i don't really know much about them, so any advise helps.



other then the advise i got a few questions



gas or electric?

on alot of the electric it says "12 AA batteries required" um is this what the car runs on or is there a rechargeable u can use with it?



well i might get a few more questions down the line but like i said before any advise helps

the batteries are for the servos and radio gadjets.

depends a batterie lasts maybe ten minutes then u recharge or replace the batterie. Where u can keep a gas powered one running all day. And as for what brand. It is preference really. How much u willing to spend. for 300 bucks u can get a Ready to run associated nitro car alls u need is gas. for 200 u can get a Ready to run electric. Hope this helps.

Having own wide varieties of both, go with a gas powered car. Its initial startup is higher than electric but it is way faster, no more charging and short run times, and more realistic. More run time = more fun time



$375 should be just enough to get you started into gas and $250 for electric. Sure, you can make an electric as fast as gas but it costs a lot more and is not as fun. Sort of like turbo vs. NA 13B's. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...DIR#>/wink.png

Pros of electric: cheaper to buy a setup, not much maintenence needed



Cons of electric: short run times. need multiple battery packs to keep playing. downtime of waiting for battery to charge



Pros of Nitro: runs all day long!!! fast as hell

cons of nitro: engne requires maintenence or it will blow, expensive, car gets dirty fast from nitro fuel residue









GO NITRO!!!!!

I do like the speed of gas, but they are sucha bitch to start. A friend of mine just got a drill attachment so we don't pull our arms out of the socket trying to start the damn thing.

If the RC cars you are looking at take AA bateries, they aren't real RC cars. Don't get a Ready To Run (RTR) either. Building it is half the fun, plus you know exactly how it went together, so you'll know how to fix it when you crash it into a tree... don't feel bad, everybody does it. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/smile.png

The other questions you need to answer are:

Onroad or Offroad?

Buggy or Truck?

2wd or 4wd?

I have an electric 2wd stadium style truck from Associated. The trucks are great for running through the yard because the extra ground clearance means they aren't affected by the grass.

If you are only going to play with it in the street or in a parking lot, then an onroad car makes more sense. The 4wd gas powered cars from HPI are pretty popular. Some of the new ones have shaft drive and a 2 speed tranny. They're fast as all get-out.

Either way it's an expensive hobby to jump into, buy a lot of fun.

Good luck

I have owned both electric and nitro over the years, the only thing electric is good for is indoor racing.

If you want to play outside get nitro. I would reccomend the 2 current vehicles I own becouse they are great quality.



For a truck, the HPI savage. It's huge, fast and can really take a beating.

For a touring car, HPI rs4 ss Fast as hell, dependable shaft drive system. I allways go with HPI vehicles becouse the quality is excellent and replacement, and hop up parts are available everywhere.





And yes you are entering quite an expensive hobby. It's just as bad as a real car. To give you an example I had an HPI super nitro a few years back. It had every option part, a $400 engine, and some other cool stuff. I needed some extra $$ cuz I was getting married, I sold it on ebay for $1950!!!

So be prepared, if you buy an rc car, you just bought a mini-money pit!

do you have links to these websites? Hpi and the other one , ive been interested in this too but its like trying to tell a alien how to tear apart an engine all this engines and crap i have no idea what it is haha so i mean i just want a cool 2wd or 4wd car that runs on gas.

DONT BUY HPI. unless u know what u are doing. Talking to some people at an rc shop they said they se about 90% of the people that buy an hpi not knowing what they are doing bring it in and say they broke the 2.5 mm thick anodized alluminum chassis. But they hardly ever see people come in with associated tc3's with a broken chassis because they use 2.6 mm aircraft aluminum. And wether or not to buy kit or Ready to run. I say RTR because the kits are way more expensive. For the associated tc3 the kit is about 700 dollars for something u wouldn't regret buying later. But the RTR is only 300 and u can mod as much as u want from there. Its ur choice though.



Links

Associated

http://www.teamassociated.com



HPI

http://www.hpiracing.com/index2.htm



tammies hobbys (great place for advice located in beaverton.)

http://www.tammieshobbies.com

websites!!! haha

dude, if someone breaks the hpi chassis then they are a complete idiot, not just new to rc. I ******* wailed my cars/trucks(hpi) into things and NEVER broke the chassis. For you to bend or break the aluminum you have to go full speed head on into a wall I would guess. associated and hpi chassis are the same quality, I have friends with AE tc3's. both cars are 99% the same in quality, function, and speed.



the HPI chassis is the same material as the AE. You are being misled by a hobby shop that likes to sell AE.



As far as RTR vs. building it with your own parts, the only difference is just that, you get to pick your own engine and radio gear. so price is unlimited. RTR takes the fun out of building it yourself, but it is economical, and you can be out playing 10min after you get home.

I seem to be sounding partial to HPI, and I don't want that to happen, I just ultimatly chose HPI due to quality,price,and parts available. Over the years I have owned AE, yokomo,mugen,and serpent. While mugen and sepents are far superior, the prices are just ******* rediculous.





Here are my suggestions on what to buy as a beginner:



NITRO



AE TC3 NITRO RTR

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXCES1&P=0



HPI RS4 RTR

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXFSK3&P=0



all you need for either kit is fuel,12aa batteries,and a glow plug igniter(additional $30 for all)



ELECTRIC





AE TC3

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXAHH0&P=0



HPI

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXCTE5&P=0



for theese electric cars you need 8 aa batteries, atleast 1 battery pack, and a battery charger(minimum of $80)

i got an electric blew the steering motor 3 times went to metal geared one then i broke the steering rack deal in the front and gave up on the car cuz i couldnt take charging for 8 hours playing for 3 min. drifting was fun but the rules still apply



avoid curbs (gutters expecially) and people (well ankles) these suckers can fly

HPI RS4, reasonably priced, good strong car. Get an exhaust, carb, and a 2 speed trans, and its fast. Chances are replacement parts are in stock everywhere. The original belt driven RS4 is a little faster (not much) and lighter then the RS4 3(non SS). And i know ive had them both.



Or if you like dirt, the HPI MT is nice. identical to the RS4 3 accept with bigger tires and longer suspention.



Whatever you do, dont get a 2wd nitro road car. youl never get enough traction and youl incinerate tires.

HPI is fine for playing around. You don't need an expensive Serpent, Kyosho, or Mugen car if you're just bashing. Only if you're racing, you may want to consider them.



I don't know about the new HPI Nitro RS4 MT2 but I had their original Nitro MT and it was literally crap and not durable. My RC10GT could take a serious pounding. I also spent so much on the Nitro MT, I just sold it and bought an Ofna 1/8th buggy. What loads of fun it was even with a cheapo sport .21 engine. Then I moved onto a Mugen XR...a little overkill but I loved it.



A little trick you can do to make your HPI more durable is to boil the nylon plastic suspension pieces in water for about 10-15 minutes. Don't boil ABS plastic like some of their wheels, it will warp. The boiling effect makes the material softer and less prone to breakage at the expensive of slightly flexier setup in setting up suspension for racing.



And I agree with others. Don't buy an RTR. Its so much fun building them and you get to know the car inside/out to make repairs easier.

Hey listen if u dont buy a RTR then be prepared to spend plenty of money. But i may have been wrong about my previous statement but dont blame me. I got info from 5 people at 2 stores. sorry if i was wrong.

Your bank account is gonna hate you..

For the most part, all of the companies have good and bad cars. Most of my experience with HPI has been with the micro rs4 and that thing is a pile of **** until you replace 90% of the parts with aftermarket non-HPI stuff, but then they also have quite good quality cars like the nitro rs4. Kyosho makes good and bad cars too, so does team associated (the regular electric TC3 is crap for example). Tamiya has some quite nice touring cars out and they also have very cheap crappy cars. Team Losi has some great competitive cars and then they also have junk, for example the new mini-t.



Do research on whatever car you are considering buying, but before you can even start deciding on a car or truck you have to decide what you want to do with the thing. On road or off road? smooth parking lots and carpeting only or streets w/curbs and cracks too? Backyard bashing or dirt tracks? competitive or not? Rock crawling or big air jumping? Indoor, outdoor, or both? The answers to these questions will help greatly in deciding what you purchase.

check out my rc car www.cardomain.com/id/crimsonmx5 on page 4 ..



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