Traxxas VS Redcat

[Tivum]

I'm a traxxas nitro fanboy, however I've seen some of redcats stuff, alot of their parts are cheaper, I imagine because they're not as popular. What's your guys opinion on both?

 

[tntpoof]

not a nitro guy but I do like traxxas never had any major issues and I can always find parts.. ran a stock slash in a 1000 lap race.To me they make a great rc for old and newbs...I dont care whom they sued ..I raced tekin my whole rc carrier even when they went away..still waiting on the bc 112 c upgrade to lipo. Oh found a guy in uk that did it for me best $75 i spent.its all about the fun

 

[Tivum]

not a nitro guy but I do like traxxas never had any major issues and I can always find parts.. ran a stock slash in a 1000 lap race.To me they make a great rc for old and newbs...I dont care whom they sued ..I raced tekin my whole rc carrier even when they went away..still waiting on the bc 112 c upgrade to lipo. Oh found a guy in uk that did it for me best $75 i spent.its all about the fun

Nitro is better than Electric in my opinion, Electric is good if you just like to drive, I prefer nitro because I like to tinker with things, the sound and the smell also, there's nothing like it.

Anyway, thanks for the opinion, I was wanting to pick up one or two to see what I think.

 

[Racer 1966]

Electrics are faster and easier but I love nitro myself. As for Traxxas vs. Redcat, from what I have seen the Redcats have improved and are close to on par with Traxxas but I have yet to own a Redcat. There is (used to be?) more aftermarket support for Traxxas. If you can acquire any parts you may break, the Redcat may be worth trying. As with many items, the owner and how it is treated or in this case driven, will make the most difference on your enjoyment.

 

[Tivum]

Electrics are faster and easier but I love nitro myself. As for Traxxas vs. Redcat, from what I have seen the Redcats have improved and are close to on par with Traxxas but I have yet to own a Redcat. There is (used to be?) more aftermarket support for Traxxas. If you can acquire any parts you may break, the Redcat may be worth trying. As with many items, the owner and how it is treated or in this case driven, will make the most difference on your enjoyment.

I race mine mainly, no bashing here. I stay out in an open football field here locally, with that being said I might just have to get one, I might go to my local rc track to see if a fellow hobbyist would let me try one.

 

[watertrucker]

I’m a Nitro Guy too. Tried a couple electrics, just wasn’t the same. I have Traxxas and Redcat kits. For me the Redcats run just fine. Just like Traxxas though, Redcat has discontinued several of their Nitro kits. Oh well, I guess electric is more popular these days. I would say go ahead and get a Redcat. You won’t be disappointed.

 

[Tivum]

I’m a Nitro Guy too. Tried a couple electrics, just wasn’t the same. I have Traxxas and Redcat kits. For me the Redcats run just fine. Just like Traxxas though, Redcat has discontinued several of their Nitro kits. Oh well, I guess electric is more popular these days. I would say go ahead and get a Redcat. You won’t be disappointed.

Too bad nitro isn't like it used to be. I have a few electrics, mainly boats. But my cars will forever be nitro and nitro only.

 

[johnnydmd]

Not sure about all Redcats, but my Hurricane uses an SH .28P3, and it's a monster engine that runs perfectly. Traxxas really doesn't make very good nitro engines, they are weak, and finicky. Most people change them out to Dynamite or O.S. when the stock engine dies.

 

[Tivum]

Not sure about all Redcats, but my Hurricane uses an SH .28P3, and it's a monster engine that runs perfectly. Traxxas really doesn't make very good nitro engines, they are weak, and finicky. Most people change them out to Dynamite or O.S. when the stock engine dies.

I'll keep that in mind. My 1.5 Traxxas has lasted for 2 years so far.

 

[The Undertaker]

I bought a 1/16 slash, and I'm about to find out how good Traxxas is tomorrow! I've heard a lot of good things about redcat but lack personal experience with the brand.

 

[Arrmajunk]

I'm a traxxas nitro fanboy, however I've seen some of redcats stuff, alot of their parts are cheaper, I imagine because they're not as popular. What's your guys opinion on both?

I’m sure Redcar is associated with Absima as some of there models are like 4 Like . If that being the case don’t bother you’ll be fixing everything every five minutes . That’s my two pence worth

 

[Twiztid420]

Ok guys I just bought a Traxxas T Maxx 3.3 for myself and a Redcat Earthquake 3.5 for my wife. The T Maxx got here first and I was so excited! I have not had an rc car for many years. The Traxxas came out of the box in excellent condition! Spur gear was set perfectly as well as the suspension and factory needle settings. It was easy to break in and I was having a blast with it. The only thing I have broken is a rear drive shaft and that was directly related to the slipper clutch being set too tight. A few days later my Redcat showed up. When I took this thing out of the box it looked like a child had put it together. The suspension was WAY out of alignment! I got it dialed in and took it outside. Before I got through the second tank of break in I had destroyed the spur gear and stripped out the cheap break disk. It was also pulling air into the fuel like no tomorrow. I called Redcat. I was talking to a rep within 60 seconds. I explained the issues and they immediately appologized about my problems and were more than willing to help. They sent me a carb, a fuel tank and fuel lines, a steel break set up, and a steel spur gear right away and free of charge and told me to contact them if I had anymore problems! I was amazed at their customer service! I got the parts a few days later and put the Earthquake back together and Holy Cow this thing is fast! If you know anything about nitro these days, you know that there are very few options for a Big Block nitro rc Monster Truck. My T Maxx will pull the front tires off the ground on demand but it is nothing next to the Redcat! I honestly wish I would have bought 2 Earthquakes at this point! Are they built the same? No. The T Maxx looks like a more professional vehicle for sure and there are alot more hop ups available but what's the point in a cool looking truck if it's always in the back? So I started lookin for a new motor for the T Maxx..... A Big Block conversion for the T Maxx costs twice as much as an entire Redcat Earthquake at best. I don't want to have to be an engineer with a massive bank account to upgrade my rc truck. That's just silly. I love power and speed but I want it for a reasonable price. I was really disappointed so I thought to myself "Why not upgrade the Redcat?" I bought a Dynamite .28 for $109! That's cheaper than any small block motor upgrade available for the T Maxx. When I got the motor I was stoked! The only thing I needed was a new clutch and bell housing and a couple spacers in my slipper clutch to help align the spur gear without modding the chassis. All in all it cost about $150. This thing is freaking dangerous now! 50% throttle will flip it over if it has traction! It leaves black burnout marks on the pavement and it holds a tune better than Fergie! I am just a basher. I am not racing professionally. I still love my T Maxx. It is a great truck but if I want to throw rooster tails hard enough to scratch the paint on my neighbors cars I run my Redcat! OOPS...... I mean my wifes Redcat. Plain and simple. If you have no idea what you are doing and you are not very mechanically inclined, then it might be better for you to buy a Traxxas. They are a bit easier to work on. But if you don't mind getting the kinks worked out, don't be scared of Redcat. I will put my Earthquake up against any modded T Maxx anyday!

 

[Arrmajunk]

Like I said, buy the Redcat you’ll be everlasting fixing it.

 

[BobP]

Traxxas is getting out of nitro and Redcat is getting into nitro, just think about that

 

[Twiztid420]

I fully agree. Traxxas has too much focus on electric. I'm sorry but electric is for kids.

 

[Arrmajunk]

I fully agree. Traxxas has too much focus on electric. I'm sorry but electric is for kids.

I like Nitro, I had about 5 nitro buggys all different kit builds, Race engines, Novarossi Os, Picco name a few, Losi 8igjt Truggy 2.0,
Hobao hyper 8 pro spider Diffs. Hot bodies D8, a couple more older models (bangers)
GV Rex X ?. Savage 25. FG Monster Beetle.
I loved them but I fell on hard times and ended selling them One by one, I got back into the hobby again with Electric I miss the Noise the Smoke & Smell, but I can pitch up anywhere at anytime day or night with my Electric RC and No complaints. I don’t think my Nitro’s We’re as fast although I had some fast engines RB was one.
There’s is Pro’s and cons with all, Nitros get really mucky on the back exhaust side, one good thing is you can have a Splash and Dash , with the electric it’s a Ten minute blast and that’s it . But they quiter cleaner,
Glow plugs turbo plugs are really expensive , you need to carry around tools plug spanner glow starter minimum, Starter box .
Electric just whip it out the boot of the car and off you go. . You wouldn’t trust a kid with a Lipo battery would you? .

 

[Twiztid420]

I like Nitro, I had about 5 nitro buggys all different kit builds, Race engines, Novarossi Os, Picco name a few, Losi 8igjt Truggy 2.0,
Hobao hyper 8 pro spider Diffs. Hot bodies D8, a couple more older models (bangers)
GV Rex X ?. Savage 25. FG Monster Beetle.
I loved them but I fell on hard times and ended selling them One by one, I got back into the hobby again with Electric I miss the Noise the Smoke & Smell, but I can pitch up anywhere at anytime day or night with my Electric RC and No complaints. I don’t think my Nitro’s We’re as fast although I had some fast engines RB was one.
There’s is Pro’s and cons with all, Nitros get really mucky on the back exhaust side, one good thing is you can have a Splash and Dash , with the electric it’s a Ten minute blast and that’s it . But they quiter cleaner,
Glow plugs turbo plugs are really expensive , you need to carry around tools plug spanner glow starter minimum, Starter box .
Electric just whip it out the boot of the car and off you go. . You wouldn’t trust a kid with a Lipo battery would you? .

I fully understand that electric is easier and yes I would trust my child with Lipo before I would ever let them play with Nitro. I don't mean to offend anyone. I know that most people run electric nowadays but it is just not for me. As soon as I pull the trigger, my excitement is lost. Yes the electric can be a bit faster in the top end but they don't have the same performance. This Redcat is really powerful. It explodes off the line and rips itself over when shifting into second gear. It will do that all day long. Honestly, I don't see nitro to be more complicated than electric. It's just a different skill set. Also, my engine upgrade for the Redcat was only $109 so it wasn't expensive to do. It starts on the first pull every time. There are more parts to the power supply but it's really not that complicated. Alot of the people who complain about it only do so because they just don't understand enough about it. If there were more people around that were driving them like there used to be, the knowledge would be more universal.

 

[johnnydmd]

I totally agree about nitro not being hard or complicated. I've even had LHS guys try to tell me I should switch to electric with a variety of myths and excuses as to why - it's sometimes like a cult(s), the nitro vs electric camps.

I wrote an article a couple weeks ago about nitro, electric, the cults and myths - https://rcinsanitydot.wordpress.com/2020/06/03/will-nitro-survive/

 

[Twiztid420]

I totally agree about nitro not being hard or complicated. I've even had LHS guys try to tell me I should switch to electric with a variety of myths and excuses as to why - it's sometimes like a cult(s), the nitro vs electric camps.

I wrote an article a couple weeks ago about nitro, electric, the cults and myths - https://rcinsanitydot.wordpress.com/2020/06/03/will-nitro-survive/

Yeah I honestly don't have a problem with electric. If you want something simple, then go for it. I just don't get the same joy from electric.

 

[D3MON]

I totally agree about nitro not being hard or complicated. I've even had LHS guys try to tell me I should switch to electric with a variety of myths and excuses as to why - it's sometimes like a cult(s), the nitro vs electric camps.

I wrote an article a couple weeks ago about nitro, electric, the cults and myths - https://rcinsanitydot.wordpress.com/2020/06/03/will-nitro-survive/

it is funny how many electric people hate nitro, when I've found that many of them have never even tried nitro at all... just reciting all the things they have heard from others that couldn't get it figured out.