Stadium trucks took a back seat when the short course boom hit, but recently there has been a slight resurgence in the class. The Team Associated T4.1, Team Durango DEST210 and Losi 22T are all very race-capable ready-to-run (RTR) stadium trucks, so we decided to put them in the hands of three local racers to see what they thought!
Test Track Location
For the shootout, I decided to head over to OCRC Raceway in Huntington Beach, California. This enormous indoor track has a great surface to run on and now includes an integrated watering system, making it a consistent track to do the testing. There is also no shortage of drivers to choose from for this shootout!
Test Drivers
What better way to test a trio of RTR’s than to just show up at the track and recruit some test drivers. There was certainly no lack of candidates, so we chose three guys that had been in the hobby for a short time but still had good driving skills. RTR’s are for the beginner, so beginners are what we got.
Driver’s Profiles
Name: Lee Caldwell
Hometown: Westminster, California
Years Racing: 20+
Favorite Racing Class: 2WD stock buggy
Other Hobbies: Skateboarding, skiing, turn marshalling
Favorite Food: Rice
Name: Joe Ash
Hometown: Anaheim, California
Years Racing: 5
Favorite Racing Class: 2WD Short Course
Other Hobbies: Bowling, photography
Favorite Food: All!
Name: Tim Long
Hometown: Temecula, California
Years Racing: 30+
Favorite Racing Class: 1/8 Scale Nitro
Other Hobbies: None
Favorite Food: Mexican
ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT
Duratrax Onyx 5000mAh 7.4V 25C LiPo Battery Packs
Being RTR’s, all three trucks come fully-equipped and ready to go except for a battery pack. To keep things even, each truck was loaded with a Duratrax Onyx 5000mAh 7.4V 25C LiPo battery pack. On a side note, the Team Associated T4.1 and Team Durango DEST210 come with Deans Ultra-plugs, while the Losi 22T comes with their proprietary EC3 connector. This plug was changed to a Deans for this test session. Other than that, all three trucks ride as they came from the factory.
Hitec X4 AC Plus Multicharger
To keep the batteries charged all day, I brought along my Hitec X4 AC Plus Multicharger. This charger is an excellent choice and allows me to charge up to four packs at one time, so it’s the perfect complement to this shootout.
Team Associated T4.1 RTR
The Team Associated T4.1 RTR is the most inexpensive of the group (being $50 cheaper than its closest rival), but that lower cost means you don’t get some of the cool parts the other two come with as standard equipment. However, it does have a 2.4GHz radio system, a fluid-filled gear differential and now the powerful XP/Reedy brushless setup, so while it does lack a few groovy parts, it certainly makes up for that with its long history of proven performance. This truck just works.
QUICK SPECS
Price: $249.99
Radio: XP3-SS 2.4GHz system
Battery: Not included
Speed Control: XP SC450BL brushless
Waterproof: No
Shocks: Aluminum w/pre-load clips
Drivetrain: Dogbones
Differential: Gear
Chassis: Molded plastic
DRIVER NOTES
Appearance: 7
The fit and finish are good and all the components appear to be of a high-quality for an RTR. The body graphics seem a little dated, but still a good looking body.
Steering: 8
The servo, while not fast, was adequate in power and speed. The steering was smooth and progressive, though the T4.1 had issues with oversteer in the sweeper. A little suspension tuning would certainly help with this.
Acceleration: 9
The T4.1 had very good power, but seemed a little under-geared on the test track. I also didn’t realize this truck had a gear diff; it felt like a ball diff in the corners.
Braking: 8
The brakes on the T4.1 were smooth and consistent. There were no surprises while heavy braking in the corners.
Jumping: 8
I like the way this truck jumped which was very neutral with nice, smooth landings.
Suspension: 8
The RTR shock oil and piston worked great as a factory setting. The springs were also in the ballpark for the track surface. The rear dogbones are a negative, especially since the other two trucks had CVD’s.
Overall: 7
Overall this was great, but the lack of threaded shocks is a definite bummer. The transmitter has a nice, ergonomic feel. A little suspension tuning and a good set of tires and this truck would be a real contender at OCRC! I also feel this truck is the best value for the price.
Appearance: 8
The chassis shows a standard layout for an RTR, with everything nicely placed and easy to access. The body is very sleek looking.
Steering: 8
The T4.1 has quite a bit of steering. The servo is fast and gets the truck around the track very easily. There is no noticeable push in this truck.
Acceleration: 8
Associated’s truck has very quick acceleration, almost too quick. Top end was better than ok, but seemed a little under-geared for this track.
Braking: 8
Very good brakes on this truck; strong with no fade throughout my entire run.
Jumping: 7
This truck jumped very neutral and required very little correction while in the air.
Suspension: 7
The Associated stadium truck has excellent suspension. The front was good (could be lightened up a tad) while the back was just right.
Overall: 8
AE T4.1 was good overall. As with all RTR’s, race tires and some shock tuning are a must. Acceleration was more than the tires could handle. I would like to have seen some big bore threaded shock bodies on this truck.
Appearance: 9
The layout, body and styling all look great.
Steering: 9
The steering on this truck was great, even with the RTR servo.
Acceleration: 8
The T4.1 had very good power, almost too much for the rear tires.
Braking: 7
The brakes were smooth and fade-free. Even on the RTR tires, I didn’t have any problem slowing the truck down.
Jumping: 8
This stadium truck jumps really well. It was very predictable, even on some of the larger jumps.
Suspension: 8
Suspension on this truck feels good around the track. For an RTR setup, it’s about spot-on.
Overall: 8
The Team Associated T4.1 RTR is a very nice truck. The ESC did feel like it needed to be reset, but overall power was great for an RTR.
Team Durango DEST210 RTR
Considered the new kit on the block (in comparison to the other two ST entries), the DEST210 is a feature-packed RTR. Not only is it the only truck in the group that sports name-brand, race level electronics, it’s also the only one that can utilize the hot, new ‘hybrid’ transmission setup. Big bore, aluminum shocks and a 2.4GHz radio are standard equipment, as are the CVD’s. The biggest drawback is the price, being easily $100 more than its competitors.
QUICK SPECS
Price: $439.99
Radio: TDTX1 2.4GHz
Battery: Not included
Speed Control: Speed Passion Cirtix Stock Club Race
Motor: Speed Passion 13.5T Brushless
Waterproof: Servo is waterproof
Shocks: Threaded big bore
Drivetrain: CVDs
Differential: Gear
Chassis: Molded plastic
DRIVER NOTES
Appearance: 8
The included Speed Passion ESC/motor are a definite plus, and I feel this is the most stylish of the three. The bright, bold California-type graphics look great.
Steering: 8
The steering on this truck was smooth and predictable.
Acceleration: 7
This truck felt like it had potential, but seemed a bit bound up once it was up to speed. Maybe the motor had moved during a crash.
Braking: 8
The brakes on this Durango were ok. No real issues here.
Jumping: 5
The suspension on this truck is way too soft. It either landed harshly or over jumped the jumps.
Suspension: 6
The suspension felt balanced, but the shock setup was really off. Either the oil was too thin or the springs were too soft. Either way it was just very bouncy.
Overall: 8
The Team Durango DEST210 has definite potential, but the box-stock setup just doesn’t work. The radio system worked well, but was definitely not very stylish. The price was also pretty steep compared to the other two trucks.
Appearance: 7
The Team Durango DEST210 stadium truck has an aggressive body and beefy suspension arms. Love the big bore threaded shocks!
Steering: 7
Steering was good, but had a slight push to it. This made it easy to push the truck a little harder around the track.
Acceleration: 6
I liked the acceleration, but the feather throttle was a bit annoying. It was hard to modulate at times. Top end was ok too.
Braking: 5
While not the strongest brakes of the three test trucks, they were still ok.
Jumping: 6
Jumping was fine as long as you hit the jump right. Due to the soft suspension, I had to take a different approach to the jumps or else the truck would fly nose-up.
Suspension: 5
There doesn’t seem to be enough travel in the suspension. Also, the front shocks seemed too soft while the rear shocks seemed too hard. Felt really bouncy all around the track.
Overall: 6
The Team Durango RTR needs a lot of tweaking out of the box, mostly the tires and shocks (oil and springs). The brakes also needed to be adjusted on the ESC. I do like that it included the big bore threaded shocks.
Appearance: 7
Both the interior and exterior of the TD looked good. The out-of-the-box ride height was really way to low.
Steering: 3
There didn’t seem to be much steering in this truck. I had a really hard time getting it around the track.
Acceleration: 6
The throttle seemed a bit touchy, making it hard to get around the track. Power seemed pretty good, but not as good as the other two.
Braking: 6
Brakes were good also. Adding more brakes would have made it easier to get around the hairpins on the track.
Jumping: 5
This truck jumped good on some occasions and not so good on others. The suspension seemed really soft and bouncy.
Suspension: 5
Out-of-the-box, this truck sat really low. We had to adjust it quite a bit to get it even close to the standard right height at this track. The shock oil/springs were also super soft.
Overall: 5
The Team Durango DEST210 gets a lower rating because of the lack of steering and box-stock setup. It also needs a lot of tweaking to get it track-ready.
Losi 22T RTR
The 22T is based on TLR’s splendid 22 racing buggy. The same chassis (albeit longer) and suspension geometry ensure this ST will handle like a champ on any racing surface. The electronics package is pretty stellar too; it comes with Losi’s 13.5T brushless motor, LiPo ready programmable ESC and a Spektrum DX3E radio system. Throw in some aluminum threaded shocks, pre-mounted BK Bars, CVDs and a trick body and you’ve got a great fit for the absolute beginner. Let’s see what our test crew had to say!
QUICK SPECS
Price: $299.99
Radio: Spektrum DX3E 2.4GHz
Battery: Not included
Speed Control: Losi sensored and programmable
Motor: Losi 13.5T sensored brushless
Waterproof: No
Shocks: Threaded aluminum
Drivetrain: CVDs
Differential: Gear
Chassis: 2.5mm aluminum
DRIVER NOTES
Appearance: 8
The fit and finish on the 22T is great. The threaded shocks and aluminum chassis are both plusses, as well as the body graphics, style and design. I also liked how it curved under to help keep dirt out.
Steering: 6
The kit servo seemed slow and under-powered. On the first lap I put it up and into the wall in the sweeper simply because it wouldn’t hold the turn. After this, though, I was able to put in some good laps.
Acceleration: 9
The included ESC/motor setup, as well as the gearing, was perfect for the track—plenty of power that was extremely smooth.
Braking: 8
Smooth braking with no surprises.
Jumping: 8
The Losi truck jumped the best, being easier to jump than the T4.1. No need to control it in the air, either.
Suspension: 9
The suspension setup on this 22T was perfect, as were the rear tires. The fronts could be something different to add a bit more steering, but they were fine for an out-of-the-box setup.
Overall: 9
The Losi 22T was the most race-able truck for the OCRC track. With a few adjustments, I could make the A-main with no problem, however the lackluster steering servo is holding this truck back. The Spektrum radio system scores major points, but I wasn’t a fan of the large wheel.
Appearance: 8
Both the boxy body and beefy A-arms were a nice addition. Love the 12mm threaded shocks and tire selection. Colors and design were cool, too.
Steering: 6
The servo in this truck was extremely slow and noisy. It also had quite a bit of push in the corners.
Acceleration: 9
This truck had the strongest acceleration of the three, but you need to ease into it or it will swap ends. Great top end, too.
Braking: 9
The brakes on the 22T worked excellent and stopped the truck very quickly. The soft rear tires might have helped with this.
Jumping: 7
Jumped very well with very little in-air correction needed.
Suspension: 7
The suspension felt great, but could use a little tuning on the front end to get it to turn. Box stock setup had a bit too much push for me.
Overall: 8
Out-of-the-box, this RTR is the most track-ready. With some suspension tuning, the right tires and a faster servo, you could definitely compete. The build is different, but looks great and the beefy A-arms are always a plus!
Appearance: 9
A very nice truck both inside and out. All the colors complement each other very well.
Steering: 7
The steering seemed very well balanced, but did have a bit of push. Some tuning or a better servo would help out.
Acceleration: 9
The Losi 22T had great power. It was plenty fast on the straights and had enough to clear all the jumps.
Braking: 9
This truck seemed to have the best braking of all the trucks.
Jumping: 9
The least dramatic of the three over the jumps. It was consistent every time.
Suspension: 9
Other than the oil being a bit light, the suspension was almost perfect out-of-the-box. Only minor tweaks might be needed to fine tune the setup.
Overall: 9
Overall, the Losi 22T was the best of the three trucks. You could pull it out of the box and race it. The balance was great and it was extremely easy to drive.
FINAL WORD
The scores and opinions pretty much tell the tale of these three RTR stadium trucks, but keep in mind that not every RC vehicle is suited to everyone’s driving style. If you’ve been around awhile like I have, you’ll know that what you get with these three trucks (brushless power, 2.4GHz radio systems and pro-level suspension systems) is MUCH better equipment than what we used to race with some fifteen years ago! If you’re looking for a new stadium truck to race with, we’re hoping this article will help point you towards your next purchase. Good luck and see you at the track.
LINKS
Duratrax duratrax.com, 217-398-3630
Hitec hitecrcd.com, 858-748-6948
Losi losi.com, 800-338-4639
OCRC Raceway ocrcraceway.com, 714-892-6699
Team Associated teamassociated.com, 949-544-7500
Team Durango team-durango.com, 217-398-1104
