in the look for a nitro

[Sqwalerrr]

Ok so, i love running my losi high roller the smashing into walls, hitting jumps, but the bat never lasts as long as i would like it to.i have herd that nitro trucks are way cool and you grab some gear and a thing of fuel and head out to the field.

I never had a nitro before so first it should be durable and a good starter.

like stated before i love bashing so a good basher ,

ohh... And make if fast! i wana see the nabors dog pissed about seeing this thing

so if you could help me pick one out it would be grate

[civicsr2cool]

You want Fast eh? Schumacher is the way to go. Not easy to get parts though..

But in all reality, you might as well get one of Traxxas' lineup. SUPER noob friendly,

[Smoke&Mirrors]

Yeah I have two Traxxas RC's. One is an S-Maxx and the other is a 4-Tec. Nitro's can be very fast, but the thing with them is the tuning. Because the engines have carburetors you have to manually tune the high, low, and idle speed needles. This was always the hardest part for me. Some people are a natural at it or figure it out easily, but it was always such a problem for me it kept me from enjoying it rather than just running it. If you don't get the mixtures/needles right, then the engine will have a hard time starting. Then you might try pumping the lines by giving it a little throttle or blocking the intake to make a vacuum but wait, you've just flooded the engine!

I'm just saying that Nitro's can be fun, but a lot of people getting into them don't know that there can be just as much maintenance or work to get them going as electric cars. It isn't as simple as get some fuel, a starter (usually for traxxas vehivles with the EZ Start) and have at.

Oh and I forgot about the glow plugs too. This little engine needs a spark plug to ignite the fuel mixture just like the cylinder in a car and these plugs can go bad, but you need to know when and why in case that comes up and the vehicle won't start. Just to give you some information. Traxxas would definitely be my recommendation for you.

[PimpFloyd]

Based on what I've read...I don't think you could go wrong with a Traxxas Nitro Sport for a first nitro. I think they give you a CD to watch outlining every step for break-in too. I think Traxxas does an excellent job on documentation.

If you wanted something a little more powerful, you might look at a Nitro Rustler, although I thought I heard the 2.5R engine was a bit persnickety about tuning - I may be wrong on that and I have neither one - just what I read.

As always, you should consider where you will run vehicle this terrain-wise. A monster truck will always do better in grass than say, a buggy or stadium truck.

My first Nitro was an AE RC10GT2 - it's a great vehicle and I'm getting the hang of running it but it's really at home on a track and not really made for all purpose bashing IMO.

If you have patience and a basic understanding of combustion engines Nitro will come easy for you and they ARE fun! If you lack mechanical apptitude than just read alot, become a student on the subject. It may be a little work up front but it's worth it if you really want to get the most out of this facet of the hobby.

Good luck

PF

[Sqwalerrr]

I have read up on nitros for about a year and I know a lot about them and i realize that they can be tricky, But...

im very good at fine tuning and have all my electric RCs running at neer perfect settings.
and yea I might get a traxxas after all

[crazydave]

I have a Nitro Sport and its a good all around car. It's the one that's getting the most use around the track, but a couple points I'd like to point out. The Pro .15 motor is kinda of a dog. It runs hot, and Traxxas knows it, that why they tell you to only use Traxxas fuel, "to combat the high heat characteristics of the Pro .15" What this means is on a hot day you have to run it so rich it's blubbery. If you tune it to where it runs good, you'll blow it up. Also Traxxas likes to advertise a 38mph hour top speed, uh yeah, if a Revo is pushing it. It might eventually top out at that speed, but it's geared for top end and it actually feels sluggish on the track. The gearing also doesn't help the engine's heat problem.

I'd say you'd be better off with the Rustler because it has the larger 2.5R engine and bell crank steering, but for that price you could get an HPI Firestorm which is a better, more modern design that is better handling and easier to work on.

But now that I've said all that, you seemed focused on bashing, and while you can bash a stadium truck, that's not what they're best out, they're more for racing. If you want to bash, you want a monster truck, which would mean a TMaxx or Revo would probably be the way to go. Savages are great for bashing, but I would never race one. Personally I'd say best bang for the buck would be an OFNA 1/8th scale buggy. They usually run about 3 bills. Everyone at the track is running Ofnas and they seem to be working for them. An 1/8th scale is large enough you can bash it, but they are pure breed race cars so they handle like they're on rails, so if you happen to meet a group of racers and your bashing suddenly gets more serious, you'll be able to drive the car too.

[PimpFloyd]

Great info, Dave! I wasn't aware of the Traxxas .15 heat issues - good to know! I didn't realize you had a Sport either.

I finally got some time today to run a bottle of fuel thru my RC10...perfect evening, 78 degrees or so, I didn't have to change the tuning from my last run. Two pulls and I was making smoke, noise and dust - it was a blast!

My OEM rear pins are about shot so I picked up some Pro Line dirt hogs for it and I have RPM Torkerz wheels on order - can't wait

PF

[crazydave]

I have read up on nitros for about a year and I know a lot about them and i realize that they can be tricky, But...

im very good at fine tuning and have all my electric RCs running at neer perfect settings.
and yea I might get a traxxas after all

Ummm, there's not really anything to adjust on an electric car, just servo trims, and they work. Nitro cars are much more complicated and fussy. Sometimes there is more to it than just turning the needles. Like for instance, my Matrix was running blubbery all night, but I couldn't lean it out because it was running hot, I was baffled. The tuning guy at the track said I was too lean on the low end and too rich on the top. It turned out I had a pinhole in my fuel line, but by the time I realized that, I screwed my tuning up, and now it doesn't want to start, so now I have to revert to factory settings and re-tune... or my glow plug may have gone bad...

And I'm not trying to scare you away from nitro, just saying you really can't relate it back to your electric cars. They really require a lot of patience. I always bring my Speed-T with me so when all my nitro cars are frustrating me, I just run electric for a while.

[Sqwalerrr]

I have read up on nitros for about a year and I know a lot about them and i realize that they can be tricky, But...

im very good at fine tuning and have all my electric RCs running at neer perfect settings.
and yea I might get a traxxas after all

Ummm, there's not really anything to adjust on an electric car, just servo trims, and they work.

I mean the gear mesh and toe links and shock placements and oil and stuff like

[crazydave]

I have read up on nitros for about a year and I know a lot about them and i realize that they can be tricky, But...

im very good at fine tuning and have all my electric RCs running at neer perfect settings.
and yea I might get a traxxas after all

Ummm, there's not really anything to adjust on an electric car, just servo trims, and they work.

I mean the gear mesh and toe links and shock placements and oil and stuff like

Oh ok, well all that stuff is on a nitro car too, but now you have the added frustration of an engine to tune.

Like I said, I wasn't trying to scare you, I want you to get a nitro car. I just wanted to make sure you were aware of what you're in for so you don't have an unsatisfying first experience.

Oh and BTW, go for something with a Roto Start. I've got blisters on my fingers, and my knuckles are all chewed up from yanking on pull starts so much.

EDIT: Since PF mentioned that he didn't know I had a Nitro Sport, I realized I don't think I have mentioned it here. I reviewed it in the June issue of RC Driver. I've added an RPM front bumper and a taller 72tooth spur. Otherwise it's pretty much stock, save for a few decals and the plug I wired into the switch so I could use hump packs with it.

[Sqwalerrr]

do you guys have any thoughts about the nitro stampede?

[crazydave]

do you guys have any thoughts about the nitro stampede?

The Stampede's chassis design lends itself well to bashing. My first RC was a Stampede and I love them, but the Nitro Stampede... well once again we have that Pro .15 engine, and personally I'm not a fan, but then we have some excruciatingly hot weather here.


Here's some food for thought, Nitro Stampede, $275:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wt ... US3**&P=ML


...or for $5 less you can get this Robitronic Protos 1/8 buggy. It includes the glow starter and fuel bottle, which will further save you money, and it has an Axial .28 which what everyone at the track is upgrading their engines to. (though I believe this is a different "spec" version, it should still be a reliable engine)

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wt ... XPGD2&P=ML

[Sqwalerrr]

it doesn't get to hot up here in upper Michigan so would the stampede work ok up here?
or would i just be better off getting a t-maxx or revo
and if so witch of those should i get? help?

[rccrawlking]

i would get a tmaxx its a nice truck and has tons of aftermarket support it was my firs nitro but i had a 2.5 not a 3.3 and its 4wd

[crazydave]

If you got the money, go for the T-maxx or Revo.

I want a Revo!