RC nitro cars

[300ex_#387]

I would like to get one of these but i don't know anything about them. I know I want a nitro powered one. i would like a reliable one that I won't be breaking everytime I jump it. Also it would be nice if parts are easy to find if I need them. Does anyone have any reccomendations? I was looking at this one. I don't want to spend a whole lot of money. Just something for fun. Nothing serious.

http://www.nitrorcx.com/1scnipoexrcr1.html

[YFZ-FoFiddy-TC]

Electric.

Why?
1. Cheaper to repair
2. Cheaper to run
3. Easier to maintain
4. Faster
5. Better Reliability

[chucked]

I work at a hobby shop... (kinda) but exceed is one of the most pita brands. hard to get parts for, hard to work on, and just plain old junky setup. You cant have reliable and cheap in the same sentence in r/c. If I were you I would go with a traxxas revo or something like it. Traxxas is the most user friendly. I like my electric stuff better. The only thing nitro I have anymore is my plane.

[notsolow400ex]

i used to run nitro and i have a buddy who still runs but he runs 5th scale gas powered. If your gonna get into it get a name brand like traxxas, HPI, associated are tops when it comes to rc. get on rc forums for more imfo on what you want.

[eastside 400]

nitro rc's are fun but the biggest PITA ive ever had with anything my entire life. They break constantly, they usually dont run right, working on such small pieces gets annoying after the 20x apart. They are a ton of fun when they are running though, i have a traxxas revo 3.3 but the rod split and its been sitting here for over a year now, not sure if i wanna put a motor in it or not because it broke everytime i used it.

I was big into the trucks, had a losi adam drake 2 that i was getting into racing. There fun for all of 2 weeks, then they got REAL boring, you can find used set ups with tons of extras for 2-250$ on ebay, i would go that route always,

[CJM]

Electric, gas is cool and all but is much more costly and annoying to work on and use.

Traxxas is what I would get too, good stuff.

[honda400ex2003]

I love my tmaxx 2.5. great all around truck for racing and all. I have done both with it. lots of aftermarket support also which is great to have. you will always get parts for traxxas. others on the otherhand can get tough once they arent around any more. I had a rc10gt that blew a clutch and that was pretty tough to find. Traxxas for the win! steve

[Kickstarts-suck]

I had a Emaxx that I did up pretty nice about 6 years ago.

They are fun but they are money pits :eek2:

[wilkin250r]

I've run my nitro setup for years without any motor problems.

I've broken frames, tie rods, bodies, and a host of other parts, but never had any problems with my motor.

Electric can be faster, but by the time you get over 40mph, it doesn't really matter. It's fairly rare that you can hold it wide open for long enough that 42mph vs 48mph is a significant difference. And nitro RC cars just sound cool!

And I'd have to agree with notsolow400ex, go with a name brand like Traxxas, HPI, or Associated, maybe OFNA, with Traxxas probably being the top for ease of finding parts. A name-brand is easy to find parts for, easy to find help and knowledge, easy to upgrade.

[nakomis0]

brushless revo with lipo batteries is amazing. Granted you'll have about $1500 invested but it's awesome.

[250x_kyle]

my brothers into it big time. has a room full of trucks and parts in house. electric is the way to go. get a slash or something along the lines from traxxas. yes they break and can be a money pit but they are lot of fun.

[Canadian144]

(before quads and dirtbikes) I used to be really into R/Cs... smaller scale indoor electric ones. It was always an on/off thing for me - I would love them for a while, then be bored with them, then love them for a while again, then be bored with them again, etc etc.

Part of me really wants to get a Traxxas Slash or something but I'm afraid I'm gonna spend a few hunder $$ on one of these R/C trucks, use it for a month, then have it sitting in the corner of my room.

[honda400ex2003]

i think r/c is the same for most like you described. for a couple weeks during the summer i rip mine every day. then i get busy again and it sits. I used to race mine every weekend when i was younger, man that was 7 yrs ago already wow how time flies. It def costs alot of money! I have hundreds in tires alone. i never really broke anything on my maxx that wasnt my fault. lol i hit a mailbox doing about 40 and took out the one side of the front end. that was it ever in a full year of racing and bombing for many years. I had 6 gallons of gas through it before i rebuilt which was phenomenal. it doesnt seem like my when our machines hold almost that much but at 125cc at a tank it is alot of tanks. hundreds and hundreds of tanks. lol it is a great sport like anything else and will take your money just as easy as any atv part or car part you would want to buy. I have different radios, spare engines, servos, drive shafts, arms, 4 bodies, exhausts, 3 sets of tires, big joes, turf ones with spikes, and the stock tmaxx ones, man boxes and boxes of fun stuff to mess with. up until this summer i had my rc10 but after it needed a bit of work i gave it to my buddy to mess with so that we could rip together but after the clutch blew out of it and we couldnt find replacement parts it sort of went back out the door again. Nitro is the only way to have a whole day worth of fun though, not plugging traxxas again but after racing against hpi and every othe model out there mine was always the fastest, most reliable truck on the track. I used to go to the pits, start the car, take it for a rip for few minutes to make sure it was going to run good for the day and leave it. most guys spent all day messing with theirs just to have them stall at the line and run poorly. I always got trigger happy and flipped or i would get hit and flip. always into the first corner since i would get the holeshot and then they would brake way late and use me as the bank for the turn. lol

anyway sorry about that, got a bit carried away i suppose... good memories keep flowing though once you start talking about them. :D go nitro and dont look back. steve

[300ex_#387]

Ok well can you guys name off a couple more good reliable electric models for a decent price?

[honda400ex2003]

I cant really name off any besides the traxxas stuff since i havent researched any others recently to see what out but if you browse tower hobbies you will definitely find one you like. these are all decently priced on tower hobbies. that will probably be your best bet to get a deal. they have great packages on cars so that they are pretty much RTR out of the box.

http://www.traxxas.com/products/trx_electric.htm

that is the traxxas electric lineup.

tower hobbies

just choose the section you want to look at
and what scale you want. most are 10/1 for the main models. smaller will be 1/12 bigger are 1/8 scale

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/listings/cat-c.html

steve

[300ex_#387]

What do you think about this one? Will it come with everything I need like controller and all? I would really like to get a nitro one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Traxxas-Slayer-Pro-4x4-3-3-Truck-2-4-Batt-Chg-TRA5907-/190444704404?pt=Radio_Control_Vehicles&hash=item2c57639294

[honda400ex2003]

it has everything but 20% nitro which you could get seperately pretty easy and AA batteries for the remote and the car. The car may have its own pack now so you may only need 8 AA to get it going. maybe some CA glue also to glue the tires to the rims if it is not done before hand. Im not quite sure on that either. lol Other than that make sure you follow the Break In procedure provided by traxxas!!! It will be tough to handle but will make for a great running truck for a long time. There is a video that explains it all also right down to how to put the batteries into the controller really. It is a great video that will tell you anything that needs to be done before hand. Like i said though, the tires, gas, some AA batteries and you will be good to go. Charge everything up before hand for the 6 cell remote to use in the electric starter and you will have fun for days. That is a great nitro truck also! Steve

[honda400ex2003]

EDIT: you dont even need CA glue anymore to do the tires. they are all done for you!

right from the traxxas site
The Traxxas Slayer Pro 4X4 comes fully-assembled and Ready-To-Race® with the TQ 2.4GHz radio system installed and adjusted, painted and decaled body, pre-glued tires, and detailed instructions. The reqired EZ-Start battery, charger, and fuel bottle are also included—even a spare glow plug, spare air filter element, and precision tools are in the box. Traxxas backs Slayer and all of our products with top-notch support that is second to none. A staff of skilled representatives is on-hand to answer your questions via phone, website, or e-mail. Unmatched parts support allows Slayer to be serviced with parts and support from thousands of hobby dealers worldwide. Traxxas goes the extra mile to ensure that your R/C experience is easy and fun (and fast!). Follow the details tab above to go in depth on all the Slayer performance benefits and also be sure to check out the videos page to see the Slayer Pero 4X4 in action for yourself.



The slayer is pretty much the premier stadium truck on the market right now so you will enjoy it alot. it really isnt a first timer type of car but it is an easy learning curve. the biggest thing is tuning the engine but it is usually just a turn of the main jet to get it dialed in for the day. :D steve

[honda400ex2003]

http://www.traxxas.com/products/nitro/5907slayer/trx_5907slayer.htm

all info is here for the slayer. steve

[chucked]

The slayer is the toughest one to drive, it loves to roll over. I love my 4x4 slash though

[yellowzo3]

If this is your first SERIOUS RC car I recommend going with electric. There's so much out there nowadays its hard to even keep up unless you're really into the scene.

Like everyone mentioned, electric is easier to work on and maintain and just less of a mess with the gas and all that. If you just want to rip around on the weekends and stuff I think electric is the way to go. Once you figure out exactly what kind of cars you like best (Buggy, Stadium Truck, the bigger trucks, 1/8th scale, 1/10th scale, etc...) then invest into a nice nitro setup.

WARNING- This hobby is WAY more expensive than you think it is :p ...It's actually kind of sad how much money you can put into one of these.


I remember years back I was really into it. I got tired of the problems with nitro and went electric, then got out of it altogether. I check up on rccaraction's site like once a year and its unbelievable what kind of cars they have out now. I didn't even know where to start so I don't bother even reading up on anything anymore. I got out of it just as brushless motors came out... Now I guess they're the norm. :p

[chucked]

it is very expensive, starting out, between, but the vehicle, batteries and/or fuel, chargers, tools, etc... expect to spend $700 up to start.

[F-16Guy]

If it were me, I'd go with the Traxxas Slash 4x4 VXL. You can get it for under $400 shipped, it has waterproof electronics, including the Velineon brushless motor and ESC, a 2.4ghz radio system that will prevent interference from any other radio, and it's ready to go straight out of the box. Traxxas is very popular, so parts availability will never be an issue. Four wheel drive vehicles are much easier to drive, and the fact that it's waterproof means you can play with it year-round.

Nitro stuff is fun, but it can also be very frustrating if you don't know how to tune them and work on them. With the new brushless motor and lipo battery technology, you get the same amount of power and run time as a nitro with less noise, mess, and maintenance.

[Exrider434]

i love my revo 3.3!

i got an amazing deal on it picked it up for 100 bucks because the kid thought it siezed........ needed a $20 one way bearing and about 15 minutes worth of work!

[01 400EXer]

I have 2 Traxxas waterproof Emaxxes and they are a blast to drive. I would not trade them for nitro. Sure I have a lot of money into batteries but my maintenance of the machines are very simple. It is a great hobby but very addictive and costs a lot of money, you will always be looking to upgrade something. One of my Emaxxes I put a single 12V Dewalt drill motor (cheap upgrade after the stock motors fry) into and let me tell you the thing is a torque monster and is stll waterproof. The best expereince I have had personally with them was this past winter and we had 2 24+ inches of snow 2 times within a week. After the driveway was cleared (a layer of packed snow on top) and mounds of snow everywhere made a great place to run them. My 6 year old son and I had a blast driving them. I am even getting my 3 year old daughter interested in them.

[honda400ex2003]

well whats the verdict? steve

[finsteratv]

i loved my old traxxas stampede with the little pro .15
mine took a beating and kept goin. to me there like the hondas of r/c they just keep goin.

[300ex_#387]

I'm either going to get the traxxas slash, or the traxxas slayer. I can't decide. I don't mind working on things to make them run right. I just want them to be atleast a little reliable so im not ordering something everytime I take it out. I also want it to go fast lol. I'm leaning more towards the slayer though.

[Exrider434]

honestly if you can tune a carb, it will be easier than hell for you to run a nitro car.

As far as reliability, the motors are bulletproof, ive had a rustler.15 and now a revo 3.3, both with gallons after gallons of nitro ran through them and they both still run like champs.

Only parts your gonna have to buy are parts you break from crashing, oh and possibly the $2 glow plugs on occasion........

[muddy400EX]

ill say this, i bought a gas rc when i was like 12, at first i didnt have a clue what i was doing but you catch on pretty quick. tuning is easy, common since of what a nice tuned engine sounds like and your good.

if i could tune one at 12, not knowing a thing about motors, then i think youll be fine,lol

and ya electrics are easier, my little bro had one but it just aint the same! haha

and you will drop some money into them. not necessarily because they break alot, just because theres so much you can do to them

for example, i had 2 seperate engines, 2 bodies,3 sets of wheels and tires, 3 diferrent exhaust systems etc

heres my old gt
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm83/94Phoenix/rc10gt.jpg

[ROLLIN]

what's the difference performance between the standard revo 3.3 and the tmax 3.3, are they about the same on a track, as far as jumping and handling. differences?

[chucked]

The revo is way better. I cant figure out how the tmaxx got so popular, doesnt handle well, doesnt jump well, and isnt very fast.

[eastside 400]

i completely disagree on the nitro reliability. I know what im doing with these things but its always unpredictable. i had a jato 2.5 and revo 3.3, the jato would only run for like 5 mins at a time then shut off. i tried everything and never got it right. The revo would always be finicky but i could get it tuned decent after some time but i would basically have to tune it everytime. the the rod split. its just a pain in the ***. the nitro is cool to have for the noise and they are fast but if i get another one im def. going electric. im scared about the lipo batteries though, heard tons of fire stories and stuff.

[chucked]

I could keep a nitro engine running perfect start to stop all day long no problem. They are finicky and need retuned alot, with the slightest temp or humidity change. Sounds like ur jato motor was wore

[honda400ex2003]

x2 they need to be tuned daily but with a simple turn or two it is done. 5 gallons will need a rebuild imo. they start to develop symptoms as east side described. they start to shut down once they get warmed up and they are harder and harder to start. rebuilds are quite easy though imo. steve

[chucked]

They need to be tuned hourly even. You can have the sleeve pinched for $10 or so but that doesnt always work.

[quad59]

I ran the snot out of Nitro cars when I was 13-16, we raced indoors at a local track. Nitro is easier than you think if you have common sense and a slight amount of mechanical experience you can run a nitro no problems. Electric sucks because you have to have a fancy charger and a bunch of battery packs and ac or dc power to run your charger if you want to run for more than 20 minutes. Nitro just fill the tank. I do like the water proof features of the traxxas stuff but would still rather have nitro.. I hate waiting for batts to discharge,cool,charge,cool than be able to run.

[chucked]

You dont have to discharge batteries anymore. And as long as you run the proper stuff it wont get hot

[quad59]

Its been awhile since I was into the hobby and this thread sparked a new intrest. Things have changed, I remember buying the cells and building my own packs the short time I was in electric. Having a set of dischage bulbs and the 200$ quick time peak charger. I am liking the 1/8th scale nitro buggys. I used to run an rc10gt with os .12 czz engine lol.

[300ex_#387]

Well now im leaning more toward getting the traxxas slash 4x4 ultimate. What exactly is the upgrade where it can go 60mph? What all would i have to buy to do this mod?

[eastside 400]

its not a mod, its just using a 3s lipo battery instead of the stock one. you need a battery, the correct charger/balancer and a fireproof bag for safety. some people said the 3s lipos end up overheating the ESC but many said it doesnt, you will def. need to buy a heatsink for the motor and a fan for the ESC to run the lipo though. IF your interested in nitro, i have a revo, tmaxx and jato, all need motors but the revo has tons of parts and everything is in good shape ill make a good deal to just take it all

[300ex_#387]

Is it difficult to swap motors/ What kind of deal for the revo with parts?

[honda400ex2003]

4 screws and the motors are out of them. trx 2.5 engines are about 125 and the trx3.3 is a bit more. steve

[F-16Guy]

Originally posted by quad59
Its been awhile since I was into the hobby and this thread sparked a new intrest. Things have changed, I remember buying the cells and building my own packs the short time I was in electric. Having a set of dischage bulbs and the 200$ quick time peak charger. I am liking the 1/8th scale nitro buggys. I used to run an rc10gt with os .12 czz engine lol.

Ahhh, the good ol' days!:D When I got my slash, I bought some good 7-cell packs and rebuilt them with battery bars and good wire. I think it made a difference, and it looks much better. BTW, I had a cz-z in an Ofna Pirate 10 4wd buggy and it screamed! That was the motor to have back in the day. I remember being able to flip the flywheel with my thumb and it would start up. That thing ran great!

[chucked]

I had a force .28 in my revo that would fire up like that.

[quad59]

Originally posted by F-16Guy
Ahhh, the good ol' days!:D When I got my slash, I bought some good 7-cell packs and rebuilt them with battery bars and good wire. I think it made a difference, and it looks much better. BTW, I had a cz-z in an Ofna Pirate 10 4wd buggy and it screamed! That was the motor to have back in the day. I remember being able to flip the flywheel with my thumb and it would start up. That thing ran great!

Ahh the memories.. I had a kyosho nitro sport buggy, than got a traxxas nitro hawk truck, sold the buggy and bought a used rc1ogt electric and got the dudgeon kit and converted it to nitro with the czz and the out the back purple pipe. Foam tires with a smooth layer of clear window silicone on the tires for the indoor on road races and that thing owned.

[F-16Guy]

Originally posted by quad59
Ahh the memories.. I had a kyosho nitro sport buggy, than got a traxxas nitro hawk truck, sold the buggy and bought a used rc1ogt electric and got the dudgeon kit and converted it to nitro with the czz and the out the back purple pipe. Foam tires with a smooth layer of clear window silicone on the tires for the indoor on road races and that thing owned.
The MIP Stinger! That pipe sounded just like a little dirt bike. My first car was a Kyosho Pegasus. After that I got a Blackfoot for my birthday. Once I got tired of replacing differentials and dogbones, I bought my first Traxxas product -- the original Hawk electric truck. That thing was awesome! The only problem I had was that the chassis would break in the front. It was only like $10, so I got good at swapping everything. A friend of mine had a Nitro Hawk, and I couldn't get that pos to run right for anything. It had the old Image .12.

[muddy400EX]

Originally posted by F-16Guy
The MIP Stinger! That pipe sounded just like a little dirt bike. My first car was a Kyosho Pegasus. After that I got a Blackfoot for my birthday. Once I got tired of replacing differentials and dogbones, I bought my first Traxxas product -- the original Hawk electric truck. That thing was awesome! The only problem I had was that the chassis would break in the front. It was only like $10, so I got good at swapping everything. A friend of mine had a Nitro Hawk, and I couldn't get that pos to run right for anything. It had the old Image .12.

i had a stinger for my GT. pipe sounded so cool, and gave it more bottom end. and it was like the farther away it got, the louder it was,lol

[axellmusic19]

I am selling a 4wd stadium truck that has a brushless setup and all the nitro parts still with it so you can decide (although the nitro parts need cleaning etc). If you decide to run electric I you just need the batteries... Here is a link to the listing :D

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290489486512&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT