What is the future of the USRCCA Super Class?

[STANG KILLA SS]

to me its always been about the tires.
super has never had a over the counter real tire. and that's the key.

everything else is the same as 2.2p + the cost of one servo.

cost is not the problem.

<---former Texas state super class champion

[ROWDY RACING]

Originally Posted by STANG KILLA SS

to me its always been about the tires.
super has never had a over the counter real tire. and that's the key.

everything else is the same as 2.2p + the cost of one servo.

cost is not the problem.

<---former Texas state super class champion

Tires are easy to build.

And if the interest was there I could see someone like Ottsix making off the shelf super tires.

[STANG KILLA SS]

while I agree, I respectfully disagree.

imagine if you had to buy 12 axles to build 2 usuable axles, or 10 chassis to build 1 super chassis, etc.

also give most of the people here a dremel and a drill, and they can modify or create most any part they need.
give these same people a pile of tires and most of them would not even start. or end up with a octagon lumpy unplyable mess of a tire

I still firmly believe one of the biggest hurdles is the tires. and a lot of people in the all the super tires threads over the years seem to agree.

axles exist, chassis exist, servos exist, motors and esc exist, super tires do not.

I totally agree with you on the ottsix comment. I think a ottsix super tire would do WAY more to boost and revive the super class, than promoting or even a new kit would do.

[ROWDY RACING]

Originally Posted by STANG KILLA SS

while I agree, I respectfully disagree.

imagine if you had to buy 12 axles to build 2 usuable axles, or 10 chassis to build 1 super chassis, etc.

also give most of the people here a dremel and a drill, and they can modify or create most any part they need.
give these same people a pile of tires and most of them would not even start. or end up with a octagon lumpy unplyable mess of a tire

I still firmly believe one of the biggest hurdles is the tires. and a lot of people in the all the super tires threads over the years seem to agree.

I bet Everetty could/would build all the super tires people that couldn't/wouldn't make them themselves.

[STANG KILLA SS]

[Hittman]

I have a full set of cut up voodoos just waiting to be glued for super tires.. I was gonna build a super, but lost interest. Tires are not hard to make if you have a little bit of experience. Plus with all the vendors on this great site, it wouldn't be hard to get a set built.

I think the thing that shy's people away from the super class is the technology in today's current rigs. Most supers out there have the latest and greatest stuff. Thus making them expensive, and highly capable. In the super class, you can't really drive a sub par rig, and be competitive. (I am not saying it can't be done). In the 2.2 classes, people can get in for reasonably cheap, and if they have experience or natural skill, they can do good. As mentioned before, someone with lots of practice will beat someone with an expensive rig and no practice 9 times out of 10.

I am not saying that the technology of the super class, or any class for that matter is a bad thing. It is what pushed the class and the hobby to be the great and crazy thing that it is. Very fun to watch, and I can imagine a blast to drive, but for the "new guy" the price tags required for a competitive rig arnt as appealing as a 2.2 rig would be.

Just my 2cents..

[stubs179]

Originally Posted by TURBOFEST

The future of the class is what we make it.

I think a problem with the Super class is that everyone that posts about the class always implies that one NEEEEEDS to take a second mortgage out on their house in order to build the most sofisticated crawling machine man has ever seen in order to compete in the Super class. It's ridiculous. It's as if building a rig gradually and buying better parts as you can afford them is taboo these days. NOOO...you HAVE too spend $2500 RIGHT NOW or don't bother!

The only necessary additional parts needed for a super as compared to a 2.2pro is ONE additional servo (yes, I said ONE), and some extra tires. The tires aren't rocket science to make. Anyone that can use glue and scissors can make tires. Same goes for foams. Blast wheels are what?...$15 a pair?? WHOA!! That will get you in the game at least. Where it gets taken from there is up to the individual. keep it there and compete and have fun, or build it to the moon. Either way, more supers will exist and The best class is crawling will survive.

It will only let me "like" this post once so i decided to quote it also!

Originally Posted by EverettY

Yeah true but like I'd said the supers cost soo much more...

Originally Posted by ROWDY RACING

Like I said, they do NOT, that's a false stereotype.

I have less than a third of the money in my super as i do in my 2.2p. I am running machine wound 55t tekins in superbully axles! Can you say, "Slow as F**K" The tires are old school style short Sedona's cut and opened up with a 1/4 of another one glued in. I put it together as cheaply as possible and it is by far not the coolest or most expensive super but it has some top finishes at national level events by me or the people i have let borrow it.

Originally Posted by STANG KILLA SS

while I agree, I respectfully disagree.

imagine if you had to buy 12 axles to build 2 usuable axles, or 10 chassis to build 1 super chassis, etc.

also give most of the people here a dremel and a drill, and they can modify or create most any part they need.
give these same people a pile of tires and most of them would not even start. or end up with a octagon lumpy unplyable mess of a tire

I still firmly believe one of the biggest hurdles is the tires. and a lot of people in the all the super tires threads over the years seem to agree.

axles exist, chassis exist, servos exist, motors and esc exist, super tires do not.

I totally agree with you on the ottsix comment. I think a ottsix super tire would do WAY more to boost and revive the super class, than promoting or even a new kit would do.

I agree that a big drawback to supers is the tire situation. It was my biggest hurtle when i started looking into them and was very intimidating. Having to buy 10 tires to build 4 or pay someone $200 for a set! Cazzyness. That is why i still run my old little sedonas. They are only 7.25" tall at their tallest spot but i can't afford to get taller ones. The wheels are the cheap part, glue on plate style g10 wheels from Erik are cheap and foams from Eddie aren't too much more than 2.2's. But the damn tires are another story.

[KJ10]

I have no intentions to compete but I am building a super, very slowly. Why? 'cuz I can, and crawling is just fun. Tires, and maybe even more of a wheel selection, would be.... super! Said tires will, of course, need good foams!

Hittman, PM coming your way soon.

[makya]

I keep seeing everyone do a Cut N Shut for tires, but wouldn't it be just as easy to make one, and use it as a blank to make a resin cast, and then pour a silicon tire, like the stuff from Micro-Mark? Seems like it would be a great way to solve the tire supply problem.

[2003EDGE]

I don't have a super class crawler...much less a comp crawler right now. I picked up a super at a G2G and was checking it out. The craftsmanship that goes into these rigs is amazing! This thing looked more like it needed to be on a rotating pedestal instead of on a course!

However I AM going to build a 2.2P rig and also looking at a 2.2S rig. A fellow member M_ENERGY handed me his controller and 2.2P rig and told me to give it a shot. From the first rock ledge that this thing held on with one tire and crawled out of it, I was HOOKED! I love gizmos and tech and these comp crawlers have it! Will be keeping my scale stuff in top shape as well, but wheel time is wheel time! I think I could run 5 classes at a comp/scaler event lol!

[J-Money]

Does anyone know how many supers were at nats last year?

[TSK]

Originally Posted by J-Money

Does anyone know how many supers were at nats last year?

18 according to the score sheet.

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/2013-...ve-scores.html

[Dezertdirt]

I would like to build one some day, but there are few things I couldn't figure out. Why did they disappear? Does anyone still run clod axles? I saw a roller for sale at a lhs for 250 a while back with clod axles and a hustler chassis. I thought about It but was fearful of the clod axles and finding parts. Does anyone still make parts for clod axles and are they any good? What shock do you super guys run? Are mt axles any good? It is amazing the lines that supers can pull. I hope the class gets saved. Thanks to all those companies who make parts for these huge rigs. Also ci please please continue to make tires and foams for these things.

[4ONDFLR]

I got into this hobby because of Supers. My first crawler back in like 07-08 was a Clod based Super that I still own. I agree with most of y'all that a lot of it is due to the tires, but also a big thing for me is a place to run it. I don't live on the west coast or where there are a lot of rocks. I have to drive 2 hours to get to a place with obstacles BIG enough to make running the Super fun. Where I can take a 2.2 and run it on smaller courses near my house or on a small pile of rocks in my back yard and still have the same amount of fun if not more because of the ease of finding fun trails. Granted I was never a big comp guy but that's just my .02

[Harvo]

It's unlikely supers will get appropriate attention at comps if the comp organizer doesn't have a super. It shouldn't be that way, but it is. You give the most attention to the class of trucks that the most people bring to compete with, so unless you have a special interest in the supers (have one) they will probably be left to their own devices.

Other classes are suffering from time. Locally we try to run every class...but that is 5 classes now. There is no way you can get 5 classes done in a reasonable day. We had to drop 1.9 and supers because they had fewer drivers, and they aren't the "now" class.

If all the clubs have the same time issues we have, then the only time people get to compete with the supers is a national comps. People just don't want to keep a truck like that to compete 2 or 3 times a year.

Supers should get more prime time than they do... But

[TSK]

Originally Posted by Harvo

It's unlikely supers will get appropriate attention at comps if the comp organizer doesn't have a super. It shouldn't be that way, but it is. You give the most attention to the class of trucks that the most people bring to compete with, so unless you have a special interest in the supers (have one) they will probably be left to their own devices.

Other classes are suffering from time. Locally we try to run every class...but that is 5 classes now. There is no way you can get 5 classes done in a reasonable day. We had to drop 1.9 and supers because they had fewer drivers, and they aren't the "now" class.

If all the clubs have the same time issues we have, then the only time people get to compete with the supers is a national comps. People just don't want to keep a truck like that to compete 2 or 3 times a year.

Supers should get more prime time than they do... But

What if you guys switch up which classes are run at each comp? Like 2.2 pro and super at one comp, and the next comp is 2.2s, 1.9 and whatever your fifth class is?

[ROWDY RACING]

Originally Posted by TheSCorpionKing

whatever your fifth class is?

Trail comp.

[ittybitty]

Looks like those guys from Sweden have an even better chance of cleaning house at Nationals. They seem to get quite a bit of drive time in at local events as well as their larger events. Ya'll are right though...the "newer" classes have provided even more reason for local clubs to push the 1.9 and Super classes to the side in favor of promoting the classes with the most interest. Does it suck...yes...will it change...probably not. Comp crawlers have been fighting a downward spiral in event participation for the past couple years, and a lot of that has to do with the way the events have been run in comparison to the comparable sized scale events. People just don't come away from the larger comps raving about how much fun it was the same way the scale guys do. The thing is drivers of comp crawlers and scalers just arent' the same...never will be. Comp drivers tend to be more serious at the events...more focused...and when they don't do as well as they wanted they can get upset/aggravated as well. From what I have read, heard, and seen this typically isn't the case with the scale events. Sure drivers will wish they could've done better, but I think the mood is just lighter at these events due to the nature of the type of event it is.

This crap is really hard to put into words but I believe most of you know what I mean. It seems like until we can put the FUN back in comp crawling it's going to be a hard fight to keep people interested. With the level of competition, quality of parts, etc. comp crawling has grown to be VERY competitive in the upper levels and for newbies that tends to deter the majority of them...especially once they ask one of us how much we have tied up in our rigs We (our club) gets that same question at least once at just about every location we visit during the season...and as soon as we try to break down what it would take for someone to get started you can see their eyes glaze over. Without adequate support from the big name vendors for a RTR or ARTR version of a comp crawler that is moderately affordable and readily available it really does seem like a daunting task to build one to the average Joe.

I think the Trail Class was a step in the right direction, however unless the local clubs can stick to the actual Trail Class rules and set up the courses the way I believe they were intended to be set up I believe that more than likely our local events will cater more towards being Scale Comps. Again...trying to convince a scale guy that he can run his "class 1" against "class 3" rigs on the same courses is difficult. Then when you tell them scale points aren't counted, but reverses are you'll start to see them lose interest. Most of them have already built their rigs to fit a certain class and to gain as many scale points as possible so they aren't willing to go backwards.

I feel like I just pissed in the wind...

[2003EDGE]

I have to agree with itty on this...sorta lol!

I took my 2.2p rig out for the first time earlier this week and have to say that it IS a whole different driving style. It is going to be an uphill battle to figure out the best time to use the front and rear dig functions etc. However, in anything that I get into, if I am going to a comp, I am going there to do the best that I can! Take the last scaler comp that I attended, had a rough run due to some technical issues during a teamed event. Was I frustrated and heated at the end of the course??? YES! Would I have finished several spots higher if I would have run the course solo....OH YEAH! I have been racing R/C for several years and will always have that competitive drive. Even in follow the leader runs, I will try to take an overly ridiculous line just to see if I can do it!

As for the trail class, I think that you are still seeing scale accessories due to the fact that this hasn't hit main stream yet and you are seeing guys with rigs that are already built coming out. Will I build a rig dedicated to the Trail Class...yet to be determined. I really want to see how the rules are going to shake out.

[Harvo]

I think the reason the 2.2 won the popularity war was because it was the first class that had a complete competition truck produced by a major company at the height of competition popularity. The timing was right.

There were also only 2 classes. It could have been supers if Axial had chosen that class as the golden child.

Having only 2 classes made it easy for everyone to have time and trucks to compete in both as well. It's unlikely these days that many people will have a truck for every class... or the time to run them all at a comp. I'm lucky if I can run 3 classes in a day. So people pick their favorites. If their favorite is Super, and no one else has one... they either drop out or pick another favorite. Same goes with any class.

It's a tough spot. You add more options to gain more interest, but loose people as well because there are too many options spread out too thinly.