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Old 11-05-2012, 12:06 PM
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kja812
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I strictly race my 1/8 nitro...zero bashing. A club level race day for me equals 1 hr of driving on the track followed by 2 to 4 hours of cleaning and maintenance depending on what needs to be done and if I decide to rebuild diffs and shocks. An electric would be a little less work to clean because you aren't spilling fuel on the car but I would put just as much effort into working on it.

It is of course not necessary to do all this cleaning and maintenance but I don't wait for things to break or completely wear out because I'm trying to have fun and win races, not get mad at a car that falls apart mid-race.

There is a learning curve from day 1 with Nitro because you've got to learn how to properly set-up your radio/brakes/engines/clutch/air filter/fuel/glow pulg/etc.... You also have to learn how to properly start and break-in an engine. With electric, all you have to do is plug in the battery, turn on the ESC, calibrate the radio and drive. Getting help from another experienced Nitro guy is the best way to go....learning off the web and watching videos is a distant 2nd choice.

If you like being a mechanic, tinkering, and learning how things work, making lots of noise and smelling exhaust fumes then Nitro is for you. If you want to just play with your car and spend as little time as possible adjusting and tinkering to get it to go fast, then electric is probably for you.

Start-up costs are going to be very similar between the two power systems. Either way 1/8 scale is a fairly expensive hobby....be prepared. Both of those RTRs you listed would be a good start....the Losi is one of the best bang for buck setups as you get a decent radio and engine plus a starter box (pull starts are a pain in the @ss).
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