qua77ro
09-08-2001, 11:56 PM
Well a week into ownership of a completed electric touring car, I found myself at the hobby shop today with both of my cars. It just so happened that this weekend was my first weekend working there. I was there so much and was picking stuff up quickly they offered me a job(PT, I have a FT job elsewhere that pays the bills and pays for the toys). So I work opposite race weekends so the owner and the manager can each have at least ONE weekend off each month. So anyways, onto the comparision.
For the last week I had the pleasure of not having to deal with fuel, oil, glow plug igniter, glow plugs, etc... I loved the fact I could just throw in a newly charged battery pack and run the car for 7 minutes or so(10x3) and not have to ever worry about the engine cutting out on me. It was nice to be able to focus on just driving, having fun. No more dealing with idle screws, low/high end screws. The car has been very forgiving, requiring as of now no real maintenance. I currently have Tekin BC112C charger which I will be replacing with a Indi 16x5 charger sold through Integy. The electric has been a blast to run, indoors/outdoors without worry of disturbing people. Just a high pitch humm is emitted from the car. It has plenty of speed, plenty of run time. Well so today a customer walked in unsure of what type of car/truck to get, nitro or electric. I got the chance to show him both of my cars.
So outside we went with the electric. I made a few full speed passes back and forth in front of the store and did some fun 180's and donuts to amuse him. Whoever thinks electrics are slow, you'll be surprised at how fast they can really get. So with the electric out of the way, I got out my NRS4. I started it up(3 pulls) and realized I had the wrong frequency crystal in the TX and stalled the motor to swap them out. Coming back outside I fired it back up(1st pull ) and took the car off for a run, when it stalls on me just as i'm about to give it gas(a tad rich on low end, but no biggie). I fire it back up and rev it to remove the unburnt fuel and make some WOT passes. Keep in mind my nitro car hasn't been run in about 2 weeks. MAN, I realized why I got nitro to begin with. The car was flying down the parking lot. Upon completing a couple sweeping turns, I brought the car back to the front of the store where it decided to stall on me(Now I realized why I went to electric for racing). The car started right back up, but the fact the engine died upset me just a bit(didn't really have time to tune it).
Electric:
Pros: Almost guaranteed start, quiet, clean, fast off the line.
Cons: Expensive to get started, shorter run times, lack of nitro fuel smell.
Who's it for?: It's for people who want to experience R/C car racing/driving without the need to fidget with fuel settings, pull starters, or loud noise.
Nitro:
Pros: Insane speed, great sound, longer run times.
Cons: Loud(both pro and con), dirty, motor tuning.
Who's it for?: It's for people who enjoy the smell of fuel, who likes to work hands on on engines, loves to tune fuel based vehicles, loves the sound of a piston travelling at 35000RPM.
In the end I don't regret having bought the Nitro first, although knowing what I know now I probably would have gone with an Impulse, or MTX-2. The electric is a blast to run, very nimble, very smooth, very quiet. Charging isn't really that big of a deal, just plop it on, hit peak and walk away. Soldering is a bit of a pain, but my skills with the Wellers is definately improving. In the end I suggest everyone try a little of both. See which one fits you the best and continue with that.
For the last week I had the pleasure of not having to deal with fuel, oil, glow plug igniter, glow plugs, etc... I loved the fact I could just throw in a newly charged battery pack and run the car for 7 minutes or so(10x3) and not have to ever worry about the engine cutting out on me. It was nice to be able to focus on just driving, having fun. No more dealing with idle screws, low/high end screws. The car has been very forgiving, requiring as of now no real maintenance. I currently have Tekin BC112C charger which I will be replacing with a Indi 16x5 charger sold through Integy. The electric has been a blast to run, indoors/outdoors without worry of disturbing people. Just a high pitch humm is emitted from the car. It has plenty of speed, plenty of run time. Well so today a customer walked in unsure of what type of car/truck to get, nitro or electric. I got the chance to show him both of my cars.
So outside we went with the electric. I made a few full speed passes back and forth in front of the store and did some fun 180's and donuts to amuse him. Whoever thinks electrics are slow, you'll be surprised at how fast they can really get. So with the electric out of the way, I got out my NRS4. I started it up(3 pulls) and realized I had the wrong frequency crystal in the TX and stalled the motor to swap them out. Coming back outside I fired it back up(1st pull ) and took the car off for a run, when it stalls on me just as i'm about to give it gas(a tad rich on low end, but no biggie). I fire it back up and rev it to remove the unburnt fuel and make some WOT passes. Keep in mind my nitro car hasn't been run in about 2 weeks. MAN, I realized why I got nitro to begin with. The car was flying down the parking lot. Upon completing a couple sweeping turns, I brought the car back to the front of the store where it decided to stall on me(Now I realized why I went to electric for racing). The car started right back up, but the fact the engine died upset me just a bit(didn't really have time to tune it).
Electric:
Pros: Almost guaranteed start, quiet, clean, fast off the line.
Cons: Expensive to get started, shorter run times, lack of nitro fuel smell.
Who's it for?: It's for people who want to experience R/C car racing/driving without the need to fidget with fuel settings, pull starters, or loud noise.
Nitro:
Pros: Insane speed, great sound, longer run times.
Cons: Loud(both pro and con), dirty, motor tuning.
Who's it for?: It's for people who enjoy the smell of fuel, who likes to work hands on on engines, loves to tune fuel based vehicles, loves the sound of a piston travelling at 35000RPM.
In the end I don't regret having bought the Nitro first, although knowing what I know now I probably would have gone with an Impulse, or MTX-2. The electric is a blast to run, very nimble, very smooth, very quiet. Charging isn't really that big of a deal, just plop it on, hit peak and walk away. Soldering is a bit of a pain, but my skills with the Wellers is definately improving. In the end I suggest everyone try a little of both. See which one fits you the best and continue with that.