Frequently Asked RC Questions

Having so many RC Cars, I quite often get asked the same questions.  I thought I'd take the time to answer a few questions I get regularly.

Why do you have so many RC cars?

The answer to this one is rather simple.  Every RC is different.  It's nice to be able to grab one of my onroad RCs like my Tamiya M03, XRay M18 Pro, or Losi XXX-S (Drift-R) and hit the tarmac at ridiculous speeds, or grab one of my offroad RCs like my E-Revo Brushless, Savage Flux, or Traxxas E-Maxx and hit the dirt.  Even within each type of RC, off-road or on-road, each has it's own characteristics.  The E-Revo handles better than the Savage, but can't take as much of a beating.  Different scales also offer a different experience too.  Sometimes it's nice to just take a mini RC like the E-Revo VXL, or Losi Mini Monster Baja and hit the backyard.  The small RCs are best for smaller spaces, the big ones for bigger spaces.

Which RC Car is your favorite?

This question is possibly the hardest to answer.  As I mentioned above, I have so many RC cars because they're all different.  It ultimately depends what I'm doing which is my favorite.  If I'm taking an RC offroad and bashing, my favorite would be the Savage Flux.  It's fast and can take a beating like no other RC.  It's also been upgraded with some RPM parts which makes it that much more durable.  If i'm hitting the track, I'm likely to grab my Traxxas E-Revo Brushless as it handles the best of all my off-road RCs. When I'm looking to run on pavement, my M18 Pro is my favorite, despite it's small size.  It's very fast and handles very well.  XRay is renowned for making high quality RCs and the M18 pro lives up to that reputation.  When I'm headed out for general RCing and don't know what I'll be running on, I usually grab my Traxxas E-Revo VXL.  It's small enough to use anywhere and can run on tarmac, dirt, or even short grass.

Do you prefer on-road or off-road RC cars?

I tend to prefer off-road RC cars over on-road RC cars.  On-road is nice as it's usually much easier to find an empty parking lot than it is to find a dirt path or open area, however the extra dimension added by jumps and dips makes off-road RC cars more enjoyable for me.  There are definitely advantages to both.  On-road is easier to find a spot to run, less likely to flip, and less likely to take damage than an off-road RC.  Off-road vehicles however allow you to run anywhere, grass, dirt, or tarmac, and are often easier for beginners to get into.

Bashing or Racing?

This is the epic battle that RC drivers tend to face.  Most people have a preference and sometimes even shun those that disagree with them.  Many believe that RC cars should be used for racing, as with everything competition adds another dimension or enjoyment.  The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat.  Others believe that RC should simply be about having fun and just bashing them around, alone or with friends.  I tend to fall into the latter category preferring to bash my RCs with friends.  I understand the appeal of racing, however it's nice to simply take my RCs out and run them, even break them for the sheer fun of it.  Half the fun in RC is learning from your mistakes, fixing broken parts, and learning to be a better driver overall.  This is most easily attained by bashing and is how most RC drivers start out.  I've been called many of mean things over the anonymity of the internet for videos I've posted of me bashing my RCs.  I tend to put my RCs through significant testing of durability with my bashing and have a blast doing it.  I try not to worry about breaking parts, as it allows me to identify where the weak spots in the RCs are and allows me to figure out ways to improve them.

Why are most of your RCs Electric?

Not that long ago nitro RC cars were the dominant RCs for enthusiasts.  They offered much longer run times as they used cheap fuel to run and were faster than the electrics of the time.  With the advent of brushless motors and Lithium Polymer batteries though, electric RCs have become faster, and are cheaper to run in the long run as batteries will often last for 500 or more cycles.  My first hobby-grade RC was nitro, a Traxxas Jato.  At the time it was one of the fastest RCs available. Because of it's speed and my lack of skill at driving it, I found I was often breaking parts and in turn waiting for replacement parts to be ordered in.  I bought a Losi Mini-T to play with in the down time whilst I was waiting for parts for my Jato. Castle Creations had just come out with it's Mamba-25 Brushless ESC and Motor combo and was a tremendous upgrade in speed over the stock 10kph of the Mini-T, reaching speeds over 5 times as fast.  I bought the Mamba-25 kit and was hooked and found myself spending more time with my cheap electric Losi Mini-T than I did my expensive nitro Traxxas Jato.  From there on every RC I bought was electric, and as technology has advanced brushless became more readily available for larger scale RCs, I've upgraded nearly all of my RCs to brushless.  Nitro RC cars also require far more maintenance and tuning than electric RCs, however they tend to have a lower initial cost then brushless electric RCs due to battery costs.

Where do you buy your RC Stuff?

I usually purchase my RC from my local Hobby Shop, Hobby Extreme in Red Deer as I believe it is important to support local stores.  These are the places that are most likely to help you if you run into an RC problem and are the backbone of this hobby.  Sometimes though I find certain prices online that my local hobby shop can't match and I do buy online from retailers like Hobby King for things like batteries and generic parts.  Nearly all my specific parts for each RC, be it replacement parts, or hop-ups come from my local hobby shop.

I broke a part on my RC, how do I fix it?

The simplest thing to do is check out the RC manufacturers web site for an exploded view of your RC.  This will show you how to take apart your RC as well as the part number for the broken part.  You can usually get the part needed from your local hobby shop, or online.  Disassembly of RCs is actually very easy to do as long as you don't try to skip any steps.  Once you've removed the broken part and installed the new part, simply reassemble the RC in reverse order of how you took it apart.  Be careful not to strip or over tighten any screws in the process.  It is best to use hand tools when working on RCs.

I'm just starting out in RC, which RC would you suggest?

There are a lot of options out there for beginner RCs.  Most recently Short Course vehicles like the Traxxas Slash or the Losi SCT have been popular choices for beginner RC drivers.  They're usually 2WD, simple to work on, and a lot of fun right out of the box.  Other options include Traxxas's Stampede, Rustler, or Bandit.  Some people prefer to start with smaller RCs like the Losi Mini-T or it's variants.  I generally recommend an off-road RC for a first RC because of their versatility, and electric over nitro because they require less maintenance.

Do you have any other questions?  Feel free to post them in the comments below!