Race RC Cars Like a Winner
Brian's 23 cc gas powered R/C car - do not view if you don't like barking dogs
Radio controlled cars are an exceedingly exciting and fun hobby for young and old alike. One of the first questions to answer if you are an RC car newbie is should you choose electric or nitro powered.
As a general rule nitro RC cars are really best for someone who has gained a little experience. And to get that vital experience I recommend you start with an electric RC car.
Electric RC cars are simpler. They tend to be far less noisy and certainly require a lot less maintenance than the nitro powered models. The negative side is that they are less realistic than those with a nitro engine and they can be less powerful.
But there are some fantastic electric RC cars that are equal to any nitro powered model. I always recommend buying at least two battery packs and mayber even three or four if you have the budget. Battery packs can generally be charged in around 3 minutes but some only last for about 5 minutes so it is always worthwhile buying a few to make the most of your car.
Personally I love off road models, especially dune buggys which I race around the sand dunes on beaches near to my home. I like to take along maybe four or five fully charged battery packs, just to make the most of my time jumping and racing in the sand dunes.
A big advantage of electric over nitro powered RC cars is the ease of maintenance. Like real cars nitro powered rc cars use real engines and these need the same sort of maintenance as the full size models. Electric RC cars are much simpler and therefore much more suitable for beginners and youngsters.
You can get both electric and nitro RC cars in kit form and this adds another aspect to the hobby. By building your own RC car you will learn lots about engineering and RC cars and this can be very satisfying. But, again, I recommend starting with an electric model and then moving on to a nitro powered car if you find you enjoy the hobby.
