This article is about the differences in a FWD RC car vs a 4wd one. Comparing my Schumacher with a TT-02 is in all honesty a bit unfair on the Tamiya as it is far from a race car, but rather a fun basher. It just isn’t designed to be that sharp.
However despite this you can still easily notice the difference in the handling characteristics between the two.
Traction from a dig:
The 4wd Tamiya has this one - simply because it is putting all of its power straight down on the tarmac. You can literally just pull the trigger right back and off it shoots.
Stability:
Not even close - the Schumacher destroys its opponent here. It has to be said though that this may also be made worse by the fact the Mission is not only FWD but generally tighter and more accurate. The higher the speed the more the difference becomes noticeable.
Cornering speed:
Destruction - the Tamiya struggles to go in a straight line past 35 mph. The Mission will happily go round a 90 degree turn at full speed (estimated 40+). I’m not going to let the Tamiya off too much here as despite the Schumacher being the more race-bred chassis, the TT-02 has a lot of option parts added that should in theory even the odds a little (but don’t come even close).
General Handling Feel:
The FWD car has the feeling of pulling itself along. The cornering is just totally predictable and you can still get the back end out if you really push it hard. It will be interesting to gear this car up and see what speeds are possible with it as it is just so stable - the motor and all the weight is at the front end where it needs to be. You have to drive it a bit differently to a 4wd car. Feeding the power in is important and actually makes it drive quicker than just yanking the throttle.
The TT-02 is just completely out-manoeuvred here in every way possible apart from a race off the line. It would be a bit more of a fair comparison in a way to do this with a belt driven Tamiya like the TA-08 Pro, but in all honesty my Type S has more upgrades than an SRX which is twice the price of Schumacher Mission FT. So you could also argue that it is a true test and the Tamiya just gets destroyed.
