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Nitro or Electric??! Help

Old 11-02-2011, 01:22 PM
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007mrdr
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Default Nitro or Electric??! Help

Hi guys im planning to buy a 1/8 or 1/10 th scalerc car but i cant decide if i should buy nitro or electric truck. Actually i am new to this whole world what are the differences between nitro and electric as. I searched on the net i found that when you buy anitro truck you should tune do engine to get full power but anyway it cant go as fast as some electric cars like e revo brushless and with electric you can just change the battery to go faster but with nitro powered
You need to buy a new engine ? As i know so can u guys please
Help me i cant decide
I can spend like 600$ max and can you please tell me
The positive and the negative sides of nitro and electric thanks

Old 11-02-2011, 01:34 PM
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HerrSavage
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Default RE: Nitro or Electric??! Help

I'm a nitro fan, because I find it more exhilerating than electric. Electric can be faster, and it does have certain advantages like not disturbing your neighbors/enabling you to run in more places where noise would otherwise be a factor with nitro, and it's also easier to run in cold weather.

Still, for me the smoke and sound of nitro make it much more like a real motorsport. It's just exciting and addictive in a way that electric just plain isn't for me.. There is also a slight learning curve with nitro(but also with brushless..), which instead of being a problem I find to be an enticing challenge. Not everything IMO should be easy plug-and-play.. Nitro requires a bit of mastery, but that actually is part of the fun.. If you're a gearhead at all and love the sound of revving engines, then once you have a nicely tuned nitro engine screaming 30,000 RPM's in sync with your trigger finger, you'll know what I mean..

But there will surely be people chiming in and telling you why they like electric.. I would try to find a local race-track where you live, and just watch for an hour or two and see what you think for yourself.
Old 11-02-2011, 01:36 PM
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Default RE: Nitro or Electric??! Help

here is the way I see them(been in hobby for 7+ years)

nitros take much more work/maintain/cleaning.

but they drive different as well. the power band is like that of your car, power increases as do the RPMs.

electics tend to be easier to work on....less total moving parts.
braking is done by the motor, not mechanical linkage.

with nitros you still have batteries, to power the servos and radio. and many models use an electric start. so a dead battery can be a pain(same as with electric)

fuel is a bit pricey!


electric motors deliver the same torque at 1 RPM as they do at 30000rpms....so the power is more "instant"

for models in your price range, nitro or electric can be very fast.

i tend to stick more with electric. but there is something about nitro that puts a slightly bigger smile on my face. a well tuned, solid running nitro truck is alot of fun.

i would suggest looking into the HPI racing savage flux. very fast, very tough, all-terrain truck.
Old 11-02-2011, 01:43 PM
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Default RE: Nitro or Electric??! Help

I'm a die-hard gearhead in full scale, so of course I absolutely prefer nitro. There's just something about hearing the little engine purring way, watching the exhaust smoke and rooster tails confirm one's finger motions, hearing it bang into the next gear...you just don't get that with electric. Sure a BL on 4s Lipos is faster. But I don't care, the sights, sounds and smells of the glow engine faaaaar outweigh the numerical advantage of the electric.


Plus you can have yourself on disposable alkalines if you want to. I've got a AA glow starter around here in case both of my sub-C NiCd ones are dead. I can just pop a Duracell into that and I'm off to the races. It's not my day-to-day ignitor, but it has come in handy a few times. I also have nothing but pull start engines, which is nice as you never have a dead battery keeping you from cranking it over.


I will say, however, that while a AA holder and four duracells will work, a 5-cell Rx pack(Or 2 cell LiFe pack) is much much better for the receiver batts, and you need not charge it all that often.
Old 11-02-2011, 02:59 PM
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Default RE: Nitro or Electric??! Help

I prefer electric, because it is easier to plug and play than getting a nitro engine to run.
Since this is your first car if you have problems tuning the engine it could turn you off from the entire hobby. If you don't have a GREAT hobby shop with knowledgeable staff that can help you, you should definately go electric.
Old 11-02-2011, 03:41 PM
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Default RE: Nitro or Electric??! Help

I like gasoline powered RCs, and electrics. Nitros are fun but often more trouble than they're worth. I like working on real engines and the feel of driving them, but gas is much easier than nitro as far as maintenance and reliability goes. Electric is simple and fun, but sorta soulless.
Old 11-02-2011, 06:17 PM
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Default RE: Nitro or Electric??! Help


ORIGINAL: 378

I'm a die-hard gearhead in full scale, so of course I absolutely prefer nitro. There's just something about hearing the little engine purring way, watching the exhaust smoke and rooster tails confirm one's finger motions, hearing it bang into the next gear...you just don't get that with electric. Sure a BL on 4s Lipos is faster. But I don't care, the sights, sounds and smells of the glow engine faaaaar outweigh the numerical advantage of the electric.


Plus you can have yourself on disposable alkalines if you want to. I've got a AA glow starter around here in case both of my sub-C NiCd ones are dead. I can just pop a Duracell into that and I'm off to the races. It's not my day-to-day ignitor, but it has come in handy a few times. I also have nothing but pull start engines, which is nice as you never have a dead battery keeping you from cranking it over.


I will say, however, that while a AA holder and four duracells will work, a 5-cell Rx pack(Or 2 cell LiFe pack) is much much better for the receiver batts, and you need not charge it all that often.
yup
I actually use a D-cell warmer, and got a 12 pack of D's for like $10.
and agree about the roto starts, pull starts superior in more than the fact no battery is needed. You can also tel when the engine has issues. With a roto you can damage the engine easily (I cracked a con-rod)
AA's for servo/radio power
Old 11-02-2011, 07:04 PM
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Default RE: Nitro or Electric??! Help

Been in the hobby for 17yrs and nothing puts a smile on my face like Nitro. Tuning is not as hard as some say and really not much cleaning either. I run my Jato and Savage X quite often. Since the Jato sees the pavement it really doesn't get dirty. I run it till out runs out of fuel and never have oil out fuel leaking from the exhaust pipe. My Savage plays in dirt, mud, grass, and pavement and only clean it about once a month. If that. You run an electric through the save dirt, mud, and grass out is going to get just as dirty. They require in my opinion almost the same amount of maintenance. They both have diffs, oil filled shocks, and so on. Only extra step with nitro is some after run oil in the engine. Takes about 5 minutes tops.

I have run electric and for me it's just not the same. They are crazy fast but nit as much fun for me. But what is not fun for me may be a blast for you. Ultimately it's up to you and what you are looking for.
Old 11-02-2011, 10:05 PM
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Default RE: Nitro or Electric??! Help

Everybody is of course entitled to their opinion and to run what they want.

BUT, I do feel something has to be emphasized - and that is, nitro is NOT hard. A few people who gave up half-way through break-in on their Traxxas RTR 3.3 and feel only some guy at the LHS can tune it for them are really not reliable sources of info on nitro. It's not that much maintenance either.

A Savage X 4.6 is a great first RC to start with. Or, more my preference, though more expensive, would be a Losi XXL. Or maybe even a buggy or truggy depending on the kinds of places you intend to run. Yes you'll have to research a bit about how to break it in(ask here, I'll tell you.. *No wait, see below..), maybe get a temp gun, and all in all do those kinds of things associated with a HOBBY, as opposed to toys. But again, 1.) it's a hobby, 2.) it's rewarding and a hell of a lot of fun when you get the engine screaming on even a half-way decent tune.., and 3.) doing it is simply not that hard. Nor is there much maintenance. Do a decent break-in(4-8 tanks with an SH engine), learn to judge the sound and smoke, which you control by adjusting two little needles, and off you go.. That's all there is to it.

* Breaking in an SH-based or RTR engine.

1.) Unscrew glow-plug. Look down in hole, rotate flywheel to point where piston is at absolute bottom position. Then, notch a little mark in your flywheel at 12:00 or so (9:00 on a Savage is easier.. In any case it doesn't matter.. It's only so you can know where that point is..)
2.) Ideally, wrap cooling head in alu foil. Heat with hair dryer up to 200F.
3.) Start engine. Put truck on ground, and with very small squeezes on trigger, drive around very slowly.. If engine sounds like it's choking on fuel(factory settings are often too rich..), lean HSN slightly - in 1/8 clockwise turns or so. Monitor temps. After 2-3 minutes, you want the temp to be 225F or so, give or take 10-15F. When it reaches this point, shut off engine. Rotate flywheel to 12:00 so piston is at bottom point for cool down.
4.) Let engine cool down completely. Read magazine, play with smartphone, whatever...
5.) Repeat ten or so times, gradually increasing the time on each heat cycle, and maybe gradually increasing throttle input(don't go too much over half-throttle for the first 8 tanks or so. Break-in should be more or less finished after 5-8 tanks. For the first half gallon of fuel alltogether, go easy-ish on the full-throttle - ie avoid it.. After that though, just letter' rip..
6.) The main thing about tuning nitro is just to be sure that it sounds right, and you can see a good smoke trail. A temp gun is a good secondary tool..., but really more important for break-in than everyday running. Once you learn the ropes, sound and smoke are enough, though you might still want to check periodically just for the hell of it..

This process is called "heat cycling". It's not rocket science. You just want the engine to get up to 225F, and let it cool completely, and repeat this process several times, so the internals of the engine will get seated properly. And yeah, I tend to try to go easy for the first half gallon.. But honestly, I'm onto my 20th engine or so by this stage, and my break-in phases have been getting shorter and shorter... (i.e. I'm ripping it up on the third tank sometimes... )
Old 11-02-2011, 11:20 PM
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Default RE: Nitro or Electric??! Help

I'll second that. My break-in method has you drive the car around softly for about 90% of a tank with each cycle. This helps seat everything else on the car in, confirm linkage adjustments, trim it out so it tracks straight, etc etc. It's also far less boring than watching an engine warm up on the test stand, haha. I shut them down by plugging the exhaust or giving the air filter boot a squeeze as opposed to running them out while breaking them in, just to keep them primed and well lubed.

As far as tuning goes, I can't stress this enough: Do NOT try to chase a perfect race tune. Just find one that's good enough but is still on the rich side. You won't have to touch the needles for quite a while, my car goes about six to eight months between adjustments, and the engine will last longer.


See:


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma2_CghxiUk[/youtube]
Old 11-03-2011, 12:02 AM
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007mrdr
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Default RE: Nitro or Electric??! Help

As i watched the vid i think like it isnt so hard tuning the engine actually i already have a 1/16 e
Revo vxl brushless running with turnigy nano tehc 2s 2200 mah lipo and it is soo fast like around 35-40 
Miles can i get that speed with a savage xl /x or revo3.3 ? And i also think about a hpi pulse 4.6 buggy 
But arent buggys to close to the ground? But they are faster but harder to run in really offroad
Conditions? I guess im gonna buy a nitro just for the sound and the smoke  
Old 11-03-2011, 01:07 AM
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Default RE: Nitro or Electric??! Help

The Savage XL comes with the three speed and a honkin' massive big block, so it should, if only just, be able to make about 40MPH. It will be nigh uncontrollable at those speeds though, given the top-heavy COG monster trucks come with. Protip: Do NOT steer at those speeds if you don't like barrel rolls. Acceleration will also leave a bit to be desired, it weighs quite a bit and it's designed to stand up on it's arse instead of move forward quickly, so you'll have to be judicious with the throttle application through first and possibly second gear. I've seen them ride wheelies all the way through third but I don't think there's enough torque once you've shifted out of first to pull one.


Plus side? Nothing sweeter than hearing two shifts in a speed run!


As for a buggy...depends. A 1/8 buggy will be a bit worse off road than a monster truck, but that's mostly due to it's center diff. Try crawling and you'll just spin the inside front wheel. However, they have ample ground clearance and traction, so as long as you keep the momentum up they'll handle off-roading just fine. They'll also hit 40MPH without any trouble at all, they don't even need multi-gear transmissions to do it, and they will handle worlds better than an MT.


The Revo? Steer clear. That thing doesn't know what it wants to be. Part of it says "LOOK AT ME, I'M A GROUND POUNDING BAD-ASS MONSTER TRUCK! RAWR SMASH CARS BIG AIR!", while part of it is saying "Psh, I'll run hot laps all day long. Throw me on the track already." It's a jack of all trades, master of none issue. It's a bit too heavy and underpowered to be a good race truggy, after all it's only packing an over-bored smallblock, yet it's too low slung to be a proper monster truck. It's only a decent buy if you can only afford one vehicle and want to have something that isn't completely incompetent on the track, but don't expect it to run rings around RC8Ts.
Old 11-03-2011, 01:10 AM
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Default RE: Nitro or Electric??! Help

That video makes me want a Savage again...
Old 11-03-2011, 01:31 AM
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Default RE: Nitro or Electric??! Help

So savage xl is slower than pulse 4.6 but better on offroad and pulse is faster but worse in offroad? But i want both speed and offroad ? Which truck can you suggest me price is max 590-600$ thanks
Old 11-03-2011, 01:33 AM
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Default RE: Nitro or Electric??! Help

Don't worry about top end speed. I barely hit second gear in my touring car all that often, and I never did in my monster truck. The Savage XL is more than enough truck for what you need.
Old 11-03-2011, 01:38 AM
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Default RE: Nitro or Electric??! Help

Ok thanks ill probably get the savage xl but first i need some money
Old 11-03-2011, 01:40 AM
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Default RE: Nitro or Electric??! Help

Heh, I know that feeling. Main reason my trainer isn't in the air.


Another alternative to the Savage XL would be an MGT 8.0. It's just as tough, but it's got an absolutely massive..well, massive by car standards anyways...engine. 0.50ci. Bigger than the engine in my trainer, matter of fact. that thing will power through whatever's in front of it due to sheer brute force, and it's just as tough, if not tougher, than the Savage. The only MT I can think of with a bigger engine wasn't really all that good, Thunder Tiger made one a few years ago that had a .70 cubic inch helicopter engine in it. Didn't go quite so well, the whole platform was just a mishmash of random bits thrown together to advertise the engine size, which is not the case with the MGT.
Old 11-03-2011, 02:05 AM
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Default RE: Nitro or Electric??! Help

The Savage XL and MGT 8.0 have dubious engines. Not so with the Losi XXL -which comes with an LRP Spec 3 twin, and will probably be the fastest RTR offroader you can get... Losi also has better quality than the others IMO too.. Pricier, but you get a Spektrum 2.4GhZ radio, good engine, huge shocks, FAR better handling than the others, etc..
Old 11-03-2011, 02:26 AM
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Default RE: Nitro or Electric??! Help

Well losi xxl is way to expensive i need to decide between savage xl and mgt 8.0 
In some forums it says that the engine in savage xl is **** and the savage x 4.6 is betteR?
Old 11-03-2011, 03:54 AM
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Default RE: Nitro or Electric??! Help

I didn't say only a guy at the rc store can tune it, but it would be nice to have someone to turn to if you need help.
Old 11-03-2011, 04:04 AM
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Default RE: Nitro or Electric??! Help

The AE 8.0 is a fine engine as long as you don't expect it to rev very high. It makes it's power through sheer brute torque, no finesse and no top end to speak of. I've never seen anyone saying they're unreliable.
Old 11-03-2011, 05:00 AM
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Default RE: Nitro or Electric??! Help

I think overdriverc had the Losi XXL going for less than $600.. If that's just way too expensive, I personally would get the Savage XL, though I hear the engine is rubbish and would probably replace it with an LRP 30...

For a first RC the Savage X 4.6 is probably a good place to start.
Old 11-03-2011, 06:15 AM
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Default RE: Nitro or Electric??! Help

Thanks for the site and yes they are selling it for 575 usd and actually this wont be my
First rc but it is my first nitro
Old 11-03-2011, 07:06 AM
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Default RE: Nitro or Electric??! Help

Are all the cars are as easy to tune as. The car in the vid?
Old 11-03-2011, 07:46 AM
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Default RE: Nitro or Electric??! Help

No. Every engine, even between two identical engines, has it's own character. Some are troublemakers, others are well behaved. You never know until you start tuning.

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