Choosing A Remote Control Car - Beginners to Advanced

There are many different Remote Control (R/C) cars and trucks out on the market. No matter who you talk to, everyone will have a favorite brand or preference that they swear by. Picking your brand and car all have to do with what you are looking for. Do you want something that is fast, something that is reliable, or something that is durable?

BASICS:

There are many different types of R/C cars and trucks. The 2 major divisions are gas and electric. Gas cars do not run on conventional gasoline, the run on nitro hobby fuel (10-40% nitromethane) available at your local hobby shop. Nitro cars will generally reach higher speeds and run for longer periods of time. Electric cars are more reliable, maintenance free, and A LOT quiter. There are also divisions as to body type, which is explained below.

There are stadium trucks, which are rear-wheel-drive and low to the ground. (Our Picks: NITRO: Team Associated RC10GT2 & XTM Nitro X-Cellerator, ELECTRIC Team Associated RC10T4, XTM X-Cellerator, & Traxxas Rustler)

You have touring cars, which ride very low to the ground and can reach incredible speeds. (Our Picks: NITRO: Team Associated TC3 & Traxxas Nitro 4-TEC 3.3, ELECTRIC: Corally RDX)

There are also buggies, which are also extremely fast, but have more off road capabilities than touring cars and can take more of a beating. (Our Picks: NITRO: OFNA Jammin' X1 & XTM XT2, ELECTRIC: Team Associated B4)

Industry favorite is the Monster Truck, which can take enormously large engines and drive over almost anything. These can be geared for off-road torque or high-speed. (Our Picks: NITRO: Traxxas REVO 3.3 & HPI Savage X SS, ELECTRIC: Traxxas E-MAXX & HPI E-Savage)

RTRs and KITs:

RTR stands for Ready To Run or Ready to Race. Either way, this means that everything you need to run the car should be included with the auction. In nitro cars this excludes fuel, because the post office frowns upon flamable materials. RTR is comprised of all need servos, radio system, and the motor needed to run it. A Kit is a car that require assembly, or doesn't have all the parts you need to run it. You may just need to buy a radio or some servos, but make sure it will still be worth your money once you buy those. A Kit can also be a rolling chassis. This means that usually the main drive component is missing, ie the motor or transmission.

MAINTENANCE:

Maintenance is a key factor in any car you buy. You don't want to be at the work bench fixing it, you want to be out racing and bashing around the yard. Nitro cars will require more prep time before and after you run it. You should ideally put after-run oil in your engine every time after you run it. Nitro cars also have the difficulties of tuning beginners. If it gets to hot outside, you have to adjust your air/fuel mixture. It takes a lot of time to get it right and can drive you insane sometimes, but learning the touch just takes time. Electric cars are a little easier, it is mainly plug-n-play. You charge up your batteries, run them down, and do it again. You will need to have a couple of battery packs, as they last about 10-15 minutes and take 1-2 hours to charge.

MONEY:

It is important to consider how much you are willing to pay for one of these. You wouldn't believe how many people come up to R/C nitro car on eBay will run you $175, a good electric $150. A good R/C nitro truck on eBay is around $300, electric is around $175. The phrase "You get what you pay for" is the Golden Rule in used R/C cars. The more the truck cost, the more reliable and durable it should be. Any money you may save buying a cheap car, you will have to pay it back buying parts you break. All our products we post on eBay are brand new, factory sealed and maintain their original manufacturer warranty.

NAME BRANDS:

Try to stick with brand name and mostly stock cars on eBay. Brand names to look at are: Team Associated, Corally, HPI, Traxxas, LRP, Team Losi, Mugen, and XTM. The main reason for this is so that you can easily find parts at your hobby store. If you buy an off brand you'll find it really hard to find simply parts. Another reason I say to stick with stock cars is because you know they came from the factory like that. Its all about part availability and product support.

UPGRADES:

Almost every well know car or truck has upgrades available. Some of the upgrades aren't really necessary, but people just like shiny objects. The moral is watch what parts your spend your money on, nobody needs a 24k gold diamond incrusted radio box. I would recomend parts that are strictly performance related, such as bigger motors and stronger drive trains. You might want to consider what upgrades are available for a car before buying it, because eventually you always want to go faster. You should also look into whether the car your buying has shafts connecting the drive train or belts. Shafts tend to be reliable and performance driven.

RACING:

If you ever find that going up is down the street and bashing around the yard is getting a little boring, check out your hobby shop for races. Most hobby shops have set up temporary tracks and some have permanent ones. I find that I like the temporary parking lot tracks better. They people are more laid back and friendly. At permeant tracks people are more competitive but are still friendly. A few things you need to have when you go racing is some extra frequency pins (someone else will always be running what you have, its inevitable), and a heavy-duty outdoor extension cord with any chargers you maybe need.

CARS & TRUCKS TO BUY:

1. Traxxas REVO 3.3, it is hands down the most popular truck on AMAZON. It comes fast out of the box and has endless upgrade opportunities.

2. XTM X-Cellerator (Electric & Nitro), comes fully upgraded out of the box, has a million of adjustments that allow for your perfect set up.

3. Traxxas Nitro 4-TEC 3.3, very popular with road-racers. It is also the most dependable one on the track.

4. Traxxas Jato 3.3, has the most power for its size. The truck is difficult to control but it is a super rush when you finally run out of gas!

CARS & TRUCKS TO STAY AWAY FROM:

1. Losi LST2, this truck cost way too much money for what you get, it also cannot withstand any impacts

2. Associated MGT, this monster truck is being phased out by the manufacturer with parts and support being very hard to find!

GOOD LUCK!

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