ZeroAccess

Ok been reading for the last 2 hours about RC electric cars and holy crap!

First off, I'm amazed at how much is out there, I didn't realize there was so much customizing going on in these little things.

Well the reason I am here is because I would like to purchase an RC car. When I first started looking my price range was around 50 dollars. Now my price range is a little higher. I would like something I can use around my parking lot at work. Thats it. I will not be racing it or any of that. I really don't want to be changing a lot out at first. I was going to buy a wal-mart RC car and still might depending on whats adviced. My main concerns are durability and battery life.

I don't really know the difference between a 19.2 volt battery and 7.2volt battery. I tried to find tutorials and what not on these things and unfortunately I just found people fighting over which was better without explaining it in a detail I could understand.

I'm a 23 yr old mechanic so tinkering with things will be fine with me. I was learning toward a tec-4 untill I saw the price. I really want an Electric vehicle due to the ease of using them and I'm just not that much into the Nitro vehicles. I would love to know the range some of these vehicles have. I've been looking on ebay and found some on there in the 40 dollar range but I have a feeling many of you would dissaprove of them.

IF! big IF a 250+ dollar RC car can be justified I may spend a little more but I'm really just going to be using this in my parking lot at work and possibly sometimes at my house (drive-way/circle). I'm seriously not looking into racing at a track or anything.

Tpg racer

Try getting something that can last you a lifetime.

For now u might not been thinking about racing, but in the next few years time who knows....

People often say that they only wana join this hobby for fun. Eventually they end up having more cars and spend more money in this hobby more than a serious racer.

As a beginner, I recommend u getting a car like Tamiya TT-01. If u want a better car try getting a Tamiya TA-05.

Since you are trying to play ur RC car more in the parking lot area, it is recommended that you get a shaft car as the drivetrain is sealed from stones and pebbles that could jammed ur gears.

Overall try askin around for opinions or better yet try getting urself down to a local track nearby.

alecladanga

iTrader: (5)

I would suggest you purchase a Tamiya TT01R, it's a beginner's kit and easy to assemble and durable. you may check the item at www.tamiya.com

You could also go to your local hobby shop in order you would know which brand has more parts available. You may also visit your local track where you could test and feel other kits, if the drivers permit it.

There are a lot ot kits there that are good for beginners.

I started with a TT01 and I love it. Didn't hop up it much but i did a lot of things with it.

Best wishes and welcome to the hobby!!!

futureal

There are a few different levels of RC -- actually more than a few -- going from "toy car" all the way up to fully functional race cars that are nearly as complicated as the real thing.

At the lower end of the spectrum, you will see the $50-ish "toy cars" from places like Radio Shack, Tyco, Hasbro, etc. These are marketed more towards the younger set, with an emphasis on ease of use and durability. They will typically come with a rechargable battery pack and everything you need to run (car, radio). The charger is usually a wall charger that will take from 30 minutes to 6+ hours to charge and give you around 10-15 minutes of run time (varies greatly by model). These cars are not particularly fast, usually 20-30 mph tops, and there is really nothing serviceable or replaceable on them. If it breaks, you're usually out of luck.

The next step up are the lower end of "real" RC cras, like the 4-Tec you mentioned. Most major RC manufacturers offer something in this range. Tamiya, for example, has a line of "QD" or "Quick Drive" models that come with everything you need to run. Unlike the toy cars, these are fully serviceable cars, meaning you can replace and upgrade parts, maintain them, fix them, etc. In the industry, these are referred to as "Ready to Run" models, and include a radio system, motor, and everything you need. In some cases they include a battery pack and charger, while in other cases they don't. Expect to spend $150-$250 for an entry-level RTR car kit.

From there, you get into more expensive, more complex, but also much more capable cars. In many cases these are also available in ready to run forms, but the cost will be similar to buying a kit. Kits can run anywhere from $200 on up to "sky's the limit" depending on what you want. Electric or nitro power, on road and off road, monster trucks, you name it. With the right equipment you can easily get an off-the-shelf model up to 50+ mph, and probably even faster in the case of some nitro cars.

To answer your battery question, the 7.2 volt pack is basically a standard in the "real" RC car industry. The packs consist of 6 Sub-C cells at 1.2 volts each, making a total of 7.2. In a ready to run car, you will probably get about 8-10 minutes of run time off of one of these packs. There are relatively inexpensive quick chargers available that can recharge a pack in 20-30 minutes or so.

Some "toy" cars may advertise higher voltages, but this doesn't always equate to more speed or more run time. Run time is usually measured by battery capacity (in mAh, or milli-amperes per hour), with the higher the number, the longer the battery will last.

There's nothing wrong with getting a "toy" car if all you want to do is have a little low-speed RC fun, maybe do some tricks, and not have to worry about it. I'd say that a fair number of us here started off with a car like this at some point. But if you actually want to show off, go fast, and not have to worry that a broken part will be the end of your investment, going the distance with a "real" RC car is probably well worth it.

Hope that helps!

ZeroAccess

I'm checking out the TT-01R chassis and trying to get an idea how much this cost. I've looked at a lot of places selling this stuff and I have a hobbytown in my area. I'd like to find some internet prices to somewhat compare to what my local hobby stores are selling. I'm still having a hard time understanding everything. I understand getting the TT-01R chassis but what controllers work for it? Do you have to get a servo or something for the controller. Sorry guys I've been looking for a "RC for dummies" book but haven't seen anything .

A lot of help with the suggestion of the TT-01R it at least gives me an idea of what I am getting myself into.
My new goal is to stay around 200 dollars and thats hopefully for a half-way decent car/controller and some I think there called 3900 mah batteries sorry if I am wrong. I was reading the drift thread and a few others and I believe ya'll may have me getting into something I'm scared to get into lol.

Whats the deal with brushless motors? How do they work?
Are there any places that sell a TT-01R kit with car/controller/etc EVERYTHING I'd need?
What recomendations would you recomend that I go ahead and get/do?
(such as extra parts and stuff like that obviously I'm gonna want to play with this thing a good bit when I get it, what parts generally break RIGHT away if any)

I'll be searching for these answers also but I'll be honest with everything I've been trying to read and the fact my eyes are hurting I dunno how well I'll do.

alecladanga

iTrader: (5)

For the TT01R, you could get a cheap 2pcka futaba controller (i think) and it comes with 2 standard servos. Try checking www.futaba.com Check as well the TT01R has an ESC, if not buy the basic TEU 101. You have to purchase the battery and power supply. If your budget is aorund $200.00 Buy the 1200mah Nicad batteries and bionic charger first.

As for your drifting enquiries, I'm not a drifter, but the TT01 is a kit used by a lot people in my country for drifting.

Hope I was of help.

ZeroAccess

Another thing
I noticed a few tt01's for sale in the for sale section

I'm finding them for around 100 dollars.
I'm wondering if its better to get the R edition since it has so many "hopups" I think is what ya'll youngs are calling mods

Sorry guys, I'm really wanting to buy a car within the week so quick/major learning is having to go on. Four hours into the night and I barely know more than I did when I started this whole deal. To think all of this because a co-worker bought a 30 dollar rock-crawler at wal-mart.

Superkarter

iTrader: (2)

200 dollars will get you a TT-01R, futaba controller and esc. so all you need is a body, batteries and charger.

For batteries 4200 are the best and will give you the most run time.
For the body pick which ever one you want just make sure it is 190mm wide.
For the charger a cheap peak detection charger is all you need.

So you are probably looking at $300 for everything you need to have lots of fun.

Hope this helps

sosidge

Get down to your local shops, see if you can find someone knowledgeable about electric cars, and have a good talk about what he has on offer.

For a first timer who does not know what he intends to do in the long term, I would recommend one of the XB Ready-to-Run Tamiyas, based on the TT-01 chassis. You get all you need pre-built for a pretty reasonable price with a great looking bodyshell.

Or, if you prefer the challenge of building the kit (which many of us find more fun than driving them!), most shops should be able to sort you out with a deal based around a TT-01 kit.

There are a couple of other RTR electric options out there, like the Associated TC4 RTR, which is a better chassis and faster out of the box but costs a bit more and won't ride the rougher tarmac so well.

alecladanga

iTrader: (5)

Well, this depends on the second hand kit being on sale since some guys sell their TT01 with hopped parts already (some are hopped up better than the TT01R and some aren't). and yes, modifications are called hop ups...

As for me, I bought eveything brand new and i never regretted it. I started small and cheap of course. basic tt01 (they releaser the racing edition one month after i bought my kit), 2pcka futaba contorller, bionic charger and 1200 mah nicad battery. I bought around $220.00 (it's cheap here in the Philippines compared to some countries).

ZeroAccess

Well I'm gonna head to bed and I suspose wake up early enough to get down to the hobbyshop.
TT-01R is my platform at the moment gonna wait and see what they say down there and what my wallet says.
I'm just really worried about spending too much at the hobbystore when I could have maybe spent 30minutes peicing together a kit/somewhat a kit and save possibly 50-100 dollars.

I'm still trying to figure out if the R is so much better if its not like I said theres members here selling the cars for 100 or so. I figure by a controller for X amount? and I think thats all I'd need. Still trying to figure out the whole servo controller thing. Sorry guys I know I seem redundant and stupid but I'm surprized at how much knowledge is here and I'm just really worried I'll spend 350 dollars for something that I may have been able to give 200-250 for. Or if buying used hopefully a little less. Body and all that doesn't mean crap to me because I'll prolly spend 20-30 dollars and buy my own body and paint it. To me that seems like a lot of fun/headache!

Added: What is this bionic charger? like a fast charger?
Ok thanks again sorry. Just want to be able to understand what the hobby guy is saying to me so I'm not a complete retard when I talk to him.

alecladanga

iTrader: (5)

Sicne you are a mechanic already, I think that it might be easy for you to assemble the TT01R, but it is always good to talk to your local hobby store owner since they also give good advice.

WhenI bought my first kit three months, ago, I just talked with my local hobby store and they gave me good advice and did I oly then found about this forum. as for the bionic charger, it oen of the cheapest and simple charger for nicad batteries. it's not really a fast charger though. Yeah, the knoweldge and the math involved in this hobby is incredible!!!

best wishes and tell us how it goes...

vtl1180ny

Do you really have your heart set on a Car, you may find a Stadium Truck to be better for playing in parking lots.

Team Losi has a truck out with the Novak Brushless and it's RTR... You'd need a charger, some batteries and you're ready to go. Although if all you plan to do is run pavement, you may want to pick up street tires for it. But the truck will allow you to run over surfaces that would destroy a car...

Remember the old saying, You get what you pay for.

The biggest thing is you want to see what your local hobby shop(s) carry parts for. There are those of us who run cars we can't get parts for locally and we end up stocking more in parts than we spent for the origional chassis.

The only parking lot friendly cars would be from Tamiya, Associated (AE) or Yokomo. They will be shaft drive and have a plastic or composite Tub style chassis. Carbon Fiber plate cars ARE NOT parking lot friendly.

rtherbe

iTrader: (13)

Sounds like he is hooked...I started out in the dirt and eventually put some road tires on my Rustler it was a blast being able to jump curbs,and slam it into things.