The Best Rc Cars Are Not Always The Most Expensive
In today's society, we often associate how much something costs with how good it is. People buy expensive, name brand clothes and expensive cars as status symbols. The world of RC cars is no different. RC car racing can be a costly hobby, but one need not worry about buying the most expensive equipment and cars in order to have an enjoyable experience.
It goes without saying that the larger the scale of the RC car, generally, the more expensive it will be, but there are also other factors that determine how much an RC vehicle costs. RC cars can be powered by nitro, gas, or electric engines. Gas powered engines are by far the most expensive, followed by nitro engines, and then electric. Gas powered engines are not for everybody, though. Gas engines are found in the largest RC vehicles, which can range in size from 1/8 scale to as large as 1/5 scale. Because of their size, gas powered engines aren't practical for the everyday hobbyist. Gas engines do not even perform as well as the cheaper, nitro powered engines. Nitro powered engines are capable of much higher maximum, sustained speeds. One advantage that gas powered engines do have over nitro is that they are capable of producing more torque. More torque is desirable when a truck is required to climb obstacles on rugged, off-road tracks. As long as a racer is not going to be racing on extremely rough and rugged terrain, the much cheaper and smaller nitro powered buggy or truck is more than enough to handle the situation. Electric powered engines cost even less than nitro based ones. In terms of raw speed, brushless electric engines are even more powerful than nitro engines. In fact, the performance is so good that many RC fanatics hotly debate the merits of nitro versus electric, with most siding for electric engines due to the lower maintenance needs and costs.
Another area where an RC racer can save money is with the body of the car. It is possible to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a chassis made of carbon fiber or anodized aluminum, but unless the person races RC cars for a living, the benefits do not outweigh the costs. For the average hobbyist who races RC cars for fun, simple construction materials are fine. Most people will wreck their cars and trucks at some point, so there's no need to spend a fortune when repairs will have to be made in the future.
Finally, RC car buyers do not have to spend top dollar on a kit or a ready to run model from the start. Because RC cars are so customizable, extra components can easily be switched out later down the road. These extra components may not cost much and can allow the RC car to perform better for less money than would have been spent on a higher quality car in the beginning.
Expense does not always go hand in hand with quality. The RC hobbyist, by knowing what his needs are, can have a high performance RC car without breaking the bank.
