If you’re looking for an exciting hobby that will help you escape everyday life, you can never go wrong with picking up a remote control (RC) car kits. Even though many may think of an RC kit as something for children, the reality is that there are also many adults who indulge in having such a car.
“Can you build your own RC car?” is a common question when it comes to RC car kits and the answer is yes. If you have no experience building anything like it, you may find it a bit extensive and confusing at first. However, with the right tools and a detailed guide, you can easily build your own remote control car. No matter whether you decide to go for remote control RC car kits to build or for RTR (ready to run) cars, there are a few things that you should know that will help you make the right choice.
Car Types
When choosing an RC car kit, the first decision is whether you want on-road or off-road. If you want to drive it in more places, you probably want to go with an off-road car. With an on-road car, on the other hand, you’ll tend to go faster, especially around corners as the tyres of this car have more grip. To drive an on-road car, you have to find big patches of smooth bitumen, such as empty car parks. In addition, these cars also include drift machines that are designed to slide around and do spectacular drifts.
When it comes to the main body shape, here are the possible types of cars.
Street Car
If you want something average, street cars are the right choice for you. They are the fastest and the best to drove on flat surfaces. However, don’t get them if you’re looking to drive it in the backyard or if you want something with more power.
Drift Car
These types of cars are like on-road cars, just with slick tires. These are among the most commonly used car types out of the diverse range of remote control RC car kits to build the retailers offer. Drift cars are good in case regular cars bore you but you like to drive fast. However, you should know that drifting is hard, so in the beginning, you might have some troubles getting used to it.
Buggy
A cross between off-road and on-road cars are buggies. Buggies are the 2nd fastest on-road but the slowest off-road and this is due to their low wheelbase. They are good for people who can’t decide what type of car they want since buggies can be used for both on-road and off-road.
Truggy
Truggies are similar to buggies, but more used for the off-road. It actually takes the frame of a Buggy and puts monster truck tires on it. Truggies are the 3rd fastest on-road and the 2nd slowest off-road.
Trucks
Trucks, also called monster trucks, are amazing off-road but very slow on-road. When trying to make high speed turns, they may flip a lot, which means that they’re not the best for on-road. You should get a monster truck if you want to drive in the woods or in the grass the most.
Electric Vs. Nitro
There are 2 types of propulsion for RC cars - batteries (electric cars) and nitro. Nitro cars use miniature internal combustion engines which typically need a special brew of nitromethane, methanol and oil. Depending on the engine, the exact mix can change. Also, be prepared to get your hands dirty because the engines require maintenance and servicing. Nitro cars are also much noisier and because of that, some tracks in suburban areas may not allow them to be used. This is the reason why the market is much heading to electric RC cars.
Electric cars generally have faster acceleration than nitro cars. They are also regarded to be cheaper because they run on batteries. When it comes to maintaining an RC car, electric cars require less maintenance than nitro ones.
Once looking for an electric RC car, you may come across the terms “brushed” and “brushless” which refer to the types of RC motors. Each motor type has its own kind of Electronic Speed Controller (ESC). Brushed motors and their ESC's are usually cheap but at the same time inefficient and lack power. On the other hand, brushless motors are powerful, efficient, fast, and last much longer than the brushed ones. They don’t really have an expiration date, in comparison to the brushed ones which usually last about 6 months to a year. The main visual characteristic between these two types of motors is that the brushless ones are sealed completely and have 3 wires, while the brushed ones have ventilation holes and 2 wires.
What Are the Best RC Car Brands?
Tamiya
The classic RC car brand is Tamiya. This brand had been making good cars for more than 30 years. It is known for producing high-quality car parts. Tamiya cars start around $200.
Axial
Axial rigs are made to tear up the open roads and destroy anything that stands in their way. They’re industry leaders in plastic tube chassis mods. They have models that come with a receiver box that’s completely waterproof, so you don’t have to worry about potholes or puddles.
HPI Racing
This brand has been long applauded in the remote control car community due to its durability and excellent designs. Their cars look so real that you feel as if you can hop inside of it. If you want RC cars that are replicas of the real thing - HPI is the right brand for you.
Traxxas
The cars that Traxxas produces are very fast, durable and high-quality. If you decide to buy a Traxxas car, you will very rarely need to replace a broken or worn part. These cars and trucks start at about $300 and they don’t always include a charger and a battery pack.