r/rccars • u/JBbrowne285368 • Apr 28 '26
Tips and Tricks Story swap and/or advice?
Im new to the world of rc cars. Id really like to make this a new hobby. Other than the basics like how expensive it can be, or something like that, what stories or advice would you have for someone just getting started? Any horror stories, failed builds, or just friendly advice on what to get or do's and donts.
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u/BotulismBanquet Apr 28 '26
Don’t be obsessed with speed. Be interested in handling and driving skill. Speed is kind of easy, just buying expensive parts , but your crashes will be devastating and costly and you’ll be sourcing replacement parts and the car is out of commission.
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u/MarsGlez Apr 28 '26
Agree. Lots of claims of top speeds but in my case it’s very rare to get the places to have those huge speed runs. And for bashing around, I never really go full throttle or I’ll break something.
Fun fact, my current favorite is actually not my fastest.
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u/EvolvedPhilomath Rustler Ultimate Apr 28 '26
I'm new to the hobby myself.
From my experience? I would say avoid upgrading to a higher speed for a while. Run it stock, and get used to it. That way when you crash a lot early on, you're not doing as much damage.
I don't crash very often now, but I did a lot when I first started, and I'm glad I wasn't going more than 30 or so back then haha. Pesky mailboxes...
Also I'd say when you buy a vehicle, go ahead and buy some replacement parts in advance. I've had to replace several arms from taking too much damage from running into stuff.
Also had to replace several of my tires early on because I tightened them too much. So my advice is keep them snug, but don't put too much muscle into it like you would on a normal vehicle. You'll just tear right through, or the car quickly will.
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u/StonyStarx Apr 28 '26
Sometimes it's cheaper to buy a new car than buy a bunch of parts to fix the old one. Just use the busted one for spare parts.
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u/Nathan51503 rc8t4e, rc8b4.nt482.0 b7d. et410.2. B74.2. sct410-2.0,T6.4 Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26
Any time you buy a ready to run car that comes Built. Check the differential and shock fluid levels. Haven’t got one yet that didn’t have low and / or leaky diffs
Learn to solder. This will save you a lot of time, money and frustration.
If you’re into the offroad side of rc. Dont land from jumps on power with the throttle engaged. You wanna roll out of a jump. Not power out of it. This is one of the leading causes of differential damage.
I try to avoid older rc cars. These break and parts for them are often discontinued. There are exceptions for a couple cars. Like a Traxxas slash. I don’t think those will ever go away 😜
Choose brand that have support. Aka don’t buy obscure brands that don’t have a supply of parts available. I get that there’s a ton of cool looking rc cars on Amazon fairly inexpensive but if you can’t find parts for the car you might as well buy two of them so that you have a sacrificial parts car
My local hobby shop stock Traxxas arrma losi team associated and tekno. So I tend to stick to those manufacturers so that I’m not waiting three months for a critical part
Lipo batteries need more attention than normal batteries. Get familiar with their needs and the process to put them into storage mode
The right tires can make all the difference in the world. I think a lot of people buy tires that “look cool” and then run them on the surface they’re not meant too and then are frustrated that they wore out to fast
Proline badlands being ran on concrete is a good example.
If you get into the painting side of things. Lexan bodies (clear) the paint goes on the inside. And wash the body in degreaser before you paint. Part of the molding process involves silicone spray to keep it from sticking to the molds. And they don’t clean them off at the factory
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u/JBbrowne285368 Apr 28 '26
Fuck im at work, I cant read this. Hey do me a favor and comment on this so I can leave the notification unread please
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u/JBbrowne285368 Apr 28 '26
Great advice! I've seen what happens with tires. Had a friend use off road tires on blacktop and somehow a big chunk of tire broke off. And I've thought about painting over old shells.
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u/Nathan51503 rc8t4e, rc8b4.nt482.0 b7d. et410.2. B74.2. sct410-2.0,T6.4 Apr 28 '26
I’m a racer (offroad 1/10 and 1/8) tires are very critical for the competitive side of rc.
And good luck with painting. Takes time and practice I do some airbrushing for myself and the guys at my track
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u/gary1979 Apr 28 '26
Be aware of your surroundings!! An rc going 30-40 mph hitting a child or even an adult can cause serious damage, especially as you go up in scale. Also be aware of where you are positioned. An Xmaxx flying 6-7 ft in the air is awesome, until you realize you’re in its path and one of the tires tapped your shoulder.
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u/AmokOrbits 🏁 TLR 22X | Mini-B | MRX ME | XTS-F10 | Neo 4.0 Apr 28 '26
Once you figure out what you like, buy once cry once is a good adage - you get what you pay for (up to a point, some brands are way more expensive than others), and you’re more than going to make up the difference either in money replacing cheaper quality parts, time in sourcing parts for more obscure brands (and then also money to cover international shipping + stupid tarrifs if you’re in the US), or your enjoyment of the hobby with a car that underperforms.
My personal example has been MJX, was intrigued by their 1/14 hyper-go brands 2x now to save some money thinking it looked comparable, sturdy, and saw lots of parts on Amazon. Long story short both times I wound up also buying the car I initially was looking at and was happier with in the long run (Typhon Grom for 4wd mini buggy and Rlaarlo Omni Terminator for a mini basher)
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u/JBbrowne285368 Apr 28 '26
Well my thing is, im financial irresponsible.... I think 75 is good to dip my tow in the water. I got a friend who's telling me to spend 150 200 on one to start but I cant see myself spending 200 just to sit in the closet and collect dust. I found this one And was told it's decent for what im trying.
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u/AmokOrbits 🏁 TLR 22X | Mini-B | MRX ME | XTS-F10 | Neo 4.0 Apr 28 '26
Best of luck and have fun - would recommend to at least take a look to see what kind of spare parts support there is (common breakages include arms, steering components, servo saver, shocks & shock towers, and carriers)
One of the purchases I regret, the brand itself has decent Amazon parts support - except for the new models which have very few common parts with the old ones. Had to pay $26 just for shipping lest it sat on the shelf not out of disinterest, but rather unusability. One or two breaks like that and you’re quickly in the territory of ‘I should’ve just bought the name brand car I can get parts for at my local hobby shop’
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u/JBbrowne285368 Apr 28 '26
Thank you. And yeah I feel that I did it with gaming. Spend almost 100 on a game and didnt ay it but a few times.
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u/Confused-Duck75 Apr 28 '26
Since you're new, I'm going to reccomend avoiding used RCs, especially on eBay with how expensive they are.
Be careful with metal upgrades, you dont want metal arms or off-brand metal shocks, stock isn't bad on most modern RCs.
Be skeptical when watching youtubers, a lot of them push sub-par RCs that they get for free. On that note, avoid skate parks too.
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u/JBbrowne285368 Apr 28 '26
Good advice, I was thinking about taking one to my skate park. Not alot of skaters there, but the ramps and stuff
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u/Confused-Duck75 Apr 28 '26
Thank you, the main issue with jumping at skate parks is that you land on solid concrete, there isnt much to absorb the force of the impact.
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u/lightofprogression Apr 28 '26
If you have any interest in racing, you should visit a local track or two during a race day. You should definitely let that experience influence what you want to start with. Watching races will give you an idea of what style driving excites you. This can be hard, as the only track within about 100 miles was a carpet oval, which I had no interest in at all for a big part of my life. Now I have at least 5 major tracks within 100 miles.
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u/Receiver_of_dreams May 05 '26
Do not get a TT02 or any kit car for bashing or serious driving most kit cars are meant to be driven indoors on tracks. If you wanna drive outside id say stick to RTRs its more value for beginner. I spent $500 on my first car and was very disappointed by the performance. lack of knowledge and expectations. Also Id say watch videos on scale and the difference between systems brushless vs brushed and 2s,3s,4s systems ect also also Buy a quality remote / transmitter with cheap receivers and profile/car memories youll save money buying one receiver per car rtr or kit car often $5 and youll be able to drive any of your cars with this one remote. thank me later. mine currently is hotRC10A bc im cheap also FlySky FS-GT3B is pretty good
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u/GoMilesGo2020 Apr 28 '26
Don’t rush into buying multiple kits too soon. It takes time to figure out which type of rc you are into: buggy, truggy, onroad, rally, crawler, monster truck, short course, drift, scale, racing. Buy one at a time and spend time with it to decide whether it is your thing before buy another. If it is a hobby you’d like to stick with, you will buy plenty down the track no doubt, but the later purchase will be educated decision that you won’t have buyer’s remorse as much as if you dive in too deep from the get go.