Fancy a new RC car. Nitro or electric?
Discussion
I had a nitro a few years back, but it was noisy and seemed unreliable. Schumacher iirc. Should I stick with Nitro or is electric as good as anything? Recharging is the biggest down side I can see with electric. Also quieter!
I was thinking of something (probably RWD) that would not be too mad fast for my daughter as well as she's 13 and seems to love RC cars etc.
I was looking at the £200 mark and liked this one... http://www.modelsport.co.uk/hpi-blitz-short-course...
Look forward to any thoughts you have.
Nick
I was thinking of something (probably RWD) that would not be too mad fast for my daughter as well as she's 13 and seems to love RC cars etc.
I was looking at the £200 mark and liked this one... http://www.modelsport.co.uk/hpi-blitz-short-course...
Look forward to any thoughts you have.
Nick
I am having the same dilema.
I recently bought one of these for my son:-
http://www.wheelspinmodels.co.uk/i/86184/
In order to have a little time to enjoy it I spent another £90 on an additional 2 batteries and a better charger etc.
However.....
Now bitten by the bug again myself I can't make my mind up which way to go for a race buggy.
There seems to be a lot of people favouring the nitro but for no particular reason bar saying that they prefer the noise and the smell. Neither of which are performance related.
Another plus for the electric is that you have a reverse which is helpful if you are a novice driver.
I recently bought one of these for my son:-
http://www.wheelspinmodels.co.uk/i/86184/
In order to have a little time to enjoy it I spent another £90 on an additional 2 batteries and a better charger etc.
However.....
Now bitten by the bug again myself I can't make my mind up which way to go for a race buggy.
There seems to be a lot of people favouring the nitro but for no particular reason bar saying that they prefer the noise and the smell. Neither of which are performance related.
Another plus for the electric is that you have a reverse which is helpful if you are a novice driver.
Dave Brookes said:
I am having the same dilema.
I recently bought one of these for my son:-
http://www.wheelspinmodels.co.uk/i/86184/
In order to have a little time to enjoy it I spent another £90 on an additional 2 batteries and a better charger etc.
However.....
Now bitten by the bug again myself I can't make my mind up which way to go for a race buggy.
There seems to be a lot of people favouring the nitro but for no particular reason bar saying that they prefer the noise and the smell. Neither of which are performance related.
Another plus for the electric is that you have a reverse which is helpful if you are a novice driver.
I hadn't thought of reverse I recently bought one of these for my son:-
http://www.wheelspinmodels.co.uk/i/86184/
In order to have a little time to enjoy it I spent another £90 on an additional 2 batteries and a better charger etc.
However.....
Now bitten by the bug again myself I can't make my mind up which way to go for a race buggy.
There seems to be a lot of people favouring the nitro but for no particular reason bar saying that they prefer the noise and the smell. Neither of which are performance related.
Another plus for the electric is that you have a reverse which is helpful if you are a novice driver.
I think the noise and smell are negatives tbh.Have a look at all the lovely electric kit over at HPI's site.
I'm leaning towards this one: http://www.hpieurope.com/kit-info.php?partNo=10932...
I'm not sure what the nitro or Nimh batteries are like now But I recall my last nitro car was messy, noisy and always needed retuning to run right.
Having been using lipo cells in planes and helis for the last few years I can tell you I wouldn't take a second thought at using anything else!
Can charge a 3S lipo in under 20 mins at home and in less then 10 from the car, I seem to remember having an electric car about 15 years ago and it took something like 3 hours to charge the battery for 5 mins use!
Granted lipo packs are quite pricey and you need a decent charger buy once you are setup it's just so easy and mess free!
Having been using lipo cells in planes and helis for the last few years I can tell you I wouldn't take a second thought at using anything else!
Can charge a 3S lipo in under 20 mins at home and in less then 10 from the car, I seem to remember having an electric car about 15 years ago and it took something like 3 hours to charge the battery for 5 mins use!
Granted lipo packs are quite pricey and you need a decent charger buy once you are setup it's just so easy and mess free!
bulldog5046 said:
I'm not sure what the nitro or Nimh batteries are like now But I recall my last nitro car was messy, noisy and always needed retuning to run right.
Having been using lipo cells in planes and helis for the last few years I can tell you I wouldn't take a second thought at using anything else!
Can charge a 3S lipo in under 20 mins at home and in less then 10 from the car, I seem to remember having an electric car about 15 years ago and it took something like 3 hours to charge the battery for 5 mins use!
Granted lipo packs are quite pricey and you need a decent charger buy once you are setup it's just so easy and mess free!
I'm surprised at the recharge time, that's nice and quick! Should you allow them to cool before recharging though and what sort of run time do you get in relation to the charging?Having been using lipo cells in planes and helis for the last few years I can tell you I wouldn't take a second thought at using anything else!
Can charge a 3S lipo in under 20 mins at home and in less then 10 from the car, I seem to remember having an electric car about 15 years ago and it took something like 3 hours to charge the battery for 5 mins use!
Granted lipo packs are quite pricey and you need a decent charger buy once you are setup it's just so easy and mess free!
Thanks!
nick_j007 said:
I'm surprised at the recharge time, that's nice and quick! Should you allow them to cool before recharging though and what sort of run time do you get in relation to the charging?
Thanks!
I should of added that is a 2200mah battery. Thanks!
I don't have a voltage alarm so I stick to 6 minutes to ensure I don't drain the lipo too far. That Is something you need to be aware of with lipos, if you run them until they stop or even the motor fades you can kill them.
This is why I'm so impressed with them, the relative regard to use ratio is fantastic.
And yes, if you are drawing enough current to get the battery hot it must cool before recharge. I don't find mine get hot though.
Mine are from heliguy, they have their own range of well priced quality lipo packs. The cheaper ones on eBay I have heard of issues with.
Worth remembering these things can catch fire if mistreated .
EDIT: just checked the battery I have here and it can be charged at upto 5C which is 5x the output (2200mah). Which means it can be charged at 11amps max.
I charge it at 3.5a at home and 7a in the car, I'd charge more at home buy my PSU can't take it.
At 11amp I'd guess you could fully charge in 5 mins!
Edited by bulldog5046 on Sunday 6th January 20:56
Fairly scary figures on the charging. Lipo's should be charged at 2.2 amp if a 2200c battery.
I wouldnt go overboard with expensive lipo's unless you are competing at a top level. Lipo's now are very affordable and i use http://www.pit-bitz.com/product_info.php?products_... in both my tamiya mini and hpi stadium truck.
A B6 charger is under £20 on eBay which is more than sufficient. (I use a quad B6 for ease of use and have done for a couple years).
Balance charge the battery, dont run them flat and they should last a few years without any loss of power.
The big thing to watch is if the battery ever looks swollen it is time to bin it. This can happen through overcharging or over discharging and is not safe to use.
Go electric and LiPo, had no problems with them in two years, I'm glad I sold the nitro models and went electric. I can see electric models killing nitro off over the next decade or so, the old advantages of nitro models are now no longer an advantage.
An equivalent electric, outperforms, is easier to maintain and run, and doesn’t require constant carb twiddling, they are quieter, and they don’t stink. There are (to me) no real advantages to it any more. Even 5th scale models with petrol engines are under siege from the big electric motors and massive LiPo batteries you can get these days.
Charging a LiPo is whatever the maximum charging rate is, my packs are 5000mAH with a 2C charge rate, ergo 10A charge current max. Get a decent balance charger (mine cost ~£50 from the local model shop) and you won't have any issues.
2S (7.4V) LiPo are the best bet for replacing a regular 6/7 cell NiMH in a model. I went for the maximum my Speed controller can handle at 3S (11.1V) and the speed is insane.
To give you an idea of run time a mate of mine also has the same Slash 4x4 that I have, the only differences is the battery packs, in the time it takes him to expended two of the original 7cell NiMH (8.4V) 4200mAH packs (general bashing so around 25minutes per pack) I have barely started using the second of my three 5000mAH packs. Go for the best and highest capacity you can afford to.
I have also noticed that you do get some light swelling on LiPo batteries during use (not excessive just a slight swell, it always returns to normal after not being used for a few minutes. The majority of balance chargers will detect a battery problem and won’t charge it. But if it is blown up like a balloon it needs to be (responsibly) disposed of.
I have seen a slash 4x4 running on a 7.4V LiPo and its performance is enhanced over the 8.4V NiMH pack – tbh I wished I’d saved the money and bought 2S rather than 3S.
An equivalent electric, outperforms, is easier to maintain and run, and doesn’t require constant carb twiddling, they are quieter, and they don’t stink. There are (to me) no real advantages to it any more. Even 5th scale models with petrol engines are under siege from the big electric motors and massive LiPo batteries you can get these days.
Charging a LiPo is whatever the maximum charging rate is, my packs are 5000mAH with a 2C charge rate, ergo 10A charge current max. Get a decent balance charger (mine cost ~£50 from the local model shop) and you won't have any issues.
2S (7.4V) LiPo are the best bet for replacing a regular 6/7 cell NiMH in a model. I went for the maximum my Speed controller can handle at 3S (11.1V) and the speed is insane.
To give you an idea of run time a mate of mine also has the same Slash 4x4 that I have, the only differences is the battery packs, in the time it takes him to expended two of the original 7cell NiMH (8.4V) 4200mAH packs (general bashing so around 25minutes per pack) I have barely started using the second of my three 5000mAH packs. Go for the best and highest capacity you can afford to.
I have also noticed that you do get some light swelling on LiPo batteries during use (not excessive just a slight swell, it always returns to normal after not being used for a few minutes. The majority of balance chargers will detect a battery problem and won’t charge it. But if it is blown up like a balloon it needs to be (responsibly) disposed of.
I have seen a slash 4x4 running on a 7.4V LiPo and its performance is enhanced over the 8.4V NiMH pack – tbh I wished I’d saved the money and bought 2S rather than 3S.
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