When you build a remote controlled car, you usually pour hundreds of hours, and even more dollars into making it a creation that you can be proud of. Well, after you have put so much effort into it, how much fun is it to just keep it all to yourself and never show off what you have worked so hard to complete? Some would say that it is a complete waste of effort. If you are building a radio controlled car, you should plan on entering it in many different competitions. There are quite a few RC car competitions of many different types. Here I will go over some of the main kinds of competitions that you can get involved in. Each one requires a type of car that is specifically tailored to it. Sometimes you can swap a few parts out and have a car that is ready for a different competition, but more often than not it is a totally different type of car.

The first type of competition is the kind that most people would imagine; a simple race track. It’s set up just like a NASCAR event. A large paved road is used as the track, and all of the cars are lined up in rows at the beginning. The number of laps can vary greatly, from sprint races to longer marathon races requiring dozens of laps. At these events, speed is the number one factor. Nobody will care if your car looks ridiculous if it is capable of speeds far higher than those of the competition. In these competitions, you will find the highest level of technical detail put into cars, with high-tech engines prevailing. Light, gas-powered cars with firm wheels are the best type of car for these competitions.

The second type of competition is definitely a fun one, and perhaps the most popular. It is the same as the first in the fact that it is a race. However, this race occurs on an off-road track. An off-road track will usually include lots of rough terrain, with steep hills and perhaps even ramps or obstacles. These tracks will really give the cars a beating. Most entrants will have remote control cars that look more like trucks, with huge shock absorbers. Many creative methods are used to keep cars in the running. Some even have wheels on both sides, in case the car flips over when it hits a bump. Many advanced driving techniques are required to stay in the running, and this is what makes off-road racing one of the most exciting sports.
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If you are building a radio controlled car, you will be faced with choices every step of the way. You will have to decide how to build the model, how to incorporate the radio transmitter, and how you want to paint it. You will also have to decide how you want to power your car. There are several different choices, and unfortunately there isn’t one that stands out as better than the rest. Each powering method has its own benefits and tradeoffs that may affect your decision. You will have to consider these benefits compared with what exactly you want to do with your car. Here are the three main ways that you can power a radio controlled car.

The first and most basic way to power a remote controlled car is to have a battery pack running the motors. This is the kind of system that you will see in beginning cars. If implemented correctly, it can be fairly effective. Its main strong point is that it is very light. Cars using electric power can reach all new levels of lightness. However, like all of the options, there is a tradeoff: electric cars are the slowest of them all. So, you will have to decide whether you want a light car that handles well, or a speed demon that will tear up the competition. And that brings us to the next choice, which is definitely a bit speedier than the electric option.

Gas-powered cars are by far the most common when you are looking at hobby grade cars. The equipment required to handle all of the gas and combustion weighs quite a bit, and tends to make the car less agile. However, it makes up for this deficiency by being one the fastest choices. These types of motor kits are very easy to find. If you want one for your car, your best bet would be to look in some online specialty shops, or your local hobby shop. While it is not necessarily a positive aspect in my book, the fact that the cars are much louder when they run on gasoline seems to attract some people, who enjoy creating the noisy little machines.
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Many people think of remote controlled cars as toys for kids. However, there is a huge difference between remote control cars for kids and remote control cars for adults. The complexities of the cars have a very wide gap. Kids cars will run on just a few AA batteries. RC cars for adults feature full miniature engines. Lots of the popular motor kits run on fuel such as gasoline or nitro. Others run on large battery packs that are essentially beefed up versions of kids toys. These cars require just as much maintenance as a real car, since they have all of the same components (plus all of the radio transmitting gear!) to deal with.

When building a remote controlled car, you will have many different choices regarding the quality of the components that you use to make it. You can stick with some simple hobby store components, but those are not likely to make a car that will win any races. If you want to go all-out on a project, you can get top quality parts. You should be prepared to spend some money to get what it takes, but once you have it all together you will have a car that you can truly be proud of. If you want to assemble this type of amazing car, you will need to look for several things in particular when buying components. These will help you get the maximum performance for your money.

The fastest engine choice that you can find is a nitro engine. Nitromethane is an alternative to regular gasoline, and runs much better for RC cars. It is usually heavier, and therefore more cumbersome on the handling of the car. However, if you are going to be on a fairly straightforward and tame race course, it is a great choice and will provide a huge speed. The only down side is that nitro engines are known for wearing down faster, and breaking at a higher rate. If you use a nitro engine frequently, you can almost expect it to break after intense usage. It is a good idea to have an electric engine that you can swap it out with when the need arises.
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