Getting Started in The Radio Control Car Hobby

The Radio Control car hobby can be great fun. You get the feel of
driving a car or truck like you could never drive your real car.
Beginners usually begin with an electric RC truck or car and they love
being totally in control of a fully functional scale model that is just
waiting for your next command.

To enjoy this hobby, it is important to know the various type of options
available to pursue your hobby. The most popular type of R/C car is
the Off-Road Buggy. Big tires with "knobby" spikes, full-travel
suspension parts and a high ground clearance allow the off-roader to
go almost anywhere. They come with either two-wheel drive (2WD) or
four-wheel-drive (4WD), and reach speeds of 15-30 mph. On-Road
cars usually have lower ground clearances, slicks tires, aerodynamic
bodies, and are capable of a bit higher speeds.

RC Cars use two different kinds of energy sources to make them go .
The source can be either electric or fuel. Cars that run on battery
packs are electric cars. They use a rechargeable NiCad battery pack for
power. They can run up to 10 minutes and can be recharged in about
15 minutes. Nitro cars are actually powered by a small engine that
burns a special glow fuel. Some can reach speeds of over 50 mph.
You can choose to make your own car or to buy one that is ready for
get - set - go. These cars are identified as RTR (ready - to - run)
which come with installed radio system or ATR (Almost - ready - to -
run). ATR models need to have the radio systems etc installed into
them.

If you are new to the hobby, you will probably want to select from
models that are RTR. This helps you enjoy the hobby more than
getting into the technical details. Such pre-built models are also
preferred by "backyard" drivers. Kits that need building up are
suggested for older hands who have been into the hobby for
sometime. The advantage to building a kit yourself is that you will
know how to repair any possible damage. These kits are opted by
racers bent upon winning organized competitions and showing off their
models on the tracks and hitting the tracks hard. Although building a
kit rather than buying prebuilt does require extra time, there are
advantages. You'll gain a expert understanding of how your machine
works, which comes in handy when performing maintenance and
tuning.

A 2-channel Radio system is also required to control your RC Car. If
you chose an electric car, you will also need a battery pack, preferably
NiCad, and a charger. Buying the car, radio, batte

Every RC enthusiast at one time or another faces the task of choosing
whether to go for a Nitro or an Electric Model.

To get a frank opinion on this it is always better to ask people with
various demographic backgrounds who essentially have different taste
and choices. This makes it easier to know the real pros and cons of
any choice. Those who feel passionately may have prejudices over
their opinion and may not tell the cons too frankly. Similarly those who
prefer not to agree may prefer to overlook the pros of a model.

In the end you should have all sorts fr opinions about each category or
model and the final choice should always be your own, that makes
your feel comfortable, suits your budget, is easier for you to handle
and costs you less maintenance. You should not make your choices
just because someone else prefers to choose it and then maybe you
are not comfortable with it later on.

The foremost criteria for anyone is the investment in a hobby or the
cost. The budget needs to be fixed. As such electric kits come fall in
the less expensive category for initial investment. Although they can
give much enjoyment, you end up paying more for the battery packs,
battery chargers, accessories, etc. This in the long run means that you
have more stuff for maintenance later on and it also means that the
recurring costs for these are substantial. Over time, the total investment in parts ends up beingequivalent to a Nitro car.

Care must be taken when choosing an electric set up. The important
thing is to buy a quality set up. A cheap set up would require sooner
replacement and more repairs. Packs of quality batteries and a quality
charger will bring down your recurring costs in the long run.
Nitro kits come in expensive with the initial investment. Even though
you can buy inexpensive engines or accessories, their initial costs
would be more than the electric ones.

Another criteria that affects the cost is the maintenance and operation.
As discussed earlier recurring costs for an electric model can in the end compare to the initial cost of a Nitro pack. Another factor that greatly influences the recurring cost is the frequency of use and tracks. If you are using your model on rough tracks then it would obviously require more maintenance and regular use of your tool kit or cleaning
equipment.

Both the types of models have their own typical power systems that
require regular maintenance. Frequency of operation or frequency of
use of your model would cause fast