I’m sure that when you saw the Traxxas XRT, you remembered the Traxxas Sledge as well as the Arrma Kraton 8s, so, what’s the difference between Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s?
After comparing the XRT to the Traxxas Sledge, the Kraton was the next one since they have so many similar things in design and maybe performance as well.
The Arrma Kraton 8s is one of the most powerful Arrma RC cars if not the most powerful while the Traxxas XRT has been made to compete with the X-Maxx and the Sledge!
So, which one is better? And which one should you spend your money on?
This is what we will know in the Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s comparison.
Let’s get started in the next few lines…
Read Also: Traxxas XRT VS Sledge. Which One Is Better For You?
Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s Design
Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s Bodies
At first glance, you’ll notice that these two RC cars, in general, are similar and have the same concept which is an RC Truggy.
From a specific perspective, each body has its fecan
atures like the clipless body that Traxxas added to its RC cars long ago, while the Arrma Kraton 8s still comes with the clips on the body.
Also, both RC cars have skids that protect the body as well as a big spoiler on the rear.
Let’s discover more details about the Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s bodies…
Read Also: Traxxas XRT VS X-Maxx. Which One Is Better For You?
The Front
When it comes to the front of the body, the XRT and the Kraton 8s can be recognized easily since their front-end design is different.
They both have a modern look. The Kraton comes with those minimalist headlights that look aggressive and add a sporty look.
On the same track, the Traxxas XRT comes with those slim sharp headlights. The grill looks different from one car to another.
They both have muscles on the sides, but the Kraton has a better appearance in this aspect!
The other difference on the Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s front end is the bumper. The Traxxas XRT comes with a big bumper that covers the front of the body.
On the other hand, the Kraton, like the Sled, doesn’t come with any, still, it has a small bumper under the body that can provide some protection as well.
Passing to the hood, the Kraton has a normal simple hood with two clips on. On the flip side, the XRT has a hood that no other RC car has!
This bumper is not a normal simple one, it does come with an air vent that drives the airflow to the motor for cooling reasons.
Also, the clips aren’t on top of the body, they’re right on top of the wheels, each wheel has a clip on top of it. So, to open the body, you should put your finger between the wheel and the body and click to the top.
Putting the body back is also easy, all you need is push the body against the chassis, and that’s it!
So, in terms of the Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s front body, the XRT has the upper hand!
Read Also: Traxxas XRT Full Review – Everything You Need To Know!
The Middle and The Rear
Concerning the Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s middle of the body, both RC cars have skids, but the size, as well as the amount of protection of these skids, are different.
The Arrma Kraton 8s skids are so small, they can do a great job protecting the body, but still, the body will be hurt.
On the other hand, the skids on the Traxxas XRT are so big, not only that, with those skids, there is another air vent driving the airflow to the motor to cool it which is another great invention.
Passing to the rear, both RC cars have great spoilers which have a big role in adding downforce when going at high speed.
The difference remains though in the part before the spoiler.
The Traxxas XRT comes with other plastic supports and protectors for the body, these plastic protectors are holding the internal cage that connects the front air vent, the second air vent, and the rear part. That’s engineering!
The Kraton though doesn’t come with any additional parts, it’s simple and empty.
In addition to that, the XRT comes with a wheelie bar while the Kraton doesn’t have one. But, you can still add an aftermarket one.
Read Also: Arrma Kraton 8s BLX Full Review After 1 Month. Everything You Need To Know!
The Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s Chassis
Since these two RC cars come from different brands, they will naturally have different chassis, isn’t that right?
If you put the Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s chassis together, you’ll see so many differences and dissimilarities.
Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s Dimensions
The first one you’ll notice is the width difference. In fact, due to the WideMaxx suspension, the Traxxas XRT is so wide, it is even wider than the X-Maxx.
But here is the surprise, if you think that the XRT is wider than the Kraton, you’re wrong!
The width of the XRT reaches 23.43 inches (595mm) while the Kraton has 23.70 in (602mm) which is wider than the WideMaxx Suspension. That’s crazy!
The amount of handling on the Kraton is incredible. This doesn’t mean that the XRT is weak, after all, the difference between the Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s width is less than 10 millimeters, so, we can say that they have the same handling.
What about the other dimensions? Here they are in the chart below:
Traxxas XRT Dimensions
- Length: 31.41 inches (798mm)
- Width: 23.43 inches (595mm)
- Height: 10.15 inches (258mm)
- Ground Clearance: 1.93 inches (49mm)
- Weight: 21.03 pounds (9.54kgs) (No Batteries)
- Wheelbase: 18.9 inches (480mm)
Arrma Kraton 8s Dimensions
- Length: 29.92″ (760 mm)
- Width: 23.70 in (602mm)
- Height: 10.47″ (266 mm)
- Ground Clearance: 2.56 inches (65mm)
- Weight: 24.2lbs (11kg)
- Wheelbase: 19.33″ (491 mm)
As you see, some Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s dimensions is so close while others have a big gap.
Even though the Kraton is wider than the XRT, this one is lower in GC, longer, and lighter!
Read Also: Kraton 8s VS X-Maxx Comparison – Which One Is Better For You?
The Front of the Chassis
As mentioned earlier, the Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s front of the chassis is different. The XRT comes with a front bumper while the Kraton doesn’t.
In addition to the front bumper, there is a small plastic balance between this one and the body mount.
This means that the protection of the front end on the XRT is higher than the protection of the Kraton.
The shocks on both RC cars are heavy-duty Aluminum shocks that handle all the pressure of high seed and bashing off-road.
Also, both RC cars have a durable and reliable Aluminum suspension system. It’s incredible!
The design of the body mount is different though. If you look at the chassis of the XRT, you’ll see the new design Traxxas has done makes you think that the body mount is included with the chassis.
This unity increases the strength and handling of this RC car.
On the other hand, the Kraton comes with the normal design of the body mount like any other RC car. Still, they’re both durable.
Read Also: TRAXXAS MAXX V2 WideMaxx REVIEW. WHAT’S NEW?
The Middle Of the Chassis
The middle of the Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s is unsimilar in design as well as in structure.
The first thing you’ll notice in the Kraton is that big T-bat passing in the middle of the chassis for support. The XRT doesn’t come with this bar!
This is not the only bar the Kraton comes with! There are two other bars, one that is passing from the front of the chassis to the center, and the other one is continuing from the center to the end.
That’s a lot of support and handling there!
Also, if you ask about the material of the Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s chassis, they’re both made of hard materials; however, the Kraton seems it has more concentrated and hard material than the XRT.
This is the reason why the Kraton is heavy. This is had a bad side though!
That weight can be a bad factor so many people have their chassis bent because they jumped high jumps and landed so hard that the metal chassis can’t support all that weight and bend.
This is why, if you have a Kraton or want to buy one, make sure you add some plate skids to the chassis for more support.
Read Also: Top 10+ RC Monster Trucks From Traxxas (2022 Update)
Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s Electronics
Since these two RC cars are from different brands, they have different electronics. It(s true that they have the same internal parts as RC cars like the ESC, motor, servo, and receiver, but they are from different brands.
Also, for the electronics protection, it seems like the XRT has more protection for its electronics in contrary to the Kraton which has so many exposed sensitive parts like the central driveshaft.
We will walk through this in more detail in the performance section.
The Rear of the Chassis
Concerning the rear, both RC cars have the same design as their front ones with big spoilers.
These spoilers have a big role in keeping the balance and maintaining the RC car on the road at high speeds.
And finally, there is the wheelie bar that only the XRT comes with, for the Kraton, it does come without.
Read Also: 22 BEST TRAXXAS RC CARS You Can Buy Now (2022 Updated)
Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s Tires
If you read the full review of the Traxxas XRT, you’ll know that the tires that come with it are for racing, not for off-road. Still, you’ll have a good time with them off-road.
Also, they are so wide, they’re the 7.4″ Gravix™ race tires!
What about the Kraton 8s?
The Kraton isn’t less incredible than the XRT it is offered with the Multi-terrain dBoots® COPPERHEAD™ 2 SB tires.
So, both Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s tires is great and incredibly powerful to handle all that pressure from these two RC beasts.
Read Also: Traxxas Sledge VS E-Revo 2.0. Which One Is Better For You?
Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s Performance
Regarding performance, we can say that these two RC cars are the icons of their brands.
Being the latest RC car to be released from Traxxas, the XRT comes with a Velineon® 1200XL Brushless Motor and a VXL-8s™ Waterproof Electronic Speed Control, in addition to double 4s Lipo batteries. With all these parts, this RC car can do 60+mph.
On the flip side, the Kraton 8s is offered with a Spektrum™ Firma™ 1250Kv Brushless Motor and a Spektrum™ Firma™ 160A Smart ESC in addition to two 4s Lipo batteries as well as a pinion gear, this RC car can go up to 55mph.
If you look at the top speed, you’ll conclude that the XRT is faster than the Kraton 8s.
Still, the Kraton 8s have a chance to flip that! That’s because of its EXB version that comes with no electronics, and you should add your custom structure which allows you to go faster than this 55mph mark.
Also, weight can be an important factor in a drag race, by considering the weight of the Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s, the XRT still have a chance to beat the Kraton!
Read Also: Traxxas Sledge vs Maxx. Which One Is Better For You?
Handling
As you know, for an RC car to have big handling, it should have so many features that matter. For these two RC cars, it seems like they have done every single condition to reach that and they have both incredible handling.
The wide chassis, the low ground clearance, as well as the wide tires are all factors that made these two RC cars hard to flip over around corners as well as easy to bash without the fear of breaking something, at least easily!
So, in conclusion, the Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s handling is almost the same and we have a draw in this aspect!
Read Also: Best Traxxas Sledge Parts That You Should Definitely Add!
Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s Transmitter and Receiver
As mentioned always, since these two RC cars are from different brands, it’s natural to have different transmitters and receivers unlike the Sledge with the XRT!
The Arrma Kraton is offered with the Spektrum™ DX3 3-channel 2.4GHz Radio with SR6100AT AVC® Receiver while the Traxxas XRT comes with the TQi™ 2.4GHz High Output Radio System and a 5-channel micro receiver.
The 5-channel micro receiver transmitter and receiver have some features like the AVC (Active Vehicle Control) for the Arrma and the TSM (Traxxas Stability Management) for the Traxxas.
These two systems have the same concept which is maintaining balance and the same direction while going at high speed.
You can always control how this system interferes with your driving, you can increase it to 100% or disable it completely and enjoy controlling those two RC beasts.
Also, there is another feature that is called in the Traxxas tribe the Traxxas link which is a device that links to your transmitter and receiver and your phone using Bluetooth.
It allows you to get more info about your RC car like the op speed, motor temperature as well as RPM by installing the Traxxas app.
For Arrma, they have the same thing, except for the fact that they don’t have to buy it aftermarket like Traxxas. it’s included in the transmitter/receiver.
You can also connect your transmitter to your smartphone using Bluetooth and the Spektrum Dashboard App.
So, in terms of systems, transmitter, and receiver, the Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s have the same features and capabilities with different names.
Read Also: Traxxas Sledge Full Review. Everything You Need To Know About!
Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s Upgrades
Upgrading your RC car can be one of the funniest things you can do.
For the Arrma Kraton, there are so many upgrades out there in the market to buy and add. Even if you want to change your RC car completely and customize it first, you don’t need to buy the 8s version, you can buy the EXB version and customize it yourself!
Whereas the Traxxas XRT, at the time writing this article, the Traxxas XRT has just come out, so, the upgrades haven’t been out yet. They will be released shortly.
In the end, both RC cars are rich with aftermarket parts and upgrades that will help you increase the performance of your RC car.
Read Also: Top 10 Arrma Kraton 6s Upgrades You Should Have Right NOW!
Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s Price
As you know, the RC cars we are comparing today are high-end RC cars, they’re the best in their range and considered one of the elites in the RC world!
I don’t think that their price will be cheap, and neither you do!
But, which one is cheaper? I’m afraid to say that the Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s price is the same! However, sometimes, you can find some discounts like on Amazon.
So, if you have the money, which one would you buy? Let me know in the comments below!
Read Also: Traxxas X-Maxx Review. Is It The Best One? Is It Worth It?
So, Which One Should You Buy?
The Traxxas XRT and the Kraton 8s are both super fan RC cars to drive and to spend time with.
However, choosing which one to buy is hard and depends on so many factors that you should put in mind, especially since these RC cars aren’t close for the price only, but also in performance!
So, which one is the winner in terms of Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s performance?
Well, I think the XRT wins this comparison since it comes with new technologies and techniques that no other RC car has ever had.
Also, having the last released RC car makes you have a great feeling, am I right?
Other than that, what about your opinion? Which one would you choose between the Traxxas XRT vs Kraton 8s?
I would love to see your opinion in the comments below!
Read Also: Traxxas E Revo 2.0 FULL REVIEW. Everything You Need To Know!
