The market for RC Cars is huge - easily the highest selling segment in the
remote control vehicle industry. With entry level basic plastic kits
selling for about $30, it's the most common starting point for entry level hobby
seekers and gift giving.
Example
- RC electric car kit
Other than budget, the most important questions you need to ask when
selecting a vehicle has to do with the surface you plan to drive on. If
its a flat and smooth surface like pavement or concrete, most cars will be fine.
Rough surfaces, dirt, or gravel is the domain of RC Trucks.
RC Cars - Choosing the Right Car
Choosing the right type of RC Car isn't as hard as you think. While
budget will obviously play a role, decide which of the following categories most
applies:
Performance & Adults - Nitro RC and high performance electric cars
Entry Level / Gift - standard electric RC models
Scale:
RC cars and trucks come in scale
units. Think of it as an percentage of what the real vehicle size would
be. A 1/8 or 1/10 scale is one of the larger cars on the market -
basically 10% of what the real car size would be. You'll find vehicle
sizes ranging from about 1/8 (for the big cars) to 1/14 or 1/18 (mid sized
average electrics) to the 1/24 or smaller cars. There are even micro mini
cars that use micro burst charges - they only last for about 2 minutes and then
need a fresh charge. You'll typically be paying for size - larger costs
more.
Ground Clearance:
Most cars have minimal clearance -
they're made for smooth surfaces and have the clearance and tires for that sole
purpose. If you have a rougher surface, including dirt or gravel, you'll
want to go with rc trucks or buggies as they have more clearance but sacrifice
some speed (unless you upgrade to the gas powered nitro rc trucks).
Performance remote control cars:
At the higher end of the RC Car
market are the high performance cars - including some of the high performance
electric and nitro RC Car choices. These are popular on the racing scene
on model tracks - and are the rage for 'drifting' - where the back end slides
out while the sheer power of the motor drive train moves the car forward.
Performance Level - Nitro Cars - Video Example
There are almost as many categories of RC Cars as there are cars themselves.
We take a look at some of the most popular ones below:
the market -
basically 10% of what the real car size would be. You'll find vehicle
sizes ranging from about 1/8 (for the big cars) to 1/14 or 1/18 (mid sized
average electrics) to the 1/24 or smaller cars. There are even micro mini
cars that use micro burst charges - they only last for about 2 minutes and then
need a fresh charge. You'll typically be paying for size - larger costs
more.
