Nitro Starter Box

[Citrix]

I'm completely new to nitro and am trying to do as much research as possible before I pull the trigger. One thing I'm confused about is the starting process of the nitro, and I was wondering if y'all can explain it to me a bit.

I'm building a kyosho inferno gt3 as I want a nitro and an on road since the only things I've ever done are off road electric. This kit calls for a...

Multi Starter Box2.0 36209
Plug/Cross wrench
Plug heater | Boost charger 2.0
Spark booster
Battery | Speed house 7.2V 36HV Ni-MH Battery

This is on top of the battery plugged in for the receiver as well as everything else the engine needs to run (Glow plug, which I'm also confused about and would appreciate an explanation on as well, and Nitro fuel)

Is there anything else I need to run the car on top of the engine and pipe, receiver and transmitter, 2 servos, receiver, and battery, as well as the things I've listed above?

 

[Greywolf74]

According to Kyoshos website heres a list of what you'll need to make the car complete.

So first thing I would do is watch THIS video and THIS video about "How to start a nitro". Now these videos use pullstarts instead of "bump boxes" (a.k.a. starter boxes). HERE is a video about how to set up and use a bump box.

As for fuel make sure you are using 20-30% nitro fuel with between 8-12% oil in it. Brand doesn't matter as long as the percentages are right.

Id also read through THIS thread on RC Nitros for beginners and THIS thread on Nitro tuning tips and tuning flow chart. Make a copy of the flow chart it will be invaluable for you learning how to tune a nitro engine.

Once youve done all that you should have a better understanding of nitro in general and then you can come back and ask some more specific questions to fill in your knowledge base with. You question on here are so broad that someone would have to write a book to answer it all.

 

[tudordewolf]

Just when you think you've got everything, there will be one more thing. The starter box takes 2x stick batteries, for example.

Starting nitro is it's own skill/challenge, and it can be very discouraging / intimidating when you're trying to have a fun day out and your car is refusing to start. This is only exacerbated by the fact that new engines are particularly hard to start and benefit from a break-in procedure, all of which you're expected to tackle as part of your first foray into nitro before even driving the dang thing. There will be eureka moments after which difficult and confusing becomes fun and intuitive.

Greywolf's reply covers basically everything you'll need to know, but to answer your questions directly:

The starter box is only *required* for engines with no other starting mechanisms, it cranks the nitro engine via the flywheel. This is typical of "race" engines that seek to maximize performance by eliminating every unnecessary bit, even if it means hauling around a starter that weighs more than the car.

Race engines will be even harder to start brand-new than "Sport" engines, all for an indistinguishable increase performance to someone who's never run nitro; the race engine will just be a lot harder to learn on.

I'd really recommend starting with a $70 SH .28 with a pull start before going for the P8 or something from your other thread. Maybe even buy it to admire (that's what I did with my race engines until I trusted myself enough to start them), but you'll see once you've taken it out a few times why it's a good idea to go from a cheap engine to a nice one instead of starting on the nicest one you can find - and besides, you'll have nowhere to upgrade to!

Edit, also, you list both plug heater and spark booster - these are the same thing, a "Glow ignitor", which you use to energize the glow plug while cranking the engine, either with the bump box or a pull start, or a handful of other mechanical options that use the same spot on the back as a pull start.