DaveTurnbull

Hi,

I'm new to RC Cars and would like to buy one within the next few days. I was just wondering what the benefits and disadvantages of Electric and Nitro RC cars? Do I have to purchase fuel for Nitro cars (ongoing costs?)?

Any information is appreciated.

happywing

You can do a search and find a bazillion threads on the subject. It usually ends up as a debate.
I've been heavily involved in both. Brushless and battery (LiPo) technology has brought me back to electric. I find electric to be more reliable and just as fast. There are a few things that I miss about nitro, but not enough to own one anymore.
For a beginner, I think most would agree that electric is a little bit easier.

Nick2618

Do you want to buy expensive fuel or expensive charger and batteries? Also do you want to learn to tune a nitro engine? Or just plug a battery in and drive?

I personaly like nitro smell sound and no stopping to recharge batteries. Also you can get alot of attention driving a nitro around.

annie_himself

Bah! Who needs attention if its not girls!

Electric:
More expensive to start up because of batteries (3 is ideal) and a peak charger (also ideal). Quiet and can be bade to be faster than nitros, but never stock. You can drive almost anytime of the day and even in the house.
Virtually free to drive because the batteries can virtually be used non-stop w/o having to buy gallons at a time.

Nitro:
Cheaper to start because you only need a gallon to start. The sound of the nitro might excite you, the smell might also. You can just refill and go..

..but that will cost you everytime. There are alot of tedious things that can go wrong on a nitro and thats one reason I quit, I hated having to check the plug, replace the plug, reset the needles, tuning, make sure the box is setup right, prime, don't flood and clear if I do, blah blah blah...
The neighbors will not love the sound of the high pitched motor very early, late or at all. I've never had that problem but I guess I never will.

Dan07RAZE

Electric is light years easier for people getting into the hobby. Everything is just plug & play pretty much.

With nitro, you have to worry about many more parts & not to mention tuning. While tuning isn't all that difficult, learning to tune your engine properly - knowing the sounds/tendencies/responses/smells required to get optimum performance without risking the longevity or reliability of the engine are all things you will have to learn.

I was afraid to tune my SuperTigre engine initially for those reasons, I just didn't know what I was looking for.

cheech4

i agree with all that has been said. but from a guy who used to be a nitro fan, now i am not especially now with brushless i have 3 cars soon to be 4 and all 3 soon 4 will have brushless. LIttle to no maintenence and i to love smoke those nitros. lol

dustin7837

My Feedback: (1)

I love nitro personally, but I love anything with a combustion engine
I have some electrics too, and I have to say electrics are WAAAAAAY easier to setup, work on, maintain, and drive. But like everyone says, much more expensive initially.

The real kicker for me though, is the gas and go factor vs the charge and wait factor. ALthough, I usually have my car with me, and if I have 2+ batteries, I can have one charging in my car so that almost eliminates the waiting.

Still, most people that dislike nitro dislike it beacuse it is difficult to tune if you are not too familiar with motors, especially two stroke. But anyone with a mechanical background, be it cars, dirtbikes, or even chainsaws, gas trimmers, etc... shouldn't have too hard of a time getting into nitro.

and theres nothing like getting a big lungful of nitro exhaust

So id say, if you are experienced with engines, and have at least some patience, go nitro.
If you are new to RC and engines, and dont like to mess around with stuff too much, go electric, but make sure to get a few batteries and a good peak charger.

dubcast

My Feedback: (2)

Half the fun of the R/C hobby for me is maintaining and tuning on the vehicle.

Nitro is more fun for me in that sense.

Electric seems to simple. I have never bothered buying one to find out.

annie_himself

Thats very true, I love to work on my cars but at the same time I also love to drive them rather than replace a bad plug, recharge my ignitor, blah blah blah.

cheech4

trust me you need to maintain electrics also, they do break, and you do have to occassionally change the brushes if you dont have a brushless. i dont know why people think that electrics dont need to be maintained. yes its less than a nitro but its still there. if you dont do it then it just creates problems. i had both infact when i did run nitro i loved it, but then electrics came and i was hooked.. and who ever said gas and go.. you can do the same thing with electrics.. ur not out side all day so when ur not u charge up ur batteries and go. lastly they do have dc chargers so when u do run all day with 2 or 3 batteries lets say, when 1 runs down charge it up u got 2 more.. plus speaking for myself im only out a few hours bashing or racing my cars, im not out all day, and same rule apply to nitro.