Any modern driver that is similar to the classic Taylormade r7 Quad TP with Speeder 757 shaft?

[richard_32]

Hi all,

 

Currently gaming a Titleist 917 d3 for a number of years already and it's definitely a great club but it doesn't hold a candle to my all-time favorite driver, my trusty old r7 Quad TP 9.5 with a Speeder 757. Only driver that I hit 300+ meters several times and that I was able to shape both ways reliably until I cracked the face a couple of years ago. I've been testing quite a few clubs over the years but have never found anything that feels similar. Does anyone here still remember the r7 and/or the classic Speeder 757 shaft and have any recommendations on what I could try that might be somewhat similar? Looking forward to any reactions, thanks in advance and have a good one!!

[phizzy30]

I used to rock one back in the day, lol.  Not sure if anything today would be exactly the same, but my current setup is AI smoke TD with AD-VF.  I'd say the VF is pretty close to the Speeder 757 but not an exact match.  Maybe the Qi10 or Qi35 core with VF or Diamana PD or 1k pro orange might be a close match.  Won't get into too much detail but Speeder 757 was mid and tip stiff with and got a hair softer in the handle if I remember correctly.  

Edited February 28 by phizzy30

[Cwebb]

With varying definitions of "modern",... but have you tried a Mizuno MP-650

[ram01002]

Wild guess since you’re asking …. Maybe a gt3 with a graphite design di-7. 

Edited February 28 by ram01002

[richard_32]

Thanks so much for the recommendations so far guys, I will definitely check these out! Like I said I’ve tested quite a few set-ups but I don’t think I’ve tried the ones recommended here. Time for another fitting, thanks again!

[rbpwrx]

My gamer until last year was an R7QTP, and AFAIC, it's one of the best driver heads ever made. 390cc, feels great, sounds great, looks great, weights are adjustable, hits bombs. Same for the 757. Keeps up just fine. I'm playing 10yo shafts in some of my clubs because they're literally the BEST shafts I can find. I'd say... grab another on eBay and go head-to-head! The new stuff is mostly for making money. I'm testing a TSR head right now, and I can't say it's MASSIVELY better than the R7 at all. MAYBE marginally better on off-center hits. Shinier. But that's about it. You're probably remembering accurately. Hit that thing!
 

Edited March 1 by rbpwrx

[NRJyzr]

8 hours ago, rbpwrx said:

My gamer until last year was an R7QTP, and AFAIC, it's one of the best driver heads ever made. 390cc, feels great, sounds great, looks great, weights are adjustable, hits bombs. Same for the 757. Keeps up just fine. I'm playing 10yo shafts in some of my clubs because they're literally the BEST shafts I can find. I'd say... pull that thing out of the closet and go head-to-head! The new stuff is mostly for making money. I'm testing a TSR head right now, and I can't say it's MASSIVELY better than the R7 at all. MAYBE marginally better on off-center hits. Shinier. But that's about it. You're probably remembering accurately. Hit that thing!

 

I find myself intrigued by the idea of getting one of these myself.  I love heavy and shorter drivers, the MWT allows for a much easier addition of weight.  A sub-400cc clubhead doesn't bother me at all, I'll play sub-300 driver heads with no problem. 

 

The added weight for my length preference can only assist with any forgiveness decrease compared to my King LTD or other stick; merely adding weight increases MOI, regardless of where you put it.  I'll be adding an appreciable amount of weight, LOL.

 

Cheap experiment.  What's to lose?  😁

 

Edited March 2 by NRJyzr

[rbpwrx]

6 hours ago, NRJyzr said:

I find myself intrigued by the idea of getting one of these myself.  I love heavy and shorter drivers, the MWT allows for a much easier addition of weight.  A sub-400cc clubhead doesn't bother me at all, I'll play sub-300 driver heads with no problem. 

 

The added weight for my length preference can only assist with any forgiveness decrease my my King LTD or other stick; merely adding weight increases MOI, regardless of where you put it.  I'll be adding an appreciable amout of weight, LOL.

 

Cheap experiment.  What's to lose? 

Yup. I have mine sitting here right nest to me, w/ Rogue Silver 125msi 70TX, tipped 1". Great combo. Hit 14 fairways last time I played Bethpage Black with it. And as far as old tech goes, I just A-B'd a 2023 TSR4 (w/ Kai'li White) against a 2014 Tourstage 909 (w/ Smoke RDX Red), and the Tourstage came out on top. Wish I could have swapped the shafts! But old is not worse, necessarily. 👍

[richard_32]

I agree, based on this discussion I went back to my parents' place and picked mine up out of the garage as well. Even though the face is cracked and I don't dare to hit it anymore I'll never get rid of it. Besides looking at the newer options mentioned in this thread (who doesn't love testing new shiny things) you guys have spurred me on to look for another driver just like this. I'd love to pick one up and put it side by side the newer drivers to see how they perform. Really enjoying the discussion here, thanks so much for all the replies and the love for the golden oldies! Take care everyone, have a great season!

[mogc60]

8 hours ago, richard_32 said:

I agree, based on this discussion I went back to my parents' place and picked mine up out of the garage as well. Even though the face is cracked and I don't dare to hit it anymore I'll never get rid of it. Besides looking at the newer options mentioned in this thread (who doesn't love testing new shiny things) you guys have spurred me on to look for another driver just like this. I'd love to pick one up and put it side by side the newer drivers to see how they perform. Really enjoying the discussion here, thanks so much for all the replies and the love for the golden oldies! Take care everyone, have a great season!

Maybe pull the shaft and put it in whatever head you like the look of. Totally possible it’s the shaft that fits you best just roll it into a new driver 

[WristySwing]

Taylormade SLDR 430 with a Speeder Evolution 757 in the lower launch models (Evo II, Evo IV, Evo TR) or a Ventus Blue TR in 70g range is going to get you pretty close. If that still feels too loose, Ventus Black 7 or even TR Black 7. According to Fuji, the original Speeder 757 has no modern equivalent because of the change in materials necessitated other changes. Source: 

 

[jda]

Order a 757 for your current driver of choice.  I still play 757.  Most heads do not really matter.

 

Buy a R7 if you want... maybe 5 yards shorter than a current driver, if that.  I played 1983/84 ping wooden Eye 2 driver last year that was just 20 yards shorter than a TSr4 that was stolen (with the shorter steel shaft) and a 905s that is the same distance.  20 yards in 40 years is not any reason to not play a R7 if you really like it.  You can probably find a R7 with a 757 in it if you look for a bit.

[Cwebb]

On 3/1/2025 at 10:20 AM, NRJyzr said:

 

I find myself intrigued by the idea of getting one of these myself.  I love heavy and shorter drivers, the MWT allows for a much easier addition of weight.  A sub-400cc clubhead doesn't bother me at all, I'll play sub-300 driver heads with no problem. 

 

The added weight for my length preference can only assist with any forgiveness decrease compared to my King LTD or other stick; merely adding weight increases MOI, regardless of where you put it.  I'll be adding an appreciable amount of weight, LOL.

 

Cheap experiment.  What's to lose?  😁

 

 

Yeah, it's fun and interesting.  Another one to consider is the original R9 driver head.  Definitely smaller by recent norms, but a bigger footprint than the ~400-420cc heads that came out before it. Then you've got the moveable weights, along with the shaft adapters, for quick swap and angle changes

[rbpwrx]

At the risk of costing myself backup heads, may I suggest the Tourstage X-drive line, particularly the 909 at 400cc and the 709 (430 model, at 430cc, of course). These are deep-face, classic pear-shaped heads (very similar to 905S - also a longtime favorite and previous gamer), with the singular distinction that they are ADAPTER heads. And plenty of Bridgestone adapters on the 'Bay. Cheers!

[richard_32]

Great suggestions here, thanks for the contributions all. Awesome to see more people enthusiastic for classic tech. I've heard the Ventus Blue TR mentioned a few times now and am calling around to see if any fitter in my area stocks it. Looking forward to testing it out, thanks for the suggestion!

Am also looking online to buy another r7 757. I know from the last time I hit I still hit it very well and even if it will be replaced by something newer it'll be great to have one to go back to from time to time.

Am also gonna look up the r9 and the Tourstage, along with the r9 superdeep which also looks interesting. Great ideas, thanks again for chiming in everyone!

[ignitewvu]

Finding a R7 or R7 425 TP and reshafting it with a modern shaft would be your answer. You can always put in a Speeder EVO 4 757 & it would be super close!  I scored a 425 TP last year from a japanese seller and it only had shop wear.  The guy sold it to me for 125.....I had to buy it, it had the TM/Mitsubishi "TP64" shaft which was a OG Blueboard 63.

You also might find out they still perform in this type of set up.  

Edited March 3 by ignitewvu

[ignitewvu]

19 hours ago, WristySwing said:

Taylormade SLDR 430 with a Speeder Evolution 757 in the lower launch models (Evo II, Evo IV, Evo TR) or a Ventus Blue TR in 70g range is going to get you pretty close. If that still feels too loose, Ventus Black 7 or even TR Black 7. According to Fuji, the original Speeder 757 has no modern equivalent because of the change in materials necessitated other changes. Source: 

 

Good one but I still think the 425TP is way more forgiving than the SLDR 430....

[WristySwing]

17 minutes ago, ignitewvu said:

Good one but I still think the 425TP is way more forgiving than the SLDR 430....

 

While true, the OP never said anything about forgiveness. They put a highlight on distance and workability, both things the SLDR (particularly the 430) was known for. The SLDR was nearly unusable for a lot of people because of how low spin it was , which would be a distance machine if the OP had the speed to use it. I only saw one person in the wild with an SLDR that could hit it well outside of tour pros, but a guy I used to work with. He had ridiculous CHS and he could keep that thing in the air no problem. 

[NRJyzr]

19 minutes ago, WristySwing said:

 

While true, the OP never said anything about forgiveness. They put a highlight on distance and workability, both things the SLDR (particularly the 430) was known for. The SLDR was nearly unusable for a lot of people because of how low spin it was , which would be a distance machine if the OP had the speed to use it. I only saw one person in the wild with an SLDR that could hit it well outside of tour pros, but a guy I used to work with. He had ridiculous CHS and he could keep that thing in the air no problem. 

 

The SLDR 430 was more forgiving than the 460 model, which makes me wonder if it might be closer in MOI terms.

 

I would say not likely if you stuck the heavy weights at the rear.  Or, bumped up to heavier weights.

 

I wonder if anyone has actually measured the MOI of the R7 heads, and shared that data...

 

Edited March 3 by NRJyzr

[ahenderX]

On 2/27/2025 at 5:23 PM, richard_32 said:

Hi all,

 

Currently gaming a Titleist 917 d3 for a number of years already and it's definitely a great club but it doesn't hold a candle to my all-time favorite driver, my trusty old r7 Quad TP 9.5 with a Speeder 757. Only driver that I hit 300+ meters several times and that I was able to shape both ways reliably until I cracked the face a couple of years ago. I've been testing quite a few clubs over the years but have never found anything that feels similar. Does anyone here still remember the r7 and/or the classic Speeder 757 shaft and have any recommendations on what I could try that might be somewhat similar? Looking forward to any reactions, thanks in advance and have a good one!!

There’s an r7 Quad, like you have/had, on eBay for $61 with free shipping.

[driverwedge]

On 2/28/2025 at 5:01 PM, Cwebb said:

With varying definitions of "modern",... but have you tried a Mizuno MP-650

 

Yeah...  If we're hopping in the "Way-Back Machine" finding classic looking heads that still bomb, I'd put the 650 up against anything.  I still have mine.  Still use it and there's not much today that's that much better.  Classic, deep-faced pear.  450cc.  Muted crack sound.  Can't hate it.  

[Cwebb]

5 hours ago, driverwedge said:

 

Yeah...  If we're hopping in the "Way-Back Machine" finding classic looking heads that still bomb, I'd put the 650 up against anything.  I still have mine.  Still use it and there's not much today that's that much better.  Classic, deep-faced pear.  450cc.  Muted crack sound.  Can't hate it.  

 

Would you consider it "modern", regardless of the year it was released?

[driverwedge]

10 hours ago, Cwebb said:

 

Would you consider it "modern", regardless of the year it was released?

 

I would, even though there's no adjustability, etc.  Are there longer clubs?  Yep.  More forgiving?  Yep.  I found the 650 to be that sweet spot of a combination of all good things.  Pretty long, pretty forgiving and it looks and sounds great.  Not sure if that's what you were asking...

 

Be well! 

[rbpwrx]

Second day with my old R7QTP/ Silver 125 70TX,  and still bombs. The new stuff is way finickier. This thing is short and heavy, at 44", head is 213g, shaft @ 80g. More confident swings, so it's longer with more middles. Who's to say the old standard of 43" is outdated? Short Fatties Untie!

[NRJyzr]

18 hours ago, rbpwrx said:

Second day with my old R7QTP/ Silver 125 70TX,  and still bombs. The new stuff is way finickier. This thing is short and heavy, at 44", head is 213g, shaft @ 80g. More confident swings, so it's longer with more middles. Who's to say the old standard of 43" is outdated? Short Fatties Untie!

 

Dumb question, either for you, or for the general WRX crew...

 

R7 Quad 425 vs the original.  Does the 425 more or less line up with the OG, or is it a different beast entirely?

 

Edited March 6 by NRJyzr

[Cwebb]

1 hour ago, NRJyzr said:

 

Dumb question, either for you, or for the general WRX crew...

 

R7 Quad 425 vs the original.  Does the 425 more or less line up with the OG, or is it a different beast entirely?

 

 

One detail I do not like about the 425, is that the "housing" of the weight ports on the back stick out.  Enough so that if you manually set the face a bit open at address, they can snag the turf.

 

The original R7 Quad is more stream lined around those weight ports

[richard_32]

I agree, I still vividly remember each time a "new" r7 (425, superquad, etc.) came out I'd excitedly test only to always go back to my trusty old r7qtp. And I'm indeed looking around to find a replacement right now, can't wait to hold one in my hands again. Like Wristyswing said, I didn't mention forgiveness because driving has always been my strong suit (how I wish it was putting but that's a different story...), as long as I like the set-up with a driver I'll be able to hit it decently. I'm also curious to test out a SLDR and a Mizuno 650 based on what I read here. Honestly would never have expected to see so many responses and learn about so many options!

[phizzy30]

14 hours ago, NRJyzr said:

 

Dumb question, either for you, or for the general WRX crew...

 

R7 Quad 425 vs the original.  Does the 425 more or less line up with the OG, or is it a different beast entirely?

 

It's actually a legit question.  I had the OG and my brother had the 425 and besides the difference in cc, the 425 had more weight ports to mess around with.  Sweet spot was also slightly larger.  OG had a flatter flight but that could be due to head design, MOI, etc.  

Edited March 7 by phizzy30

[WristySwing]

4 minutes ago, phizzy30 said:

It's actually a legit question.  I had the OG and my brother had the 425 and besides the difference in cc, the 425 had more weight ports to mess around with.  Sweet spot was also slightly larger.  OG had a flatter flight but that could be due to head design, MOI, etc.  

 

Did they both not only have 4 ports? The R5 had two, the r7 had 4. As you went on in time to the lesser used models like the R7 CGB Max they dropped it down to only 3.

[phizzy30]

1 minute ago, WristySwing said:

 

Did they both not only have 4 ports? The R5 had two, the r7 had 4. As you went on in time to the lesser used models like the R7 CGB Max they dropped it down to only 3.

You're correct.  Why did I think that the superquad had 6?  Lol.  Good call.