A Beginner’s Guide To Radio Controlled Cars

Radio Controlled Cars — By admin on June 11, 2010 at 9:13 am

Are you interested in radio controlled cars? Before you spend any money buying an expensive radio controlled car, helicopter or plane it is a good idea to learn a little more about radio controlled vehicles.

You can find radio controlled cars in all shapes and sizes. There are both on-road and off-road vehicles that you can drive. There are two main categories of radio controlled cars that you can buy, these are known as “toy” and “hobby” radio controlled cars.

Before you choose a car you should decide on where exactly you want to race your car. Do you want to compete on slower off-road courses or would you rather go for speed and have a car that is quicker but can only handle certain terrains? Ultimately, what you want to use the car for should determine which model you use. He’s some more information on toy-grade and hobby-grade radio controlled cars.

Toy-grade radio controlled cars

If you are just venturing into the world of radio controlled cars then the toy-grade models could be an ideal choice. Unlike the hobby-grade models, the toy-grade are often modelled on existing cars. Some toy-grade cars have working mp3 players, lights and detailed interiors.

One major benefit of buying a toy-grade model is the price. Toy grade radio controlled (RC) cars are significantly cheaper than the entry-level hobby grade models. However, a major drawback of the Toy-grade models is the fact that spare parts are much harder to come by, meaning that if a piece on the car breaks it could mean the end of the road for the vehicle. Unfortunately, the performance of the toy-grade radio control cars are not particularly great and they offer suffer from poor steering, despite the fact their top speed is only around 5-15 mph.

Hobby-grade radio controlled cars

Hobby-grade radio controlled cars are for people who are more serious about competitive racing with their remote controlled vehicle. While previously many enthusiasts would have purchased a pre-fab vehicle or made the model from a kit, there are now many manufacturers who have released ready to race (RTR) models. The RTR models allow anybody to start racing a car immediately without needing to build the car themselves.

If you are considering putting together your own car it should be remembered that you ensure that any car parts are interchangeable and replaceable. You need to know that if one part breaks you will still be able to find a replacement and run the car. There are a variety of hobby-grade radio control cars available which run on different types of fuel.

Battery powered radio controlled cars

Hobby grade radio controlled cars can be powered by various sources. One common type are battery powered cars. Radio controlled car electric batteries come in three primary categories: nickel cadmium, nickel metal hydride and lithium polymer cells. The batteries usually only need to be connected to a charger and there isn’t any need to open the car up. Most electric cars up to recently used brushed motors but now many people are turning to brushless motors for their much higher power and because they require much less maintenance. The battery powered radio controlled cars allow the model car to be controlled with greater accuracy than the nitro and gas powered models.
Nitro powered radio controlled cars

The hobby radio controlled cars are often powered by what is referred to as “nitro” fuel. These cars have glow plug engines which are much like a real car. Nitro is a specially blended mix of methanol, nitromethane and synthetic and castor oil. Nitro cars are usually cheaper than their gas-powered counterparts but the fuel for the cars is still quite expensive. Nitro cars often don’t last as long as other battery and gas powered vehicles as they can be driven for long periods and long speeds. They are also more likely to be involved in high speed collisions. Nitro cars also need to be rebuilt or replaced after every 2-8 gallons of fuel used.

Gas powered radio controlled cars

There are also gas fuelled radio controlled cars available. Gas powered cars usually cost much more than the nitro cars but the fuel costs are much lower. Eventually the price differences will even out because of the cheaper price of the fuel.

These cars are often much bigger than the nitro powered models. As a result, they need much more space in order to run. The gas powered radio controlled cars also don’t usually tend to reach the same speeds as the nitro models. The gas powered cars have a long lifespan as the motors rarely require any tuning.

Don’t forget, that if you are planning on competing in official radio controlled car racing events you will need to check the official rulebook to see if your car is eligible to use. This is another reason why you need to carefully consider your choice of RC vehicle before purchasing one.