vaterra kalahari mini review
10-24-2013, 02:31 PM
#1
Thread Starter
vaterra kalahari mini review
Just got my used Kalahari today and ran it on 3s lipo.
It is indeed quick. But unlike most other sub-1/10 scale models it actually handles the speed fairly well.
The shortness of the wheelbase can cause it to spin out if your steering inputs are to great, but the width of it allows it to go pretty fast over some fairly rough terrain without rolling/flipping.
The CG seems pretty low as well.
Unlike 1/10 touring cars sold as "rally" cars, this thing can actually drive over terrain one would want a rally car to do. It has enough suspension travel to soak up a lot, but not so much ride height that it cant do well on pavement also.
The radio is pretty sweet given the cost of the rig. the trigger is meant to wrap around your finger...which I don't care for as it is a bit small for my finger, but the adjustments on it is really, really nice. It is also light and feels nice.
The fact that the electronics are waterproof is sweet.
The under-cover is a nice feature. It does mean battery changes take a few more seconds, but the time it can save in cleaning afterwards is well worth it. I did notice tho, that on my "used" model the Velcro doesn't hold the cover a well as it likely did when it was new.
I ran the car in dirt/sand/gravel/grass. The grass might have been a bit much (tho it went pretty fast threw it)
I say it may have been much as the motor stopped running (Still had steering) but instead of the motor not doing anything (which is what I expect from LVC) it was trying to run.
The "finger" test showed the motor was very hot. And considering it was only 40 degrees outside, it shouldn't have been that hot. The grass-3s lipo-under cover might be a bit much for the motor.
I did not have my blinky balancer handy....so I couldn't check the voltage of the lipo to see if it was low or not. I will take my balancer and temp gun out next time I run it.
When I got it home I plugged it back in and it seems to be just fine. so I am hoping that it was either LVC or an over-heat protection.
Mine is used, and the body and wheels show that 3s is hard on it. The tires have been re-glued more than once. body is a bit rough, tho still very usable.
I tend to not keep sub-1/10 scale models for long. they rarely hold my interest. The Kalahari on the other hand my do just that. so far, it seems like a lot of fun for the cost and has few down-sides.
I may buy a good 2s pack tho, as 3s is a bit more than needed to have fun with it. I am sure it does at least 40mph on the 3s pack.
Initial impression is that the Kalahari is pretty sweet. they are $130 new on ebay...figure another $20 for a 2s lipo and you have a fast....nearly 1/10 scale offroad 4wd car with waterproof electronics and a nice radio. that's not to shabby.
It is indeed quick. But unlike most other sub-1/10 scale models it actually handles the speed fairly well.
The shortness of the wheelbase can cause it to spin out if your steering inputs are to great, but the width of it allows it to go pretty fast over some fairly rough terrain without rolling/flipping.
The CG seems pretty low as well.
Unlike 1/10 touring cars sold as "rally" cars, this thing can actually drive over terrain one would want a rally car to do. It has enough suspension travel to soak up a lot, but not so much ride height that it cant do well on pavement also.
The radio is pretty sweet given the cost of the rig. the trigger is meant to wrap around your finger...which I don't care for as it is a bit small for my finger, but the adjustments on it is really, really nice. It is also light and feels nice.
The fact that the electronics are waterproof is sweet.
The under-cover is a nice feature. It does mean battery changes take a few more seconds, but the time it can save in cleaning afterwards is well worth it. I did notice tho, that on my "used" model the Velcro doesn't hold the cover a well as it likely did when it was new.
I ran the car in dirt/sand/gravel/grass. The grass might have been a bit much (tho it went pretty fast threw it)
I say it may have been much as the motor stopped running (Still had steering) but instead of the motor not doing anything (which is what I expect from LVC) it was trying to run.
The "finger" test showed the motor was very hot. And considering it was only 40 degrees outside, it shouldn't have been that hot. The grass-3s lipo-under cover might be a bit much for the motor.
I did not have my blinky balancer handy....so I couldn't check the voltage of the lipo to see if it was low or not. I will take my balancer and temp gun out next time I run it.
When I got it home I plugged it back in and it seems to be just fine. so I am hoping that it was either LVC or an over-heat protection.
Mine is used, and the body and wheels show that 3s is hard on it. The tires have been re-glued more than once. body is a bit rough, tho still very usable.
I tend to not keep sub-1/10 scale models for long. they rarely hold my interest. The Kalahari on the other hand my do just that. so far, it seems like a lot of fun for the cost and has few down-sides.
I may buy a good 2s pack tho, as 3s is a bit more than needed to have fun with it. I am sure it does at least 40mph on the 3s pack.
Initial impression is that the Kalahari is pretty sweet. they are $130 new on ebay...figure another $20 for a 2s lipo and you have a fast....nearly 1/10 scale offroad 4wd car with waterproof electronics and a nice radio. that's not to shabby.
10-24-2013, 04:41 PM
#5
Thread Starter
oops....
here are some
one next to my Tamiya f150 for size comparison. It is basically the same width, and only 1.5-2 inches shorter in length.
will try to have some running video this weekend
here are some
one next to my Tamiya f150 for size comparison. It is basically the same width, and only 1.5-2 inches shorter in length.
will try to have some running video this weekend
10-25-2013, 03:10 AM
#7
Thread Starter
the Kalahari can probly handle about the same rough terrain...and due to the brushless system do so faster. It is also much lighter.
one thing I meant to mention about the Kalahari is that the chassis has a lot of flex. you can take each bumper in your hand and twist the chassis much more than any other chassis I have had.
I am still having a slight steering issue with my tao2. I have ruled out the radio/rx/esc. I have pretty much ruled out the servo as well (just tried the one from my sc10 last night) and have replaced the servo saver as well.
It is not terrible, but there is still some random wandering. It is possible that it is the wheels, as they are not well balanced.
I have considered getting some nice 1.9 wheels. Ive seen some cool running videos of the f150 with nice 1.9 wheels that IMO looked better and cause they are softer they performed much better.
10-25-2013, 11:05 AM
#8
Thread Starter
well, Im pretty ticked. tried to run the car today and noticed right away that if I tried to give more than 80% throttle the motor would glitch. And it only took 1 minute of running for it to get too hot to touch
Yesturday when it started losing power I thought it was the LVD, especially since I knew that the lipo wasn't fully charged. I had only been running it for 5-6 minutes on the 3s pack....and it was 35-40 degrees outside.
I may have got a bad motor from the start, as I had noticed that it cogged at low speeds....more than one would expect from such a small and light car.
I have messaged the seller, hoping for a partial refund, but not expecting one.
I have also filled out a repair thing threw horizon hobby, but that might end up costing more than just buying a new motor.
If I can find a tacon motor that is the right size, a motor may only cost a tad over $20.
The only fuze motors on ebay are being sold with the ESC, and are $60.
Starting to wish I had just bought it new
It is a fun car tho, no denying that!
I also found out that enough people in this area have bought them (the Kalahari and the rally car version) that they are doing oval racing with them on sunday at the track. And a couple hours south of me they are racing these things on short course tracks.
Yesturday when it started losing power I thought it was the LVD, especially since I knew that the lipo wasn't fully charged. I had only been running it for 5-6 minutes on the 3s pack....and it was 35-40 degrees outside.
I may have got a bad motor from the start, as I had noticed that it cogged at low speeds....more than one would expect from such a small and light car.
I have messaged the seller, hoping for a partial refund, but not expecting one.
I have also filled out a repair thing threw horizon hobby, but that might end up costing more than just buying a new motor.
If I can find a tacon motor that is the right size, a motor may only cost a tad over $20.
The only fuze motors on ebay are being sold with the ESC, and are $60.
Starting to wish I had just bought it new
It is a fun car tho, no denying that!
I also found out that enough people in this area have bought them (the Kalahari and the rally car version) that they are doing oval racing with them on sunday at the track. And a couple hours south of me they are racing these things on short course tracks.
11-01-2013, 01:29 PM
#9
Thread Starter
man, this sucks.
I got the replacement motor for my Kalahari, since the stock motor fried.
I bought a motor off hobbypartz that is the same diameter but 4300kv instead of 4500kv. I thought the lower KV might help.
I ran it on 3s and had my temp gun handy. It is 55 degrees outside. after 3-4 minutes I took the body off and check...motor was 233!
Not only was it cool outside, but I didn't have the chassis cover on either.
So I let the motor cool and then ran the nimh pack. after 3-4 minutes I check and temps were just shy of 200.
Clearly this motor wont cut it. I was a bit worried of this when I pulled it out of the package and compared it to the stock motor. It is the same diameter, but is about 5mm shorter. shorter can means less torque right?
This thing is fun to drive. a 2s lipo would be just the right speed (will have to buy one) but I don't have the money for another motor
I got the replacement motor for my Kalahari, since the stock motor fried.
I bought a motor off hobbypartz that is the same diameter but 4300kv instead of 4500kv. I thought the lower KV might help.
I ran it on 3s and had my temp gun handy. It is 55 degrees outside. after 3-4 minutes I took the body off and check...motor was 233!
Not only was it cool outside, but I didn't have the chassis cover on either.
So I let the motor cool and then ran the nimh pack. after 3-4 minutes I check and temps were just shy of 200.
Clearly this motor wont cut it. I was a bit worried of this when I pulled it out of the package and compared it to the stock motor. It is the same diameter, but is about 5mm shorter. shorter can means less torque right?
This thing is fun to drive. a 2s lipo would be just the right speed (will have to buy one) but I don't have the money for another motor
11-04-2013, 08:53 AM
#10
Did you get the HW 3650M 4300kv? The 380-size finned-out motor? And it's overheating in the Khalahari? Geez. I just got a Hyper TT and I put my 35A HW system in it, thinking that the motor might be a little small for it and get too hot. But I was surprised to find that it runs just fine! In fact, I might be able to gear it up a tooth or two because the motor just gets "a little warm", nowhere near the 150F it get's in my 2wd Evader! So I'd guess you're either over-geared, or the driveline has some binding in it somewhere. I almost got a Khalahari, but the friction shocks and small wheels turned me off. Someone suggested the Ofna/HoBao Hyper TT and it was just what I was looking for. And at $189 for an all-aluminum roller, I couldn't pass it up.
11-04-2013, 11:15 AM
#11
Thread Starter
Did you get the HW 3650M 4300kv? The 380-size finned-out motor? And it's overheating in the Khalahari? Geez. I just got a Hyper TT and I put my 35A HW system in it, thinking that the motor might be a little small for it and get too hot. But I was surprised to find that it runs just fine! In fact, I might be able to gear it up a tooth or two because the motor just gets "a little warm", nowhere near the 150F it get's in my 2wd Evader! So I'd guess you're either over-geared, or the driveline has some binding in it somewhere. I almost got a Khalahari, but the friction shocks and small wheels turned me off. Someone suggested the Ofna/HoBao Hyper TT and it was just what I was looking for. And at $189 for an all-aluminum roller, I couldn't pass it up.
I got a motor I thought was a 280 (same as stock, 24mm diameter) but was really more like a 240 as it is finned to 24mm. It is also a bit shorter than the stock one. I wish I had seen the 4200kv tacon one that is actually longer than the stock motor...that one might have had enough torque to do the job.
I ended up buying a losi mini 8ight motor....same thing as the stock fuze motor just rebranded. I couldn't find the fuze motor sold separate on ebay, but the losi has been around longer and I found a new motor for $38.
