posted
Is anyone here into R/C Nitro cars? I've been looking to buy one, but the tools at the hobby shop advised that I look into R/C trucks that run off-road as compared to the On-Road R/C cars. He told me that tires for the on road cars are really expensive and wear out really fast...Is this true? It seems to me that these cars are pretty expensive and time consuming to maintain. Does anyone have any advise for a newbie?
posted
Don't have any first hand experience, but a guy I worked with in Ft. Worth used to race his and spent a fortune maintaining it.
Posts: 41 | Registered: Aug 2003
| IP: Logged
posted
How are the tires on that car? I heard that they wear really fast and that replacements are near 50 dollars...is this true? And when you race the car, do you have to have a totally smooth surface? (i.e. no pebbles, rocks or loose gravel?)
posted
I have one of those as well. I run the Nissan Skyline body as my "beater" (as I tend to run into things), and have an SS body for looking nice. Just have to paint the SS body still
The tires can wear out really quick, especially if you do AWD cookies with it. But MAN ITS COOL The handling is impressive, and they run about 35mph stock. Lots of fun. Mine is a belt drive, and small rocks and pebbles have a tendendcy to get into places you really dont want them to, and will wear out parts. ObSSd has a very similar car, and has the shaft drive, but he has various other problems that mine does not.
Tons of fun though. I would recommend you drive one to see how you like it. If you are interested, mine might be for sale, as I havent used in awhile.
All of the hop up parts are available for them too, just like the real car. Engines, cylinder heads, exhaust, sway bars, shocks, springs, etc.
quote:Originally posted by Steve da Wrench: ObSSd has a very similar car, and has the shaft drive, but he has various other problems that mine does not.
Yeah, like engine problems . Mine was going through glow plugs pretty quick and then finally up and died one day. It also doesn't take front impacts very well (the RS4 doesn't have enough plastic bumper to absorb the impact so it bent the chassis).
I haven't played with mine for a while either (probably longer than Steve), but it was a pain to find a big enough paved surface to really enjoy. If I had it to do over, I'd probably go with a truck .
[ 30. December 2003, 11:07 AM: Message edited by: OBSSD ]
Posts: 1143 | From: Portland, OR | Registered: Nov 2001
| IP: Logged
posted
thanks for the info guys, I've already bought a truck, the Traxxas T-Maxx. One day I went to the LHS ready to get a Traxxas 4-Tec car(belt driven)and the guy told me about all the problems with the car as opposed to the truck. I was just making sure that he knew what he was talking about because he seemed rather ignorant.
I'm new to R/C are the nitro engines a pain to tune? I read a lot of places that say you have to adjust the high-end needle whenever a cloud passes overhead, is it really this sensitive?
posted
Hey, I've raced RC cars for over 20 years, both Nitro and Electric. Any questions shoot them my way. I'll be glad to answer them. The nitro motors are not difficult once you get the hang of them.
Posts: 43 | From: Lincoln, Nebraska | Registered: Aug 2003
| IP: Logged
posted
Good lookin' car, all three :-). I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of my T-Maxx. I still want a car, because they are faster than damn it. If you know any nitro tips for beginners, I'd love to hear them. Thanks for the help.
posted
My SS body just came in the HPI kit. The whole kit with the body and the chassis and motor was @ $300. I think you can buy the body by itself for not much money. It's just a flimsy clear plastic thing that you paint from underneath. I'm fairly sure you can use it on any remote control car that is this scale. You should probably ask the guy in your hobby store to be sure. And if they don't have what you want, they can probably order it. Posts: 142 | From: Kansas City | Registered: Oct 2002
| IP: Logged
Print that. If you have a local hobby shop in your area, you can show them the printout and see if they can do a better price for you.
Posts: 7198 | From: Near Portland, Oregon, USA | Registered: Feb 2000
| IP: Logged
posted
Yep. I just used SOM touch up paint in a rattle can from the dealer and painted it in the inside. I've beat the hell out of it, and it seems to hold up pretty well. It's hard to get a bad paint job with that clear body like that. Posts: 142 | From: Kansas City | Registered: Oct 2002
| IP: Logged
I just bought them from the Superior Chevrolet parts department. They're a big Hendrick dealer here in KC with a big parts department. They can usually get whatever you want. They had to order the paint out of a catalog, so it took a couple of weeks to get it. I don't know why your local Chevy dealer can't do this, but here is the Superior Chevy website. They have a toll-free number. I usually deal with Jay, but they're all pretty helpful. I know they ship a lot of stuff, because they sponsor some Corvette messageboards and they're a big supplier of engines around the country. They aren't really near me, and I don't think I'll be going by there soon, so maybe you could give them a call??? If that doesn't work, e-mail me, and I'll try and get something done for you.
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
The handling is impressive, and they run about 35mph stock. Lots of fun. Mine is a belt drive, and small rocks and pebbles have a tendendcy to get into places you really dont want them to, and will wear out parts. ObSSd has a very similar car, and has the shaft drive, but he has various other problems that mine does not. 
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
(the RS4 doesn't have enough plastic bumper to absorb the impact so it bent the chassis).
