| Is a nitro gas car better and a gas-powered car? Will | | | | your gas before you can use it in your RC. On the |
| you be better off with the former than the latter? Well, | | | | upside, this is cheap-and is actually the biggest selling |
| it depends, but don't expect the choice to be an easy | | | | point for many people. Nitro fuel costs almost $45 per |
| one. The fact that almost everybody uses | | | | gallon. |
| nitro-powered car and gas-powered car almost | | | | 4. Battery. Hating the time you'll lose doing battery |
| interchangeably, makes it even tougher to choose | | | | recharging? One huge advantage of a gas-powered |
| between the two. You see, when people talk about | | | | car is that you will never have to stop for a recharge. |
| gas-powered cars, it's possible they really mean a nitro | | | | Nitro-powered cars need batteries for the radio |
| gas car. The mix-up has become so common it has | | | | receivers-usually AA. |
| actually become acceptable. | | | | 5. Maintenance. Every time you run a nitro gas car, you |
| Here are the 6 main differences between a nitro gas | | | | will need to do maintenance afterwards. Expect to do |
| car and a gas-powered car. | | | | a lot of tuning, too, to keep the motor in perfect running |
| 1. Size. Gas-powered cars are typically bigger and are | | | | condition. Your nitro-powered little beast will require |
| made using a larger scale. Gas-run trucks, for instance, | | | | constant cleaning and tuning for optimal |
| measure two feet long and are at least 1:5 in scale. In | | | | performance-two things that don't put off most |
| comparison, a nitro truck may be anywhere from 14 to | | | | enthusiasts because it also translates to better power |
| 15 inches in length, and have a scale of 1:10 to 1:18. | | | | and longer life. |
| Does size matter? To the serious hobbyist, the | | | | 6. Power. Looking for more power? Nitro gives you |
| answer is yes. While larger cars are so realistic they | | | | just that, and at faster speeds. You can expect more |
| sound, smell, and look just like the real ones, they are | | | | than 50 mph, in fact. But if you're thinking, "Hey, why |
| also more limiting. You cannot run them whenever and | | | | don't I just run nitro and speed up?", well, hold that |
| wherever you like because ten to one, your neighbors | | | | thought! Gas, not nitro, gives more torque, which lets |
| won't appreciate the smell and the noise. | | | | you turn a bigger drive shaft. Of course, this brings us |
| 2. Ease of Fueling. Hands down, it's easier to fuel a | | | | to the power versus torque debate-but that's another |
| nitro gas car. Nitro fuel is a mixture of methanol, nitro | | | | story entirely and one that we won't settle here. |
| methane, and oil. In contrast, when your car runs on | | | | Bottom line, there are tons of benefits a nitro gas car |
| gas, you will need to do your own mixing by mixing the | | | | offers pros and beginners alike. Know, though, that |
| gas you use with oil. This is because engines for | | | | with power comes responsibilities. Maintaining your |
| gas-powered cars are-more often than | | | | nitro-fueled little hobby will be a regular chore. You'll |
| not-two-stroke, which is very similar to most of the | | | | need to tune it and condition it-and make room in your |
| power engines seen in yard equipment. This puts | | | | budget for it. If you can do all three with no trouble at |
| some people off, while others don't mind at all. | | | | all, then by all means pick a nitro-powered RC-it's the |
| 3. Fuel Price. As pointed out earlier, gas-powered cars | | | | closest that you can get to the real thing, believe you |
| need regular gas, but you will need to add a bit of oil to | | | | me. |