Nitro Cars

By: Michael Vanderhooft

I’m going to compare the different types and styles of nitro RC cars.  I will also compare the different engine sizes and the differences in transmissions and how they affect your RC vehicles performance.  I'll also tell you price differences and some suggestions on beginner cars.

To start off, I’ll tell about my Nitro Car. It is a RedCat buggy with a one-speed transmission, which means that it has one single speed, so it doesn’t shift as you're accelerating, and a 2.67cc single piston engine which can bring the car up to 55 mph or even faster if you have the engine properly tuned.  I really enjoy this car and would recommend it to anyone looking for a first car, but there are even better choices for a first timer.  Such as the RedCat Tornado (which is also a buggy) which has a 2 speed transmission, so it shifts as it is speeding up to lower the rpm’s of the engine so the car can go even faster than a single speed transmission car.  It also has a 3.0cc engine, so it is a little bit bigger, so it can go faster than my model.  But if you are a first timer and don’t want to spend as much the shockwave is a much better price retailing at $159.9 whereas the tornado retails at $199.99.

Buggy cars a great for simple off-roading such as gravel, sand, dirt, or shallow mud, but really aren’t good on grass because their suspension system rides so low and it only has about an inch of clearance.

Another choice would be a drift car, which has the body style of a street car, but they have completely bald tires and are great for driving on streets and parking lots.  They are also great for driving in places with tight corners because they are great for drifting.  Even though I can't speak from personal experience, I have done a lot of research on this car and knowing the brand name I’m sure it’s top quality, this would be the RedCat Lightning which is a drift car with a 2.67cc engine and a two speed transmission and probably maxes out a little over 60 mph.  This car has plenty of power for driving on streets and would be a ton of fun driving on parking lots drifting, or doing donuts.  This car retails at $179.99 but that price is well worth it for what you'll be getting.  I’m sure that there are plenty of different options out there for drift cars but I am just presenting the options I know of and the brand name that I trust.

Another great option for a Nitro car is a Monster truck style.  These are great for any kind of off roading because of their high suspension and power for driving on grass, gravel, sand, dirt, and mud. Of course once you've mastered driving them they are a ton of fun to jump off of ramps.  Also, don't worry these things have an aluminum chassis and oil filled spring shocks so jumping them won't hurt it at all unless you land nose down.  A great option for a beginner Nitro Monster Truck is the RedCat Volcano which has a 3.0cc engine and has eight oil filled shocks and four wheel drive for top notch jumping and off road performance. This model retails at $229.99 and is an amazing beginner car.  However if it doesn’t provide enough speed for you, you can always purchase the RedCat Caldera which is the same as the Volcano but instead of having single speed transmission it has a two speed to provide just a little bit more speed. Another difference is that instead of having eight tiny oil filled shocks it has four bigger shocks to provide even better performance  for landing your jumps.  But, of course, for having those tiny performance upgrades its retail price is $249.99 vs. $229.99.

So as you can see there are many different options for Nitro cars and different types for different things.  If you are a total beginner at Nitro cars, I would suggest either the shockwave or the Tornado because they are the cheapest you can get for off road cars.  However if you live in a place that your only option for driving is cement, I would suggest a drift car with a two speed transmission for just that little extra boost of speed.  If you are planning on doing a lot of driving on your lawn I would suggest that you go with the monster trucks because they ride pretty high off the ground so it can't get caught up in the grass as easily as the buggy can. I know that I only used RedCat cars in this essay but that is because this is the brand of my car I know that they will give you the top quality for money.