Help a RC car newb

[Grandpa Stu]

so a friend and i wanna get some RC cars that we can race and fuck around with in our backyards or something. the only problem is there's so much out there we don't know if we're being royally fucked or not in terms of prices. i know these things aren't cheap and we're looking around the $300-400 range.

a must is that these things need to be nitro, we don't wanna deal with batteries and chargers and the such. the faster it goes the better. also the more durable the better.

some questions...
what advantages or disadvantages are there with going with 4WD as opposed to 2WD?
we went into a hobby shop and the guy said it was cheaper to buy a kit than buy parts seperately, is that true?
where are some good places to buy a kit or parts for assembling an RC car?

[FragaGeddon]

Depends what your backyard is like.
If you're driving through grass then you might want 4x4.

Anyhow:
http://www.towerhobbies.com/listings/cat-cat-c.html

[FragaGeddon]

we went into a hobby shop and the guy said it was cheaper to buy a kit than buy parts seperately, is that true?
where are some good places to buy a kit or parts for assembling an RC car?

That all depends.
If you buy the kit and want to upgrade 1 or 2 parts, it might be cheaper to buy the kit.
If you want to upgrade 5 or 6 parts then it might be cheaper to buy the parts and build it, then buying the kit.

It's like buying a whole PC then upgrading the guts inside.

[FragaGeddon]

If your a newbie to the sport then you might want to buy a prebuilt kit.

[Grandpa Stu]

well what would be some brands to look at as well as ones to stay away from?

i realize something like the traxxas revo can do 40mph or some crazy shit like that but it also costs nearly $500. could you build something with similar performance for under $400?

[tnf]

I'd go with a savage 25. Thats what I have, was my first RC car, and is VERY durable and newb friendly (as much as a nitro truck can be. The thing is bulletproof, literally. I have jumped it almost 35 feet on pavement off a skateboarding ramp, had it land sideways, roll about 10 times, land on its wheels, and keep going. I was going to get a traxxas T-Maxx, but everyone at the hobby shop told me I'd be replacing a lot more small parts (a-arms, etc) with that than with the savage...and they were right. If you get a savage, let me know and I'll give you some tips of small upgrades you might want to make (i.e. an aluminium break hub, and, when you can afford them, some aluminum shocks).


Here's mine with an El Camino top that I painted for it (not the stock cover...)



here it is with the stock cover and the custom wheels I got for it:


And this will also hit about 40 mph.

[tnf]

Oh if you want backyard shit, the savage, revo, tmaxx, etc., might be a bit much...maybe something electric for that...

[Grandpa Stu]

thanks for the info. that savage was one the guy at the hobby shot mentioned to us when we were looking around.

oh, and my backyard is huge so i'll have plenty of space to play around. plus we were thinking of taking them other places too.

[Stoner]

Id go with a 1/8th scale buggy.

They are fast as hell and the most durable of the r/c cars.

Ive got a T-maxx, Some rustler ive never ran, and a Ofna 9.5 Violator 1/8th scale buggy.

The Violator is definatly the most fun and durable.

[Stoner]

Ive got a video of me launching my Violator at a gravel pit. But I dont have anywhere to host it.

Im getting 15 feet of air and flat landing it everytime without breaking a single part.

You do that with a T-maxx or Savage and your going to be busting parts every jump.


The Monster Trucks are fun but to me it seems they break way too much if you drive them hard.

And if your just taking it easy on them the whole time its not much fun :P

Thats why I say get a 1/8th scale buggy because you can really beat the shit out of them.


Get this http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wt ... LXDUS7&P=0


Oh and if you dont wanna spend alot of money, Dont even bother getting one because its one of those hobbies thats just one big money pit.

[Stoner]

OK heres the vid of my violator.

http://video.freevideoblog.com/Player.a ... 4911A93A74

[Grandpa Stu]

my only concern about the buggies is that i wont be able to take then on as much variable terrain as i could a truck. are the buggies limited more by the terrain than the trucks or is this just my imagination?

[Stoner]

Yea they do sit kind of low, So they bottom out and get stuck every so often.

So no its not just your imagination :P

[Stoner]

Heres a neat pic of my truck and buggy.

[tnf]

Ive got a video of me launching my Violator at a gravel pit. But I dont have anywhere to host it.

Im getting 15 feet of air and flat landing it everytime without breaking a single part.

You do that with a T-maxx or Savage and your going to be busting parts every jump.

T-Maxx yes. Savage, no. I was flying my savage almost 30 feet on the pavement, landing it flat, or crashing it, and broke nothing.

[Stoner]

Well any r/c car is gunna break if it crashes right, Each has its own weakness.

The savages main weakness is the frame if you hit hard on the front end the chassis will bend.

Tho I dont have a Savage so I can speak much for their durability.

I would say the Savage is probably more durable than a Maxx.

[tnf]

Well any r/c car is gunna break if it crashes right, Each has its own weakness.

The savages main weakness is the frame if you hit hard on the front end the chassis will bend.

Tho I dont have a Savage so I can speak much for their durability.

I would say the Savage is probably more durable than a Maxx.

Much more durable.

[Guest]

Get a helicopter, more fun and it's no wheel drive!