RC Car - Nitro or Electric?

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Nitro or Electric?

I'm going to write about the age old question, "what is better, Nitro or Electric"? Neither one is better than the other, they just have different characteristics. I will try to cover the main ones here to help clarify the difference and help people make a choice between the two if they haven't yet.

Nitro - The general characteristic advantages of a nitro powered vehicle are that it goes faster, offers longer run times, and has more power. The disadvantages are that it requires more knowledge to run and maintain, the initial investment is more expensive (controversial), they are noisy, and they require constant upkeep to remain in proper running order.

Nitro Advantages - They tend to go faster than electric cars. The small nitro engines offer a higher output than their electric counterparts. This is particularly evident in regards to top speed and acceleration. Most nitro vehicles are able to completely break the tires loose on demand. This makes for a very fun drive as the nitro rockets are piloted around a course almost constantly under a controlled slide. For most, this is a major advantage. Now, to be realistic, the nitro vehicles are not really faster than an electric car. Although the top speed may be higher, around a course, the more agile electric cars seem to fend well against the nitro competition. But, if overall horsepower is what you are after, nitro is your game.

Longer run times are an uncontestable advantage of nitro over electric. With the technology and reliability of today's engines, we can fire up a nitro vehicle in the morning and shut it down at night. Just add fuel. This is even more advantageous with the ability to do the 3 second pit stop that most manufacturers have designed into their machines. The only limiting factor to this is the life of the receiver battery but this can easily be solved with a quick charger or a couple of spare packs.

More power is very similar to the "goes faster" section above. Only nitro offers a "rip on it" feel anywhere on the track. These engines have so much power, you can make them almost uncontrollable at anytime with a yank of the throttle finger. To me, this is one of my favorite aspects of nitro racing. If you can't beat them, roost them. This can only be done properly with a twitchy finger and a bunch of nitro methane.

Nitro Disadvantages - You must have a general knowledge of 2 stroke engines to be able to start the engine, set the air/fuel mixture, set the idle, adjust the clutch, etc. My main point here is that they can be temperamental. They require constant adjustment to keep them running properly and at their optimum performance output. To some this is not a big deal, many enjoy constant tuning of their toys. Others don't. In my opinion, it can be very annoying at first but in no time, with the proper help, it becomes second nature.

The initial investment is higher can both be true and false. Generally speaking, to buy a complete nitro vehicle will cost you more than that of an electric one. This however does not take into consideration the number of battery packs that can be purchased in electric and the cost of the charging unit so I am not going to go into detail with regards to this one.

They are noisy. This is simple, if the noise will bother you or someone around you, nitro is not for you. In my opinion, a nitro vehicle sounds like a high pitched lawn mower. If you can't drive your RC car, others can't mow their lawns. :)

They require constant upkeep to keep them running properly. So does electric. You maintain your vehicle as much as you desire and can afford to. Nitro may require a little more maintenance because of the increased power, but I don't think this is a very large issue.

Electric - The advantage of electric are that they almost always work, they are quite, and the initial investment is cheaper. Disadvantages include: less power and less run time.

Electric Advantages - They almost always work. What I mean by this is that when you charge the battery and plug it into the speed control, the car will drive. You don't have to worry about starting the engine, glow plugs, fuel, setting the air/fuel mixture, tweaking the idle, etc. Electric is simple, charge the battery and go. This is good for people that like it simple. If you want to grab a drink, relax, and drive your car, get an electric one.

They are quite. This is as simple as mentioned above. If you don't like or can't handle the noise of a nitro vehicle, than electric is for you.

The initial investment is cheaper. As mentioned above, this seems to be true but there are too many variables to consider to be sure of this point. In any case, it seems that if you compare a complete setup of nitro to a complete setup of electric at most levels, the electric comes out cheaper.

Electric Disadvantages - Less power and less run time. I'm not going to repeat myself here. As mentioned above, the electric cars tend to have a little less power than the nitro and they definitely have less run time. If this is an issue for you, make your decision accordingly.

That's it, now that you know the main differences between nitro and electric power for RC cars, you can make an educated decision as to which is better for you. Ultimately the decision is yours but you should take into consideration the above points when trying to establish a solution. Don't let anyone tell you that one form of power is better than the other, this simply is not true. Both have pros and cons that must be examined to determine the best one for each individual preference.

Let's take off a few tenths per lap,

"PRO"