NITRO “GAS” & ELECTRIC RC CARS - COMPARISON
One thing for sure is that RC cars can go very fast in the right conditions. Gas powered RC cars are capable of accelerating from 0 - 60 mph in under 2 seconds. However the rc cars which make it to the "hall of fame" are all electric cars; so it does seems that electric RC Cars dominate nitro gas cars.
If, on the other hand, you start to talk of sheer speed, and racing for longer than half and hour, then nitro gas remote control cars can consistently hit the fastest lap speeds.
RC cars start at the 1/8th Scale On Road Gas class; and when it comes to sheer performance, nothing beats the speed and realism of these 1/8th scale on road gas cars. These super cars can go from 0 – 60 miles per hour in 1.5 seconds, and at racing speeds they can go over of over 70 mph. These are not scale speeds, but real speeds, as captured by radar guns. For their awesome power, these nitro rc cars use 3.5cc 2-stroke engines capable of producing 2 horsepower. This power is delivered via a 2-speed or 3-speed automatic transmission to a 2WD or 4WD full suspension chassis. These cars have wide, low profile foam tyres, which can produce the grip needed to propel these vehicles to such great speeds.
The most popular class is probably the 1/10th Scale Off-Road RC Electric Trucks . These rc cars (i.e. buggies, racing trucks, monster trucks) are great fun anywhere, as they can be run on almost any type of surface. You can add dirt, dust, water, and jumps increase the entertainment value. These cars do also make use of the standard 540 electric motor. The main difference to the on road counterparts is, as you would expect, the suspension system. Long shock absorbers keep RC electric trucks stable over some pretty bumpy surfaces.
The tyres of these off road cars are also bigger, have deeper threads or spikes, and are made of rubber. Surprisingly 2WD is still the most popular class for off road rc models, but there are many 4WD cars to choose from. Early electric cars were 1/12th scale run on-road, but today’s cars can be run indoors and outdoors, on asphalt or on smooth carpet. These cars make use of 540 size electric motors, powered by 4 or 7 cell batteries. Pan chassis coupled with direct drive transmission are the norm for these vehicles. Foam tyres are used, and with lightweight Lexan bodies.
Because of their small size, 1/12th scale cars are very lightweight, and have a good power : weight ratio. 30 plus mph speeds are achievable even with the basic Mabuchi stock motor.
1/10th Scale Gas Touring Cars are similar to their electric touring car equivalent, except they have more power, and also a 2-speed transmission. At 190mm, these cars are a bit narrower and shorter than the 200mm models. They are also less powerful in performance than the 1/8th scale on road gas cars, yet still capable of speeds over 50mph.
The gas nitro cars performance at the track is similar to their electric counterparts. At twisty turns, the electric cars are normally faster. However, the 2-speed transmission allows gas touring cars to achieve higher top straight speeds. Examples of these cars are Team Associated Nitro TC3 and OFNA LD3 RTR. These cars have an engine of Force .12 whcih can achieve speeds of 40 mph.
1/8th Scale Off-Road Gas Trucks combine the speed and power of a 3.5cc engine, but with the extra fun of running in variable off road conditions. These buggies need 4WD to transfer the power of the 3.5cc engines to the track. Sticky rubber tyres provide the necessary grip. Examples of the off road gas trucks are HPI Savage 25 Nitro Monster Truck, Associated Monster GT, HPI Nitro Savage 21 RTR Monster Truck, Tamiya Terra Crusher Gas Truck, 1/10 Traxxas Tmaxx and T-Maxx Nitro RC Truck.
