WLToys K989 vs K969 vs 284010 vs 284131 vs 284161 | Which to buy?

[@JF-RC]

A very detailed personal view and recommendations on the WLToys range. Great video reference 😊😊

[@LyhneRC]

Thanks John 👍, I tried my best to achieve a good overview.

[@ovaingomez2880]

Thank you so much for this excellent in-depth video now I know which one to get I pray that you have a blessed night you just made mine blessed

[@LyhneRC]

Thanks a lot, I'm glad I could help 😊, good luck with the car

[@anugroho1174]

Not many videos out there explaining about these cars. Thanks!

[@LyhneRC]

Thanks 👍. That was what I tried to achieve, so glad you noticed it. Too many reviewers just review a single car and don't do much comparison.

[@saviosaltamontes462]

Do you know what wireless protocol is used? I am getting tired of using multiple transmitters. I want to setup all my rc cars with the Noble NB4 Plus

[@LyhneRC]

I don’t know the protocol, sorry. But if you manage to use a better transmitter, please let us know 👍

[@myvideochannel7]

Great comparison video! Is there a way to make the 284010 fiesta rally body fit onto the 284161 chassis? I think it would be great and just maybe need to cut the wheel wells on the body a bit bigger to clear the bigger wheels, but make a more capable rally car;)

[@LyhneRC]

As far as I can see the only things you need is front and rear bodyposts part number K989-50 and K989-51, the 284010 body shell and some small screws. You could consider also using the cheaper K989/K969 body shell which has same measurements or the 284131 body. You got me inspired, maybe I will also make this conversion - it would look great 👍

[@andylambertz84]

Jur bought the 284010 for 35€ at Aliexpress 😊

[@LyhneRC]

Nice buy, have fun with this little car 👍

[@kq7082]

If you order 284161, be prepared to have to upgrade/change the steering servo. I bought two of them and servos seized and became. non-functional after using it for about an hour. The replacent servo has metal internal gears and seems to have lasted more than an hour.

[@LyhneRC]

Ok, good advice. So far I have used mine about 10 hours and the stock servo still runs fine. I haven't had any servo issues on any of my WLToys 1/28. Maybe you just had an unlucky batch - but still pretty annoying

[@kq7082]

I know right? Bad luck from two different vendors! Ive seen people running them pretty hard on KZbin. At least people can know replacement servos can work if needed.

[@barriem119]

The K989 is now being sold with the v2 transmitter, the same one that comes with the 284131. So am i right in thinking that the only difference between the two is the shell and lights?

[@LyhneRC]

Correct, with the new transmitter that’s the only difference. The 284010 seems to have better diffs (not as tight) maybe the “new” 284131 also has them, but not sure

[@barriem119]

@LyhneRC Thanks for your quick reply. I'm not a fan of the other shells so will go ahead and order the K989 👍

[@LyhneRC]

What about the 284010, it looks like the K989 but with lights and better diffs

[@barriem119]

@@LyhneRC lol, just when I'm finally decided you confuse the matter! I wanted lights but just don't like the design, maybe I could change the shell at some point? 😊

[@LyhneRC]

@ changing shell is very simple

[@NeroDj75]

Bel video 👌🏼 io da 2 giorni ho acquistato la K989. Ma qual è la differenza con la 284010? Grazie

[@LyhneRC]

The 284010 has lights and more important a better radio. The radio can be upgraded though, I made a video about that: WLToys K989/K969/284131 radio upgrade FlySky FS-GT3B with EXP, Exponential. Improve steering. kzbin.info/www/bejne/lX2klmqnmKp2obs

[@sontoshi25]

Hey man I bought the 284161, do you know any alternatige shell for the 284161? I'm thinking using a 1:24 diecast shell but not sure if that'll fit. Any suggestions?

[@LyhneRC]

I don’t know any that will fit without modifications. Have seen some modify Mini-Z bodies to fit. If you could bring the car and a caliper to a shop with diecast cars you could measure if it would fit. It could look great 😊. Good luck hunting 👍

[@Fonzierc]

Very nice indeed great video i like the new little basher

[@LyhneRC]

Me too 😀. Long time ago there were three off-roaders on this platform: a short course truck, a monster truck and a dune buggy and I have always wanted one of those. So glad finally one off-road is back 👍

[@fredfontana358]

nice video bro, but the transmitter of 284010, 284131 and 284161 is the same? what do i buy? the 284131 or the 284161? what are the differences beyond the tires?

[@LyhneRC]

284010 and 284161 uses the newest transmitter, the 284131 uses the previous transmitter (the small one). But performance wise these radios are more or less equal. The K989 and K969 uses the old bulky transmitter, and this one in bad. Regarding the difference between 284131 and 284161, then the main difference is the much larger tires on the 284161. The gearing seems to be the same, so the 284161 is faster because of the large tires. Which to buy depends on where you want to drive. If you only want to drive indoor or on very smooth surface, then I would buy the 284131 (or if you plan to drift). If you want to drive on most surfaces, then the 284161 is the best choice. Did that answer your question? If not, please write me again 😊

[@corybraden9177]

I was checking out some things online and some people prefer open difs for drifting kind of like four-wheel drive compared to two-wheel drive do you feel that lock this drift that much better. And like what percent would you say its better. I'm in a bind and I'll probably lock my diffs up if it's that much better. Ty

[@LyhneRC]

I find that on those cars it’s best with both diffs locked. I have made these 3 videos where I experiment with open and locked diffs in different situations. WLToys K989 K969 284131, Will it drift better with locked rear diff and open front diff? kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6LdooWLd8R5e80 WLToys K989 vs K969, which is best? Can they both race and drift? kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKCxhZlne7GBetk WLToys K989, 284131 will it be faster with a locked front differential? kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5KuaqV_o9KHldU

[@DOM1N4TOR_FR34K]

Si noteced that the 284161 when you turn the wheel whle going ful throttle tends to lower its speed so i was kind of weirded oit by this. Can you test this further and compare it to the rest of the kineup if they also slow down when turning while at full throttle

[@LyhneRC]

Hi, it should not behave like this. I guess this happens when you drive the car, does it also happen if you lift the car so the wheels aren't touching the ground (listen for wheels decreasing speed). My guess is that that your diffs are too tight. Some of these cars has diffs so tight that they work like locked diffs. If you drive with tight diffs on a surface with lots of traction the motor fights these diffs when turning and speed decreases. The issue with tight diffs doesn't seem to be related to any specific model, it's random. But it can be fixed by following the steps in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKiTkKR9obWCitU

[@DOM1N4TOR_FR34K]

@@LyhneRC thanks for the suggestion. I tried doing this and it seems that it is not the diffs. Though it is tight on my end, after I fixed it by loosening it up a bit, nothing too fancy yet like shaving some stuff to make sure it is not as tight. Even when I lift the car, when I disconnected the servo, it still cuts some percentage of power. About 15% of it. I can hear the motor loose some power even without the servo being connected as I turn the controllers wheel while at full throttle. Could just be my esc. I checked it's model number for the esc and it is for the 284131 (same esc as the 284010), basically the newest ESC. Could be due to the motor cable being a bit bent as well? I might try to flip it's mounting position and see if it will improve something. At 40% throttle trim, it looses significantly a lot of its power when I turn it's wheel when moving. It just simply stops when turning the wheel at 30%. So far I only saw one guy who took is complaining about this

[@LyhneRC]

@@DOM1N4TOR_FR34K As I understand your test, you disconnected the servo and the motor still loses power when turning the wheel (even when the front wheels don't steer left/right because of disconnected servo). That is a good test because it rules out any mechanical issues where something could bind when steering left/right. In that case, I can't see that the problem can be anywhere else than in either ESC/receiver or transmitter, most like ESC. Since nothing happens when you turn the wheel (because of a disconnected servo) I don't think the wires are bad. With all my RC experience I have never heard of something like this before - very strange. I have no good advice than try replacing the electronics one by one until the faulty one is found. If you had another car (or could borrow one) you could try swapping parts. Good luck with the error hunting, hope you find it

[@DOM1N4TOR_FR34K]

@@LyhneRC It seems that the new servos interferes with each other which is why it cuts power to itself. Unfortunately I have no other RC's to test it out further. This is my first RC car and I have been researching and watching extensively on what would be the best first RC to have. k989 is uniquely cheap and really good platform for upgrades in the future however due to the problem I found, I can't sadly dive further to see what is truly the culprit or how to fix it without changing some sort of value other than disconnecting the servo and right now, turning the motor for less strain in the wiring. I was wondering if you could try doing the same thing with your 284131 and 284010 if you still have them and compare it with the k989. May just be the car itself by how the power gets sent in the two way ESC and transmitter or could just be my units problem. Since my ESC after dissassembly is the same as the 284131, I would be at ease knowing that it maybe my own unit or it may extend to the rest of the lineup. No one spoke up about this issue yet. Since I am new to RC, it might be the same for every RC with a joint transmitter and ESC. I may sound smart but inside, I am panicking cause I don't know what to do now XD

[@DOM1N4TOR_FR34K]

​@@LyhneRC after much research and actually buying another car cause I can't find anyone else to help me. I learned that my 284161 has a throttle negotiator on my specific 284161 but I am unsure if it is all 284161. I bought a 284010 and found that even on full throttle when turning the wheel, it doesn't cut any power at all. Still throttles 100% while my 284161 end up losing power whenever I do turn the wheel even with the steering servo disconnected so I conclude that WLtoys intentionally made the 284161 lose power when turning... Unless it doesn't. This is an expensive research cause I can't find anyone else willing to help me sadly. I also noticed that the 4 in 1 motherboard of my 284161 is blue while the 284010 is green. The servo is 95% the same in parts but the difference is there is a part where the steering servo are connected. They have a different chip number

[@t3floz]

Hello just got my k969. When i push the throttle nothing happens until it is pushed about halfway. Also the car cant go really slow. Is this normal or just a faulty unit?

[@LyhneRC]

Sounds like you have a very tight drivetrain. Some of them has that, but it can be fixed, here is a guide how: Upgrade drive train WLToys K989, K969 or 284131 | fix stiff, sticky differentials kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKiTkKR9obWCitU

[@linkspyder]

Thank you for the very explainatory video :); can you confirm me that the motor mount of the k989 is exactly the same as the one on the 284161 buggy? thank you

[@LyhneRC]

Hi, they are not 100% equal as the K989 has protruding piece of plastic to hold cables in place where on the 284161 this piece is missing in order to fit a motor cooler. But I guess that you can still use both motor mounts in both vehicles as the cables holder isn't really needed and can easy be cut of.

[@linkspyder]

Thank you :)@@LyhneRC

[@LyhneRC]

@linkspyder no problem 😀

[@linkspyder]

just to leave some update/feedback on this issue: the old motor mounts k989/969 don´t fit; the new ones 284161/284010 the bearing hole on the motor mount is bigger(7mm) :(

[@LyhneRC]

@linkspyder thanks for clarify 👍

[@Ziger_]

Nice vid man.... Can i add a gyro in K969 stock system?

[@LyhneRC]

Thanks 😊. There are two options: Option 1: Replace the radio (with one where the receiver has gyro) and replace the ESC as I do in this video. Option 2: Buy a servo ESC which you place between the receiver and the servo. I have no experience with this, but have seen other people do this

[@jameshedden1570]

Can anyone tell me if there are oil-filled shocks that will fit the 284161 model.

[@LyhneRC]

Hi, I haven’t searched for that, so I’m not sure - sorry

[@KrisLyhne]

Fed video🤩

[@LyhneRC]

Tak tak 😀

[@REPLAYRC]

I want to buy 284161 because I'm curious.

[@LyhneRC]

Good choise. It's also the most versatile one, and they are cheap - so if you don't use it, no big deal

[@Typing03]

Which better 284131 or 284010??

[@LyhneRC]

284010 it has improved diffs and other small upgrades, so that's the best one. 284131 looks better though IMHO 😊

[@Swiss_Spotter]

Thx

[@LyhneRC]

No problem 😉

[@rexonmarkreyes7947]

I'm sorry to inform you that this video is misinformation.. the 284010 is very different coz it has many updates.. different size bearings, smoother and stronger diffs.. metal pinion gears driving the diffs, beefier upper arms.. 3mm prop shaft.. different servo horn.. weaker brakes..

[@LyhneRC]

Hi, thanks for the info. It looks like things has changed, when I made this video I checked parts etc to compare K989 with 284010 and the differences you mention did not exist at that time. Also if I compare my 284161 (which was bought early when the model was released) it doesn't have all the upgrades you mention. So I guess that WLToys has updated some of the parts. It is not possible to edit a released KZbin video, but I will mention this in the comments and order a 284010, then I can make a proper comparison. But luckily it doesn't change the conclusion I make in video: Drift: go for K969 Offroad/Outdoor: go for 284161 Onroad/Indoor: I already recomment 284010, which now is even better. So thanks for providing this information 👍, an updated video will come.

[@eljr6800]

So the 284010 is better than the k989??