My Great TC EP vs Nitro Debate
 

**EDIT**

Ok, I'll pose a simpler Question:
T1FK05 or NTC3 Factory Kit?
I need a new kit, which would you go with?

My opinion.
 

Get: Xray battery mobile...because gas sucks and blows... ;)

Honestly, I ran a season of nitro and quickly learned to HATE it. Nasty, oily, dirty, grimy things, nitro cars are.

One good hack and goodbye $130.00 tuned pipe. Plus the expense of running foams on asphalt.

Bah to nitro...go electric.:D

Ahh the debate.........:lol:


Well all the answers will be biased. You either like it or hate it.

I personally run both EP and Nitro. I do that because I can afford to. Choose between one class or the other. It's what you like not what people tell you. In the end you are the one paying for it.

Cheers

BillyG

I race electric and gas and really enjoy both, they are 2 totally different disciplines.

It's like comparing Aussie V8 Supercars to BTCC cars, the ultimate pace isn't much different they just go about it in different ways.

I love my electric cars on the infield at my track, but there is nothing like getting the corner onto the main straight just right and launching the gas car down the straight at warp speed :D

it should be more like xray tk05 or serpent 710 the ntc3 has nothin on the serpent i run a fully decked out serpent the performance parts not the hey they look pritty parts hoped up tk04 car as well i had a factory team ntc3 since i got the 710
my ntc3 hasent left the shelf since anyway i like both but id go electric if i had to chose one or the other case less thins go wrong in electrice but i love the fact the nitro car is a land missle

I had the Team Magic G4 for awhile and it was ok despite the steering problem I liked it. With nitro on-road you get to drive a little 2-speed ballistic missile that you have to balance the throttle and brake control a little more than electric. But I have noticed since I have jumped into electric touring, bodies doesn't have to be replaced as often because of the nitro exhaust. Then you have the foams wearing down and getting the whole car really dirty and oily. Maintenance becomes and issue. There's alot more of it.

I've only raced my electric two times since I got it, but it seems a heck of alot easier to drive fast. I still haven't tried a mod motor in there. But I am sold on electric touring.

believe it or not,i love the maintenance!!!! :D :D .

so taking into account maintanace, foam tires and bodies, nitro is more expensive than electric?
Wow, I thought electric would be more.
I always hear nitro guys saying how they hated dealing with the batteries and dynos and battery maintanance and tuning.
They seem to say that with nitro you just put gas in it and go.
But from what you guys are saying, it is a little more difficult than that?

I've done both, and both classes are high maintence. Both type of racers will say either:

just plug in a battery and go
or
just put in fuel and go

It's both BS. Both are expensive. The only difference in price is that with nitro you HAVE to have new tires every run or so, and in electric it is optional, but of course, someone does. Both classes use dyno's. Both use batteries. Both use chargers.

I like electric much more b/c it is more precise, and you know it will work next time you turn on the car. Unlike with nitro where the engine goes through changes while it sits on the workbench. How about this: Electric is more maintence off the race track, and nitro is more maintence on the race track.

BTW: Who won the U.S. Nationals HPI Pro 4 and HPI R40:tire: :tire:

Price for running electric TC is getting out of hand. Put it this way, a new FK05 kit is $400 vs. $600 for a Mugen MRX-4, only $200 difference. And the price you have to buy batteries (6 packs of batteries is easily $360) and motors (another $150), that's about the price of an RB C5 and pipe. Then you got support equipment to buy, at least 2 chargers, PS, lathe..... Price of TC foams and rubbers are actually more than 1/8 tires! And no, whoever tells you you need new tires for every run doesn't know what the heck is going on. For club racing, I run a set of tires every race race weekend and half, and might even be able to do 2 race weekends. The only battery involved is my starter box, which is beat up old packs and charged the night before, and my receiver pack which only needs to be charged once per race day using a cheap old charger, don't need a GFX to charge a battery like that. And dyno for nitro??? Who does that? Keep in mind, I have 1/8th gas in my mind now, if you run 1/10 200mm, it's a bit cheaper.

I run 1/10 electric and 1/12th because it's a good tuning tool for my summer 1/8th racing. You just can't beat 30 mins or even 45 mins Mains and going 55mph on a permanent track is just way too cool.

It takes a bit more to run nitro simply you need to know about clutch and motor which believe it or not clutch is the #1 important thing and people don't even know it.

Dom

Good Point.
I might just piss off my wife and get a nitro and the new X-ray.
I was also thinking about the R40 but they don't have the 2004 kit available here in the US.
Are they releasing it this year in the states or just passing us up?

I think it depends what everyone is running at your local track. If there's tons of ep cars, I'd get one to join the masses. As for me, I like both. Both takes lots of work and preparation. When it comes to driving, electric is more linear while nitro you aim and throttle in rapid succession. Both are fun to drive especially there's lots of drivers to compete with. If you're starting, I'd get a kit with lots of parts availability and I would suggest AE TC4 or NTC3. Parts are cheap and they're very competitive. Once you get more experienced and skill then you'll know what kit to get to be a killer racer. Good luck and I know it's a tough decision.

double post sorry

Yeah, top of both classes, Billy Easton also showed up at Nats last year with a charger worth more than I have on my whole entire bench, how do you compare then? We are talking club racing here, not going to Worlds or Nats. I'm sorry, but not EVERYONE shows up at regionals or Nats gas race with a dyno. Plus, if you need a dyno to know how your gas motor is running, you really need help. You don't see Art Carbonell put his car on a dyno. Chunking happens on carpet or asphalt, doesn't matter it's electric or gas, touring or 1/12th, it happens when you hit stuff.

On a note on dyno, any dyno is all numbers game..... the track is my dyno!

Dom