RC Beginner's Guide to the Best RC Cars and Trucks
Welcome to the rc beginners guide to the best RC cars and trucks. Probably
the most popular of the Radio Control (R/C) models are RC cars. They can
range from cars in toy stores to race cars that companies like HPI Racing and
Team Associated offer. But toy rc cars are strictly for kids, and totally different
from hobby quality R/C cars. Hobby R/C cars like the Nitro TC3 can go upwards
of 40MPH+, and are upgradeable to more.
R/C cars can be
off-road buggies,
trucks, monster
trucks, cars,
Nitro or Electric
When deciding whether or not to go nitro or electric You should first determine
your skill level and interests. Electric rc cars are usually cleaner, they're quieter,
and they're more affordable, and they require less maintenance. Just add or
recharge the batteries and go. And they can be raced inside, unlike nitro rc cars
which can only be raced outside.
Nitro vehicles cost more but they're usually faster and they can go for longer
periods without stopping. Just add more gas and go. Most people consider them
to be more realistic than electric rc cars. However, they also require a higher level
of maintenance.
To find out more about how to maintain your rc car and keep it in top condition,
see the how to guide for information on setting up and maintaining your RC car.
Kit or RTR
RTR's are your best bet if you're new to the r/c car hobby and want to get into
the RC hobby fairly quickly, or you have limited building skills and lack the time
required to build a complex kit.
If you're the kind of person who likes building things and enjoys the feeling of
accomplishment and satisfaction after you've built something with your own
hands, then I would recommend you get the kit version. A good one to start with
is the ETC3 by Team Associated. The nice thing about the R/C kit is that it teaches
you a lot about how the car works.
Also, With the kits you can start off using stock parts or you can hop it up right
away. With the RTR, you're ready to go but if you want to go faster later on you'll
have to take everything apart.
If this is your first car or truck, and you decide to go with Nitro, I would
recommend you buy an RTR, because with Nitro, there are so many factors that
might affect the engine or transmission that one slip-up could disable your car.
The rc beginners guide is designed to help you get started in the RC car hobby
world quickly. If you are going electric, buy a TC3 Factory Team. It costs more but
you'll probably end up hopping up the car anyway.
Team Associated manufactures tough well built race-quality rc car kits. Of course
you can find other hobby shops offering R/C cars for under $100, but they won't
have the speed, tunability or toughness that Associated cars are known for. Also
parts are readily available at most hobby shops that carry the Associated brand.
Truck or Buggy
If you want to start racing right from the start, you should start with an RTR
truck such as Team Associated's RC10T4 electric truck. This 2 wheel drive electric
truck is more durable because it has lots of suspension travel, fatter tires, slower
acceleration, lower top speed, slower response to steering inputs and is just
overall easier to drive. For the beginner, it's just more forgiving than a buggy.
Get more RC beginners guide info.
MORE RC CARS AND TRUCKS
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©2008 RC-car-hobby.com
street trucks and much more. They can be Kit-type, which means they come
dis-assembled and you have to put them together, or they come ready-to-run
(RTR) which means it comes to you pre-assembled and you're only required to
add batteries or gas, glue for the tires, and maybe a few other items easily
found in your local hobby shop.
