HPI Vorza Update - Thoughts after some time behind the wheel

After having some time behind the wheel of my HPI Vorza Flux I have a few opinions. Some good, Some not so good. The only so far upgrades are 6S Turnigy, 19/46 gearing and a Spektrum DX3e Radio.

First off I think buying the Vorza was money well spent. It embodies my attitude engineered into a RC buggy. It's mean, fast, capable, engineered, durable, and a shit-ton of fun!

Having the D-8 genetics it has a lot of adjustments you would find in a racer. Being a tinkerer, I really like that. I like messing with different set ups that are true racing adjustments. Unlike most racers some key parts are beefed up, I assume to make it more durable, because after all it's considered a basher.

Being beefy also means being heavy. That translates into poorer than usual handling. I have tried many different setups using the stock suspension parts and although it goes like a stabbed rat, it still seems to have under and over steering issues. A lot of that I feel has to do with having lots of power and useless stock tires. I have completely trashed the stock tires and it's time to upgrade to a set of PL Badlands, which seem to be the ipso facto tire choice for the Vorza. I'm sure things will change drastically with a new set of tires.

My biggest complaint with the buggy is how sloppy the drivetrain, suspension, and steering is. I think it suffers from driving accuracy because of it. I'm not sure there is any way to fix these issues without spending lots of money on aftermarket parts. Upgrading the stock steering servo will likely go a long way to tighten up the steering slop.

All that said I love this buggy! I don't plan to race it, I only plan to make it the meanest, fastest, best tuned basher I can. Other than tires and more batteries, I think I'll leave it the way it is and save my money for a racer. I like the new TLR 22-4.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again if I had to do it all over. If you are considering getting one, check out all the YouTube videos and decide if it looks like something you would buy. The only advice I have is to buy some replacement parts right away. Drive shafts and suspension parts tend to parish under 6S power. Also a 6S pack tends to make the car heavy on the left side. So maybe do a 4 or 5 cell just to keep the weight even. That might balance the performance slightly.

HPI Vorza First Few Runs

Holy crap this thing is fasssst! Point of reference, I haven't had a fast RC before, only rock crawlers.

My first run was on a 6S Nano-Tech battery and stock gears. It was very twitchy and hard to control. I agree with the masses that the stock tires aren't sufficient. especially with the stock gears. Check out the video in the side bar to see how my first outing went. spoiler alert, I broke it.

I quickly ordered a new set of gears 21/46. Since this thing is so damn fast as it is I was hesitant to put faster gears in it. However, it was a great idea. With the faster gears I can put the power down much better.

The next step is to get the Castle Link to set up the ESC. One of the things I want to do is raise the LVC.
I also have other plans that include:
- New tires, everyone seems to like the Proline Badlands
- Fan for the motor
- Shock/Spring upgrades, it bottoms out on small jumps with the stock compliment
- New body
- Swap TX/RX with my DX3E
- Aluminum servo horn
- Possibly better servo

I really want to get a handle on the heat this thing produces. The battery, motor, and center diff get pretty warm running in regular summer temps. I'm thinking about getting a temperature alarm system and maybe find a good way to vent some of the heat from under the body. Not sure if that's even a good idea.

Overall I'm having the most fun I've had playing with RC.

Video from my first bash with the Vorza

HPI Vorza Flux HP

I'm pretty excited about this one. I have a HPI Vorza on order.

As far as I know the Vorza has been around since at least 2009. Since then lots of people have complained out how heavy it is and that it's not suitable for competition. I can't speak for HPI, but the marketing material I've seen never suggests that the Vorza is anything other than a basher.

Once I get it and get it tuned, I would like to take it to a track for fun, but I have no plans at all to race it formally.

The Vorza seems to have a small audience. I'm guessing the basher community prefers monster trucks and not buggys for bashing. The reason I prefer the buggy over the monster trucks is because I like the semi-scale appearance of the Vorza and the mechanics of the buggy style RC. To me buggies are the perfect mix of on-road, track, and off-road. That gives me more option for running it in my opinion.

With that small audience comes way less option part support. My understanding is the best most basic way to improve the performance for the Vorza is a slammin battery (Turnigy 6S) and gearing (from HPI).

Hopefully HPI and others will have replacement parts available for a while. It would suck to buy something, break a major part that you can't replace.

My upgrade plans for the Vorza include:
20T Pinion
46T Spur
Turnigy 6S 3.3ah
Pro-Line Badlands
remove stock decals and re-paint the body
Maybe paint the wheels

I'll eventually get a set of road tires since I live around a lot of asphalt.

I'll post pics once I get it tuned up and running!

Axial SCX10 Dingo Kit

I built this kit back in July 2012, so I've had a lot of time to play with it and form some opinions. This kit has been reviewed to death, but here's my two cents.

The kit was a pleasure to build and aside of a couple small issues, It went together quickly. Axial provides good instructions for assembly. I'm an intermediate level kit builder and I put the whole thing together in an evening.

 My stock configuration (parts that didn't come with the kit):

• 27 turn Axial motor
• HiTec HS645-MG
• Spectrum DX3E Radio and Receiver
• Novak Super Duty XR
• Venom Power 3600mah NIMH battery
• Traxxas EZ Peak Plus 6 amp charger

The steering servo and ESC came from a Clodbuster tube chassis truck I built a long time ago. It had dual motors and was run off a 12V 7 amp UPS battery. That thing screamed. The servo is way under powered for this truck. You need at least a 200oz servo for the SCX10.

My list of Pros:

• Lot's of upgrade options
• Fun kit to build
• Extremely capable right out of the box

My list of cons:

• Long steering radius
• Sloppy drive train
• High center of gravity

Modifications:

• Hot Racing high clearance steering knuckles
• Robotronics servo arm
• Axial AX10 axles
• Relocated battery tray to the front and ESC to the rear

Once I made the steering enhancements, the truck became even more capable. The only issue I have now is while relocating the battery tray I had to put spacers under it to raise it so the front suspension would have full travel. Well that raised the CG enough cause problems in high angle situations. A battery solution that lowers the CG might be worth a try. I could also see getting a set of upgrade shocks, the stock plastic body shocks work, but leave something to be desired on the trail.

It's a great truck for the money, I would definitely suggest it to someone wanting to build a very capable off-road truck that should keep you tinkering for a while.

It has loads of adjustments and plenty of upgrade options that won't break your bank account.

Now go outside and rip up the trail!