Remote Control Car Analysis: Traxxas vs. Arrma

Electronics/ Batteries

To start off talking about RC cars, ESC stands for electronic speed controller. It controls the motor. There are many different motor and esc combos. The main two are brushed and brushless motors. Brushed motors have carbon brushes that the commutator contacts with magnets that spin the armature so there is a lot of friction because of the brushes.

Brushless motors use magnets and an eclectic field to spin the motor so not only is it more efficient but heats up less. Heat can cause you to lose torque and speed, especially on a brushed motor. Brushless motors have more rpm (rotations per minute), and more torque usually. 

Brushless also uses kilovolts (KV) instead of turns, but one can usually be converted to the other measurement (KV = RPM per volt).  A standard 1/10 scale basher uses a 3200kv or 3500kv with 7.4 (2s) to 11.1 (3s) volts so you get 38,850 rpm on 3s with a 3500kv motor or 25,900 rpm on a 2s Lithium Polymer (or lipos). Lipos that supply the most power and are the best batteries to use on an RC car. The other main battery is a NIMH Nickel metal hydride. They are 1.2 volts per cell compared to lipo being 3.7 volts per cell, but have a higher amount of cells.

Now that you know the general idea of batteries and motors we can talk about some cars.

The first thing you will notice is that most of the time Traxxas cars are faster. This is due to the higher kv motors, the high speed gearing, and also Traxxas cars tend to be lighter.

The reason the Arrma cars are usually heavier is because 6s to 8s vehicles use aluminum chassis and shock towers and the 3s and 4s Arrma cars are fairly similar weight to the 3s Traxxas cars but still heavier by a pound to a 1.5 pounds or more. On the 3s Arrma's this is likely due to the part being larger like the chassis, the differentials, larger motor and esc and the plastic parts are built thicker.

Traxxas overview technology/electronics

Some Traxxas vehicles use TSM (Traxxas Stability Management), which is pretty much traction control for an rc car. The ESC and motor don't have many features but they have modules you can add like a heat sensor,GPS speed tracker, rpm sensor etc. Another thing they have is the Traxxas link module you can add to the remote and connect to your phone where you can adjust dual rates, trims, TSM and a lot more. Traxxas also makes batteries and chargers that can recognize the battery once plugged in, which makes it really nice and easy for beginners.

Arrma overview technology/electronics

A few Arrma cars have AVC (Active Vehicle Control) But most Arrma cars have Spektrum esc's and receivers (except the 3s/, they still use the BLX 100 esc) the Spektrum ones have technology that can read info from the battery and some remotes from them will give you data from the esc you can also tune the esc's punch, drag brake, motor timing, and many other things unlike the Arrma esc's, The Traxxas has Training mode (50%throttle) Sport mode (full speed forward reverse and brakes) and Race mode (Full throttle Full brake no reverse)

From the technology standpoint they both have many things but the Arrma has more out of the box usually telemetry wise, but Traxxas has many modules you can get for them.

Durability wise they both have their place.

Many people say the 6 to 8s Arrmas have bad chassis. I want to point out most people who say this drive at a skate park but a bad enough crash could break any car. I can say for most people they won't be jumping at the skate park so both brands will be fine ,but Traxxas being plastic chassis more often will handle higher jumps because the chassis will flex and not bend. As long as you are not jumping your car on massive ramps onto asphalt you probably won't have many issues chassis wise with either brand. I can say the 8s Arrma durability isn't great because they weigh so much, but even the X maxx has some flaws of its own. The 3s range of Arrma cars vs the Traxxas are a very similar match for price and durability but they are both really great bashers for anyone in the hobby.

Another thing is the support. Traxxas has amazing support where you can call them and they will help you figure out what is wrong and what parts you need. You can also get parts for a Traxxas at just about any hobby store. Traxxas also has a second brand Latrax that has smaller cheaper cars that are better for someone who has never driven an RC before.

On the other hand Arrma also has good support, definitely not as good as Traxxas, but still is helpful. Their parts support isn't quite as good but it has been growing a ton recently and can only get better from here on. 

Design

My last topic is overall design. On the Traxxas 2wd range it has been getting incremental upgrades over time but is still the old original design from the mid 90s when they were first released. Traxxas started in 1986 and Arrma started in while Arrma came out in somewhere about 2010 to 2012.

I have multiples of both brands (as well as some others), and I will say now just get whatever you have the most fun with. Don't get what someone tells you to get. No matter what car you decide on, here are three things to keep in mind: 1. Is there good support?; 2. Can I get replacement parts?, and 3. Is it fun to drive? 

Once you think about all of these things you can make an educated decision on what you should get. I recommend asking someone who has one or to watch Youtube videos about the vehicle.

I also want to add that Arrma updates their cars much more often, usually once every year or two so they put better parts since the last version. More recently they have been updating the electronics too. Traxxas does incremental updates sometimes but much less often and less effect on the vehicles like new body design.

Just to recap, Traxxas has better support, more variety, and tends to have a higher top speed and be lighter weight. But Arrma updates their cars more often, is getting larger as a company and progressing and usually has better stock electronics.

If this has helped you get into the hobby, I hope you have fun and have learned about what brand/car might be the best for you.

Thank you for reading and I hope this has helped you in this wonderful hobby. : )