F1 or Touring Car
 

Hi - I have few questions one these 2 categories :
Which one is most fun to drive ?
Which one does require less maintenance ?
Run cost : which one is less expensive?

Thanks
Julien

Hey bud,
I like both of these too
I am currently running Touring car and I have to say I do enjoy it.
Maintenance wise... I'm pretty sure that all depends on a lot of things.. Like quality.
Run cost and I think run cost is the same

Good questions. The answers I believe are all a little subjective, cost and maintenance being a little more objective.

Fun: Very subjective. I personally have not found anything more satisfying in RC than running mod sedan on asphalt. So, I would have to say sedan, but there are many others who would disagree. Driving a rear wheel drive car can be tricky at times and some people thoroughly enjoy that challenge. Also, the great scale looks of an F1 add tremendously to the fun factor.

Maintenance: An F1 likely requires less maintenance. There are simply fewer parts to maintain. This can be somewhat subjective because a competitive racer may choose to rebuild their car after every race and spend a lot of time making every part of the car perfect BECAUSE there are fewer parts.

Cost: In general, F1 is less expensive to run. Again, fewer parts to wear out. Tires can often last a while. Bodies are protected by wheels and wings to they don't wear out as fast. All things being equal, F1 is usually less expensive. Run cost is probably effected much more by the driver than the class. Do you always buy the latest and greatest batteries and motors? Do you always put on fresh tires. Do you buy every single hop up available etc? For example, I run a TOP Sabre S4 sedan because it has similar performance to the more expensive cars out there for only $300. With the right choices, I can still be fast in a touring car without spending a ton of money.

Have fun deciding which to go with.

Well..honestly these are fairly blanket questions without knowing your situation.

Are you asking..because you have the option to race either at your local?
Assuming so (and having raced both).
They both drive so different...it's hard to say what it "fun" to drive. For me...f1 is more natural to the way I pilot an rc.
Cost wise...f1 is much cheaper on the whole.

Maintenance is a tricky question. I tend to tear down a car between rounds.. the f1 has less parts so..

Yes there are both categories and before racing the idea is to have fun my 10 years old kids so I will need 2 cars ... Also we already both race 2wd buggy.

bshookup and j.d. have given valid and thoughtful points.

The other thing I would look at, and j.d. hinted at it with his first ? posed...

Are there classes at your local track? In other words, will there be enough people to make a class of F1 if that's what you choose? It will be fun to run with your son, but if there are only two or three people total running it can be kinda boring after awhile. If sedan is popular (and usually is) then there will be plenty of racers, and even a class like Novice to start out in.

I prefer F1, but there just aren't enough to consistently run the class, so I run 1/12th every week and TC when I feel like it.

Good luck with whichever you choose. Cool you and your son are doing it together, have fun!

I race both TC and F1 (as well as other classes).

These are two totally different cars and they handle completely different.
Have you raced before? Both are challenging in their own ways.

In my opinion a TC car is easier to drive, yet the faster speeds make it more challenging to place in top positions. F1 takes more finesse to drive correctly, but once you get it it can be very rewarding.

More fun to drive: Can't say its subjective
Maintenance: TC requires more maintenance in my opinion. -But it is fun working on cars!!
Run cost: F1 is less expensive (again my opinion). TC, you go through tires much much quicker and usually need many sets for various surfaces and temps. Also if you bump w/ a TC your more likely to break something. F1's have less parts/less to break.

Are you saying that your 10yr kid will be driving these?
Uh, yes, you'll break things then. So you are looking for something to have fun w/ then race (I presume on a parking lot). Hmmm, thats difficult ...I don't use my racing vehicles for parking lot fun. In fact my racing cars will only go on a groomed track. Dirt, debri and rocks will mess up a true racer. What about starting w/ an inexpensive TC then ...like a Spec R or something ...you can get a kit for $100 give or take a few bucks. You wont' feel so bad when it is crashed into a curb and you can race it ...at least to begin w/ racing you don't need an XRay or TC7. I don't like running open gears in a parking lot though ...inevitably rocks get in the gearing and chew up the teeth. I'd be looking at a TAmiya TB04 or something that has a closed gearing it will do better on parking lot surfaces. -And you can race it in a USGT class just fine.

No parking. Only track practice.

If you buy an Xray X1 F1 kit - it's is the most fantastically durable R/C car ever created. I can't believe how durable it is. Almost nothing breaks, diff lasts forever, stock wings and body last forever, F1 wheels/tires last longer than anything I've ever used. You can cartwheel down the straightway, fly backwards into the wall at 30 mph and maybe break a rear axle bearing (and the stock spur usually but just install a Kimborough after). Fix it, put it back on the track and break the track record. Use a small pinion to improve handling - go even faster and look awesome.

Touring cars handle better and are faster lap time wise but take much more of everything to race (time and money). Both are classes are great just be prepared for the commitment if running touring.

I can say which class would be the most fun for you its a matter of preference.

When it comes to cost and maintenance F1 Wins. With less weight, a simplified chassis design and fewer parts there is simply less to work on and/or break. Tire cost is the biggest expenditure with both car types and although F1 tires are more expensive that sedan tires their added lifespan easily offsets the additional upfront cost.

I primarily race 17.5 TC and 21.5 F1. If it is high traction, F1 is super fun to drive. I think it is more fun than TC. Medium traction, I still like F1. Low traction, F1 is very challenging to drive and can be very frustrating for newcomers. One of our tracks is asphalt and has very inconsistent traction.

F1 is not really a beginner class so keep that in mind. It is a much steeper learning curve to drive and took me a few years to work up the field. However, it is less maintenance overall and easier on the wallet in the long run.

If you already race buggy, then you probably have shortys. Shortys aren't used in Tc but are used in F1. There's a big saving in money straight away.

Well, they sure are not common in TCs, but not entirely unheard of. The new Gizmo GZ1, for example, even requires shorties. And quite a few USVTA driver have said that they'll use them to get to the new weight limit in that class.

This^
Sooo many people think because it has a slower motor and it's a "pan car"..that it's going to be easier to drive than t.c.. In fact...I have seen guys bail out of t.c. and come to run the "slow cars"...only to become MORE frustrated and rage quit .
Not to talk anyone out if this fantastic class.. I just think folks need to come into it with the mindset that...It's different than anything else...and it may take a bit before I am adjusted to it.

This is a fundamental truth. F1 takes a different skill set that someone who has only run 4wd/Touring cars doesn't necessarily have right away but can learn if they have the patience to wrap their heads around it. I watched a younger guy who is really good at mod TC talk about how he could beat anyone running an f1 because they look slow and assumed easy to drive. Boy was he wrong and never drove one after that experience again.... Pancars are a different breed. But seriously fun.