Nerobro

iTrader: (2)

When was $300 full race spec? I've been in this hobby since 1988, I can't remember a day when that was true... And back in 1988, if you wanted to run a race day, you were buying at least three packs at a time to allow cooldown and charge times.

You're right, I forgot the bearing set price in there. Throw on $25. :-)

redbones

Yeah, I agree that it is a money pit. But it's also what makes it fun at the same time. Some hop ups are just for bling, and some are essential (cva dampers/spring sets are all you really need). The concept is to teach new drivers why a certain setting will make the car react a certain way. This will let them get deeper into the hobby, without going gungho into a full-on TC class.

I for one, want minis to make a come back. That was a fun class, but kinda died off. I guess beginner classes have cycles.

Oh, and I'm one of those suckers that spent so much on my TA05 that I could have bought a TRF car and then some change But there was this satisfaction when I put them on the car even if my lap times didn't change much.

Lone Drifter

The First Rc10 buggies not the my first RC10 worlds car , RC10 T was about $170, The first the the Rc10L and Rc10 L SS cars were very cheap about 120 for a full graphite pan car , the Rc10L fiberglass ones could be had for about $85 then Things started to get more expensive the First RS4 was about $225 ( it was a good car then)Of course if you look at a associated box from the the list price was crazy - No One ever paid that

So now B6 Is $329 ish , I think the CRC pancar is about $349, TC7.1 $469

My first buggy was the RC10 think it was about $129 had bushings and resistor speed controller , tires ,body and motor. I think the magnum jr with 2 servos was about $50 ,cheap timer charger was about 40 couple of stick pack ,
Raced that for a couple of months then got bearings , more tires batteries chargers a Novak M5 speed controler and those hard to solder lightspeed / sermos connectors. then it was getting more expensive, but once your Hooked your Hooked!

Tim Neja

iTrader: (1)

All of this is why I said "SIMPLE PAN CARS"!! WHY force newbies into a POS of a car that needs constant work and attention to be race worthy? Pan cars are SIMPLE--and CHEAP!! If you insist on buying new--CRC has the CRC Gen X 10RT which is a great platform for simple WGTR car---$249 complete roller ready for rubber tires. Get your electronics and body and go race.

biz77

iTrader: (47)

Pan cars are simple for people familiar with pan cars. Look at how much adjust ability there is on a modern pan car in the front suspension alone from the perspective of someone not familiar with RC...
Caster
Camber
Toe
Dynamic Caster
Droop
Spring rate
Ackerman
Camber gain

I say Box stock RTR class.
Rules are:
You are allowed to change the radio system
You are allowed to replace battery/ESC connectors
You are allowed to replace parts only with original factory parts
You are allowed to replace worn tires only with original kit tires
That's it. Not in the rules? It's not allowed.
Pick a kit that has little to no adjust ability.

This gets someone new out on the track where they know they won't be out spent on equipment and let's them focus on the basic blocking and tackling of the race program. Let them figure out how to make sure they get their batteries charged in time for their heat, make it on the driver's stand on time, come back out to corner marshal etc.

Nerobro

iTrader: (2)

I like the idea of minis, but those become dollar traps really fast. Unless you run it like they run euro truck.. that said, mini it's a defined class, and not the idea here.

You still are getting confused and the point is sailing right by you.

The point isn't a even class, or a fair class. The point is to have a place to run the car you have, and know when it's time to move to a real race car.

mleemor60

iTrader: (28)

I have watched this thread from post one and waded in a few times. I have read every post and watched some try to sway the outcome such as it is one way or another. One of the best posts was by Myron Kinnard but even he didn't bring up the one glaring omission by all of us. Has anybody asked a noob what they might be looking for in a door opener? Sure, They are actually unborn noobs with no knowledge at all beyond maybe having seen a competition level RC car. Shouldn't the first question we ask be "what do YOU want that would get you involved". It would be somewhat different in the various areas of the country but it would be priceless information to help US help them. Think about it.

Tim Neja

iTrader: (1)

ANd Euro truck is not a defined class?? And yeah--lot's of newbies will have those too???? It's cool--I"m out of here!! Good luck.

Billy Kelly

iTrader: (9)

Don’t give up on us yet. This is were the hobby gets very regional. It sounds like pan car are reasonablely popular in your area. Not so much here in Chicagoland.
Out side of the F1 group I race with. I’ve never seen another pan car. And the only people I’ve met that once owned one, did 15-20 years ago. And to the average person first walking into a hobby store. Any road car is a struggle to get them interested. Unless they here 7mph. Even then it’s mostly only a passing glance.
My local Hobbytown didn’t even stock any touring cars for over a year.

As for the Euro truck thing. I don’t really get it either. But the local track has decided it’s the entry class. They claim it’s growing. And they seem to sell good for them. Now only a very small percent return to race.

Billy Kelly

iTrader: (9)

With all do respect to Myron, I missed the point of his post. Almost slightly condescending.

Part of the problem is finding new people here to even ask. When I talked to people at hobby store, you’d be surprised at how few even know of RC racing in any form. Let alone road cars. As I’ve said here, it took 6 years in the hobby for me to even try.
And there’s a track 30-40 minutes away. Not once have I seen or read anything from them that would get me there. They even once posted while hosting a “ basher group” that they’d keep them away from the regular racers. 100 potential customers kept away. Something just seems wrong there.

The biggest problem here isn’t a class or what car to use. It’s how to change the perception of racing. And how to improve the reputation of road cars.

Nerobro

iTrader: (2)

I'm really confused. What are you trying to get at? Evidently I'm missing your point too.

The euro truck was just an example car. For the same price there are a dozen sedans and sports cars on that chassis. The advantage being that euro truck is also a popular class to move up and into.

Nerobro

iTrader: (2)

I was a noob last August. I've been trying to get into rc racing since 1989. Yes, I know what I'd have liked. I still have a long list of problems with the sport, and it's accessibility. Maybe that could be the subject of a new thread.

JC3

iTrader: (8)

Accessibility and visibility. Got to have it. Out of sight out of mind. Hobby shops aren't going to do it, they're pathetic and just waiting to die off. One owner even told me so. "The internet is killing us." he says to me as he walks around his dilapidated pig sty of a shop. Clubs/tracks may have Facebook pages but that doesn't matter in the end. Who's going to do it remains to be seen.

roosterreagan

iTrader: (16)

With just a little over a year under my belt (of being the guy that shows up randomly and bugs everyone else while they're trying to repair or tune their car), I've also pondered on how to grow a hobby that seems destined on committing sebuku. While there are a core group of very dedicated group of Veterans trying their damndest to grab and keep new racers (Myron Kinard comes to mind), I also see an entrenched contigent that seem more than content to never have to deal with a rookie, ever, and continue racing amongst themselves, grumbling into oblivion. And this contigent is a large part of why any rc tracks still exist... Guess this is more of a random comment than a relative question or answer, but it is an observation from one of the "newbs" previously discussed...

Nerobro

iTrader: (2)

$170 1990 dollars, is $320 2018 dollars.

RC has gotten hilariously cheap. Which makes me really wonder why the sport is having some struggles.

Box stock RTR, we've got.

Not every shop is pathetic. But what is starting to become clear to me, is that someone who can run a business, isn't always the sort of person who should be trying to market said business. The two mindsets seem... to rarely if ever appear in the same body.

Facebook pages are "something" but not good. Websites are good. Up to date websites are better. But.. that's not the subject of this thread. :-) Good friendly staff is another thing.

It's a thing. It really is. I was (am?) really nosy at the track. I bug people about their cars, what they're doing, that sort of stuff. Though, with the new layout at the local track, access to the dedicated drivers is now somewhat limited.

I'm a pusher of my hobbies. I usually keep a spare setup of whatever I have to let someone try, or i'm just willing to "here, have a go" with them. I've handed my cars to people. Given parts, helped tune, really anything to make other peoples days better. This is a habit I've carried over from my other hobbies.... It helps. It's gotten people addicted.

Well,again, this is going somewhere else.

Back on point. Breakout would be a catchall, to keep the "trouble drivers" out of the serious classes, that too could reduce the red faced racers.