Associated DR10 vs Losi 22s Drag Car Comparison
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Which is better?
Getting started in 1/10th scale no-prep drag racing has never been easier these days with all the options to either upgrade one of your older stadium trucks or purchase a rolling chassis or a nearly Ready To Run drag car.
This article will compare two of my favorites the Team Associated DR10 and Team Losi 22S drag cars, more specifically the RTR versions. Regardless of which Team you go with you will have fun running and tweaking your Drag Car to perfection.
Cost: Team Associate is the lesser cost car with prices averaging around $350.00 at the time of this comparison. While the Team Losi 22S comes in nearly $100.00 costing $460.00. But for those who examine the finer details, the Losi 22S has the better overall quality of build and electronics.
Build Quality:
- Team Associated: Associated DR10 comes up short in this area. The DR10 features a composite chassis and Arms and Steering components, this in some situations has some benefits especially for the new drivers who almost always find a nice curb doing around 40mph. The composite chassis is more forgiving with hard impacts. The DR10's shocks on all four corners are notorious for leaking and lack on-the-fly adjustability, and employ plastic shims to adjust spring tension, making matters worse - the steering components have more slop than an old tractor. You the driver need to address to get the most out of your DR10. Moving to the Wheelie bar, seemed like an afterthought for Associated, it is short and connected to the DR10 in a what that lacks rigidity. I rarely see DR10 owners running the stock Wheelie Bar especially after they have broking the car in. The Transmission is dated like most aging stadium trucks and Associated made no attempt to use full metal gearing inside the transmission housing and for a Drag car that seems lazy.
- Team Losi: Losi 22S Drag Car is a step up in all regards when it comes to building quality, parts are tight and fit well and employ an aluminum main chassis with composite parts making for the best combo for rigidity and reliability. A downside is once again plastic shocks on all four corners with no on-the-fly adjustments and uses plastic shims like the DR10 on all four corners. Steering components are acceptably tight with some play, but nothing to worry too much about. Moving back to the Wheelie Bar, the Losi 22S wheelie bar is head and shoulders over the DR10 and I don't see myself replacing it anytime soon. Transmission is locked and all-metal internal gearing and based on what I have seen at the track is very reliable, especially running stock setup with a 2s Lipo pack.
Electronics:
- Team Associated: Cheap Servo, a budget Reedy SC600 BL ESC with a rock bottom budget Radio Transmitter that feels like a child toy with the most basic tunability. Overall the electronics are fine for knocking around in front of your house but don't expect to win any races with this setup unless your competition is also running a stock DR10 and you are a better driver. The Brushless sensorless mother is a 3300kv capable of propelling your DR10 to around 40+mph in 132 feet. Most experienced racers agree the DR10 is geared for 3s Lips use and needs to be geared properly for 2s packs to legally run in Official Drag Races.
- Team Losi: A Better Servo with metal gears, an improved smart programmable Ferma 100 ESC with push-button programmability or optional programming box or USB SmartLink supporting upgrades and PC programming. The transmitter like the DR10 is budget transmitters to get your car down the track - nothing more. If I were to pick one transmitter of the other it would be the Losi. The Losi 22S features the Spektrum Firma 6500kv Brushless Motor. Neither the DR10 nor Losi 22S motors are much to write home about. Looking at the very very sparse manual you see the motors are very basic.
** I did not mention the receivers for either Team Losi or Team Associated. Both are useable at the track for the intended purpose.
Wheels and Tires: Running both cars after a few weeks I prefer the Losi 22S set over the Associated DR10's but that is mostly subjective, I like the look of the Losi and think they perform better. It is a toss-up otherwise. I want to mention the Team Losi comes configured to squat lower than the DR10 and has shock stops to prevent bottoming out. oh, buy the way Losi even got the Tires licensed through Mickey Thompson.
Car Body / Looks: Losi did a superior job at delivering a more "scale" looking car. Whether you are a Chevy Camero fan or a Dodge/Plymouth fan the Losi looks better especially the way the car body wraps around the chassis. You have to hand it to Losi they went the extra mile and obtained a license to use the "Chevy Camero" while Associated failed to.
Handling: Mostly a toss-up but I gravitate to the Losi 22S for my drag racing I find I get more consistent runs from the car.
Upgradability: This is where drivers turn to after they get tired of running the stock setup and want to enjoy tweaking their car to perfection. Team Associated DR10 has been around a lot longer than the Team Losi 22S which means a LOT of upgrades on the market everything from full carbon fiber replacement chassis, upgraded transmissions, better steering components, a few high-end wheelie bars for you to choose from. If you want to give your DR10 a diet there are plenty of Titanium and Graphite to keep you busy. This does not mean Team Losi 22S does not have its fair share of upgrades and I find more and more becoming available on the market each time I look. For me, after a few months running the DR10 it is hard to even call it a DR10 after all the upgrades I did $$, but it is a lot of fun wrenching and trying out new things against your unsuspecting competition.
Summary: Team Associate DR10 is a dependable No Prep Drag Car with a large selection of hop-up for many manufactures. The Losi 22S out of the box is a better car if you have no big plans of doing much upgrading - both cars are a blast to Drag Race with and a pleasure to look at on the shelf when not in use. If I were buying my RTR No Prep Drag Car again it would be the Losi 22S. If you are the kind of person that wants to go to extremes with upgrades then I would recommend buying a DR10 rolling chassis and go from there.
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