Are Nitro RC Cars Faster Than Electric RC Cars?
When buying an RC car or truck, one of the first decisions you have to make is whether you want a nitro powered car or an electric power car. Nitro cars run on a methane and nitrogen based fuel while electric cars derive their power from batteries. There are various pros and cons to owning one over the other. Conventional wisdom says that electric powered cars are less noisy, don't give off any exhaust and have a short battery life, while nitro cars give off fumes, are loud, and can run as long as the fuel supply lasts. One factor that is not as clear-cut as it may seem is whether or not a nitro powered RC car is faster than an RC electric car.
General buying guides for people new to hobby grade RC cars and trucks often suggest that nitro cars have the benefit of having more power and speed than their electric counterparts. This may have been true years ago and may still be true when comparing an untweaked electric car to a nitro one, but in recent years as RC racing has become more popular, advances in technology have allowed RC enthusiasts to modify their electric cars to rival the performance of nitro powered cars. Electric RC cars run on motors that come in two varieties -- brushed and brushless. Brushed motors are commonly found in beginner grade electric hobby RC cars. As electrical current flows from the battery to the brushed motor, tiny carbon brush like structures cause the motor to spin, thus powering the car. Brushless motors are a newer variety of electric motors that lack these carbon brushes. They are more expensive than brushed motors, but run cooler and can handle higher voltages. Because they can handle higher voltages, with the proper modifications and large enough motors, brushless motors can rival the speed of nitro powered RC cars and in some cases surpass them. In fact, the fastest RC car speed records that have been set have been done so with brushless motors rather than nitro.
The case for electric versus nitro as far as which one is faster isn't a black or white issue. So in the end which one is faster? It depends. In most cases, nitro is in fact faster, particularly when comparing models fresh off the block. However, with the advent of brushless motors and with proper modification, electric can be faster than nitro. The limiting factor then becomes battery life.
