Advice needed

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spider

Gone - bye bye.
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So I've been looking into the nitro scene and was wondering how much it costs to run these cars and a few other things.
What is your option of the HPI rs4 3 type ss car?
How is the motor in it?
Can it be upgraded to a faster motor?
Any suggestions on a better motor?
What does it usually cost to run a nitro and how much are glo plugs and how long to they usually last?
What is the best fuel to run them with and what does that usually cost( I know depending on the size bottle you get but looking for some information here on what to expect and how to start out on finding what I need to know with these types of cars).
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks!
 
I am not sure about that exact model but HPI has a good rep.it depends on how much you are going to run your model, but fuel on average $25-$32 a gallon.an avarage glow plug is around $5. most engines can be swapped out but i am not sure how big you want to go so I am not sure of a new engine. O'Donnell is a great fuel it is around $28
 
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Okay, expenses can vary between how hardcore you want to go. I'd say starting out, you could get away with spending as little as $350 for everything needed.

If you get hardcore about things, cost can get well over $1000.

HPI rs4 3 type ss is a good basher. It'll take quite a bit to put it competitive in club racing. It won't be a good racer at the national level though. But for bashing, it does VERY well

You can upgrade the engine. Pretty much any .12-.18 will work without having to do modifications. Although, depending on the engine you may need to buy any of the following: a new flywheel, motor mounts, clutchnut, or exhaust.

For the money, i'd suggest the new O.S. 18TZ. It's probably the best engine for the money if you're jsut bashing. It won't be race legal, but at the club racing level, you could probably get away with it.

If you're on a budget, I hear the O.S. 12TR is a pretty good engine for legal racing and it's only $120. Also if you want a race legal engine, it could vary anywhere from $120-350 depending on how good of an engine you want.

Glow plugs cost anywhere from $3-12 depending on the plug. For gas it's generally $20-35 per gallon depending on the brand and where you buy it from.

For gas, there's different kinds. You can get racing blends, or basher blends. Bashing blends generally have more oil while racing is for maximum performance. I use Team Trinity gas, but there's also Traxxas, Blue Thunder, O'donnel (VERY good brand).
 
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Thanks guys. I dont belong to any clubs so I would be using it for bashing purposes. How loud are these cars and is there any type of noise reduction exhaust systems,that doesn't affect the power of the engine, on the market for running them in the neighborhoods?
What makes this car different or lower quailty from being at national level for racing? Just wondering as after ready rccar action's review and reading how its advertised on the market it sounds like its just as good as the tc3/4???
I've never owed a gas car so just looking into what I can expect.
How long does a tank a gas usually last? An hour or so? (I imagine how fast you go also will take into account ;))
Last question, How much mess is there after one run? Are they really messy from one run. I've seen gas trucks in my lhs and some are just flithy beyond seeing what your working on.
 
I had the RS4 3 Type SS for my first kit. Keep in mind you'll need a radio to run them. A decent radio will cost you about 50$ with the servos. I recemmend the Airtronics Blazer Sport radio. HPI Power Fuel works well with the engine.

The engine this kit comes with will get the car moving pretty fast but it doesn't have much torque. It should be plenty fine for your first engine but you may find you will want to upgrade. As previously stated any .12 - .18 size engine will fit just fine.

The tank in this car is 75cc and depending on how hard you run it it will last any between 5 - 12 min. approximately. One quart of fuel costs 8-10$ and is about 1,000cc.

On-road cars usually don't get too messy, it just depends where you drive it. If you drive in a sandy parking lot your car will be filthy, but if you drive on a swept off lot then it will stay pretty clean.

I suggest you purchase this:

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXVZ08&P=0
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXCFW0**&P=7
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXCTE4&P=ML

Those three things will get you ready to go. Keep in mind the starter kit only comes with one quart of fuel. You will probably want to purchase a few more quarts or you could buy gallons in bulk and save some $$. Just ask if you have any other questions. Good luck :)
 
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Thanks Ac48, Some good help there. I wont have to worry much about getting it messy then as the township just repaved the street in front of my home. That is what got me thinking back to touring cars. I have a rc10L pan car but quit running it as it wasn't staying on the road well until now. I really liked the rs4 3 ss with the trans am body.
I have a couple radio pistols so Ill be good there. They both have trim adjustments on them.
As for the reciever & servos, can you use standard ones? I do have a micro receiver and 2 micro servos laying around, their made by futaba, that I think still work so if not then I think Ill be set on that.
As for upgrading the motor, I dont intend doing that right away as I imagine itll take some time getting use to nitro in the first place but what motor would get me some nice torque off the line?
About working on these cars, especially the ENGINE, does the kit come with a manual and tell you how to do maintainance and repairs on it? I'm not worried about the chassis as I can work my way around that and have experience on electric chassis, its the gas motor I'm a bit hesitant on.
One last question, What does the glo plug actually do? And why does it need a igniter? I havent researched any of that yet.
Thanks again
 
The engines can be intimidating but they're really very simple and HPI engines are pretty durable. The glow plug is like the spark plug in a 1/1 car. There's a small small coil of wire inside it and as the piston rises in the cylinder and heat is generated from compression the coil begins to glow. The hot glow plug is what fires the fuel mixture. The reason you need an igniter is to make the glow hot to get the car started. When the engine is cold (or even after it's run a while) you're not able to get the glow plug hot enough cranking it over to get the engine to run. With the igniter you can keep the plug on constantly which will make it easier to get the thing running.

As far as maintenance on the engine goes, just keep the air filter clean. I use WD-40 or even a small amount of fuel and run it from the backside of the filter to the outside to flush away the dirt. Squeeze the dirty gunk out of the filter and then work a few drops of motor oil into the filter. This oil makes the filter "sticky" (they make a special oil just for this) so that dirt will stick to it.
 
Standard servos in a touring car will do fine, but I don't think micro servos will fit.

As for the engine, it comes with breakin instructions and it tells you about the carb and what the different adjustments do. When you are breaking in your new engine if you have any questions just ask me or any other member and we will do our best to help you. All of us were noobs at one point so we know what its like.

The engine this kit comes with was a PITA to get started for the very fist time. After that though it started pretty good. To help loosen it up and get it ready to start heating it with a hair dryer is a nifty trick. The kit comes with a 2 speed and as I said the engine has a lot of high end power to get you a claimed (by HPI) top speed of 46 MPH.

As for an upgrade engine the one that Kwong2001 mentioned (O.S. .18TZ) will give you some insane torque and HP. Its was dynoed at like 2.2 horsepower and its a small block. You sholdn't ever need more power than that lol. Other options that aren't quite so beefy are FR .12/.15, O.S. .12TR, HPI .18 SS, and many more.
 
Thanks again AC48, Lol that O.S. .18tz sounds like a lot of fun then ;)
Which is a better kit the tc3 or this hpi type ss?
I've been looking at both kits and comparing them and heard plenty of great stuff about the tc3 and especially the years under associated's belt.
Thanks for all you help.

p.s. which is faster electric or nitro cars? I've been reading some on rcdrags and understand one of the members who own a hobby shop is the fastest in the world right now running a 8t double electric motor which the comm has been cut down a bit for faster run times. I've seen videos on it which is truly the fastest I've seen. Just wondered as I hear alot of people saying nitro is faster than electric and vise versa.
 
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