schoelman

now, typically, when in forums, i'm not the person to post this kind of broad question, because in my experience (paintball forums) you end up getting very widely ranging answers....

but... i've never owned an RC car before, adn i'm looking to get into it....

i have no idea what kind of budget i should have.... because cars i've seen online range from 99 up to 300 dollars...?! plus i imagine there are other expenses, like fuel, batteries, remotes etc... unless they come with the car? i don't know?

what is the first car YOU bought, should i start with nitro? electric? what is included when i buy a car? what should i use as a realistic budget? what are some other 'must haves' i should buy when i start out? (ie: def buy a rechargable battery so you don't spend a zillion bucks buying new every few days, etc...)

thanks for the help, sorry to post such a broad question.

}{unter

yes u should start with electric becuase u need to get the feel for a car and since u dont know ANYTHING about cars or u could MABEY go with a nitro one but 1 ? how old are u first

JAG-RCU

Electric. Also, remember after every week or so if you have an open endbell motor, take out the brushes and thake off the endbell and clean it under running water, reassemble, dry, and run. Also, keep the brushes nice and shiney. Also, Cycle your batteries. Charge, discharge, charge, discharge. Also, use an electric speed control. They are about $50 for a decent one. Motors can be between $20-$35 for one to get you started. At least a 1500 MH battery to keep you going, and Lightspee plugs to keep things smooth. Those are just some basic tips. VERY basic. Everyone knows that stuff, but you just concentrate on finding a car that makes you happy. I would go with either the Traxxas Stampede, Traxxas Rustler, o Traxxas Bandit. They are easy to modify, tune use, and they are easy to assemble if you get the kit. I recommend the kit. It gives you an idea of the car and it limitations. You also get a feel for what the car can do and get some knowledge of repair, and tuning. It also gives you knoledge on what can go wrong and hoe to prevent and fix it. There is of course A LOT MORE information out there that you should know before you start, but that should get you oging for now. Good luck and we hope to see more of you around here. Hope I was any help to you.

JAG

crash_me_over

My Feedback: (16)

Keeping it simple while starting out is usually a good idea. Electrics are a good way of keeping it simple and yet being able to enjoy the hobby.

Check out the link for a good entry level electrick stadium off road truck that has many hop ups already included. It's a good truck...at a good price....and will offer you hours of enjoyment. I know....I have one of these.

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXXJ49**&P=0

Also....welcome to the hobby of RC!

Enjoy and good luck!

ginshun

I am still very new to RC myself as I just got my first real car last weekend. I bought the Duratrax Evader that crash's link points too, and I couldn't be happier.

It runs great right out of the box. It runs even better since I replaced the regular battery connector with a Deans Ultra Plug.

schoelman

wow, thanks for all the help....


ok... so all that info was for noobs?! i don't really even know what a glow plug or electric speed control is.... let alone what they do!


i'm 24 years old.... to answer your other question...

thanks for the tips... any more?

crash_me_over

My Feedback: (16)

Here are some links that will help and explain many things.

http://www.rccaraction.com/rc/articles/index.asp

http://teamrcv.com/search.php?query=&topic=11

http://rcvehicles.about.com/mbody.htm

http://www.rcracing.com/Page.cfm?InfoID=845

http://www.rccarracer.com/techtips.htm

dg2b

schoelman - welcome to the rc world. The responses are in the right track. Electric are the way to start into the hobby. I also started in the electric and stayed with it for a while.

glow plug = equivalent to a spark plug (for nitro)
electronic speed control (ESC) = should be self explanatory? otherwise, controls the speed of electric rc car.

Karl the Mechan

A winning formula, not only for beginners.
Hi there, I got my first RC car at 23. That wasnt a minute too soon! (Not too late to start at 24 either) Now I'm 37, so it's been a while...

I'll stretch it a bit and give you not only general tips, but specific ones.
Buy a Tamiya TL01 rally car. (Maybe the new Ford Focus 02 matces your taste?) Kit No. 58292. Or another rally kit. Buy a kit, stay away from RTR's (Ready To Run = factory assembled items) because you'll never LEARN anything from that. With Tamiya instructions, no-one can go wrong.
Oh, and toss away the pathetic 3-speed Mechanical Speed Controller in the kit.

As for Electronic Speed Controllers, I'll cive you a very good tip: Buy a WATERPROOF ESC. Sooner or later you'll run into water/rain and the ESC's doesnt like that. A friend of mine has a drawer full of toasted expensive ESC's.
Check out CARSON's waterproof High Frequency (2,3Khz) ESC's at http://www.tamiya.de
(Donno where else to get them)
A "CARSON SPEED 15T" would be sufficient.

As for motors, there's a 540 "silver-can" supplied in every Tamiya kit. Use it to begin with, it's fuzz-free no-maintenance and fast enough for someone who's learning to drive. Honest.

The rest of the electronics is best purchased at the Local Hobby Shop, buy the cheapest steering servo there is. And stuff the radio receiver in a rubber baloon (waterproof)

ENJOY!

SNipER-RCU

Well,

I think i started with the wrong car... NOT

I started in the RC world a few weeks ago, and i bought a nitro. I don't know if I'm example for something but I'm not regretted.

My car initially was a RWD now is a 4WD, i installed the differential and was nice to me because i learned a lot with it.

schoelman

wow... again, thanks for the responses.....

now i feel like i know where to start... (thanks to you guys/gals)

i think i'm going to purchase a tiyama suburu or the tiyama ford focus....

i def want to get the kit... so i can build it myself and figure out how everything works....

what else will i need....

i buy the kit... what else should i buy do i need to buy?

tools, paint, glue, tires, batteries, a controller, an ESC? are all engines interchangeable? later.... when i want to upgrade, can i put a nitro engine in the focus or suburu body?

sorry for bein such a noob... just curious.. and anxious to get started!

Karl the Mechan

The waterproof Carson ESCs are marketed in the States under the label MTRONICS !
The Carson Speed-15 will then be an Mtronics Sport RV 15. Check out www.globalhobby.com , at least the ad in RCCA says so...

And no, an electric car stays an electric car. Fuel cars are fuel cars :-) But a lot of the PARTS are interchangeable.

What else to buy? One important thing: The TAMIYA RADIO CONTROL GUIDE BOOK. There's a new book every year and people collect them It's a bible. Read it.

schoelman

sorry.... just one more question.... i don't know of any hobby shops in or near my town.... kindof a small town....

where should i go online to buy the above mentioned car... parts?

also... what will i need? what kind of batteries does an electric RC take? should i get regular or rechargable? is one charger better than the other, one battery have more power/longer lasting than another?

thanks!

crash_me_over

My Feedback: (16)

Here's one place to shop online and a nice stadium truck to buy...which I bought and love.

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXXJ49**&P=0


Here's a good source for rechargeable batteries. I use the 3000 mah rechargeables and they work great.

http://www.stores.ebay.com/id=59806681

Karl the Mechan

Is a key feature here. Of course you should get the best equipment there is, but on the other hand that's going to cost an arm and a leg.

Batteries:
There are no "regulars", all are rechargeable. NiCd or NiMh. Info on this can be found elsewhere. Six cells are packed into a standardized "stick". Which most cars are designed to accept. Capacity ranges from 1400mAh to 3300mAh and prices to match!

Chargers:
Basically two types, slow or fast. Slow = overnight. Fast = over twice the price.
Needless to say I've got the fast myself.

Keep it simple and inexpensive to begin with. You may add more costly gadgets as time flies by


Now enter the net again and look up www.tamiya.com , they among others have some useful info available. And stop by the UK branch http://www.tamiyaeurocup.co.uk/ , they've got some tips for beginners. There's some answers for you

PS if you go for the Subaru, take 58277. It comes complete with ball-bearings and a body with paint & decals applied! http://www.tamiya.com/english/produc...za.htm#impreza

schoelman

WHERE CAN I BUY THIS STUFF?!

is this a UK forum for the most part? if so... sorry, i'm in the USA.... don't really know the conversions from pounds to dollars etc....

anyone know of anyplace online in the US that i can buy the tamiya subaru in KIT form... not RTR?

thanks!

ginshun

www.towerhobbies.com

I just bought a Duratrax Evader ST last weekend and I think it is awesome. My next car will be a rally car. Personally I am leaning towards the HPI over the Tamiya though.

Karl the Mechan

Yes I've seen those HPIs. Looks very competent indeed. BUT I'd love to see you keep up with our Tamiya TLs and TBs on our rally tracks. Especially through the poodles. Not to mention that track of ours we call "Safari"

Oh and another matter in our local rules is SCALE. We only permit 1/10th scale cars. With a little persentage of "proportions-adjustment" from the manufacturer, BUT NOT MUCH!
As a consequence, anyone with a different scale bodied car than 1/10 cannot start. For instance a HPI Peugeot 206 is NOT 1/10 scale... When did you last see a real 206 with 2,6 metres of wheelbase and 2 metres wide??? So, according to my calculator, that body is a different scale.

But personally I would allow a fellow to start if he shows up with a HPI with such a body. Just for fun. To see how far he comes.

ginshun

I am new to RC, and I am going to be purchasing a Rally car soon.
So I have a few questions.

1. It appears that you prefer the Tamiya TB's over the HPI's. What is your reason for this. What makes you think that the Tamiya's would be faster?

2. If I do get the Tamiya, I will not use the MSC that it comes with. Can you recomend a good reversable (I won't be racing it) ESC for this car?

Please answer whatever other questions I asked in the PM. I can't remeber them, and I can't figure out how to look and my sent PM's.

Karl the Mechan

Why do I think the HPI's couldn't keep up ?
Dont get me wrong, HPI's are highly competitive cars.
But they're belt driven. Like Tamiya's own TA04. Belts are more efficient in transferring power from the motor to the wheels than shafts and constant-mesh gear drives. But belts are more voulnerable to pebbles, grit, rocks, or whatever may find its way in between the belt and the pulley.
And when that happens, you're out of the race! Simple as that.

Another disadvantage with belts is that they require more maintenance.
I looked up HPI's webpage today and found a "rally-chassis-cover" for drivers going a-muck with their cars. Very nice, that helps. A bit.

Tamiya cars may be rated "entry-level" cars among die-hard touring drivers Stateside. True, they've not been the fastest cars on indoor carpet tracks for ages. (until the TRF414 arrived but that's another story)
But for street bashing (is that what the yanks call it?) and rally-raiding you need other qualities besides just the lowest weight & efficient drivetrain.
Both the TL01 and TB01 posess the qualities required. Durability, for instance. Top class.
Personally I prefere the TB (it's got such great balance), but the rest of the bunch here drives a TL. (much more service-friendly)

"-I see that the Tamiya kit comes with an MSC as opposed to a ESC"
Yes, but just pretend it isn't in there. Toss it away and fit an ESC.
Saving money? Put it in the bank instead of wasting it on expensive hobbies. Or do like the rest of us, GET STARTED!

trey3670

My Feedback: (10)

As for Electronic Speed Controllers, I'll cive you a very good tip: Buy a WATERPROOF ESC. Sooner or later you'll run into water/rain and the ESC's doesnt like that. A friend of mine has a drawer full of toasted expensive ESC's


hey karl does your freind still have the esc's? might be interested in them! yes even though they are toasted!

Karl the Mechan

Donno but I'll ask him when I travel home for x-mas.

Oh and I found a link to the waterproof ESCs that actually work.

http://www.mtroniks.net/nav.htm

I wonder why no other company can supply waterproof ESCs ? I mean, it's only logical? Not that everyone NEEDS to submerge their car, but when racing outdoors and it starts to rain, what do you guys do? Stop racing ??? Seems like a lot of fun to me. NOT.