By nitrodude359
Are you often bored? Do you want to go outside more? Well, this hobby is for you! It’s Nitro cars; remote controlled (RC) cars that are powered by a tiny engine (usually between a 0.12 to a 0.18 cubic inches). These engines are very powerful and efficient for their size, and can make your RC cars go up to 65 miles per hour! Sadly, for the last few years electric RCs have been taking over Nitros, with hobby shops replacing their Nitros with electrics. However, earlier this summer, the brand HPI started remaking their old Nitro RC again! It seems that Nitro is making a comeback after all! Here are some points that might convince you to get into the hobby and to burn Nitro fuel instead of batteries:
1) There is a great online community on Nitros, with many videos on Youtube that explain how to properly run and maintain your Nitro (example: JQRacingTV on Youtube).
2) With an electric, If your battery runs dry, you’re done. You have to wait another 12 to 14 hours for it to charge. With a Nitro, just fill her back up and you’re good to go.
3) Be honest, what sounds cooler: zzzzzzzmmm zzzzmmm zzzzmmm or VRRrrmmmmMM a vrrrrmmmMMMm VVVVRRMMM. Furthermore, the Nitro engine is something that has to be adjusted with respect to the weather outside (if it’s cold, hot, humid, or dry outside). There is nothing more satisfying than a well-tuned engine.
4) Nitro fosters some kind of appreciation for the mechanisms; it certainly does for me. I mean, consider the different components at work in a Nitro. Inside that Nitro engine, there is a tiny piston going up and down, pushing and pulling a tiny con. rod, spinning a tiny crank shaft at God-knows how many rpm (actually, up to 35,000 rpm). Then torque is transmitted to the transmission (more often than not, it’s a single speed, although 2-speed autos are common, and 3-speeds are just awesome).
5) The Nitros on store shelves now may become collectable. Many times, companies will discontinue their products or replace them with a more optimized version of it. There is a market for the older Nitro cars (Vintage Nitro’s), and they can sometimes sell for a good sum of money (check out hybrid32494 or Nitro Mike on Youtube for reference).
Those are just some of the reasons why you should get into Nitro. The short version of this is that Nitro is a great hobby if you like to tinker with things. A friend can bring their own car and race off; now that right there is a good day. So if you do decide to get into Nitro, here are some recommendations from me: start your search with Traxxas’ (depends who you ask) T-Maxx and Pro .15 (especially the Pro .15, it is very forgiving). The Kyosho Inferno 3.0 or Team Losi’s 8IGHT-T. All of this is just the tip of the iceberg, but, as previously stated, Nitro’s online presence should clear things up. With that, I hope that you are ready to embark on a journey of smoke, noise, and fun, and remember, “Keep on burning Nitro ” – thebug 404.