Originally Posted by air8

For an "off-road track" performance, with the same driver the electric 1/8 car will be faster by design. The electric motors make torque instantly where as a nitro motor has to build some revs before reaching max torque. This is where clutch setup comes in for a nitro vehicle--it's all driver dependent in that aspect.

Also like many people have posted already, the engines, clutches, batteries, motors, settings, etc..etc.. all play a factor in how fast a vehicle is. There are not so good electric motors out there and there are not so good nitro engines. On the flip side there are awesome nitro engines and awesome electric motors.

In the end you can only purchase what your able to spend. You will have stuff fail and you will have stuff that works for years on end. Maintenance, cleaning, preparation will account for more fun than you realize. This keeps your cars in better working condition and they will behave as you want them too.