Lukyduckie

Hi ,

I am researching which nitro touring car to start with. Obviously some folks will be biased but what I am curious about is something previously enjoyed that I can beat up, good parts support, large setup window etc. Also what engines would you recommend. I've already heard the OS is best slogan and that may indeed be the one however is there a competitive engine that doesent require a mortgage? All comments welcome thank you.

Roelof

As you are a starter any car will do, you need to be a very good driver running up to the limits of a car.....
With that knowledge, get a car that is easy supported. Mugen, Serpent and Xray are such brands with a good support.

As an engine... yes, now Novarossi is still not out their covid we do see many OS (based) engines on the tracks.
Picco has also started with a new model .21 whick looks very promissing in pd lifespan that soon we will see a new .12 as well.

Mad Max

Many people in your position go with Kyosho with the pullstart motor. The parts are plentiful and easy of use with a pull start for "starters" Once your up to speed and not breaking as many parts crashing into things then I would go with the ones mentioned above. nitros are a major investment with about minimum of $1300 for car, motor, servos, receiver, bump starter and glow igniter plus. the Kyosho is RTR for 350 plus shipping.

kawasaki161

Don't waste time on waiting, Novarossi is dead for good. Name might pop up somewhere if they find a buyer for that but the Novarossi from the beginning of the year will never return.

1/8 IC Fan

iTrader: (102)

....that still remains to be seen!

As Roloef states get what you can get parts for. If you are looking to race, get a decent used kit from here. Remember the cheapest used one is not the best on here. If you look, you will see some decent offerings. Beware of the parts scalpers on here... they are the same ones flipping cars in the bay. See what Alfana might have on here.

TurnNBurn

FWIW, an Italian user on another forum stated about a month ago that Novarossi was planning on reopening in January. Take that with a grain of salt if you will, but from what I understand, Italy allowed businesses to reopen back in August, BUT the government would not absolve companies of any liability should employees/patrons get infected. You can imagine that a lot of businesses likely did NOT reopen in Italy because of this. So I guess we can all wait a few weeks to see what happens - or if Novarossi finally addresses the state of the company.

As for a car, I would see what people are running locally. I recently competed in my first race (a 3 day event - what a way to come back to the hobby after 20 years!), and it was very helpful to connect with and get setup advice from a couple of Serpent X20 drivers. It helped me drop my lap times just over 2 seconds a lap over the course of a weekend!

The event was a Nitro event with EP exhibition class. I wasn’t able to get my 750 Evo set up in time for this race, but at least I know that there will be some racers there that I can get advice from once I show up at the track with it.

kawasaki161

Would be great news. Sadly doesn't match any of the info that surfaced in November which doesn't make me very hopeful but you're right, we'll see in a few weeks.

Roelof

There are a lot of rumors w/o any prove. The only fact is that north of Italy had a huge breach of the Covid virus where people were forced to stay home and companies nneded to be closed. Two weeks ago there was a report on the Dutch news that even today factories are still closed due the Covid situation.
Before you call a probably re-opening not true you should check the facts of the stories you know. as long there is no real news about the situation it is only guessing.

Lukyduckie

Thanks for the comments. I should clarify I have been racing electric for 30 years and I ran the old serpent pro 10 class with .15 so crashing is not an issue. I was more interested in a more detailed feedback as far as comparisons between brands with parts availability, setup window, parts quality ie how often do you freshen up the car, etc and as far as engines go I guess still just os and novarossi nothing new?

dj apolaro

Not sure what area you are located, however check locally with the racers in your area. All the brands nowadays are very good and have good quality. With the internet I think most brands have no real availability issues. If you are in the USA, you have Capricorn, Serpent, Infinity and Shepheard on the East coast with Xray in Texas and Mugen and ARC in California.

If you are looking for any help at the tracks then see what the racers are using in your area. No dealer really gives track side support or parts support at the tracks. You have to go to the track with your spares or share between friends. All brands have pretty good quality of parts these days, so that should not be an issue, no matter what you use. As for Motors I would stay with either OS, Ielasi or Max power. They are the most reliable at the moment with parts as well.

For tuning window I know Capricorn is big, just cause I have run them. I hear great things about the Infinity and Mugen as well.

DJ Apolaro

LOW ET

iTrader: (109)

where can you get shepherd on the east coast (website)?

dj apolaro

I think it is

nuggetsranchraceway.com

Where are you located?

DJ Apolaro

LOW ET

iTrader: (109)

found it, thanks. https://team-shepherdusa.com/

duh, for whatever reason, i was thinking they were on the west coast.

YoDog

iTrader: (28)

Where do you live?
DJ has provided you with great advice.
Most brands are pretty well established and supported in the U.S. and if you intend to race eventually, don't bother with that pull start junk.
O.S. engines are readily available and replacement parts are reasonably priced. As mentioned, new kits have recently come out so good used cars may be available too. The Xray NT1 2021 just came out and is probably one of the more durable cars out there. I am partial to the Mugen MTX series.

Mad Max

My apologies on the newbie recommendations, you did not give us your background. Anyway I have run the pro cars, Kyosho and Trinity, Xray, and Serpent. There are also a lot of new players since but the designs are generally similar with minor tweaks. Since you ran the Serpent they haven't changed much in recent years with the pro cars running pillow ball suspension. At the time I ran the Kyosho the parts for it were not in the hobby shops locally to support it so there was a lot of down time for parts. the internet has made the parts more available for all but I have consistently been impressed with the Xray and Serpent as they have been around quite some time, parts are way easy to find. Their quality of product has beaten the Chinese, and other Asian brands. So given that my recommendation is an Xray. Top Quality, well supported, and tons of spare parts. The support is pretty good to. I bought an original NT1 with the quality build manual and its as good as the new car in quality and parts availability.
Most of the time It was steering arms or bent pillow balls but mostly wear parts, belts gears fluids clutch, and tires tires tires. Did I say tires?
Good luck with your decision.