Looking for the best.(Sorry for the newbieness)

[tom10167]

I'm sure this happens all the time. Basically, I love cars, but I don't have THAT kind of disposable income, nor the knowledge. My stepbrother got an RC nitro car and I was reading some book on it, it seems the kind of thing that's fun to mod, and if bad things happen, it isn't horrible expensive.

This wouldn't be a dedicated racer or anything like that, just something to drive around.

From what I've read, I want

-A 4 stroke(gas mileage)
- 4WD(traction)
- Something that is fairly popular so I can have fun upgrading every tiny little bit of it.


I'm not particularly concerned with performance, it seems like most people can't handle high powered versions of these things anyways, so I don't have to go nuts there, though I guess a carb restrictor would solve those problems.

It must be a road car, absolutely no trucks.

Any recommendations, brands or even ideas? Could I buy just a frame and build one from the ground up? That would be ideal.

 

[4u2nv]

Well 4 strokes aint very common in ground Rc's. (I've seen some supercharged 4 strokes...blah) IMO your best bet is going to be the HPI Rs4 evo or else the AE NTC3. Both of these cars are good bashers and have alot of hop up parts available for them. The Ntc3 is gonna be a better setup if ya decide to get into the racing scene. The Rs4 can be made a racer, but will take a little extra ching. Id check out these two cars. (Check out the on-road touring section in here. Youll find alot of useful info and tips) Anyway, welcome to the boards!

 

[tom10167]

Which one of these will get better gas mileage? My stepbrother says a full tank in his car lasts like 5 minutes, that's ridiculous. I'd build a giant gas tank, I'd want at least a half hour out of my car.

 

[olds97_lss]

Most on-road cars run a smaller tank and only have room for a small tank. I'm not sure if it's for timed racing to keep everything the same regardless of the car or if it's more of a racing weight transfer issue. If you have a large tank holding a pint of fuel at the beginning of the tank it will handle differently as the tank empties. This isn't good for racing. Things need to stay as static as possible so handling doesn't change throughout a race. So, a smaller tank with frequent fuel ups keeps things more consistant.

Gas milage is dependent more on the engine and gearing than the car itself. If an engine is tuned for peak performance, it's running a bit lean which means it will drive longer between fuel ups. If it's geared for speed, it takes less rev's for the engine to move it a certain distance, so milage is extended some.

Some engines get good MPG while others don't. My OS 21 RG lasts about 10 minutes on a 125cc tank whereas my Omega 21 Comp lasts about 8 minutes on a 125cc tank. Normally, the more fuel it goes through, the more aggressive and powerful the engine is.

I don't do on-road so I can't suggest anything. Just thought I'd help you understand the why's and what's of MPG of these little smokers.

Good luck with whatever you end up with!

 

[Diver6127]

For one, onroads or nitro vehicles of most kinds, do not use 4 stroke engines. The only ones that I have seen use fourstrokes are the Kyosho FW04 but that was with a conversion kit. Secondly, there is not enough room on an onroad to put an oversized tank without some serious conversion. Third, these cars are designed to get 5-8 minutes/tank. Run time will depend on tuning and engine/pipe design.If you watch the races, the only way they get to finish a main (whether it's 10 mintues or 45 minutes) is to have a pitman give you a splash and dash.

You said you wanted something "popular" and that it will not be a dedicated racer. With that said, only 2 come to mind ... the HPI Evo3 or the Associated nitro TC3. Stick to the main brands and parts availability should not be a problem.

You said you read up on these cars, well you should read up a little more. I'm not saying this in a condescending manner. What I mean is to do a little more research to see what may be best suited for your needs. Especially since funding or knowledge of R/C's is not at your disposal right now, maybe you should try an RTR since a kit will cost you twice as much in the beginning. This way you will be able to get a "feel" for the car.

Good luck in your search and continue to ask your questions. I am sure that after doing some research, questions will be answered but even more may arise. Search the web, magazines and even this site. Many questions you may have, have been asked and answered before. If confusion still exhists on any particular topic, I'm sure someone will be able to accomodate you.

Welcome to RCNT.

 

[SMaxxin]

I'm not particularly concerned with performance,

most people can't handle high powered versions of these things anyways, I

don't have to go nuts there

carb restrictor

These are all bad things to say when talking about RC's.......You need to get in touch with your Tim the tool man side



MORE POWER!!!!!!!!!

 

[tom10167]

I guess I'll ditch the 4 stroke thing. Thanks guys, I'll read up, I just needed a direction to be put.

 

[olds97_lss]

Honestly, if your looking for LONG runtimes, going 1/5 scale with a normal 1:1 fuel 2 cycle engine is the way to go. But, 1/5 scale is by no means cheap. Although, running 1:1 fuel and getting 45 minutes per tank would make the $1100 price tag not seem so bad after a years worth of bashing.

I burn about 10 gallons or so a year with just off road bashing. At $25 a gallon, that $250 a year just on fuel. Even at $3 a gallon, 1:1 fuel would only be $30 a year. But since run times are so high, the fuel consumtion rate would probably be around 5 gallons a year instead of 10.