cydex01

As a chilld, I had several electric powered 50-60 dollar RC cars and remember loving them to death. Now I have a bit of extra time on my hands and a little money to spend; and browsing ebay for gas powered RC cars has excited me so much that I think I want to buy one again, but this time a bit more adult-like.

So after browsing around for a while, I've come across these forums. I'd like to ask you, as a RC car community, what would be the best thing for me to purchase for a beginner? I'd like to have something I could run out in a large yard, or maybe a field, or gravel road. So obviously, I need something with decent ground clearance. Being extremely fast is not a necessity, but it would be nice to have something that'd top out around 30-ish on the road.

Assuming you guys can help me find a car with those specs to purchase, what else do I need to buy? Fuel? Where do I find the type I will need? What tools will I need and what will I be expected to learn to work on dealing with the car?

I'd like to get away with everything I need for less than $200 if possible, in case I get the car and decide it's not really something I want to invest my time in. I don't want to spend $400+ on some awesome car that I find that I find I won't use enough to enjoy the money spent or something I don't know enough about to take care of.

Scott

Tigger N. Bennie

Do you mean "gas" powered or "nitro" powered? I doubt if you will find a "gas" powered RC for under $200.00 since the engines usually cost more than that unless someone is just dumping a used one. You can probably find a used "nitro" truck for that price. However, if it doesn't come with a radio, be prepared to spend more. Nitro fuel is also not cheap and around here it runs around $26.00 per gallon. If there is a hobby shop or track in your area, you may simply want to spend some time there window shopping and talking to people involved prior to dropping some money since RC can get quite expensive depending on the quality of merchandise and maintenance.

rc car CRAZY

If you want to max top 30 then get an electric because nitro are a lot harder to maintain and you couldn't get much for $200.
Do you want a buggy, truck or touring car. Have you built one before . If you havent I would like to reccomend a tamia as they are durable very easy to build and maintain and you can get one for arround $200.

Ben

cydex01

I have never built a RC car before, but I'm willing to learn if that's something that could save me a substantial amount of money. Assuming a find a used "nitro" truck for less than 200 dollars, what kind of money will I be looking at spending for upkeep of the truck? If the main thing is the fuel, I wouldn't think that these cars would be burning through so much fuel that'd get expensive very quickly.

About the electric ones . . . It's my understanding that an electric car will only last me about 20-30 minutes of 'play time.' If that statement is correct, it seems it'd be much more convenient to purchase a "nitro" powered car if I could afford it.

Scott

redheat8

Electric cars are generally good for about 12min run time depending on motor. gearing , batteries, ESC to some extent, thats about an average, 200. bux aint gonna get you anything but a headache, I would strongly suggest that you purchase new and get to be friends with the guys at the hobby shop, as far as up keep ,well guys what do you think first off it's not always cheap, fuel alone is 22. bux a gal. plugs 5.bux apiece, breaking parts priceless , not trying to scare you away from this hobby because it is a blast but it does require time , commentment, and a big wallet, good luck to ya, RED

flatlander_14

well nitro cars can last anywhere from about 7-12 minutes depending upon fuel tank size, how well rich you are running the engine, whether you are blasting around at fullthrottle all the time or not, and whether the engine is a fuel hog itself. i will list the things that you need to get started aside from a RTR(ready to run) kit itself, you may or may not need a few more or less things, but these are the typical items you need:

-12 AA batteries($5?)

-fuel(anywhere between $20-25 a gallon depending on what your lhs charges)

-after run oil(this is what you put a few drops of in the engine to keep it free of build up and muck to keep it running better longer, typically $5 for a bottle that will last you a LONG time)

-air filter oil(you need this so the air filter will allow only the purest air into the engine, if any small particles get in it could mean premature wear, or if its a small grain of sand, it will die very soon, about $3-4 for a bottle that will last maybe 2-3 gallons)

-extra glow plugs(these are the ignition source of the engine when it starts up, they run about $5 each and will die unexpectedly without notice, if you keep your engine in tune and dont screw stuff up you should replace them about one per gallon or two)

-glow plug igniter(this heats the coil in the plug to make the fuel in the engine ignite, you're best off getting a decent rechargable one from the get go because the dry cell igniters just suck and dont work for more than a few times. i got a nice racer's edge one for $15, but plan on spending about $20 without a gauge and $25 with a gauge. the extra $5 is worth it to help you troubleshoot when the plug is not working. mine doesnt have a gauge but i know how to tune pretty well now and can troubleshoot problems myself without it)

those are the typical things you will need to get started, but it is advisable to upgrade to a 5 cell nimh reciever pack ASAP because dry cells go dead too quickly. you'll need a special charger for it too. the 5 cell pack itself will run $15-25 and a charger will cost $20-50. i got a 'team losi mini peak charger' which is designed for 4 and 5 cell mini t batteries, but i ripped the ends off and soldered on the correct leads(futaba female) so i can charge my 5 cell pack.

so you're looking at spending roughly $65 to $70 plus shipping or tax just for the supplies to get started. if your car has an electric starter plan on spending another $30 for a cheap nicd and charger.

i'd say $300 would buy you a nitro rtr plus all the essentials and you'll probably have a little bit leftover for something else. keep saving.

spiderman82199

i bought a rtr nitro evader bx buggy by duratrax at my local hobbystore for $265 out the door, does about 45mph,wicked first nitro for me

cydex01

I was actually looking at that duratrax buggy [link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXXJ48**]here.[/link] If I bought that, what else would I need to get myself started other than [link=http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=2773862/mode=googlegfty/]fuel[/link] and after-run oil? Can anyone point me to a link where I can grab all these other items and the fuel I need all at once?

That is the same buggy you were talking about, right spiderman82199?

And one more thing, what does "ESC" stand for?

Scott

cydex01

I see that "ESC" means "electronic speed control," so I have a better understanding of that now. But what is the difference between [link=http://www.ekatomi.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=5699]this $169 duratrax[/link] and [link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXXJ48**]this $205 duratrax?[/link]

Scott

sledmanass

My Feedback: (2)

If you would of asked this question last week, you could of got the xtm xcellerator nitro stadium truck that does 50nph, but now its 260 again. [] Im waiting for mine in the mail.

dubyarexessteeI

the one you listed as 205 dollars is actually 159.99 and they r both electric buggies they r the same exact car just theres a better price on one

Tigger N. Bennie

Scott,

They must have changed the prices then since when I clicked on the links, Tower had the buggy for $159.99 and the other site had it for $169.00. If you have not purchased through Tower before, you may be able to also receive a $20.00 off coupon and they usually discount the prices if you spend a certain amount.

The $204.97 "combo" price at Tower appears to include the buggy, a 6-cell sport pack, Tower Charger, and a $15 gift certificate. Just click on the link to the "Ultimate Combo".

Edit: It's been too long of a day to be typing.

EdsWords

Cydex01, You are on the right track. Electric is the easiest way to start. I would recommend the Evader ST (stadium truck) over the buggy. The larger tires and wider suspension allow you to run at more places. I have also heard buggies require a lot of skill to drive well.

I thought the same as you. I thought I could get a car, batteries, charger for 200 dollars. But, the $20 charger I got was worthless and the $10 batteries I bought were useless. Buy good stuff, not necessarily the best stuff, and you will not regret it.

You will need more than $200 unless you can find a used RTR vehicle, charger, and batteries here or at Ebay. If you are buying new you will need the following:

Evader $170 + Peak Charger $50 + 2 decent batteries $60 = $280.

You may not want to spend $50 for a peak charger, but if you buy a cheap 20 dollar charger, your car will run slower and have less run time.

You will also want to quickly save up another $50 to upgrade your motor & servo. The motors and servos that come with RTR vehicles (no matter what the brand) are notoriously weak and dont last very long.

Its a great hobby, but its not cheap!

cydex01

EdsWords, if I went ahead and spent the $350-ish dollars on getting that truck , the peak charger, couple of batteries, and new motor and servo, what kind of performance should I expect out of that electric car? How fast will it go? How long will it last?

Should the car come with a manual showing me how to change out the motor and servo, or can I find "how to's" on the internet? And is doing that type of work on the car beginner friendly?

And lastly, if I bought all those things, will I still need the after-run oil for the car too?

Scott

Evolution02

Ok i got a used Nitro rustler at my local traxxas dealer and everything to have it up and running for 280$$!!! what a find! it only had about 1/2 gallon through it!!! keep looking! and u will find a deal like mine or even better!

cydex01

Well, I just broke down and went and bought everything this afternoon. I drove 70 miles to the nearest dealer and bought a Traxxas S-Maxx for 370 and everything else I needed coming to just over 500 dollars! Oh well, it'll be fun.

Now I'm having problems getting it started for the first time. I've actually had it start once for about 2-3 seconds then it died again. Darn thing. I'm sure I'll get it eventually.

Scott

EdsWords

O.K., you opted for nitro. The key word is P A T I E N C E ! Its going to take a while to learn about needles, carb tuning, clutches, and glo plugs. At some point, you are going to want to thow the truck out the window, but try not to. If you get frustrated just take a break and re-read the manual and you'll evetually figure it out.

Usually, for break in, the factory has set the carb very rich which can make it hard to start & idle. If you are having problems, duoble check the recommended neele settings for break in (as per the manual) and make sure yours is set up right. Make sure you are priming the engine and that its getting feul and you have a fresh battery for the EZ-Start system. If the engine is getting fuel and you have a good glo plug, it has to start.

Nitro tuning can be tricky, but once you have broken the engine in and adjusted your carb properly, it will start up quick most everytime.

cydex01

Well after near 5 hours of messing with my S-Maxx, I finally got it to start up and run. I only got a chance to do a small amount of the breaking in (actually only the first half tank), because it's gotten too dark outside. I figure I'll wake up in the morning, finish breaking it in, and go have a good time with my new purchase!

Thanks everyone for your time and advice, I appreciate it very much!

Scott

oatmealman

My Feedback: (1)

good luck wit your traxxas.not a traxxas fan but there growin on me,once again good luck