Recommendations in getting into Nitro

[Aldo]

Hello folks, I'd like some recommendations. I have a Tamiya Rising Storm RC, and I love bashing it. It was my first RC car, but I've always enjoyed racing/bashing cars.

I'm having problems finding parts for it, (at a reasonable price), so I'm looking at getting another car. I have been thinking about a nitro/gas car. I like going off-roading with the rc, but realistically, I usually just race it up and down the street with my young kids.

Some of the questions I have are. (And I know this is quite generic in nature, but I'd like some opinions)

Is it expensive to upkeep a gas/nitro car? What would you recommend for 70% street racing, 30% off road. I often see different viewpoints on vehicles to buy, but I'd like to know what some of you think. I don't have a fortune to spend, but I want to get something that is definitely rugged.

Let me know if you have any viewpoints, and if you have any further questions of me.

Thank you!

 

[8ight]

Go with a Traxxas Jato. Traxxas is carried by most, if not all hobby shops. And parts are readily available. Upkeep is not hard. Just keep your engine in tune, and your clutch adjusted. Use after-run oil and bottom your piston after each use, it will last you a long time.

 

[HeartBreak]

Either Traxxas or HPI. Call around to your local hobby shops and see what they carry. Offhand, I'd say get an HPI Savage. Tough as nails, and worth every penny.

 

[itsalifeworthliving]

you stated gas/nitro.. is that what you mean? like 2 stroke petrol? petrol is cheaper to maintain and cost 1/4 of the price to run..and just like your weedwacker,it always runs.. its just the start up cost.. if your think nitro i always tell folks to stick with traxxas or hpi.. all hobby shops carry 1 or both brands and parts are cheap and easy to get.. savage, revo, t-max, those are on my listas well as of course the hpi 5b.. how old are your kids? i mean are they old enough to getim running and stuff? traxxas has the sweet easy-start. no glow starters or pull starters..as far as it being expensive to upkeep.. not if you dont want it to be. i had my savvy and revo for about 4 yrs and they had eveything stock. my savy finally needs a new motor and i replaced the revo mill before i traded it(yesterday).. the big breaker with nitro's is the tuning.. it takes practice and pationts. some folks get frustrated with it..there is very little tuning with petrol motors.. when was the last Time you had to tuned your weedwacker.. also remember..if its going to be for both you and your kids(wich i recomend)most of these nitro's hit 50mph right out of the box. its fun, but can really hurt somebody.there is nothing like the sound of a nitro screaming down the street shifting gears!! THE BIG ? IS HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT TO SPEND??

 

[CharliesTheMan]

You could get a Savage. If you want to learn a lot about nitro and trucks you could get the SS kit and build it, or you could get the Savage X rtr and play with it right out of the box. You could get a set of street tires to use on the road and use the stock tires off road. The Savages when they are lowered a lil bit and have street tires on them do pretty good on the road, and it's the most capable thing you'll find for off-road bashing in nitro IMO. But a baja would be good two, runs on pump gas and you can put street tires or off road tires on it. Not much tuning to worry about with the baja.

 

[Monkey Wrench]

Either Traxxas or HPI. Call around to your local hobby shops and see what they carry. Offhand, I'd say get an HPI Savage. Tough as nails, and worth every penny.

I'll second this, except to say that the Savage may not be the best choice since you say you're going to be 70% on the street (although you can put some street tires on it!)

The Traxxas Jato is an excellent rig to consider. HPI has the Firestorm and MT2's which are great for on and off road bashing. Another consideration is the Team Associated RC10GT and RC10GT2.

It's really a question of budget. You can likely find a great deal in our For Sale section or on eBay, but I advise you to check around at your local hobby shops and see what they stock the most of. No matter what you buy, it will eventually need parts replaced, so make sure your local shop carries what you run.

Good luck!

 

[CharliesTheMan]

yeah the Savage is definitely not the best for on-road use, I was just thinking that the off road bashing he does might be too hard on the jato, but I've never had one.

 

[ohmygahitscoby]

Hmm, if you don't want to go really HARD CORE off-road bashing, you can get a rally car. I think they make a Subaru rally car. I'll go find it.

\
http://www.hpiracing.com/kits/snrally/snrally-m.htm

 

[Aldo]

Thank you everyone for your input, it is appreciated. I am learning a lot about the gas/nitro stuff right now.

I was looking at Traxxas first. The Revo seems to be a well reviewed one, but it was not mentioned in the lists.

To answer the budget question. I'm going to be more of an amateur, maybe once or twice a week RCer. I live in Canada, so we're under snow for 6 months of the year. I'd think that a moderate price would be fair. Somewhere between 350-450 would be nice. I Have a radio already, and batteries, so really, I'm just looking for a rig.

Is there a recommendation you would have for that?

 

[robmob]

Is noise an issue when you go up and down the street?

If so, you may want to consider the new E-Maxx. It will handle pretty good with a set of street tires and is actually equipped with waterproofed electrics so you can run it in the snow if you want to. It is also ready to be upgraded to brushless and if you combine that with a good set of 7 cell batts, will actually blow a nitro version away. Better yet, use lipo's and go ballistic.

Just a thought.

 

[Aldo]

That is an interesting point. The fact that I do want to race it in my neighbourhood, noise might turn to be an issue.

I was just looking at the E-Maxx. It looks nice, do you have an idea what it would cost to go brushless on it?

(I'm learning about this stuff too at the moment)

Is noise an issue when you go up and down the street?

If so, you may want to consider the new E-Maxx. It will handle pretty good with a set of street tires and is actually equipped with waterproofed electrics so you can run it in the snow if you want to. It is also ready to be upgraded to brushless and if you combine that with a good set of 7 cell batts, will actually blow a nitro version away. Better yet, use lipo's and go ballistic.

Just a thought.

 

[robmob]

The least expensive way to go brushless is to get the Velineon system by Traxxas. It will set you back about $165.00.

Before going that route, I would just get a quality set of 7-Cell nimh packs and run it with the stock motors. It may be enough for you. If not, you can upgrade to the Velineon and still use the batt packs with that set-up.

 

[tdawg6d9]

???? maybe a buggy like a nitro rush thier cool and derable had one just a gess

 

[KYBLNTD]

Go With A Revo Its My First Its Only A 2.5r Traxxas Stuff Seems To Break Its All Cheap In Quality And Price But The Hop Ups Make It A Damn Fine Nitro. 4x4 For The Snow! Servos Are Not Cheap And There Is No Such Thing As A Waterproof One.i Suggest You Find A Used One With No Hop Ups For A Good Price And Using The Xtra $$ On Rpm Aarms And Different Things.plus Traxxas Has A Engine Warranty Where You Pay Have Retail I Think It Was Going 2b $106 For Me To Upgrade To A 3.3 You Can Either Jack It Up Or Drop It For Street.

 

[TWOCANE]

Jato or a E Maxx by traxxas.

 

[KYBLNTD]

poop the jato wouldnt move in snow

my bad i didnt see that 70-30 deal yeah i would go with the jato they are bad ass watch them on you tube or traxxas to see what your in for they barely come in contact with the ground

 

[Aldo]

Thanks for the information again. Locally there is a Revo 3.3 4x4. What does everyone think of that? The price is reasonable, so I'm thinking that might be a good start.

I have heard that the Nitro vehicles can be really loud, are there ways of quieting them down?
Muffler I'm assuming, but does it make much difference?

Thanks

 

[Zachary]

Get a revo. With a good deal I would hop right on it. They are great truck and are a blast and run great on and off road with stock tires. The way the shocks are set up make it so that it rides on a coushin of air and leans into the turns. Its more a truggy then any monster trucks but it's easily converted to a monster or you can throw it down for on road play and still have the option of going off-road. With a couple RPM parts and better servos it would be a great truck. Just my $.02

 

[Lessen]

I agree with the Jato being a good rig for you. Since you foresee doing majority of your bashing on-road I wouldn't suggest NOT getting a monster truck. Something lower like the Jato is better for that. If you want to run in the snow up there then an MT is really your only choice, in which I would recommend the Traxxas Revo because of parts available and because it is supposed to be a better handling MT.

another option (which I personally think may be the best choice for you) is the HPI MT2. It is a stadium truck like the Jato so it's lower than an MT. However, it is 4WD so that really opens up your options as far as where you can bash it. They are usually $330ish RTR.

 

[Zachary]

Look up in the for sale forum, I have a nicely epuiped HPI MT2 for 300 right now. near new too.

I like the MT2 A LOT more then the jato. the jato you need a runway to fully open it up and its not that great going off road. Since traxxas made it a wheelie machine all the weight is in the back of the truck and it makes it hard to control up at higher speeds. the MT2 however is a lot more spread out and other then when the jato hits 2nd will keep right up there with it. It's alot better in handleing and goes off road a lot smoother.