paco62

iTrader: (1)

I am fairly new to the hobby and currently only have electric. I own an E-Maxx 3905 which I love and have become very familiar with wrenching on. I am very interested in racing and 1/8 scale Nitro seems very appealing but I had a couple questions I wanted all your wise opinions on, please.

Are they 1/8 scale engines louder than the 1/10. I understand it depends on the size, I guess within ROAR limits? I don't want to purchase something I can't run in the park or the neighborhood because it sounds like a flying weed eater.

Honestly, how hard is it to tune these things and maintain them? I have little small engine experience, but am pretty handy with things. I just don't necessarily want to spend 10 hours a week maintaining and tuning an engine just to race casually. Then again, it may end up an addiction like everything else in this hobby!

I know these seem like remedial questions, but I can't seem to find definitive answers or opinions. It just seems like sifting through references in posts.

Thanks for your help and patience with a noob looking to go rocket powered.

BOOST

All nitro engines are noisy, that is what you get with combustion engines.
Smaller engines like .12's and .15's aren't as loud as larger engines like .21's and .28's. But as long as you find a place that isn't really close to the public then you shouldn't have any noise complaints.

Tuning can be a bit mind boggling when you are new to nitro but you will get the hang of it. Some engines are more user friendly than others. Keep it simple for starters....like an RTR to start off with. It gets you started then you can upgrade when you need to.

Maintenance doesn't have to take hours a week, but some of us like to maintain and keep our race cars in prime condition, so time isn't a factor.
Being new to nitro things will take longer but definately don't rush tuning a nitro engine.

Tree

iTrader: (8)

Nitro engine can be quite loud. I probably annoy my neighbors when I drive my cars up and down the street when I'm breaking in a new engine. I try not to start my engine untill after 10:00am. I don't know why I do this because some of my neighbors mow their lawn at 7am.

As far as tuning is concerned my best advice is to be patient. Learn to seal your engines and make very small adjustments. I had no small engine experience either and I had a real difficult time tuning my engine. But as with all things, you will learn.

Using after-run oil is very important for maintaining your nitro engine. After you are done running you car, empty the fuel tank, put the glow ignitor on the glow plug and pull the engine cord a few times or if you have a starter box, turn the engine over a few times to burn any fuel left in the engine. Then place a few drops of oil in the glow plug hole and carb.

For running your car in the park, you would have to check yor local laws. I have been to some parks in my area where it was ok to run my car and I have been to a couple of parks where it wasn't allowed. Good luck. I hope this helps.

paco62

iTrader: (1)

Thanks Tree and Boost, both were very helpful. I appreciate the information and patience with a noob!

I was originally thinking of the Losi Eight-T Race Roller because it would have more competition parts, but after reading Boosts post, maybe I should go with their 1/8 RTR, get used to everything and then begin upgrading.

I didn't really want to pay for the radio as I was going to buy a different one, but maybe I wait on that and just use the one that comes with the RTR.

Is there a different 1/8 truck you recommend? I was going to stay with a truck since the buggy clearance seems to low for running in grass, or am I wrong on that as well?

petevette

iTrader: (13)

Paco, you have been given good advice. Don't let the engine tunning thing scare you. It looks itimidating but you get past that pretty quickly. As far as what kind of vehicle to buy, that is very important and you really need to think about what type of driving you are going to do. If your strictly a basher and just want to run in the parks and around the house then a high clearance vehicle is important like a monster truck or a truggy. However, if you have the slightlest inclination of maybe racing one day then you should evaluate what tracks are in your area and what the strongest classes are at the tracks.

Stadium trucks and monster trucks were once strong at my track, but they have almost disappeared completely. I would hate for you to buy a car and then go to the track just to learn they don't race that class. The class that has always been strong for many years and continues to be strong is the 1/8 buggy.

So you have to be honest with yourself when trying to figure out what type of car to buy. Also, if your thinking about running a better radio then maybe a race roller is the right thing for you. Why waste money on an item you don't need or want. Again, figure out where you think you will be in the future in terms of the car / radio equipment and then go for that. If you think you may get addicted to this, then buy real race gear so you don't waste your money.

The trick is that you have to be honest with yourself. You know yourself better then anyone and you should have a gut feeling about where your going with this hobby.

paco62

iTrader: (1)

Man, great advice. This has been a very valuable thread for me and I hope it helps other noobs make their choice. Thanks, petevette. Thanks again to Boost and Tree.

Sounds like I have some more chewin' over to do...

HyperLove

does anyone know what the picth of a hyper 7 mach 28 engine is?

ive u whood tell me ill be greatful

paco62

iTrader: (1)

Food for thought.

Would anybody have a suggestion for a solid, easy to learn .21 engine?

BOOST

Work out your engine budget then go from there.

vti-chris

iTrader: (3)

Personally i would go with either O.S. or Novarossi (or RB) engines as far as easy tuning is concerned and reliability.
OS VG and Novarossi N21B are good and cheap choices offering top notch quality and tunability.
Check ebay for low prices... here are a few:
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-O-S-21-VG-PX...QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/21-NovaRossi-N21...QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/RB-CONCEPT-S3-II...QQcmdZViewItem

petevette

iTrader: (13)

I would also consider the Go tech. Great motors and not very expensive. Check out their forum on this site.

paco62

iTrader: (1)

Thanks again for the info. My LHS recommended the Go Tech as well and they have a rebate up until mid-march.

I believe I am heading to nitro county...

Tree

iTrader: (8)

I agree with Petevette. I have 3 Go Tech engines and I love them all. I am now a Go Tech Loyal Customer/Fan.

paco62

iTrader: (1)

Thanks. I am definitely going nitro with my next car, now I just need to decide which one. 1/8 for sure. At the risk of sounding repetitive, thanks again for your patience and help. This thread and the help of all of you was a direct factor in my decision. If everyone is this friendly, I can easily conquer this thing. I will let you know what I end up with. Probably be before March.