DURANGO DEX210
KIT | 1/10-SCALE | ELECTRIC | OFF-ROAD
WORDS & PHOTOS JOEL NAVARRO
EVERY SO OFTEN IN THE RC INDUSTRY,
car design hits a slump and companies tend
to churn out cars with very little advancement in performance design, or worse yet,
they don’t design anything new at all. On the
other hand, there are companies that boldly
head into revolutionary new directions and
produce innovative cars that deliver on the
track. For a fairly new company, Durango has
been making its mark on the RC scene with
world-class cars, and its newest offering, the DEX210 is no exception.
;e DEX210 might possibly be
the most adjustable car in this
class. Packed with features
such as a fully adjustable
suspension that includes
droop screws along with a
unique gearbox that uses
three or four gears allowing
you run your motor mid
or rear and left and right.
With so many adjustment
options, I’m anxious to
fine-tune this rig to any
racing condition thrown at
me. Let’s hit the track!
TEST GEAR ■ LRP SXX SPEED CONTROL ■ REEDY SONIC 7.5;TURN BL MOTOR
■ RACERS EDGE 6000 & 4000MAH LIPO BAT TERIES ■ SAVOX SB2271SG SERVO
■ AKA REBAR AND VEC TOR TIRES ■ PRO;LINE SUBURB AND SCRUB TIRES ■ CFX PAIN T WORKS PAIN T JOB
Upon arriving at SDRC Raceway in San Diego, CA, the first order of
business was to mount some racing rubber on the DEX210’s included
wheels. AKA racing tires supplied me with super-soft compound shoes
for my rig. I decided on Rebars for the rear and Vectors for the front.
As I dialed in my steering trims and fine-tuned my LRP ESC’s drag
brake on the first couple of laps, I was ready to put this Durango buggy
through its paces. The layout of the newly expanded SDRC track had
smooth, fast lines with small and medium jumps, as well as a mix
of rhythm sections. Having the option of using a mid- or rear-motor
configuration, I initially decided to test the DEX210 as a mid-motor
buggy. The first thing I noticed was how silky smooth the DEX210
PERFORMANCE
responded to my every command. My initial slipper clutch setting was
too loose for the powerful Reedy Sonic 7. 5 brushless motor, but with a
quick adjustment, all the power was being transferred to the ground
efficiently. Back on the track, there were a couple of bumpy washboard
sections that upset the handling of most buggies at the track. This is
where the big-bore shocks of the DEX210 really shone and actuated super smooth to yield plush, controllable handling. In most of the bends
on the track, steering proved to be too aggressive with the mid-motor
configuration that is really popular on high-traction European astroturf
tracks. Not a problem; all parts are included for both motor configurations and it only took me 30 minutes in the pits to transform the
DEX210 into a rear-motor buggy, which is more widely used here in
the States on dirt tracks. The handling difference was apparent right
