dynamic_e

iTrader: (56)

Getting interested in RC racing again after a 4 year hiatus. My 4yr old and I stopped by the local hobby shop, saw a race and fell in love. I ended up blowing $200 buying him a Vendetta ST and batteries. I was caught by the onroad racing, but am on a budget. I was debating between 1/12 or touring. Here is what I know:

1/12:
-Cheap on tires, motor and battery
-Easy to setup
-More skill then $$ needed to win
-Durable and simple to fix
-Great way to learn skills for racing

Touring:
-Popular, but nice chassis kits are $250+
-Lots of money on motors, tires
-Larger racing class
-Complex and steep learning curve

I go to RC Madness in Enfield CT. I'm a basher/parkinglot guy that would like to give racing a shot. Any feedback?

MarkA

iTrader: (21)

Your analysis is very good.

I would only add a few things…

First, I wouldn’t necessarily call 1/12th scale easy to setup – what’ll happen is that if say, you’re fighting a lose condition, you can only go so far with the car before you run out of tweaking room – then, you have to buy new tires, maybe a new body and so on. Now, you’re still fishing but you’re spending money to do so instead of many TC’s that have a much wider adjustment range. And, you’ll be surprised at how many variables there still are on a 1/12th scale car.

I also wouldn’t call TC to have a, “Complex and steep learning curve.” For starters, many cars, Xray is exemplary is this aspect, come with a detailed setup guide that explains everything in great detail. Second, the sweet sport on a TC is much wider than on a 12th scale car. That is, the range in which a TC can be not perfect but still drivable and competitive is huge compared to a 1/12th scale car. You can take a TC from track to track and be in the ballpark with the same setup generally as long as you’re talking asphalt to asphalt and carpet to carpet , etc. The initial build can be daunting on some TC’s but that’s part of the fun right?

Your TC tire bill won’t really, or at least shouldn’t, exceed your 1/12th scale bill until you’re out of stock class level racing – I wouldn’t factor that in right now.

The 1/12th scale car will take you twice as long to get to the same driving level as the TC – once you’ve reached that level, you’ll go beyond it and into the realm of “expert” driver faster but it’ll take you longer to get there as a newb to OnRoad – 1/12th scale cars require a steady and precise hand beyond what can be described without trying one.

If this is your first foray into racing, you’ll also want to consider classing. Very few tracks offer a Novice-level 1/12th scale class. The difficulty to drive factor as mentioned above means most novices are warned off them and the few that do start with one tend to get frustrated and not last long. On the other hand, very few tracks don’t have a novice TC class. It’s much more fun to learn racing while doing so against people in the same boat as you opposed to getting lapped every third lap.

So, I would say, go with a TC – even a used one will be competitive enough to get you out of Novice class at which time you could then head over to a 1/12th car and that’s coming from someone who’s a big booster of pan car style racing.

Good luck and welcome to racing.

dynamic_e

iTrader: (56)

Thanks for that feedback. I am probably going to get a used Xray T1 Evo for cheap used here and thrash on it to learn as parts are still available. No need for me to beat on a $250+ touring car.

I was also debating on picking up a 1/10 pan car like a Pantoura or the Speedspec, as they seem real simple and easy to use as well. They also can run a standard touring body and that would fit in with the rest of the touring cars.

MarkA

iTrader: (21)

1/10th pan cars are a perfect halfway step between TC and 1/12th. Faster and cheaper than TC but able to handle bumps and rough surfaces better than 1/12th. It's a shame racing opportunities for them are more sparse. Your local track may or maynot let you race it in a TC class. Usually, you can until you blow them away...
Come on over to the 1/10th pan car thread here if you have any questions about those type of cars: http://www.rctech.net/forum/showthre...t=145&page=442

Headshot

iTrader: (1)

Another option if you want to run 1/10 scale, but want to keep your budget low....Porsche Cup.....there is a thread on here, http://www.rctech.net/forum/showthread.php?t=139442
that will tell you everything you need. We are going to start running this here in south Florida in about 60 days.....check it out. If your local track does not offer it, ask them to take a look...that is what I did, and the idea was met with enthusiasm......good luck.

dynamic_e

iTrader: (56)

Thanks or the reccomendation, runs on easy to locate rubber tires...thats awesome!