Racing Your Radio Controlled Car Racing is the most exciting aspect of owning a radio controlled car for most RC car enthusiasts. There are millions of RC car racing aficionados, so it is natural that a number of different kinds of racing have evolved, but the two foremost variances are on-road and off-road racing. Whichever aspect of RC car racing interests you the most, there are several items that everyone needs to do to get ready for a race. The rest of this piece will discuss some facets of racing your radio controlled car. We will take for granted that you already have the best model car that you can afford, so the first thing to do whilst preparing for a race is decide on the tyres to suit the conditions, exactly as they would in a full-size car race. The tyres employed for on and off road racing are not the same and the tyres used for a dry or a wet road are different either, so you will require at least two sets of tyres and you will have to practice changing them fast at pit stops. Most significant 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 usually done with trucks, heavier models that can acquire a better grip on the landscape. So, the faster, lighter cars are built for speed and require a smoother surface to run on. The surfaces used vary from a length of regular concrete or tarmac road that has been sectioned off for the day to a custom built racing oval of concrete or tarmac. Off-road vehicles are raced or scrambled anywhere, the rougher the better. These conditions also affect 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, recent developments have seen the rise in popularity of monster 1/5 th scale tucks and cars with real miniature petrol engines in them. Regular two-wheel drive is sufficient for racing, although some racers do prefer fourwheel drive. However, four-wheel drive is more or less indispensable for all terrain racing. It is also better in wet and icy conditions, just like the real thing. Fuel is an vital 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, particularly in the larger, off-road trucks. Petrol is not so 'violent' as nitro and it goes further. This means not so many pit stops. It also causes less wear and tear on the engine. Petrol engines do not break down as frequently as nitro engines. The parts are sturdier as well. Maintenance is a large aspect of RC car racing, but it is more important the smaller your car is and nitro engines require the most maintenance of all. This is not a problem for many enthusiasts, in fact, they love taking their car apart and rebuilding it, but you might not. Maintenance is a factor to bear in mind while selecting an RC racing car.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently concerned with the petrol remote control car. If you have an interest in RC vehicles, please go over to our site now at 1/5 Scale RC Cars.