For speed and acceleration, the buggy is favored over the truck. We recommend the buggy if you want to get involved in serious competition racing on established tracks. The buggy's tires, smaller than the truck's, are best for smoother off road terrain. You should also check your local R/C shop to find out about convenient parts availability.
For backyard bashing, the truck wins hands down. Great for beginners, and exciting for its jumps and bumps. It's more forgiving to drive because of its larger tires. Not as nimble or quick as the buggy.
Choose the kit if you want to assemble it yourself. This allows you to learn all about the car in the process, and purchase the motor or engine, batteries, and radio system of your choice.
Choose a pre-assembled RTR if you want everything assembled for you and ready to go. You'll need to purchase just a few more items to make it fully operational, such as batteries or fuel. Team Associated RTRs can be easily upgraded with the Factory Team competition parts for that kit.
What tracks are in your area? Choose an on road or touring car kit for winding tracks and oval car for oval tracks.
You should also check your local R/C shop to find out about convenient parts availability. You don't want to purchase a kit and find that your local shop does not provide spare parts for it.
On road racers find road racing much more challenging to drive than oval because of the twists and turns of the track. Car setups are critical, because at this scale, every small adjustment will make a big difference on the track, and cars must be guided with concentrated attention and nimble fingers.
Oval racers like these cars in part because the bodies are styled after familiar, popular cars. Easier to drive than on road, these cars nevertheless demand skill in setup and driving. If you favor NASCAR® racing, you might be partial to oval racing.
Your answer will be determined by how much speed you can handle! The precision-made pan-type competition cars demand smooth track surfaces, so check out the track possibilities in your area before committing to one of these kits.
What scale does your track support? Choose a 1:10 scale kit for ease of use and 1:12 scale kit for more speed, but 1:12 is harder to control.
You should also check your local R/C shop to find out about convenient parts availability.
Your choice may be limited by the amount of wide open space (necessary for nitro) and sound constraints (electric is MUCH quieter than nitro). You should also check your local R/C shop to find out about convenient parts availability.
Electric is easy to set up and run. It is not as messy as nitro, and the air is cleaner if you race in an indoor track. It is quieter, so you won't annoy the neighbors at 3am. The run time is around 8-15 minutes depending on your electrical components and gearing. Batteries must be recharged before the race, which may take half an hour. Electric motors are generally easier to maintain than a nitro engine.
Nitro is loud and exciting! It takes more maintenance than electric because there are more critical parts. Nitro also gets you more fun time than electric (just stop, fuel up, and go) without a period of recharging. Because of its speed, it requires more wide open space. Because of its noise, it also requires more tolerant neighbors! Nothing can beat nitro for its run time, realistic sound, and roaring excitement!
Nitro engines are started when rotational pressure is applied to the engine flywheel. This is accomplished either by pulling on a pull start handle attached to the engine (in a manner similar to starting your gas lawn mower), or by a starter box which houses an electric-powered rotating rubber wheel that you push the car's flywheel against. The spinning rubber wheel then turns the engine's flywheel and starts your engine. Engines come in pull start versions and non pull start versions. The pull start versions can be started by hand or by starter box. The non pull start versions require a starter box.
The convenient pull start handle means you can start your engine anywhere, and you would not need a starter box to start the engine. The addition of the pull start system to the engine, however, does mean more wear and tear on the unit (as well as on your arm). If you choose to use the starter box later, you can do so. It is a little more expensive than the non pull start engines, but you do not have the added expense of a starter box.
Non pull start has its own advantages for the racer. Without the pull start feature, the engine sits lower, improving the center of gravity and thus the car's handling. And without the pull start, the engine is lighter. There is less wear and tear on the unit, so the tuning is more consistent. With a non pull start engine, you must purchase a starter box to turn the flywheel and get a power source for the starter box.