Jerzferno

OK, the Olympics are now over. How long do you think it will be until prices return back to pre-Olympic prices? If they do at all?

cltcrns

About the time they stop selling chop seuy in China Town.............we are hooked like crack addicts and they know we will pay what ever just to smell and hear our babies scream!

Jerzferno

LOL - I bet you're right. We stuck.

cltcrns

happywing

Nitro will come down to pre-Olympic levels about the same time that gas drops below $2.50 per gallon.

RcRacer37E

RC Car mag has a good review in Oct. issue. Seems there were a few reasons why were paying more for nitro fuel. One, Dow chemical, the owner of subsidiart Angus chemicals, who is the sole producer in U.S. nitromethane cut off its supply to the rc industry due to the increase demand in agriculture and pharmaceutical applications. Two, that big earth quake shut down the nitro plant in china and hasnt yet reopened.
The artical goes on about how weve been lucky in the prices weve been paying as far as how little the prices have gone up in the past few years. Unless Angus ends up with a surplus of nitro I dont see the cost going down, I can see it going up.
There are ways to cut the cost in nitro fuel, run lipo. That was another quote from the mag issue. I for one like the sound and dont plan on running lipo so Im stuck with what ever prices nitro jumps to. Ive been paying thirty dollars a gallon all year for thirty percent fuel and one hundred for a case.
So in a nut shell, the games in china might be over, but it still wont help the small demand or rc cars put on the demand. Might be time to email Dow and tell them to start maken our fuel again.

Jerzferno

Im playing a waiting game on this. Im planning on a big purchase for 2009 for a new 1/8th scale buggy. But, if fuel does not drop to its pre-Olympic levels. I will be switching over totally to electric. I am getting spoiled racing my Traxxas Slash. No spilled fuel to clean up on the chassis. No paying $45/gallon for fuel. 2 gallons of fuel and a good battery pack is paid for. Not much maintenance on the Slash, and 1/10th scale prarts are sooooooooooooo much cheaper. It will be a very hard decision to make because I love racing 1/8th scale. But damn the fuel prices alone are just getting ridiculous. I work in the pharma industry. Nitro methane? Never used it. Weird.

The Hedgehog

I am already switching to all electric

cltcrns

The smell of burning electric in the air?!?!?!?!? NEVERRRRRRRRRRR hahahahaha I love my nitro wayyyyyyyyy too much to give it up..............hating the fact I cant run as much do to cost but I just cant see running without nitro.

Jerzferno

I feel the same way too. But enough is enough dont ya think? Big opil is killing everone at the pumps, so now big chemical is going after the hobbyist. I hate giving up the nitro too......i havent written it off...................yet. but electric opens so many more doors for me. In door tracks. Other tracks around here that are strictly electric. Winter racing, (Dont say it southerners LOL). so theres a lot of pros and cons for each. i did, which I assume is the same for you olders guys (like me) that you startedoff with electric? So it wont be that much of a culture shock for me. But again.....lets wait and see what happens. Timing couldnt be better for me with all this happening. I have one huge weekend race laft and then the final rce Sunday and my season is over. Glad this didnt happen 4 months ago.

The Hedgehog

I think the hobby is slowly shifting electric over the next few years. As we know the hobby goes in cycles. Myself at my track have been seeing people converting to electric every weekend. I think next year the ratio will be 50/50. Time will tell really.

My Name Is Brad

It will take nitro prices a lot higher than $45 to get me to stop running my nitro![8D]

The Hedgehog

That's ok, no one is asking you to convert, but it seems electric is gaining pupularity.

This isn't to say one is better than the other, but if you notice the electric guys seem to be winning. The 100% of torque at 0 RPM thing is really helpful at the track it seams. For an 80 dollar battery I can get 15 minutes X 200-400 cycles. That's roughly 75 hours of runtime for 80 bucks. 2 gallons of nitro gets you lets say to be conservative, 13 minuutes per tank X 56 tanks = 12 hours of runtime.

Although I agree at this point charging is a factor and you may nee dmultiple batteries for continuous runtime, hence the higher initial investments for electric.

youwish16

around here the only electric i have seen are 2 brushless 1/10 scales, thats it. i have yet to see an electric buggy, truggy or mt

The Hedgehog

We have lot of those. Abunch of 8th scale buggies, truggies and E-revos out here.

rclynx

You can't run electric all day [&:]

The Hedgehog

Yes you can. You can recharge batteries actually.

dsales

Nitro prices are down $1.00 already per 1/2 gallon at my lhs

IL2mSturmovik

Swap out a battery every 15 minutes in a hour long main?
Best have one hell of a charger

Frozenshade

$45 Dollars a gallon?! Damn! I'd probably say screw it and go electric if it was that much around here. Before the Olympics a gallon of %20 Nitro was about $18 here. Now it is about $24.

The Hedgehog

So you have 4 batteries. Don't you nito guys refuel or do they go 1 hour without pitting?

The more expensive batteries can get you 45 minutes of runtime on a single charge.

rccheech

LOL...Good one!!

rclynx

What batteries are those, please give me a link [:-]

SD2006

www.towyourbatteryonatrailer.com

I'm not sure how you could get 45 minutes runtime under race conditions unless you had a gigantic battery and a super conservative setup. You wouldn't be very competitive...

The Hedgehog

Has no one converted electrics at your guys track? Weid, higher performance, easier, etc etc.

Here's a battery that will power a buggy for 45 minutes.

http://home.comcast.net/%7Etruerc/re...eady_packs.htm

Scroll down too TrueRC 8000mAh 18.5V 5S2P pack, its a higher up front inistial cost but you get 200-400 cycles on them.