R/C racing

[vossman]

Anyone here race r/c cars? Looking to get into racing and wanted to ask some question.

[Colorado_Outback]

What kind of racing? I know some people into Rally and Crawlers.

[vossman]

Off-road type stuff. There's a track downtown that's was pretty cool and I know there are a few tracks in Denver.

[Colorado_Outback]

Oh yeah, ive been to that track down town once before. Don't really know anyone whos into the trophy truck style racing but the CRC rally series is pretty cool if your into cars.

I have a cobbled together Crawler King that's a lot of fun.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/t31.0-8/q84/p417x417/10494978_1513179555580554_1465107104620345113_o.jp g

[vossman]

That's pretty sweet, I've never seen a rock crawler car before.

[Colorado_Outback]

The rally series is tons of fun according to my buddy.
I havnt been to one but his little lancer is fun to drive.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/10806303_1576582992561471_9055722444579471044_n.jp g?oh=d2ca43d35d10cc27a92af6af50a8bb7e&oe=5518BD28&__gda__=1423077399_babad61093e921f7299762c2bbdb14d 0

Check out
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Colorado-Rally-Championship-RC/1412695425616896

If your on facebook.

[OtterbatHellcat]

Hell, that stuff is cool.

I've been tempted to get into it before. I did get an RC heli a few years ago, but wrecked enough that I took a break from it. lol.

[Bunny]

Check out MHOR RC in Aurora, it's super fun. I recommend starting off with a Traxxas slash, check them out. You can go there any day of the week and watch people race the buggies, and the slash

[Bunny]

If you have any questions go ahead and PM me. I have raced up there a couple times and out of 15 people I came in 15th. Pretty good LOL

[Colorado_Outback]

Just remember.. Like guns or any other hobby it can get out of hand in a hurry :)

[Bunny]

And expensive lol

[Rooskibar03]

Check out MHOR RC in Aurora, it's super fun. I recommend starting off with a Traxxas slash, check them out. You can go there any day of the week and watch people race the buggies, and the slash

This. I raced every wends night at MHOR a few years back and it was fun hanging out with friends, tinkering with the toys. Don't think I left without at least a $50 tab every night.

Traxxas as is the way to start. Parts are cheap and readily available. Much like any hobby it can get expensive if you dive into it. I spent thousands on trucks, parts, accessories, batteries, the works. Last year after it sitting for long enough I sold it to a guy at work for his kids, pennies on the dollar in resale.

[vossman]

I may buy a used one. Found a few forums that can probably answer my questions. I'll check out the slash too.
Where is that rally race? That's what I'd like to do except with a truck.

[Colorado_Outback]

I think most of the CRC Rally races are held around the Denver area.

[Rooskibar03]

I may buy a used one. Found a few forums that can probably answer my questions. I'll check out the slash too.
Where is that rally race? That's what I'd like to do except with a truck.

Do yourself a favor and avoid someone else's problems. Unless you know the selling and how they treated the truck you'll spend as much In paets as a new one quick.

[KAPA]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJwFXm3W21o

Am hoping the wife picks up on my hints over the past few months and one of these is under the tree in a few weeks. If not, I will be making a post-xmas trip to pick one up. This thing is bad ass!

[Rooskibar03]

Man this thread is giving me the itch. The Slash is a solid basher, and an ok racing truck. If you go that route leave it stock and enjoy it. As soon as you start modifing stuff, something else breaks, you update that part and the next thing goes. Probably the best RTR truck for first timers.

[newracer]

I raced on-road for years. Got into 1/8th scale buggy for a little while. Spent a lot of money.

I would recommend starting in a spec class to keep the cost down when you start.

[Stevensje]

Get a revo nitro. The thing is tough as nails.

[Mazin]

RC anything is fun but Expensive!
I have been flying RC Airplanes on and off since I was about 6. I got into nitro cars (hpi rs4) with my wife about 10 years ago and it was fun but I get way more enjoyment out of my Axial Ax10 or my Wraith. Just got the Axial Wraith as a gift and so far the thing is pretty solid, haven't broke anything yet.


ETA: Don't forget to ad some Lipos and Charger / Balancer.

[KS63]

What an ironic thread as I just got back into 1:10 scale R/C buggies. Almost done with my first kit and it's too nice to run. Probably going to step up the program and go 1/8 scale electric. I have no clue as to what I'm doing, but I guess that makes it exciting? LOL. I would be up for checking out an indoor off-road race near Aurora. I'd like to know what kind of kits and equipment they run. Who's down for doing this?

[Colorado_Outback]

And then there is this thing..
https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/983819_4882534318501_7376175187231191061_n.jpg?oh= 8dfd23ce95d1ffc896522d0a5ad63e7f&oe=551343EE

[speedysst]

Ive been racing on road since around 1999 but off road isn't nearly as expensive. Try RCTech.net forums. There's a whole section for Colorado racing including venues, race dates, etc. Seriously though, its is very difficult to break a Traxxas Slash and Ive tried. Ive upgraded a few things but that was stuff that needed replacement anyway. Keep in mind that water-resistant does NOT mean water proof and fine sand makes its way into suspension pieces! Trust me on this.

[BPTactical]

This guy should be able to give you some solid info: RCCrawler

[RCCrawler]

This guy should be able to give you some solid info: RCCrawler

Haha, yea I've been into RC stuff for 30 years. As the name implies my main area of interest is RCCrawlers, in addition to owning rccrawler.com I also own rcshortcourse.com and rclargescale.com.

Sounds like what you might be interested in most is a shortcourse truck. Traxxas are known for being tough rtr's that are easy to get going and very durable, they are not as tunable, therefore they are not widely used in the racing world. If you want an rc to go out and beat on with your friends, hit big jumps and have a good time Traxxas is a good choice, if you want to go out and be competitive racing you'll want to look at other options. When I was racing regularly at MHOR I was using an HPI Blitz, it is kind of the happy medium of the toughness of the traxxas, and the tune ability of the more race inspired rigs like Losi, ect.

I've got a brand new in the box Losi xxx-sct truck that is RTR, never been opened I might be interested in selling. http://www.losi.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=LOSB0108 I'm pretty sure I have a brushless system that could drop into it as well.

As far as crawlers you cannot go wrong with anything Axial sells, they are a blast. The SCX-10 platform is great if you're into the smaller more scale looking rigs, and the Wraith and Yeti are awesome choices if you like to go a little faster. I have hosted crawling competitions all over the country, and started and ran the Colorado series for years. Crawling is where my heart is, it's a ton of fun to just go out on a trail with your buddies and have a good time.

Here is a pic of my son and a couple trucks I built for us at a competition we went to in October in Oklahoma. These are SCX-10 based trucks.
https://scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10514526_10153231811528272_3668622441567758976_n.j pg?oh=f9453d57030917cead8b14c82c9b5dfc&oe=55197722

Here is one shelf in my RC Area of the basement. I may have a small problem...

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/v/t1.0-9/1012735_10152429661233272_241111606_n.jpg?oh=f119a e965da1698e58960bd3f58581c3&oe=5509B760&__gda__=1426676024_66dad84f1c537ed3ae58507d9b72617 a

[RCCrawler]

PS: Word of advice, no matter how temping it may be, stay away from nitro at all costs. Now days with brushless power and lipo batteries they can't use the excuse that nitro is faster anymore. Nitro is frustrating, you end up spending half of your time tuning on the thing, cleaning up the greasy mess, ect. Just not worth it at all.

[two shoes]

I loved me some racing in the late 80's and early 90's. I started off with a Tamiya Blackfoot, then a JRX10, the RC10, RC10T... then got out of it... I still have some parts and enough to put together a car and truck... I'd have to relearn the motors and batteries, but I LOVED offroad. Hell, even tried some sprint car dirt oval.

[Snowman78]

I have have been into RC for about 12 years now and Brushless with lipo is the Shit!!

[KS63]

Any of you guys know much about 1/8 electric buggy Kits? Don't really like the RTR stuff as I enjoy building things. Need some opinions on Kits like the Team Associated R8.2E Factory Team, Tekno EB48.2 and Xray XB8E Luxury. Thanks

[Mazin]

PS: Word of advice, no matter how temping it may be, stay away from nitro at all costs. Now days with brushless power and lipo batteries they can't use the excuse that nitro is faster anymore. Nitro is frustrating, you end up spending half of your time tuning on the thing, cleaning up the greasy mess, ect. Just not worth it at all.


+1
This is good advice. I still have to run nitro on some of my older planes because the size and I'm to poor to convert to electric. I remember the mess I use to have when I had the HPI nitro cars, they constantly gathered up more dirt and crap then any of my electric Trucks. Lipos are nothing to shrug at power wise. I would suggest studying up on Lipos and learning all the lingo and handling instructions because you don't want to keep spending the money to keep replacing battery's. Also be careful as Lipos can go boom if not properly charged and handled. I have had a Triton2 EQ ever since it came out 4+ years ago and it's a great charger and easy to work with.

[speedysst]

http://www.rcnews.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/EP-8th-Buggy-Catches-Fire-on-Track-660x399.jpg

Lipo fire!

[newracer]

PS: Word of advice, no matter how temping it may be, stay away from nitro at all costs. Now days with brushless power and lipo batteries they can't use the excuse that nitro is faster anymore. Nitro is frustrating, you end up spending half of your time tuning on the thing, cleaning up the greasy mess, ect. Just not worth it at all.

This for sure. Constant tuning the engine is what turned me off from 1/8th scale buggy.

[Snowman78]

Any of you guys know much about 1/8 electric buggy Kits? Don't really like the RTR stuff as I enjoy building things. Need some opinions on Kits like the Team Associated R8.2E Factory Team, Tekno EB48.2 and Xray XB8E Luxury. Thanks

I like the Tekno EB48.2, with a Castle Creations motor and ESC http://www.castlecreations.com/products/products_drive.html

[sniper7]

I'll add as well to watch out for nitro. Always messing with the engine, hot and cold temps affect it a good bit, noisy, spill fuel and gets oil everywhere, not to mention buying expensive gas. On the flip side, the nitro was a heck of a lot of fun though!

I still have several nitro r/c planes. Lot lower rpms and the engines last a heck of a lot longer and much easier to tune and not worry about dust and dirt entering the carb.

[Stevensje]

I have both and prefer running my smelly Nitro to bash. The brushless lipos are fast, but very expensive. I can always start my nitro after it's been sitting for a year. Who has time to do organized racing anyways?

[vossman]

Thanks for the info guys. Nitro is out, the HOA won't have anything to do with that. It was an issue before with a neighbor. The Slash looks really cool. I'll check it out.

[KAPA]

Thanks for the info guys. Nitro is out, the HOA won't have anything to do with that. It was an issue before with a neighbor. The Slash looks really cool. I'll check it out.


The battery tech has really come a long way in the last decade. Hence all the quad copters and stuff out there that people call drones. To me, the slash seems like the best one on the market that is ready out of the box. Plus anything that breaks can easily be found online or at local shops. This tends to be a problem with many other brands as you just cant get parts for them.

[Snowman78]

Thanks for the info guys. Nitro is out, the HOA won't have anything to do with that. It was an issue before with a neighbor. The Slash looks really cool. I'll check it out.

Slash is great! We have 3 (two 4wd and one 2wd) lots of fun!!
Here is a great site for batterys and charges:
http://www.hobbypartz.com/
or
http://www.hobbyking.com

[speedysst]

The other nice thing about the Slash is there are a TON of aftermarket parts for it and you can also get one in 4wd.

[CHA-LEE]

You need to figure out what you want to do up front. Do you want to "Race" or just "Play". Depending on what you want to do will dramatically change what equipment to get.

[Snowman78]

The other nice thing about the Slash is there are a TON of aftermarket parts for it and you can also get one in 4wd.

Right, I have about $850.00 in mine (Aftermarket ESC, Motor, Motor mount, Center diff , Raido & receiver, Full pro-line shocks with RPM a-arms, wheels & tires, ect)
It is the best of both (race and bash)!

[CHA-LEE]

You can polish a turd to make it "Race Ready", but its still a turd.

If you are going to Race, you need to get the correct equipment.

If you are going to Play, that is a totally different situation.

[speedysst]

So why is a Slash a "turd?" That sounds entirely snobbish. Im sorry, how many Traxxas "turds" have sold? Which brand spurred an entire class of trucks and buggies? How many companies copied Traxxas's "turd?"
You can polish a turd to make it "Race Ready", but its still a turd.

If you are going to Race, you need to get the correct equipment.

If you are going to Play, that is a totally different situation.

[vossman]

Well it is my intention to race it, I think I'll go to the track and find someone who is willing to let me drag them down with questions and stuff. The track owner probably can point me to a good driver/customer. He has been plenty helpful so far. He's recommended me a truck and said he has some good used part/motors that I could get to save $$. No used cars or radios but he said they're out there if I look.

[CHA-LEE]

So why is a Slash a "turd?" That sounds entirely snobbish. Im sorry, how many Traxxas "turds" have sold? Which brand spurred an entire class of trucks and buggies? How many companies copied Traxxas's "turd?"

You obviously haven't spent much time at the RC RACING track. The Slash is NOT a competitive racing platform and that fact can be enforced by observing how many Slash trucks are NOT winning races.

if it's not winning races its a Turd in the racing world. Don't kill the messenger. I am just stating the facts.

[Rooskibar03]

I spent a fortune modifing my Slash, to the point it was like a NASCAR, the body was about the only thing left. It was stupid fast and just as hard to control and I broke parts non stop. One night I bought a SC10 to play with the cool kids and I turned better times with a bone stock truck than the FrankenSlash.

I ran that SC10 in the spec class and had a blast. Bought one of the first HPI Blitz when they came out and it became my modified class truck. That thing was a beast, handled like it was on rails.

I ended up parting out the Slash and moved on. When they release the 4x4 version I bought another one and it was the same thing, great basher, not so much on the track.

I also got one of the first E-Revos when that came out. That was tne ultimate basher. That truck would go through anything and with a Castle Brushless set up it screamed. But it was to big for the track and I never had time to go out and just play.

Good times. Lots of money spent, but some good memories.

[colorider]

I have owned just about every 10th scale truck out there. By far my favorite is the losi 22sct.

[lllRorlll]

I MAY be looking to get out of it... I just do not have the time any longer..
i got into the short course thing... I have associated -10th scale buggy/ and short course..
2 lipos-charger- power supply
extra parts ... Hit me up and we can talk!

[KS63]

Heading out to MHORRC around 3:00pm today (Saturday) to check out the 1/10 racing and the hobby store if anyone wants to meet up for a bit.

[vossman]

Dang, I wish I saw this earlier.

[Roger Ronas]

Back in the 80's-90's ran 1/8 scale nitro onroad cars. Full on race cars considered to be the formula one of RC racing. Ran a 4wd Picco Integra with 3.5cc enging that produced about 2.5hp. 50% nitro. 2 and sometimes 3 speed transmissions. Fully adjustable suspension. Would go about 50 real MPH. My brother and some friensds and I entered a 24 hour enduro down in Albuquerque and took first place. We had more than double the laps of 2nd place.
Tires would last about 20 minutes, quick change axles, fast fill fuel guns. It was as real as ful scale racing but without the danger of driver getting hurt ( most times) that is a different story though

Roger

[py_223]

I have the Slash 4X4 Platinum and I can tell you it is a pretty solid short course truck. I do not baby it all and bash it around a lot. So far, I have not broken anything on it. Putting a 2 cell lipo in it increased performance significantly. I also just bought a Losi 8ight-e buggy. It is a 1/8th scale buggy with most of the same components as the Losi 8ight 3.0. So far, it looks to be a pretty stout buggy. We shall see when I take it to the track at Remote Control Hobbies in Littleton. Their track is ok but it is a lot fun to play around on.

Paul