I was looking at a Redcat electric model in the $200 price range on display in a local hobby shop. I noticed that the front wheels had a loose, imprecise feel to them, (lots of play) probably due to this being a lower end car. (One of our local RC clubs uses this car for races.)

Will aftermarket parts or Redcat upgrades provide a more precise and tighter linkage eliminating the front end slop of the stock version? If so, what brand of which steering parts are recommended? Thanks.

Buy a higher end car and don't even mess with that. Redcats are affordable bashers, not precision racers.

If you must, any aluminum steering parts such as knuckles, C-hubs, links, a-arms, etc. will tighten it up usually. Redcat sells some option parts that are aluminum for their vehicles, you could check into that.

Also, it depends what u are comparing it to....

I remember when I first started, I use to worry about the free play espically in the steering.... I got told that it was very normal for RTR mass produced rc cars..... 10pluss years later I agree,..

99% of rc cars are either tight or sloppy out of the box, the majority of the time it makes no noticeable difference in preformance. So even tho it might seem like the free play is excessive.... Most of the time that is normal and will not effect anything.

personally I like to eliminate free play, but it's not essential. I don't worry to much about ball ends, I mainly focus on shiming the stub axle, gears and suspension joints.

Redcat and Precision ! Two words that should never be used in the same sentence !

a few of the more expensive redcats can make good racers...but the sub $300, NOPE. I mean, can you get it around a track quick, sure. But can you race it, NO. While things like wheels and tires and shocks can be upgraded with better parts, the steering knuckles and wheel hubs will always have a bit more play than a $300 brushed RTR car (compare, $200 brushless with a battery to other $300 brushed and often without a battery)

I have had a few redcat lightning epx pro's. while they are fun in a parking lot, they are not that fast on a track. I could never get the steering tight (would never fully go back to center) The steering bell crank and servo saver design do their job, but are not mean for precision...and these parts there are no aftermarket parts for.

That's it they are cheap.....

Not it that long ago I brought a new brushless esc and motor for a 1/8 buggie
it was one of the cheaper brands but it was still $230 (HobbyWing XERUN 150a 1800kv sensored)

Well, I learned that my question is a moot point. No mods are permitted in the club I'm joining for the Nascar class. This class is strictly stock Red Cat Lightning EXP Pro versus the same. That one is an asphalt parking lot venue. There is another place that is indoors with carpets and jumps and another with dirt, rocks and steep climbs. There is no one car that meets all opportunities. So which 3 cars should I get? This is a rhetorical question for me because I will only get one vehicle for now, but the answers would still be fun to know.

for paved oval, you cant really go wrong with any mid-grade touring car, provided they have a class for them. a mid-grade tc would be something from associated, kyosho, losi and the like. for the carpet track with jumps, $10 says those jumps are for short course trucks. again, check kyosho, associated and losi. for the dirt, rocks and steep climbs, that sounds like rock crawling and/or racing. big difference between rock crawling and rock racing. find out what they do first then look at the axial offerings. to have competitive setups for all 3, you're looking at $1500-2500 for everything. the first vehicle would be the most expensive, around $800-1000 but then the additional vehicles can use the same batteries, charger and transmitter. you'd just need a receiver, servo and brushless system for each additional vehicle, bringing them to $500-700.