Xray XB2C 21 Build Review

As the 2020 season has finished here in Greece, it is time to prep for the 2021 (I hope Covid-19 free) season.

The new car for my 2021 lineup is a 1/10 2wd Buggy (a class that I first drove in 2017 and have loved it since), the Xray XB2C 21. You may wonder why opt out for Xray when you won two Greek Championships(more than anyone in 2020) this year and there was no official Xray banner for me ? I guess I am crazy, hahahaha. No, I just think their 1/10 offroad cars are quite solid platforms to work on.

Build: The building process was quite enjoyable. Not many difficult steps or tricks that you need to do in order to build the car. You just have to stick to the manual. I had a little trouble with the rear suspension arms that were not free enough but some sandpaper did the job. The same applied to the diff cross. Also I highly doubt that 1.3 grams is the right amount of silicone oil for the diff, it is easily 0.2 grams more. Definitely being muscular helps when screwing the composite parts but everything had a great fit and you did not have to be bothered by anything else.

Design: The design of the car is 95% the same compared to its predecessor except for the steering geometry, bodyshell and wing. But as I owned the XB2C 19, the 21 car felt like it was a big step forward. Pretty much every part of the car has been changed with the ‘easy to drive’ car on mind. Bigger diff, new diff adjustment settings, new bent chassis, new bodyshell and rear wing, new gearbox, new battery holder, longer shocks and the list goes on… What’s interesting is the fact that they took a lot of design ideas from other brands(on-road too!) and integrated them in the Xray philosophy. Not necessarily innovation but if it is a step forward I am sticking with the XB2.

A small definition of easy-to-drive: By easy to drive I do not mean the car is slow. It refers on the ratio of raw speed to comfort, which is as you understand not something measurable. The success of how fast and easy to drive a car is, depends on the fact that it maintains the same level of comfort while the car becomes faster. Obviously, the faster you drive the more changes you have got to do, that make the car faster in terms of laptimes while compromising the comfort of driving it. Nonetheless, if you want to go fast, you are more on the limit of having an accident etc. and that is why at the end of the day the car needs to be at least driveable in order to be consistent on race day which is the most important thing…

Awesomatix-like battery mounting system.

New front suspension arms with holes for OPTIONAL front anti-roll bar.

Bent chassis ( a first for an Xray 1/10 Buggy), commonly used on TLR and Team Associated 2wd buggies.

The new Gear Box which is narrower than the 19′ one.

TEC wing and the motor mount brace(a design that reminds me of the Associated B6.1). Also a very very thick rear shock tower!

New bodyshell. Not very easy to fit but it seems that the carpet bodyshell has shifted the aerodynamic balance towards the front which is quite logical. If I am in a position to prove that via simulation or an aerodynamic tunnel I will post immediately.

Quality: The quality, as always, is top-notch with the finish of each part quite good too. Everything fits and works well with the exception of the front steering system that I have still some problems to solve but I hope I figure them out soon!

Rear upright. The clearance between the camber link and the wheel is a little bit worrying, especially with the soft Xray wheels.

A close-up of the front suspension

Pretty much the same slipper system.

Unfortunately, no rear anti-roll bar which is a little bit messed up especially if you consider that it is the Carpet version. 75mm driveshafts.

Budget/spare and optionals parts: The XB2 21 is the most expensive 2wd on the market! This is a major factor for racers but what actually makes the life-cycle cost of the car super high is the numerous (plus expensive) optionals and expensive spare parts. I know that the car is durable and does not break easily but a serious racer should have the necessary spare parts in case of an accident. Also the number of optional parts is significantly big thus confusing for selecting the right parts for each track. Definitely an important factor to look into before buying it…

Note: I am not good at installing electronics beautifully(hahaha)! Also the 2021 box is the same as the 2020 version which was a little bit confusing.

Factory feedback: It seems like the Xray factory team are less focused on helping the customers with set-up sheets both on the XB2 and especially XB4 platforms from 2019 till the the start of the lockdown. This makes it difficult to fine-tune the setup of the car as there is no feedback from the factory team AND no photos… If they decide once again to be active on these kind of stuff it would help them to get closer to the racers and help us out on setting up the car for various conditions.

Visualizing the rear suspension geometry…

New 4-hole front roll center holder.

Overall: In conclusion, the build of the car is very nice. Good quality and easy assembly makes an enjoyable process for everyone. Even if they have taken ideas from other brands it seems that they combined all of them in a productive way, taking into consideration the race results from international races the previous seasons. On the other hand the overall pricing and minimum set-up support can be an important factor for guys that have a limited budget and want a fast car straight out of the box. Unfortunately, I will not be able to drive my XB2C 21 on my local astro track soon as we have a national lockdown till the end of November. So, until then, stay safe and see you on the track!