Can any of you fellas tell me about RC cars?

[Kevin B.]

My wife made the mistake of taking my boy out to the RC track in Magna, and now he's decided he needs a better RC car he can race against those guys. I'm making him save his money, and we'll probably be looking at a budget of around $100-$150 (he'll be getting some help). I know nothing about RC, what's in that range new or used that'd be suitable for him? Something serviceable and upgrade-able so he and I can tinker with it would be ideal.

I know you guys are more into the crawlers, but I'm hoping you'll have some insights for me, thanks!

 

[I Lean]

My boy got a Traxxas Stampede for Christmas last year, and it's been a lot of fun. It's amazing the bang-for-the-buck you get with these RTR cars compared to when I was actively buying stuff around 15 years old. We've had to upgrade a couple minor parts that break regularly (with upgraded aluminum pieces), but that's all so far.

 

[Marsh99]

My wife made the mistake of taking my boy out to the RC track in Magna, and now he's decided he needs a better RC car he can race against those guys. I'm making him save his money, and we'll probably be looking at a budget of around $100-$150 (he'll be getting some help). I know nothing about RC, what's in that range new or used that'd be suitable for him? Something serviceable and upgrade-able so he and I can tinker with it would be ideal.

I know you guys are more into the crawlers, but I'm hoping you'll have some insights for me, thanks!

Does he want to race or just drive it around?
If it's racing short track is all the rage. Here is the website to learn
http://www.rcshortcourse.com/forum/

 

[Marsh99]

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=22076965&cat=653&lpid=&search=sc10

I am a Team Associated fan, but I think the Traxxas are great too.

 

[Kevin B.]

Does he want to race or just drive it around?
If it's racing short track is all the rage. Here is the website to learn
http://www.rcshortcourse.com/forum/

He thinks he wants to race, but I suspect that he'll lose patience with that rapidly and prefer just bashing it around.

 

[Marsh99]

He thinks he wants to race, but I suspect that he'll lose patience with that rapidly and prefer just bashing it around.

for bashing and driving around I would go with 1/16 E-revo

 

[cuban b]

traxxas slash gets my vote as the best starter car. They are everywhere, so parts availability is everywhere. They are tough as nails, they are pretty cheap. They also have all kinds of race classes for them. The 4x4 slash is one of the best bashers ever, but the 2wd is tons of fun and cheap.

also, they are waterproof which is more fun than it ought to be

 

[TROKITA]

get him a rockcrawler so he can make his own obstacles

 

[Coco]

If he wants to race, or go fast, a slash is definitely a good start. I have had many of them, and they are very fun, yet very durable. They do break after a while like any car, but they are a great truck out of the box.

If he is into the rock crawling stuff, a wraith or maybe even a ridgecrest are good options.

 

[ChestonScout]

I have a Blitz ESE for sale right now.


I started racing with a Traxxas Slash and upgraded to this car. It has a Tekin esc and a 17.5 brushless motor. It would fit right in for the stock class at the Magna track.


I enjoy racing a lot. Just dont have the time anymore so I cant justify it sitting.

Here is the ksl link
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=21453843&cat=653

Everything needed to race besides a controller. I might have a Losi controller I can throw in if your interested

 

[Kevin B.]

That's very tempting, Cheston, thanks! I'm not in a place to get that from you right now, but if you've still got it in a bit we'll talk!

 

[GAR]

I think rc is a great way for kids to learn mechanical skills, patience, hand eye coordination, etc. I grew up fixing my older brothers hand me down rc cars and contribute a lot of mechanical attributes and skills to those days.

If he really wants to race I would suggest getting to be friends with some people at the track that can help him (and you) learn the ins and outs. especially with what to buy and proper car setup. There are tons of stupid stuff out there that you can spend tons of money on and it doesn't help any.

If he really wants to race, I would suggest getting a Team Associated sc10 and run in the stock class. If he wants to race a little and bash around the neighbor then I would probably get a traxxas slash. They seam to take abuse better.

Good luck!

 

[ALF]

I bought my kids slashes to race and bash and they're fun and cheap but they all gravitate back to my Wraiths, esp. the Brushless one I just sold. Best of both worlds, crawl and bash, waterproof it and it will go anywhere!

 

[rholbrook]

Traxxas Summit

[video=youtube_share;3VIY3s4aDgM]http://youtu.be/3VIY3s4aDgM[/video]
harrison playing with his Traxxas Summit

 

[Kevin B.]

Sweet! I ended up getting Boogerface one of these: http://www.rpphobby.com/product_p/hpi108710.htm. He loves it. Need to look at battery upgrades though, because he'll run this one down in about 10 minutes.

 

[SAMI]

Very cool!!!

 

[phatfoto]

Be happy with ten minute run times! It hasn't been that long ago that 4-5 minute runs were the limits. You might get more run time going brushless anf LiPo battery packs, but the kid should learn to drive what he has before upping the speeds.

A few years back I went with a brushless buggy and broke a lot of parts at the track in Magna. I hadn't run RC in years before that, so I was rusty and not ready for the speed. I did buy a second buggy, brushed motor, that is still fast, but easier to run. But I don't race.