Originally Posted by
RB_Racer
Yes those things are similar, but a centex clutch will reward you in reliability/consistency if you give it some tlc and check measurements etc. I also wouldn't be just leaving fuel sit in my nitro engines unattended for weeks even with ARO. With brushless setups in electric now no maintenance required.
Gotta agree about the engine. Believe me, you won't want to have to deal with a gunked engine.
Anyway, personally I loved both when I ran years ago. I'm trying to get back in now, and I plan to do so again.
I found that Nitro required its fair share of additional maintenance compared to electric, but the additional run time is well worth it.To think, Battery technology has gotten SO MUCH better compared to 20 years ago, but in most classes it has amounted to only ONE additional minute of runtime (we used to run 4 minute heats/mains). Yeah - the flexibility that Nitro gives for run times is a big plus - not to mention that you can practice as much as you want. Well, almost - you don't want to wear your engine out before a big race!
EDIT: Oh, as far as cost, I'd say that Preparing for Nitro is probably marginally more expensive, but the difference is not as much as years ago. As I'm finding out now, equipment across the board costs a lot more now. Hell, a decent, competitive .12 motor costs now what a .21 used to cost years ago (the price difference between sizes used to be greater - then again, .12 was just getting started). On the electric side, speed controls and motors are quite a bit more these days, and even though they are MUCH better quality across the board than 20 years ago (with many more options), servos are easily double what they cost years ago. So in a nutshell, you'll probably pay about the same in start up costs no matter which way you go.