Thinking of jumping in

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Nice! Yeah, I hope these things since they're metal don't break stuff to easily do they? I have i feeling i won't be beating it to hell like my other stuff though lol I have a huge open field down the road with a few ditches so i'd have alot of practice room til i get the hang of it down. I also just found out i live like 5miles from a rc drag strip, circle track and dirt track.
 
let us know what you finally choose, and whether it's nitro or electric just have fun. cause life's short. but don't be afraid to ask questions on here when ya get stuck. chances are someone's been down the same road before and will gladly help out. kdogg
 
kdogg1966 said:
let us know what you finally choose, and whether it's nitro or electric just have fun. cause life's short. but don't be afraid to ask questions on here when ya get stuck. chances are someone's been down the same road before and will gladly help out. kdogg
Click to expand...

Thanks for help!
Yeah i can't decide i love nitro but i'm also liking the overall price of the the electric... Maybe i should check back into my lhs and ask them maybe i can test drive one...
 
the guy down the street was unsure last summer too so i let him run my sons t-maxx and then my savage, he loved them both and eventually bought a new t-maxx. both are awesome trucks. check your local trade-n-sell papers, add bullitins cause ya may find a pretty good used rig for a good price. i see them on craigslist from time to time so check there too. hope this helps kdogg
 
If you really like the idea of nitro and have time to tinker with them, get one. If you are considering used, look at the hobby shop, not ebay. If not then get a brand name, not a cheap one. If you get a clunker it'll leave a bad taste in your mouth and you'll never get to see how fun nitros are. All you have to do is read read read, break stuff, read read read, fix. You'll learn. Thinking of jumping in? The water's not too bad.:D

Must be nice to live near a track, there's a chance to learn right there.
 
Thanks,
How much tinker do they really need? like once every once in awhile, every run, every few minutes of running?
Yeah i knew heard a thing about it til i was watching a video on youtube and seen the town the track was in i looked it up and sure enough there it is. So i'm 50/50 now after hearing some views of electric but the reason i wanted to get one was because of nitro so thats why i'm thinking nitro. I'm trying to pick a few of my favorites and get your guys opinions. Just trying to get an idea of cost, how often do you have to replace glow plugs? Are parts really easy to break or does it take a good crash? Fuel last awhile? Thanks again,
~Nick
 
Well The way I look at it if you want ot jump head first into nitro go for it!!!....But remember some lessons learned are the hardest. Make sure when you do you
1. Pick an RC That you can get parts for locally. YOU WILL BREAK IT.
2. Study how to break in and tune you engine the right way.(critical)
3. Pickup extra glowplugs I woudl say 3 to start and airfilters if your rig dont have extras.
Keeping it tuned and cleaned is the hardest part of nitro as I have found. Depending on your running conditions. After each run retorque your screws check for any loose or broken parts and dust off any loose dirt. I'm picky so I do a tear down on mine every week for cleaning. The more and more you own a Nitro you will learn to "hear" for it when tuning and tweaking. You are going to go through alot of parts your first few months and alot more glow plugs. Glow plugs last a decent amount of time depedning on how your engine is tuned in. I can't tell you HOW long because it also depends on how much you run as well. Most people say to run electric first but the way I look at it is you will never learn till you try. Then after you try if you dont like it ...You can always go back ot electric. Good luck with whatever you do.
 
Again, I would say that you first hobby-grade RC should be electric. I owned plenty of toy-grade RCs before I got serious about the hobby. Getting an electric got me used to the higher performance and better handling without having to tinker with the engine 5-10 minutes to get the tune just right. After running for a few weeks I then got my first nitro rig and actually had fun with it since I could actually drive it, tune it and repair it. I also wouldn't suggest a used rig for first one because you'll never be quite sure that it will run right. There are plenty of relatively inexpensive rigs out there.

Here are a few things that you should consider when buying a new rig:

1. Where are you going to run it? If you plan on running on the street most of the time you might want to consider a good car. If you plan on running on the dirt, a monster truck or buggy might be a better choice.

2. What parts are available locally? Nothing is worse than having to wait several days to get replacement parts for your rig.

3. What accessories are you going to need? There is nothing worse than going out to run your rig and realizing you don't have batteries charged or tour glow plug is bad and you don't have a replacement or that you're out of fuel.

4. What is the cost of running? Nitro fuel isn't cheap.You will need at least a pint of fuel for a good day of bashing and usually more. An average quart of fuel is running about $12 here locally. Batteries and chargers are a bit more expensive at the start, but are a bit cheaper in the long run.

5. Do I have help available locally? There is nothing worse than starting to run your rig and then breaking down and then not being able to figure what's wrong. A good mentor or hobby shop guy is worth their weight in gold and can help you out when your beating head against the wall and wanting to chuck the stupid thing out the window.
 
Depending on your terrain I would go with the Stampede or the Rustler...Both good trucks for starting out and parts are avalable EVERYWHERE.
 
My terrain would be a mix between the back yard, the sidewalk, road and jumps.
I figured those two would be the two best out of the bunch. haha So if i got that charger on the first page and a battery or two i should be good to go? Also electrics don't have hop ups do they? The only speed mods are like battery and brushless? Just planning for the future. :)
 
Start with the new truck a few batterys and a charger...make sure the charger has a new style traxxas adapter as well as the batterys. Later on down the road once you get comfortable about it you can start upgrading to bigger and better stuff...Plenty of after market things that you can hop up on both of those along with gearing motor and more high power batteries to make it go pretty damn fast...But right now If speed is what you a trying to get...Pick up the rustler...you wont be disappointed as it is out of the box.
 
Now on nitro your going to need your fuel and batterys for the remote and reciever i nthe truck. Traxxas does a good job of putting everythiung in the box for you when you pick it up. BUT....you will want ot pick up a few extra glow plugs because after your engine break in time it will need replaced..Then after you get it tuned in properly it will need replaced again. Your looking at your truck, 4 or 5 extra glow plugs and a gallon of fuel. With electric it will be your truck, a GOOD peak charger, 2 to 3 batteries(depends on what is included in the truck) and batteries for the radio and reciever. Now if you are still pressed about Nitro and dont wanna start electric...thats pretty much what you are going to have to pick up.

Its call HC Male to Molex Female or Tamiya. New standard on all Traxxas electrics. If your after market charger dont have on with it pick it up.

heres the link to see one
http://www.nitro-toyz.com/tra3061.html
 
Instead of batteries for the receiver, check on a rechargeable hump pack. It will make the receiver in the truck more reliable and make the servos work better (from more current).

You'll also want to pick up plenty of good fuel to start with. You probably will want at least a quart. Make sure you store the fuel in a cool, dark place to keep it from breaking down.

You'll also need a fuel bottle to help refuel and defuel the truck. Don't leave fuel in your truck. It can gum up the fuel pick up.

Pick up some after run oil. When you're through running the truck for the day it's a good practice to put a couple of drops down the carb throat and to put a couple of drops in the engine from the glow plug hole.

Another tip is that when you're through running for the day is to make sure that the piston as it the bottom of its stroke to help protect the pinch of the engine.
 
+1. You should move your piston to the bottom every time you shut the engine off. As long as the engine is going to cool off all of the way.
 
Thanks for the tips,
I wish this wasn't so hard to decide lol.
 
The first one is always the toughest. It's either a quick decision on something that costs less that will ALWAYS cost more in the long run, or it's well thought out with opinions to back up your final choice.
Your first one can last a really long time if it's properly cared for and it's a quality truck, then the next one becomes an obvious choice based on your experience and enjoyment.

Good luck with it. :first_place:
 
Thanks,
Yeah i am usually really tight with my money and have a hard time deciding on something until i do alot of research before i buy something but once i'm into something i have no problem buying accessories. At first i came here because i didn't want to deal with charging batteries and just wanted something to refuel and GO! but now i'm wondering if it's more money and work then i had planned on... Just not sure if i'll be happy with an electric one though.
 
I'll muddy the waters a bit further for you. A good brushless electric motor set up with LiPo batteries will have the same if not better performance than a nitro with less maintenance and noise.
 

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