Racing is the most exciting part of owning a radio controlled car for most RC car enthusiasts. There are millions of RC car racing enthusiasts, so it is normal that a number of different types of racing have developed, but the two main variances are on-road and off-road racing.
Whichever aspect of RC car racing interests you the most, there are several things that everyone has to do to prepare for a race. The remainder of this piece will discuss some aspects of racing your radio controlled car.
We will assume that you already have the best model car that you can afford, so the first thing to do when preparing for a race is choose the tyres to match the conditions, exactly as they would in a full-size car race.
The tyres employed for on and off road racing are different and the tyres used for a dry or a wet road are not the same too, so you will need at least two sets of tyres and you will have to practice changing them quickly at pit stops.
Most serious on-road RC car racing is done with models of real cars like Lamborghinis, Porches, Ferraris and Aston Martins leading the fashion. Others like to use Formula One style cars. Off-road scrambling is normally done with trucks, heavier models that can acquire a better grip on the terrain.
So, the faster, lighter cars are built for speed and need a smoother surface to run on. The surfaces used vary from a length of regular concrete or tarmac road that has been closed off for the day to a purpose built racing circuit of concrete or tarmac. Off-road vehicles are raced or scrambled anywhere, the rougher the better.
These conditions also have an effect on the scale to a certain extent. Racing RC cars tend to be the smaller 1/10 th scale, whereas off-road trucks tend to be built to the slightly larger 1/8 th scale, because they require the weight for increased traction.
However, contemporary developments have seen the increase in popularity of monster 1/5 th scale tucks and cars with real miniature gasoline engines in them.
Standard two-wheel drive is sufficient for racing, although some racers do prefer four-wheel disk. However, four-wheel drive is more or less indispensable for all terrain racing. It is also better in wet and icy conditions, exactly like the real thing.
Fuel is an important consideration. Most speed racing cars run on nitro. It burns very fast and produces high acceleration, but you have to stop and refill frequently in a long race. Some racers prefer petrol, especially in the larger, off-road trucks.
Petrol is not so ‘violent’ as nitro and it goes further. This means fewer pit stops. It also causes less wear and tear on the engine. Petrol engines do not break down as often as nitro engines. The parts are sturdier as well.
Maintenance is a large aspect of RC car racing, but it is more vital the smaller your car is and nitro engines need the most maintenance of all. This is not a problem for most enthusiasts, in fact, they like taking their car apart and rebuilding it, but you may not. Maintenance is a factor to keep in mind whilst choosing an RC racing car.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with gas remote control cars. If you have an interest in model or toy rc vehicles, please go over to our website now at 1/5 Scale RC Cars