Petrol RC Cars
Archive for August, 2009Welcome. This is the first post on a site that will be dedicated to petrol RC cars. In fact it will go beyond the small boundary of petrol RC cars and encompass nitro RC cars as well as the more commonly known electric RC cars. When most people think of RC cars (RC being remote controlled or radio controlled, usually the latter) they think of the sort of small, battery powered toy that they probably got as a gift when they were a kid, or that they have given to their own children. They will likely remember these as fairly pathetic machines that had a slow top speed, designed exclusively for indoor use and breaking down or getting boring after a few days. This is because this is the sort of RC car that toy stores the world over commonly sell, as, like with many of their other products, they are cheap, the only criteria that many toy buyers seem to have in mind. The difference between these and the fully fledged models available at proper hobby shops is like night and day. There are three main types, electric RC cars, nitro RC cars and petrol RC cars. The electric RC cars available from hobby stores are a far cry from the ones found at most toy shops. They offer the best acceleration of the three types but lack the top end speed of the petrol RC cars or the nitro RC cars. In saying this however, they are by no means slow, with speeds getting up past 40mph in some of the top models. Another major advantage for electric RC cars is that they are able to be used indoors, being without the exhaust fumes necessitated by the other two types. They are also generally cheaper, being made of less complicated components, so offer a good starting point to the hobby. There is also the factor of noise. Electric RC cars, like all contraptions with an electric motor, elicit a high pitch whine when running. This is especially true when taking electric RC cars up to full throttle. Some may find this annoying and thus label it as a disadvantage, but it is darn sight less noisy than both nitro RC cars and petrol RC cars, some of which can be deafening when at speed. It is generally however a deeper sound, more akin to normal racing cars which to many, may be desirable. Nitro RC cars are the most common type among the serious RC car racing enthusiast. They offer much more power than electric models, some getting up past 80mph, but they take slightly longer to get there than said electric models due to a centrifugal clutch. In saying that the acceleration you can get from one of these is amazing. easily outstripping any conventional car. Many models can do 0-60mph in less than two seconds, and some can do it in just over one. The downside to nitro RC cars is the fuel, a mixture of methanol, oil and nitro methane. This can only be found in hobby stores, and is quite expensive. Every cloud has its silver lining though, and in this case it is the fact that unlike electric RC cars, where if the battery dies you either have to put another one in or wait hours for it to recharge, with Nitro RC cars (and obviously also with petrol RC cars), if the fuel runs out you can just put more in. The final type is of course petrol RC cars, also known as gas powered RC cars. These are more or less the same as nitro RC cars, sharing the same advantages and disadvantages but for a few exceptions. The first is that they run on ordinary petrol, the type that you fill your normal, passenger car up with. This means that they are much cheaper and convenient to run, and is the major reason why people choose petrol RC cars over nitro RC cars. They are also usually larger than the nitro models, with most being being 1:5 scale, the other two types generally 1:8 to 1:24 scale, making them almost a metre in length, and therefore are definitely not suitable for the learner driver. In saying that however, there is something immensely satisfying about driving something that large at speed in wide open areas, not having to care about health and safety, and then simply filling it up when more petrol (gas) is needed. So they are the three broad types of radio controlled cars; electric RC cars, nitro RC cars and petrol RC cars. Within each of these there are some fairly standard subclasses, such as on-road or off-road, trucks, buggies, rally, racing etc. The hobby encompasses so much, and has something to appeal to almost everyone. Once you try it, once you step up from the kids toys of your youth, up to hobby level, powerful machines, there really is no going back. It is addicting. A whole world of fun will open up before you. Some of you may have heard about the case of two boys in Newcastle, England who where playing with a RC car (albeit not in the usual way, snails were involved somehow), set it alight, and then poured petrol over it. The obvious outcome of doing this to those with any common sense is an explosion, a lesson the boys have now learnt, each suffering serious burns. This incident has prompted me to right this short post on the safety of petrol RC cars, especially in regard to children, a term used here to mean any persons under the age of 15. As much fun as petrol RC cars undoubtedly are, should parents buy their children, or allow their children, to play with them? There are a number of issues that must be considered to answer that question. The first is that petrol RC cars are fast and highly maneuverable. This is exactly what they are designed to be. It is also this that makes them potentially dangerous in the hands of a child, as quick and accurate judgements have to be made so as to avoid objects and people that may be about. This is one of the reasons why in most countries their are laws prohibiting people from driving until they are 17. Rapid fire judgements do not come naturally to children. Sure their reaction times are generally at least as good as most adults, but they lack the capacity to think through possible outcomes of their actions. This is why they cannot be held criminally responsible until the age of 14 in many countries. It is also why the two boys did not predict the outcome of their actions. Do you really want somebody who is incapable of planning ahead controlling a fairly large, swiftly moving object in an area where there are other people, or indeed any sort of obstacle? Think carefully about this, especially if the car in question cost a fair amount of dough and many hours of careful work. Another is the fact that the fuel is highly flammable. It has long been common wisdom to keep matches and lighters away from children, so why allow them to play with petrol? Assumably they had set the car alight in the first place with one of the former, which begs the question of how adept the parents were but nevertheless, petrol is a dangerous thing at the best of times, and anything which requires it should not be in the hands of children without adult supervision . I remember as a child by dad throwing petrol on a bonfire to bring it back from the brink, and the result was a sudden and huge burst of flames, far more than what I was expecting. And this was with less than a cup of the stuff! Children love to experiment, it is how they learn. It is best though that they learn certain things from others, instead of this experimental manner. In the ends it really comes down to how much supervision you are willing to provide, how old your children are and how responsible you believe your children to be. If they are under eight I wouldn’t recommend petrol RC cars under any circumstances. Instead get them learning the ropes on an electric model, something safe, not too expensive, but still nippy enough to let them get the feel for controlling a proper RC car. Something like this would do nicely. Above this age I would still generally recommend an electric model, but with proper supervision and proper warnings (i.e. talk to them about the differences between electric and nitro or petrol RC cars, why petrol is dangerous etc) they could be allowed to use your petrol model when you get it out. Over 12 would be my minimum safe age for use of a petrol RC car on their own, but only if they have gone through the previous steps I’ve just outlined (one of the boys that got badly burnt was 12). After they’ve gained sufficient experience, you could, as an extra special present buy them something like this. A ShengQi 1/5th Scale Petrol RC Monster Truck! The world of radio controlled cars is a very fun and addicting hobby. Firstly you have a choice; should you go for electric, nitro or petrol RC cars, all of which can be fully customisable and tunable, offer a great amount of speed and most importantly are all a lot of fun! In this post I am going to look at why electric cars are a good starting choice, even if you are dying to race around with a nitro or petrol model. For somebody new to the hobby of RC car racing, the best place to start is with a smallish electric RC car, ideally a 1:24 or 1:16 scale model, which makes for a manageable size that lets you gat the feel for RC cars without spending exorbitant amounts of money. This last point is especially important, as you don’t want to be spending too much on something that you are almost guaranteed to crash. It would be like buying a £200 000 Lamborghini as your teenage sons first ever car. It just isn’t wise. You need the experience before stepping up to the next level. Most electric RC cars have a top speed of around 25mph, with the best maxing out at around the 40mph mark, which makes it perfect for beginners. Having a slower top speed means that it is safer to drive, and means you can get used to how a RC car behaves, hopefully meaning you will learn how to not crash into anything. Even if the top speed is a little limited, electric RC cars tend to accelerate faster than nitro RC cars or petrol RC cars and have better throttle response times, meaning that it will do what you tell it to almost instantly. The electric RC car is safer not only in the fact that its being slower speed means it is less likely to hurt somebody or the family pet, but it avoids the use of flammable fuels (petrol or nitro) making it much safer for use by children. It also has the added bonus of being able to be used indoors, being not too large, fast, nor encouraging death the way exhaust fumes have this nasty habit of doing. Apart from being cheaper to buy than the other RC car types, as mentioned previously, they are also by far the cheapest to run needing only a battery pack to power the motor, and requiring some batteries for the controller. This is especially true in the world of today, with petrol prices only forecast to rise. Most electric RC cars run a 7.2 volt rechargeable battery pack which consists of six AA batteries in series, or a lithium polymer (LiPo) battery pack. LiPo battery packs usually hold more charge and charge faster, but are also more expensive and need more carful handling than a normal battery pack. When your electric RC car car runs out of power, all you need to do is replace the battery pack (if you own a spare, which is highly advisable) or plug the battery into the recharger for 15-30 minutes, and then you’re good to go again. There are two other major points to note about electric RC cars. The first is that they are not nearly as complex as their nitro or petrol counterparts. They consist of an electric motor to turn the wheels, a far more simple device to understand than a petrol engine, and thus do not require much in the way of tuning, especially at the beginner level. This means that you waste no time getting started and actually having fun with your car. The second is the noise level. If you have ever witnessed a nitro or petrol RC car running you will know that they are unbelievably noisy, far more so than your average lawn mower, and more akin to that of a chainsaw. Electric cars are quiet, and will draw no complaints from neighbours or visits from the noise police if you just happened to fancy a late night race in your back yard. After you have gotten used to an electric RC car, and what you’re really after is more speed you can upgrade it either a faster, more expensive electric model or step-up to a nitro RC car or petrol RC car. This is entirely an individual choice however. Some hobbyists stay with electric RC cars for their entire lives, never needing the extra speed or indeed extra aggravation that come with petrol or nitro models. They are perfectly content with the electric’s cleaner, quieter and all in all more peaceful experience. Petrol RC Cars (and by this I don’t mean Nitro, see here for the difference) are far more than just toys. They are quite large (in fact very large compared to stock standard electric RC cars available at toy stores) with most being 1:5 scale models, so you really get the sense that you are controlling something of substance. Something that will make a sizable dent if things get out of hand, and not only in your wallet. Petrol RC cars, unlike the electric RC cars, are for serious drivers, and should only be tackled once experience has been gained in there smaller nitro or electric counterparts. If you are interested in RC cars and feel that electric RC cars are a bit slow and boring, then the petrol RC car is a great step-up. Though they are generally the most expense of the three types of RC cars to buy up-front they are actually far cheaper and easier than Nitro RC cars to run in the long-term, as they run on standard petrol (gas) that your everyday car runs on. A standard petrol RC car will last a little under half an hour on a single tank of fuel, but once it does run out, you can just fill it up again, and get back to the fun in seconds. This convenience is one that the electric RC cars just can’t match, unless you opt to invest in multiple sets of batteries. Most petrol RC cars have a 23cc to 26cc engine that gives the petrol RC car grunt that the electric RC cars can’t rival. Electric RC cars can accelerate faster, but their top speed of 40mph pales in comparison to what some petrol RC cars can achieve - in excess of 80mph. This speed makes the petrol RC car a whole lot more fun (in experienced hands), but also a lot more nerve-wracking, especially on that first day out. Obviously with this speed comes incredibly spectacular crashes, which might look great, but will quickly cause despair for the owner when he realises his pride and joy, that he saved for months to buy, is effectively a write-off. It is therefore advisable to make sure you can handle the speed of an electric RC car before you move on to the far more powerful petrol RC car. The petrol RC car, like all RC cars comes in two distinct groups; the on-road and the off-road. Most though, because of the size and weight of a petrol engine, are the latter. If you do take the on-road option, there is the pleasure of racing your car as fast as possible around a track against your rivals, or on any smooth concrete surface. Obviously though, this can be very limiting, and the desire to go anywhere may be just too strong, which is where the off-road option comes in. These are immensely fun, and all manner of jumps and other obstacles can be set up to really test these models out. Going flat out in a field, tearing the the earth up at every corner is amazing to behold, and even more amazing to the one actually doing it. Summing this all up, petrol RC cars are incredibly fun in experienced hands. Their running costs make them a very attractive option compared to nitro RC cars, and their convenience in refilling is unmatchable by their electric counterparts. |
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