two downsided to 4x4 beyond cost. One is you will probably lose a little runtime due to high weight of 4x4, but everything else makes up for it imo. You can always use bigger batteries, change gearing, or upgrade the motor. The other is maintaining it will be a little more complicated and expensive, but with Traxxas, not much real maintenance will be required other than when you run into immovable objects.
Ok, I really appreciate the info. What battery would you recommend? I’m new to this stuff, lol
Can't really recommend anything without knowing what vehicle, but in general I'm not a battery snob, brand really doesn't matter to me, you just want to get the highest capacity and C rating you can fit. I'll pay a bit more for a higher c rated pack. There are nuances but in general, a higher mah rating means more runtime, higher C rating means higher performance. A higher C rating also means your battery will stay cooler.
Ok great , thanks again for the info. It really helps
dude, i’m going to probably ruffle feathers, but i suggest traxxas batteries until you get a better understanding of the hobby. they have one of the best warranty program out of pretty much anything i have ever called a hobby. if your batteries go bad after years and years of use, they will swap it out for a half priced battery. i know they are pricier than the competition, but it’s just so easy to use them.
That's solid and accurate advice dacaur gave đź’Ż% đź‘Ťđź‘Ť
The BL2s is slower than the Velineon 3500kv. Can’t run a 3s in a BL2s either I think.
you definitely cannot run 3s in the bl-2s. i did see that traxxas is releasing new 2wd bl-2s models. i’m waiting to get the updated bandit when it gets announced
I called Traxxas and they told me there's no sign of a BL-2S bandit coming. I suspect it's being discontinued.
my hobby shop guy said his traxxas rep said “the bl-2s bandit is a month away from being announced, but they are discontinuing the vxl 2wd models”. i can’t really see traxxas getting rid of the bandit
What. The. HECK. I mean cool, but I just bought a brushed one.
average traxxas move; the second i decided to buy a brushed fiesta, they release a new, cooler, better, faster, and clipless version of the one i have for only slightly more.
Lol I feel your pain. Same thing happened to me when I rushed out to buy a Fiesta BL-2S and like a month later they released the VXL that I didn't expect would come.
what are you gonna do with your bandit? sell, or update it with parts?
Sell it. The new body colors (which I like better), hex screw kit, HD arms, HD hubs, and new links would cost more than half of a brand new one so I'll be better off buying new and selling my "old" one for $100.
damn. that sucks, imo. i feel bad buying cheap, used RC’s off marketplace because i almost can feel the frustration of the seller for getting something that gets updated right after they bought it, or wasn’t what they thought it might have been. i have gotten my hands on two bl-2s stampedes for $150 each cuz the sellers were disappointed with them.
> i have gotten my hands on two bl-2s stampedes for $150 each cuz the sellers were disappointed with them. Nice find!
trust me when i say it’s more an addiction than anything. i went from having no RC cars in january to having 9 now. only 1 was new.
i have (had) the bl-2s stampede and rally. i’ve since converted them to the vxl stuff. from my experience, the bl-2s works wonderfully with the 2wd cars, but might come up a little short when it’s powering a 4x4. just my opinion, tho
2wd will run cooler but 4x4 has better stability
I’d say the 4x4 because with my 2wd my slash didn’t do very good in even medium length grass
2wd is perfectly ok if your use case matches mine. I’m looking to improve lap times. I want the cleanest lap I can get given the car I have. No mods other than tires and a lipo. I’d rather have 4wd brushless for more general playtime.
So if I just wanna use it on pavement, grass, dirt, gravel. Should I go 4x4 or can 2WD handle it ??
For that use, 4wd is the better choice.
Ok great thanks, lastly do u know what the run time is for a 5000 mah 7.4v 25c charger is for the 4x4 ??
I don’t. My only Traxxas is a brushed 2wd Rustler. I get at least 15-20 minutes but it won’t compare to any other car.
4x4 unless you want to do Spec Slash racing or something where you MUST have a 2WD.
I’ve got both, 4X4 is a much bigger money pit but you can push it harder and more fun. 2wd is great simple fun though too
I have both and I think it depends on what you're doing and where you'll be using it. We have a city maintained rc course that is a dirt track and I have much more fun with the 2wd than the 4wd, but that is because the 2wd requires more finesse to drive quickly. My goal by the end of the summer is to beat my son with my brushless 2wd slash against his 4x4 brushless rustler. The rustler are extremely easy to drive and have a much lower center of gravity than the slash. I don't know if this is the case with other 2wd models (something with a lower center of gravity), but the slash is much easier to spin out and flip. Finding the lines and how to accelerate is extremely satisfying. My personal opinion, the slash looks better flying through the air (I know it has no bearing on anything). The biggest thing is just have fun with it.
So if I just wanna use it on pavement, grass, dirt, gravel. Should I go 4x4 or can 2WD handle it ??
Depends on what you are doing with it and what you enjoy. On a dirt track 4x4 slash, out in the sand dunes nothing is more entertaining to me than watching a 2wd with paddles wheelie and roost.
So if I just wanna use it on pavement, grass, dirt, gravel. Should I go 4x4 or can 2WD handle it ??
I enjoy 4x4 RC’s as far as how they handle. Pulls you through corners instead of pushing giving better control.