You know about remote control cars don't you.

[bigoggy]

I had a neighbour come round today, uttering those words.

He wanted me to look at his new car for him.

He told me that he bought a petrol car for christmas, and didn't know why it didn't work.

So I told him to bring it round.

When I saw it, I realized it was a no name, ebay special.

Petrol in the tank, as he said, check.

Shame it's a nitro car, oh no.

I told him I'm not very good with nitro, but I know you don't put unleaded in them.

He argued that it was petrol powered, as that's what the ebay advert said, so I had to show him the difference.

So he was trying to start a glow engine, on petrol, and no glow starter, "I wondered how the spark plug worked" he said.

I have told him to return it, If possible, and buy an electric car.

[mtbkym01]

haha, this happens a lot, and ends up driving people away from the hobby very quickly, good advice to get an electric vehicle

[speedy_w_beans]

My next door neighbor bought a no-name 4WD buggy for his son this past Christmas, and came knocking on my door when he had problems with it. The buggy is branded as a Saisutech and is sold by a mall-based hobby store; I was surprised to find some standard looking equipment installed in it. The radio is a Flysky GT3C. The ESC looks like a Hobbywing. The motor looks like a long can 3660. The servo is a standard size unit.

He was having problems with erratic throttle behavior and it turned out the ESC needed calibrating to his radio. Then he was having problems with the NiMH battery not holding a charge. I went home and grabbed a half-charged LiPo, and after installing it the buggy was ballistic!

Then he handed the transmitter over to his 9 year old son, and he proceeded to drive the buggy full throttle into a stone wall, ripping the radio receiver and capacitors off their mounting tape, and ejecting the radio box cover from the chassis. I watched my neighbor's eyes roll and I joked with him, "Welcome to the hobby! It's just money!"

[Shodog]

Typical, guy brings over something he knows little about then proceeds to argue with over the wrong fuel he used

I have a few nitro cars but I rarely run them. They are too finicky. Even with the right fuel and a seemingly good glow plug, it's 50/50 on whether they are going to run. Back in the day Nitro cars were much faster than electrics but now with Lipos and brushless motors, electrics are just as fast

[Tamiya1/10]

Then he handed the transmitter over to his 9 year old son, and he proceeded to drive the buggy full throttle into a stone wall, ripping the radio receiver and capacitors off their mounting tape, and ejecting the radio box cover from the chassis. I watched my neighbor's eyes roll and I joked with him, "Welcome to the hobby! It's just money!"

I guess is better his 9 year old introduce the RC to the wall than you are himself.

The bright side is your neighbor knows who is the expert and came to you for advise and help. Isn't that a good feeling!

[WillyChang]

I have a few nitro cars but I rarely run them. They are too finicky. Even with the right fuel and a seemingly good glow plug, it's 50/50 on whether they are going to run. Back in the day Nitro cars were much faster than electrics but now with Lipos and brushless motors, electrics are just as fast

perhaps... but there's something real satisfying coming home from 1/8th raceday all stinking of burnt castor

and when you finally wash your hair in the shower the water goes black from all the foam dust

Electric TCs and even largescale gassers don't quite feel the same.

Much like swearing at Lucas electrically and magneto ignition, I know you can get there

a lot faster & cleaner in your latemodel Camry... but there's zero romance IMHO.

Race cars are meant to conk out on the starting line dammit! Makes it more exciting

when there's possibility of the polesitter's engine flaming out & refusing to restart.

Imagine F1 racing with Tesla drivetrains... just flick the switch & go? Boring

[Tamiya1/10]

I 2nd that except nitro does not stink...is fresh coffee aroma in the morning. It just wakes you up:-D

[Madmat]

This reminds me so much of when I worked in a model shop, and customers would bring in their cars and say they have a problem with it. The would then ask me to help them before telling me that I am doing it wrong!

I know this is bringing it off topic but I prefer the sound nitro and the way they accelerate alot more then I do electric.

[backtomyroots]

Neighbours ? Not so much.

Co-workers ? Certainly !

I talk about the r/c stuff so much at work I've had the opportunity to set up several co-workers with kits to build over the years.

This has included being given the money and making a trips the Hobby Store and purchasing the kits myself for them, attending the Hobby Shop with them in person and simply recommending which RTR to buy first.

Great times and satisfying knowing that I've started some new folks into the r/c world !

[Quandry]

Neighbours ? Not so much.

Co-workers ? Certainly !

I talk about the r/c stuff so much at work I've had the opportunity to set up several co-workers with kits to build over the years.

This has included being given the money and making a trips the Hobby Store and purchasing the kits myself for them, attending the Hobby Shop with them in person and simply recommending which RTR to buy first.

Great times and satisfying knowing that I've started some new folks into the r/c world !

I'm in the same boat but I don't see it as getting them started, more so getting them infected....

[SteveU30]

I'm in the same boat but I don't see it as getting them started, more so getting them infected....

I blame you lot for getting me infected, shame on all of you!

[backtomyroots]

I'm in the same boat but I don't see it as getting them started, more so getting them infected....

Ah, yes, better analogy. One of them is now on his 5th I believe. Enabler I have become.

[Grastens]

Imagine F1 racing with Tesla drivetrains... just flick the switch & go? Boring

I thought F1 was boring anyways! Given the mechanical reliability and electronics on board today's cars, they may as well be electric.

But more on topic and less controversially: electric cars have come a long way, but nitro will always stick around so long as enthusiasts love them for all the above reasons! I may skip the brushless/Li-Po stage of my RC career and take it to fuelled cars when resources permit...

[neverfollow]

I love when people say "remote control car". That's when I reply, "oh, you mean radio controlled car?"

A remote is for your television buddy..haha

[bigoggy]

I love when people say "remote control car"

I wasn't going to get into that argument.

[Zac_F83]

Nitro's are old news unless it's a 5iveT, 5iveSC, or 5iveB (as those use actual pump gas) I had a Tmaxx 2.5 and unless the air temp was right and the fuel was fresh from a brand new bottle it wouldn't run for chit..

Electric IS the way of the future.. Traxxas and a few others w/ deep pockets have broke the 100mph mark with electric.. no nitro RC has done that.. the only thing nitro has over electric IS torque..

[mikef350]

I had a neighbour come round today, uttering those words.

He wanted me to look at his new car for him.

He told me that he bought a petrol car for christmas, and didn't know why it didn't work.

So I told him to bring it round.

When I saw it, I realized it was a no name, ebay special.

Petrol in the tank, as he said, check.

Shame it's a nitro car, oh no.

I told him I'm not very good with nitro, but I know you don't put unleaded in them.

He argued that it was petrol powered, as that's what the ebay advert said, so I had to show him the difference.

So he was trying to start a glow engine, on petrol, and no glow starter, "I wondered how the spark plug worked" he said.

I have told him to return it, If possible, and buy an electric car.

Haha some people dont have a clue

I love when people say "remote control car". That's when I reply, "oh, you mean radio controlled car?"

A remote is for your television buddy..haha

Thats me also,i am straight on them when they refer to our cars as remote control,reminds me off the rubbish ones with a wire conecting the car and remote that me parents used to get me when i used to ask for tamiya radio control car .In fact i find it offensive lol

[berman]

Nitro's are old news unless it's a 5iveT, 5iveSC, or 5iveB (as those use actual pump gas) I had a Tmaxx 2.5 and unless the air temp was right and the fuel was fresh from a brand new bottle it wouldn't run for chit..

Electric IS the way of the future.. Traxxas and a few others w/ deep pockets have broke the 100mph mark with electric.. no nitro RC has done that.. the only thing nitro has over electric IS torque..

I guess it's just maybe time constraints or whatnot but by the time you get a nitro running sweet and fiddled with the needles, replaced a glow plug etc most electric guys are near the end of running out of a batttery pack.

As much as I like fixing up stuff and restoring, I have a completely different mindset for tuning Nitro. Nitro's are marvelous when they are running mint, but I am no longer interested in tuning them for 5 mins to get it running right and the ongoing cost of Nitromethane and glow plugs. I dont bother to run my nitro's anymore and have already converted one to brushless.

Plus I can just turn the choke on and pull the cord on my 5B and it starts and will sit there and idle. It runs a 2stroke castor oil blend so it still has that sweet smell, it goes for 45mins to a tank and it sounds like an angry dirt bike instead of a buzzy bee. It is hard to go back to Nitro after them.

Nitro doesn't have more torque than Electric sorry, it's the opposite. Electric has max torque from 0 rpm.

Oh a pet peeve of mine is when somebody says, "Oh my xxxxx had a gas/petrol powered car..."

"Oh, you mean Nitromethane, ...runs on the little pink lolly water?" Him -->Yeah... Me -->

[mtbkym01]

Ok, without this turning into a versus thread, I think some of you guys should try a race engine compared to a rubbish rtr nitro engine. My race engines need very little tuning (read never) and will happily idle away. I'm a big fan of all RC, and appreciate each style for what they are. Nitro's are definately not Old News, The day an electric 1/8 scale onroad car can race for an hour at speeds in excess of 100km/h (with 2-3 second pitsops every 5 mins) may see the day that Nitro becomes obsolete. Each format has high and low points throughout time, with electric (offroad in particular) currently experiencing the boom, go back just 4 years and see how big Nitro 1/8 offroad was, and will be again.

[WillyChang]

Decent-brand nitro engines usually run reliably... more so, if you bother to rebuild when new

and properly seal all joints with RTV silicone to avoid airleaks = #1 cause of hard starting & idling.

Biggest PITA with nitro fuel... is the jug running out and shops are closed, especially on long weekends.

And the fuel goes stale so don't buy big amts to store.

My 23cc(odd!) gassers sound more like lawnblowers than 2T screamers.

I prefer the Bajas to torqueup thru their revrange rather than clutchdump up high

so i use standard clutch spring not the high-rev type. Less wheelspin methink.

[danb1974]

I think people do not realize how far electric motors have come and where we stand today

Forget the silver can and sport tuned and whatever special brushed motor

We have 4-pole brushless motors that have a peak power of like 2000W (probably the equivalent of almost 20 silver cans). We have lipo batteries that can supply peaks in excess of 300Amps (you can start your 1:1 car with such a battery).

I have driven for a few minutes a savage flux on 6S lipo, that's an over 5kg car, which backflips (not a wheelie, but a whole backflip) instantly at half throttle. It's scary, just plain scary. You can hunt down people with it.

A nitro grade transmission would be ripped into pieces, iirc you have to upgrade it if you convert a nitro savage to electric.

So, who has more torque?