Looking at gas/nitro powered RCs

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DrDusty86

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Anyone have experience with them. I'm looking to get a gas/nitro RC 4x4 buggy. I would like to keep it around $400 or less. I would like something quality/reliable. I really don't care if it is the fastest or not. I would also like something with good upgradeability in the drivetrain.
Recommendations???

thanks,
Dusty
 
I'm not sure I understand what you mean. I just want it as a "cruiser" of sorts. Just to mess around with. I don't "bash" or wreck anything I own I try to take care of it with a level of ocd that most can't even wrap their mind around.
I live in a fairly big apartment complex and would just cruise it around as an way to wind down my day?
Do the gas models have a oil filled crank case?
 
No oil in the crankcase, they are all 2 cycle glow engines, unless you step up to 1/5 scale which use 26cc 2cycle gas. Although some years back O.S. Max put out a .26 cu in and .40 cu in 4cycle car engines.. They were interesting but lacked the all out power of the 2t engines.

As for a recommendation I would say to take a look at the Traxxas line, they have some very good value, and their cars are fairly solid.

Also visit your local shops and see what they run and what they carry parts for.
 
are you looking to race at events with other people or just play around in your backyard/street/empty parking lot?

I had a HPI savage 25 it was a blast, and a money pit. No matter how hard you try you are gonna crash as some point. I had some pretty epic ones to say the least. surprised it lasted as long as it did. lol

You have to like working as them as much or more than driving them, especially the nitros.

So you looking to just have fun I would look into an electric one. I know it sounds super lame over a nitro one, but they are plug and play simple and you can focus on having fun.
 
Just a parking lot cruiser.. I'm looking to just mess around with it at the apartment.It will not be a competition rig.
Electric, Really??
wink.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Texan4Life

So you looking to just have fun I would look into an electric one. I know it sounds super lame over a nitro one, but they are plug and play simple and you can focus on having fun.


+1

Tamiya has been building them for decades. Fantastic little machines esp, the hornet and grasshopper.
Far cheaper than Nitro/gas etc.
 
A friend at work just got a nitro one. He told me you have to do some pretty involved lubing to get rid of the alcohol in the engine to prevent corrosion while it's not in use.
 
An electric would be much more friendly to the neighbors, and you could run it around a populated area with fewer people complaining.

I don't know if there are any that have quiet drive gears. The noise some electric RC vehicles make from the wine of the drive gears can be almost as bad at the noise of a gas engine. If you are going to be using it within a couple of hundred yards of any occupied space you definitely do NOT want a gas engine on it. And you might still get too many noise complaints unless you find an electric with a very quiet drive gear system.

Get at least two batteries and a good charger so you can charge one while you run the other. You would probably be even better off with three or more batteries so you can let them have time too cool off after you run them. You are going to want to run the charger from a 12 volt battery of some vehicle, or plug it into some 120 AC plug.

Be sure you can buy tires for the vehicle. Tires get used up.
 
i have been in RC for only 3 years. my idea is that the hobby shop is more important than the brand of RC. i think a locally owned one is better than a big name one. i like nitro it sounds like a real car. but electric is best for some people. just remember nitro is mostly methanol. if it gets on fire it can be put out with water.
 
Originally Posted By: DrDusty86
Anyone have experience with them. I'm looking to get a gas/nitro RC 4x4 buggy. I would like to keep it around $400 or less. I would like something quality/reliable. I really don't care if it is the fastest or not. I would also like something with good upgradeability in the drivetrain.
Recommendations???

thanks,
Dusty


Tons o' fun! I have a small group of off road racers that I run on some property near my house. Forget noise, they can be amazingly quiet with the correct muffler.

My one 1/8 scale AWD chassis came straight from Tower Hobbies, every single detail was in the box for way under 400 bucks. And local stores have lightly used stuff for 1/2 that!

When that thing spins all 4 knobbies at 60 mph with one front wheel pulled up from torque twist it can be a LOT of fun!
 
Originally Posted By: oilboy123
A friend at work just got a nitro one. He told me you have to do some pretty involved lubing to get rid of the alcohol in the engine to prevent corrosion while it's not in use.


Not really. A few drops of after run oil in the plug hole and store it at BDC and it will last a long time.

Electrics are simple to just pick up and go, and that certainly has value.


I like the challenge of tuning a nitro.



I'm actually in the market for a 1/8 nitro monster truck. Still deciding on what to get though.
 
my son had one of the Tamiya (sp?) Grasshoppers and it was a blast. Lots of accessories and parts available too. Personally, for simple cruising and off-roading, I think electric is the way to go.
 
Electric....no mess, no stink, no clean up....only way to go. Members at our club flying rc gas are switching over to ELECTRIC POWER. Planes , heli's cars/trucks , boats etc. An ELECTRIC model will hold it's value more too.
Go to RCGROUPS ( it's the BITOG of RC )...........there is a lifetime of reading info there.
BOB
 
Originally Posted By: Fleetmon
Personally, for simple cruising and off-roading, I think electric is the way to go.

I agree. If you live in an apartment complex, electrics are a lot quieter and cleaner. You're less likely to annoy they neighbors and cleanup afterward is easy. You can find ready-to-run LiPo powered cars all over the place now. Traxxas seems to be the big brand now.

I was feeling nostalgic last year and bought a few Tamiya re-issues to relive my youth. I can't believe how much the hobby has changed since I was last into it 20-some years ago. I was a huge fan of Associated and Losi cars, both of which now seem like small boutique brands while Traxxas stepped up its game and is now king. NiCds are dead and everything up to an including full-on factory race cars come pre-assembled. What's the fun in that?
 
AWWW SON,
My neigbors wont care about noise.. they scream shout and play that sorry rap music. Trust me they WONT care.
 
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Do yourself a favor, get an electric.

Tuning engines isn't fun. Tuning clutches isn't fun. Having to do it over and over every time the weather changes certainly isn't fun. Having the kid down the street get an off-the-shelf Traxxas electric for his birthday that will absolutely dust your temperamental nitro is humbling. Not that that matters, since you'll be tuning for his entire first battery.

Brushless + LiPo has nitro beat all the way around. Faster in most instances, no clutches, ridiculous run-time, and no maintaince. If you're really bent on tuning, you can tune many brushless controller with an easy-tune card or a laptop.

If it were me and I was just curb jumping the neighborhood and had $400 to spend, I'd pick up a 1/16 E-Revo VXL, a couple 3S Turnigy LiPos from Hobby King, and an inexpensive balance charger. You'll end up with a 50 MPH, nearly-uncontrollable riot of a truck that you will only need to touch to replace broken parts or install upgrades (which there are many).
 
Originally Posted By: MrHorspwer
Do yourself a favor, get an electric.

Tuning engines isn't fun. Tuning clutches isn't fun. Having to do it over and over every time the weather changes certainly isn't fun. Having the kid down the street get an off-the-shelf Traxxas electric for his birthday that will absolutely dust your temperamental nitro is humbling. Not that that matters, since you'll be tuning for his entire first battery.

Brushless + LiPo has nitro beat all the way around. Faster in most instances, no clutches, ridiculous run-time, and no maintaince. If you're really bent on tuning, you can tune many brushless controller with an easy-tune card or a laptop.

If it were me and I was just curb jumping the neighborhood and had $400 to spend, I'd pick up a 1/16 E-Revo VXL, a couple 3S Turnigy LiPos from Hobby King, and an inexpensive balance charger. You'll end up with a 50 MPH, nearly-uncontrollable riot of a truck that you will only need to touch to replace broken parts or install upgrades (which there are many).


+1 on the Brushless + LiPo and a good controller to run that Brushless off of.
 
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