Nitro RC cars & buggies
Nitro rc cars are preferred by many people to electric ones because of their speed, noise and smell (we'll include 'buggies' under the general term 'rc cars', for convenience).
While it's true that electric rc cars are simpler to operate and cheaper to buy, a nitro car provides that little bit more fun and high-speed excitement, especially with models like the DuraTrax Street Force GP2 around!
This particular nitro car has an 18 size engine and is a high-spec example of what's available these days...
On-road or off-road nitro RC cars?
Nitro rc cars and buggies can be purchased for both off-road or on-road driving.
This choice is purely down to personal preference; you may want the high speed thrill of racing round a tarmac track with a car like the Street Force GP2, or you may prefer the idea of racing over humps and bumps and through mud and puddles with a buggy!
Off-road cars will probably end up needing a bit more maintenance than on-road racers because they sustain more 'wear and tear' due to being driven over much rougher terrain, but in my opinion the off-road option is by far the best - much more fun!
Browse nitro rc cars, if you're looking to buy.
A couple of fairly standard types of off and on road rc cars are shown below, a buggy and a road racer:
This DuraTrax Evader is a great choice if you're looking for an 'all round' mega-fun nitro rc car, whereas...
...this 4-Tec from Traxxas is a classic on-road racer, made for burning up the tarmac.
Admittedly, nitro rc cars can sometimes be a bit temperamental, especially on cold days when an electric car is off and away at the flick of a switch. But once running, a nitro car can reward you in greater ways by longer running times and faster speeds than electric powered models.
Also, they definitely require a greater degree of maintenance than electric ones simply due to the presence of the engine - but in my books this is no bad thing; this kind of technical involvement is a great way of gaining hands-on knowledge and practical experience about how stuff works!
The picture below shows a few basic features commonly shared by all nitro rc cars:
Like most other types of rc models, you can buy nitro powered rc cars in three ways; either 'RTR' (Ready To Run - motor & radio gear fully installed and set up, body pre-painted), 'ATR' (Almost Ready To Run - no motor or radio gear but otherwise pretty complete and usually pre-painted) or as pure kit form where all the components need to be added to the basic chassis, piece by piece.
The choice is purely down to your own personal preference and how interested you are in actually building a model, or whether your just want to get to the track as easily and as quickly as possible!
But even if you've never built a kit before, that's no reason not to try - rc car kits always come with very comprehensive instruction manuals and if the worst comes to the worst, a visit to your local hobby shop for help in putting the car together would always solve any problems. And certainly building your rc car from scratch will teach you a lot more than an RTR one will ever do!
Nitro RC car accessories
One 'down side' to nitro rc cars is the extra field equipment that you need when you travel. This is purely because of the engine and is true for any nitro rc model, such as an airplane or boat.
This essential field equipment includes an electric starter (if the motor is not pull-start), fuel, glow plug igniter, spare glow plugs plus cleaning items for wiping away any oil that has got onto the car body after a drive.
But hey, speed and fun must have a few sacrifices and these field equipment items are small sacrifices indeed! You can read more about rc car accessories here.
Whatever type of nitro rc car you choose, whether it's an on road car or off road buggy, you're sure to be rewarded with some exciting rc driving, and some exhilarating experiences at the track!
See the nitro rc cars shown above in more detail.
Related pages
RC trucks - see some more off road options.
Electric rc cars - if you prefer slightly more subdued driving.
Electric rc cars - if you prefer slightly more subdued driving.
The nitro car engine - the basic principles of how it works.
RC car accessories - see some essential field items that you'll need.
