new to r/c

[Kayoss]

Picked up r/c car actiong magazine last week because it caught my eye(hot girl on front :P). I have done a little research and am most interested in 1/8th off-road buggies or 1/10th on road sedans. My questions are regarding the quality of the different brands for the cars/engines/motors. Of Mugen Seiki, Kyosho, OFNA, HPI, Serpent etc. which are best for 1/8th off-road and 1/10th on-road? Of novarossi, sirio, picco, etc which is the best for .12 on road or .21 off-road engines? I don't know much about motors but was thinking of a trinity d5 flatliner because I saw 5,000 ads for it *_* I have plenty of money to burn but don't want to go crazy(total cost under $2,000 would be nice). Any help would be great, thanks.

[tadium54]

Start off with a Touring car for now, man. 1/8th is huge and demands a large budget(lucky you). They are quite fast too, and require a skillful driver and mechanic to do work on them. Start with the basics and keep learning. No need to go the D5 route as of yet- stock is plenty fast and will let you learn about how to use it the best way.
LMK if I can answer anymore questions
tadium54

[TC3Racer]

if your new to r/c i highly reccomend going electric unless you've had previous experience with planes or something. its alot easier to maintain and you can focus on driving and not worry about tuning your engine.

i started out with a TC3 1/10th scale on road and 2 years later i am still racing it. i do have nitro's but even over my GS Storm and t-maxx i'll take it anyday.

believe me you will have plenty fun driving on-road 1/0th scale. Racing is a complete blast and even running a P2K2 stock motor is fun if its dialed.

[Kayoss]

I have previous experience with engines etc. Small addiction to go-karts a couple years ago :) I think I will go with nitro, I really enjoy working on engines, tuning, etc. I still want to know if certain brands are better than others. Oh yeah, I love than purple/blue alloy hop-up stuff, do certain cars offer more hop-up opportunities than others? thanks.

[tadium54]

Yes, some cars do have more hop up ability in some senses.

I would say go with off-road, because of the endurance and strength. Go for an OS engine for the buggy- easy to tune(yes, this and go kart tuning wil be different lol) and they are very fast.
To be frank, all of the 1/8 th buggies are very capable. Look for which one your shop supports most.If you are ordering online, look at the price difference, age of model and othe things such as chassis, suspension, etc

[Kayoss]

The Mugen, OFNA, and Kyosho Buggies all look pretty nice. I have read some 1/10 on roads go 50-80 mph, what is the speed range on a 1/8 off road buggy?

[TC3Racer]

ok i understand your need for nitro and i doubt you'll have any trouble if you've had previous experience and i'm sure that you'll be ok. now the question is. what do you want? on-road or off-road? i suggest going 1/10th scale because it is more popular and its alot more common than any other scale. also 1/10th scale has more blue and purple than any other scale though. the next is definitely 1/8th scale. anyway, if you want off road i would go with either a XXX-NT Sport RTR or the AE GT plus RTR. Both are very durable/reliable trucks that have endless amounts of aftermarket hop ups. for on road i would say the AE TC3 RTR. its excellent. you dont have to worry about engines because the engines in these cars/trucks are really reliable and quick. its kinda hard for me to really reccomend an off road truck right now because i dont know if you want a stadium truck MT or racing MT or what... if you can tell me which type of r/c car your lookin' at i'll be able to help you out alot more...

[tadium54]

I think in the 50's, but they can also be jumped- very high. The Kyosho MP6 International owns the record with jumping I think. They all have several on the market,so check em out.

[Kayoss]

Been looking at the nitro tc3. Seems to be insanely popular and have lots of hop-ups. Whats the deal with shaft driven and belt driven, is there a difference in performance? Was reading at the yokomo forum and they all say shafts are crap.

[tadium54]

The NTC3 is a good car, and the slop tends to be alot less because the shaft is so much more rigid and will tend to handle a bit more power.

[Kayoss]

Some of the 1/10 off-road trucks look pretty nice. Does the .12 engine limit for 1/10 scale apply to trucks if I was to race one?

[tadium54]

In a race, .12 engines aren't allowed, unless you race Outlaw. .15 engines are generally what goes in the Off road truck. i had an FT Gt and it was a strong car. the 15 I had in it was ok, but i bought a new .12 engine for it and then had to sell it. oh well

Nitro will be with me soon enough.

[Compudude_y2k2]

man, youve got a pretty nice budget. I started with an hpi rs4 rally that cost me $400 for basic stuff
you can pretty much go all out with 2 grand, even with 1 grand

[tadium54]

I would say you are in good shape yes. Spend the extar cash to get a long lasting engine, good radio system and servos. a failsafe is a good idea too.

[Compudude_y2k2]

also, if you go electric, get yourself a nice charger to start out with and go with the nimh cells. nicds are no longer worth it.

[tadium54]

Not true

2400s and 1700s are still great for racers.

[rocknbil]

Originally posted by tadium54
In a race, .12 engines aren't allowed....
Doncha mean .21 engines? .12 is the standard nitro class, I believe . . .

[sean68]

sounds to me like u need a Kyosho MP 7.5 Sport!! its a great 1/8th scale buggy, with a very easy to tune motor! I know others might say im wrong but i think the durability, and the hop-up potential of this buggy is something u would look forward to!

[tadium54]

Originally posted by rocknbil
Doncha mean .21 engines? .12 is the standard nitro class, I believe . . .


Oops!;) Thanks rocknbil. yes. 12 engines are permitted.

[Kayoss]

Is there a site where I can find info on competitive racing? I would like to know some of the rules etc.

[tadium54]

www.roarracing.com

[mskhs]

I am a newbie. somehow I do not have that much fund thou I still want to go nitro :) . been rc on electric for sometime.

I found these nitro model in one of my local hobby shop. the model call smartech. never heard it been discuss in the forum. the website does not give much detail either. nevertheless, It is the cheapest nitro I can find in the market compared to HPI, Tamiya, CEN etc.

I am still sceptical as this is going to be my 1st nitro.

please help me on these car else I got to delay my purchase for either a HPI, Tamiya or a CEN.

their website : http://www.perfect-group.com/product/smartech/10142.htm

tks
mskhs

[Peterbilt]

Originally posted by mskhs
I am a newbie. somehow I do not have that much fund thou I still want to go nitro :) . been rc on electric for sometime.

I found these nitro model in one of my local hobby shop. the model call smartech. never heard it been discuss in the forum. the website does not give much detail either. nevertheless, It is the cheapest nitro I can find in the market compared to HPI, Tamiya, CEN etc.

I am still sceptical as this is going to be my 1st nitro.

please help me on these car else I got to delay my purchase for either a HPI, Tamiya or a CEN.

their website : http://www.perfect-group.com/product/smartech/10142.htm

tks
mskhs


I really would recommend you stay away from that Smartech crap.
I haven't heard much of anything about them, and they look cheap and of poor quality anyways.

Don't just go for cheap. Its better to spend more and get more. Especially since the other 3 you mentioned are a good bit better IMO.

:)

[mskhs]

thanks Peter 4 the advice

Still ..... dont anybody out there who have tried this so call crap.

please give me some feedback +ve or -ve.

status : -ve = 1 , +ve = 0

rgds
mskhs

[nitrofun]

I own a XXX-NT, a NTC3, a HPI rs4 3 ss and an Ofna OB-4. I'd recommend HPi and associated, Losi is AMAZING but it not for bashing(yes you can bash, but you won't get the same durability as othe rbrands) if it your first nitro stay with what i consider the big three. Associated/HPi/Traxxas. I don't and haven't owned a traxxas but I hear they are good especially w/the new 2.5 ez start engines.