I suggest that you reread my posts and get your head on straight. Never said any such thing. But you got to admit that two engines in a season raises some red flags.

I never equated number of posts to experience, but in your case, I'll make an exception.

57, maybe you need a refund.

You should read my post again, no opinion there.

Oh wow, I leave you kids alone for 5 minutes...

That's that then. Great thread.

How funny the posts that got it locked weren't on topic. [&:] It's run its course anyway, one of the best of these ever, 9 pages. Continued debate will only deteriorate further.

See you guys next time on 'nitro vs electric' (I give it two months tops ), Foxy out.

The only satisfactory outcome is that the end user, regardless as to their inclination to bash or to race, should own and run both nitro AND electric..... and petrol RC cars!!

Forward wind this subject on several years from the OP and we find battery technology has improved gradually and steadily and that ALL your favourite 1/8th off road rides now have E versions in both buggy and truggy.

I remember thinking, when I first got into racing, how much faster nitro was compared to electric. 1/8th Nitro was the original (and only) racing class through the 70's, but by the time I started racing, electric 1/10th off road was by far the most popular class, despite the nitro classes being much, much faster.

The development of Nicad batteries enabled feasible indoor racing, so indoor winter championships became a thing. And electric classes became very, very competitive indeed. Look at racers like Masami, Jamie Booth, Cliff Lett and Andy Moore. For a time, by far the world's most competitive races we're 1/10th off road, then a few years later, 1/10th Touring.

The major developing factor in all of this has always been battery technology. Nimh cells gave us more capacity and were easier to manage. Then came brushless motors and LiPos. Gone are the days where you would have to take a motor lathe to the races to be competitive.

Batteries have such a good energy density now, we have brushless A/C, Helis, Quads/Drones etc. The stuff of fantasy if you grew up in the 80's.

The weight difference between Electric and Nitro 1/8th is even closer compared to when this thread first started. Typically just 100g difference between a nitro buggy and e buggy, with e buggy the heavier.

To anyone that finds this sort of post-race analysis interesting, I highly recommend you looking up the lap times of the DNC 2021. DNC 2021 Results

We see the pros are now slightly faster in Buggy with their E versions, typically about 0.5sec per lap. Interestingly, in Pro Nitro Truggy (Truck), we see that they're faster than either Pro Nitro or E Buggies. The Pro Nitro Truggy results were also faster than the Open Electric Truggy by up to 2 seconds per lap. In other words, out on the track, the difference is much greater between Truggy and Buggy than Nitro vs Electric. FWIW, note that there wasn't a Pro E Truggy class but an Open E Truggy class instead.

Brushless Electric Pros vs Cons:

Pros:

• Quieter
• Faster in a straight line
• E Buggies now quicker on certain tracks
• No engine tuning required
• Plug and play
• Generally easier for newbies
• Insane stunts/Torque

Cons:

• Cell management
• LiPo consumable costs
• LiPo dangers/safety
• No engine sound/smell
• Runtime limited to number of batteries
• Brutal torque is very hard on all driveline components
• Heavier/Handling

Nitro Pros vs Cons:

​​​​​​Pros:

• Sound/Smell/Spectacle
• ​​​​Run time/length of finals
• Pit stops
• Races more entertaining for spectators
• Satisfying to learn engine tuning
• Generally still >100g lighter/handling on dusty/loose tracks

Cons:

• Sound/Smell usually prohibits use indoors
• Sound levels can prohibit use in residential areas
• Nitro engines have a tendency to be finicky unless tuned correctly
• Nitro fuel is expensive
• Engines require maintenance and after-run care
• Filters need maintenance
• Clutch maintenance

Petrol/Gas Pros vs Cons

We'll assume that all gassers are 1/5th scale (they aren't, but it's just easier that way).

Pros:

• Easy starting
• Fuel readily available
• Fuel is cheap
• 45 minute runtime per tank
• Easy to tune (comparitevly vs nitro)
• Less starting paraphernalia
• Lots of custom engine builds
• Two Stroke sounds
• 1/5th Scale models are awesome to look at
• Nice to wrench on

Cons:

• Not everyone likes mixing 2 stroke fuel
• 1/5th Scale cars are big
• Not generally suitable to be kept in your living areas if you have a mum/sister/wife
• Petrol fumes
• Certain gassers are insanely loud
• Generally usage prohibited in all the same ways that Nitro models are
• 1/5th Handling/Performance generally not as razor sharp as 1/8th

The Wrap Up

This is why you can't just say electric is better than nitro. Or Gassers are better than brushless. Or Petrol is Better than diesel. It all depends so much on what you want to get out of your rides, whether you race or bash. Whether you like building and wrenching. Picking it up just to admire and then putting it back on the shelf. We're all different, but part of a very large RC tribe. Boys & Girls. Black or White. Young or Old.

I think we can all see what's happening to full size cars - internal combustion engines look set to become relics of the past within our lifetime. For petrol heads like me, this is not an easy thing to wrap my head around. STI prodrive anyone? Pfff - may as well be a steam engine mate!

So, in the next 10-25 years, we could be looking at fuel cell powered RC cars!
1/10th Fusion Worlds to be held........ on Mars....?Who knows, the way it's going!

Peace, out.

As for the trend which had definitely started in 2013 or earlier, where Brushless sales seemed to be eating into the market share of nitro sales, globally.

This was no doubt encouraged by e commerce, the availability of temptingly low priced offerings/clones from China on Bangood etc - why stress about which Italian engine to import for your Basher Nitro Truggy when you can get a Brushless Truggy with Hobbywing motor/esc with insane performance for the same sort of outlay?

90% of these brushless RTRs won't see a race track. That will explain the market, a market that brands like Traxxas will undoubtedly be wanting a very large slice of. Ditto for Arrma, Traxxas' arch rival in 2021. Interestingly, HPI are sort of back this year, but with similar offerings as last decade!

As for racing and 1/8th Nitro Buggy/Truggy being the equivalent of 'The Super Bowl'/'World Cup' - it's just so good to watch. 45 mins of will it - won't it. The ever present risk of a race changing flame out. Weather changes. Pit stop strategies.

The Pit crews are racing too - if one team can do 6 second pits, but the next team can only muster 11 seconds - it's near enough a whole lap of difference over 45 minutes of racing. These elements of uncertainty are what make the nitro races - arguably - the most entertaining races to watch, which unfold over a good length of time.

The Drake may have bumped up from the B, but you can still root for him to win because everyone has a chance. Elliot Boots - he might be in with a half chance this time, if he can keep his engine running. If you're a racer, these are the races you want to get into - 45 minutes of awesome.

There have been legendary electric races too - 5 minutes maybe, but that Marc Rheinard Touring Car race - astonishing.

The Web and Live RC has bought the races into our living rooms, so we can get to live the moment, even if it's on the other side of the pond. Speaking of which, I for one prefer the off road track layouts in the US with lots of jumps and spectacular air time. These cars should be piloted.