PERFORMANCE TEST
BEHIND THE WHEEL
For an out-of-the-box truck, the
RAZ-R does a solid job of transferring
the power to the ground. ;e RAZ-R
reaches an impressive top speed
with the stock setup—over 20mph
in about 100 feet. ;e gearing,
however, definitely favors top speed
over acceleration. ;e RAZ-R feels
a bit unresponsive at low rpm, but
gearing-down the pinion by one or
two teeth would help to level-out
the acceleration curve for a better
mix of initial bite and top speed.
;e stock 1800mAh NiMH battery
pack is su;cient for beginners,
but it dumps rather quickly when
traversing through terrain. When
paired with a higher quality 4600mAh
pack, however, the RAZ-R exhibits
noticeably improved acceleration and
stretches its legs even further before
running out of steam. Total runtime
is dramatically improved with the
upgraded pack as well—fetching over
15 minutes of solid driving time.
;e RAZ-R’s cornering is
surprisingly sharp out of the box.
It turns hard into corners, but does
feel soft exiting sharp turns. Upon
inspection, this particular truck had a
Heavy-duty drivetrain
Big-bore shocks
Adjustable suspension
Low price
;e battery compartment is limiting
Stock gearing favors top speed
;e battery and plugs aren’t very good
78 RCCar Action.com
fair amount of toe-in out of the box—
no doubt accounting for its turn-in
and exiting characteristics. I tightened
the turnbuckles to straighten the
front tires, and while this muted the
initial turn-in, the truck steered
better while exiting corners and
wasn’t as twitchy at high speeds. ;e
RAZ-R handles long, sweeping turns
e;ectively, but does exhibit a fair
amount of chassis roll, no doubt due
to the soft suspension that helped
it soak up the jumps and bumps
that I blasted through with reckless
abandon.
Despite the truck’s lack of a center
di;erential, and a stance smaller than
that of a typical 1/8-scale monster
truck, the RAZ-R hops through ruts
but stays on its feet as long as you
stay on the power. It jumps well, too,
with much of the truck’s mid-air
maneuverability attributed to its four
spinning wheels and short wheelbase.
With enough ride height to clear most
of what you’ll find in the backyard,
and the smooth plastic chassis sliding
across what’s too tall to straddle, it
takes considerable e;ort to upset the
RAZ-R.
THE RAZ-R OFFERS A GOOD BALANCE OF OUT-OF-THE-BOX
FUN WITH PLENTY OF ADJUSTABILITY AND POWER-
UPGRADE POTENTIAL.
SOURCES
DHK Hobby hobbypeople.net
Final Word
;e RAZ-R o;ers a good balance of out-of-the-box fun
with plenty of adjustability and power-upgrade potential.
;e full-time 4 WD drivetrain and 2.2-inch tires make it an
excellent backyard basher, great on trails, and a natural for
racing up and down the street. ;e price is rock-bottom
low (especially for all you get), and there’s also full parts
support at Hobby People stores and online at hobbypeople.
net. ;e RAZ-R deserves a serious look for anyone jumping
into RC with their first truck, or hoping to add to their fleet
with truck that combines big features and a small price.
