suburban_hooligan

i can remember 10 years ago when all the so called nitro cars were referred to as gas cars. what's up with the change in terminology over the past ruffly 7 or 8 years? as far as i know nothing in the engines or fuel has changed enough to warrant a change in terminology. is it just a marketing gimmick that noobs bought into and started using when they read the word "nitro" in the add in the magazine and when the manufacture realized it was an attention getter they inserted the term into the name of the vehicle and slapped it on the box in bold lettering?
i even notice a change in electric cars know. if its got a brushed motor its electric, but if its got a brushless motor then its a brushless. like somehow its not electric anymore because it doesn't have brushes

am i going crazy or has anyone else noticed this?

jtnktz

My Feedback: (4)

What happened was people started to put gas into a nitro engine and frying the motor. I was not to get new enthusiasts to think wow nitro.

ASSOCIATED_DRIVER

I can agree to that, in an AE RC10GT the GT stands for Gas Truck, but we all know that it runs on Nitro. Something like Losi XXX-NT, NT stands for Nitro truck, and then EP for electric powered. Or sometimes its understood that it is Electric when it doesnt say Gas or Nitro.

I think that's because 1/5 gas (gasoline) cars before was not as popular and readily available. They are custom built and very expensive. Today they are now easily available (still expensive for me) and its just more appropriate that these type of cars us the term Gas since they use gasoline fuel.

For Nitro, now that I think of it. You are probably right. Nitromethane, Methanol and Oil are the components of the mixture. Among the three, I can only relate Nitro with motorsports and racing, which could have some marketing influence to buyers. Nitromethane and methanol just sounds to scientific specially if to someone who doesnt know much about RC fuels. (like newbs)

For electrics though brushed motors or brushless still electrics to me. I dont think its a marketing strategy. Its just a matter of what is in the box. Especially if I paying an arm and a leg for an electric, it better be a brushless.

s7jstep1

yeah now they have gasoline powered 1/5 scale cars like the baja 5b and duratrax firehammer

The_Collector

Associated Driver, you beat me to it. I would add that they were called "gas" just to abbreviate the explaination of the R/C being fuel powered, not having an electric motor. If you have any old R/C Car Action mags., look in the back sectionn where the distributors advertise. They had a listing of what they were selling, and then a "gas" section, to seperate them from the rest.

Check out this shot I got from a '96 issue of RCCA I have. Perfect example. Look at the awesome terminology further down, "gas motors", next to a picture of an HPI .15 SS. Jeeze, the confusion that would cause these days!