S197Insano

I have a Losi LST Mach .26, Losi 8ight and an HPI RS4 Evo 3 which have been sitting for a few years. I purchased some nitro and looking up part numbers for new air filters when it hit me. Nitro is pretty much dead, for the most part. Sure, there are a few out there, but mostly it is done. Should I really be spending money getting these 3 running on nitro, or cut my losses?

sheograth

It's up to you really. I still enjoy nitro from time to time but prefer 1/5 scale gas. Because of advanced in battery and mitor tech electric gas really picked up.

The Saylors

Ya i agree, if they make you happy keep them going! You will never be able to "justify" all the money and effort spent but if it puts a sh** eating grin on your face like it does for me then keep going. Who cares what other people are doing. Do more of what makes you happy. I'm looking to get into 1/5th gas as well. What vehicle are you most into in that class sheograth?

sheograth

Overall I'd say the HPI Baja series. Only 2WD but it's an excellent platform with great aftermarket support. Otherwise I like Losi, MCD, and FG.

Also, the Vekta 5 from Kraken RC looks awesome.

http://www.krakenrc.com/vekta5/

nitrosportsandrunner

Nitro is a different type of fun. 5th scale gas may combine the joy of driving a RC while getting to hear a engine but its not exactly cheap. I don't think nitro will ever die. But nitros do take more time and effort than a brushless truck. They take a little more know-how as well.
depending on what your trucks/car need, Id fix them up. You already have more money in them then you could get by selling them. One thing with nitros is you typically lose more money selling them used than you do selling a used electric....since soo many people damage nitro motors from lack of knowledge, most who know what they are doing wont buy a used nitro unless they can get it cheap enough to buy a new motor for it.
I will never forget my old nitro sport. And from time to time over the past few years I have picked up a used nitro sport or nitro rustler just to mess around with.

1QwkSport2.5r

1/5th scale is too expensive for me. I prefer 1/8th and 1/10th scale nitro... No electric wussy stuff for me. I run a pair of LST2s, and a couple Traxxas stadium trucks. Just put a Picco .28 in one LST, and a Novarossi .28 in the other... Parts support is good for all of them. Nitro is not dead, but isn't common either. Everyone takes the easy way out and burns electrons.

sheograth

Yeah I like nitro too, I like the effort it takes to maintain an engine, and the realistic power band. Electric is fun though when you just want a simple quick drive. And for crawlers. But yeah other than 1/5 scale gas my favorite cars to mess with regularly are 1/8 scale nitros, on and off road.

Team R40

That sucks to hear, what did everyone move to mostly, electric? I've been gone a while also and not up to date on what's been going on in the rc world.

S197Insano

Looks like the new technology in electric motors/batteries has taken over a large portion of the market share. They're faster, easier to maintain and cheaper to run and maintain.

I guess the fact they not loud also appeals to me. The power band is also crazy, reminding me of a roots style supercharger or turbo with that low to high rpm power range.

I've been trying to find the best cars/trucks for each class, but info on the newer models seems scarce. Getting a Tower Hobbies coupon email yesterday had me looking hard yesterday.


Buggy - already have a nitro Losi 8ight (original release) and trying to lock down the best few electric cars

MT - looks like Savage may have this one locked down, with the X-MAXX breaking consistently after a sufficient power plant being swapped in (big squid) and it may just be too dang big

Misc. - really liked the Yeti XL at first, as well as the Kyosho FOXX, but both seem to flip over way too much and not able to find one single aftermarket upgrade for the FOXX

SCT - Looks like the Slash dominates this one

The Saylors

Ya i have the foxx and I love it dearly but i do wish that there were some upgrade parts although it is a really tough truck. I have literally broken one thing ever on it. Truck is stupid fun and entertaining as can be. Oh and it does flip over but not too bad, yeti xl is way worse for that.

S197Insano

Maybe it was the drivers I saw, as well as it being new to them. I watched every video I could find of the Foxx on YouTube and almost bought it. What type of terrain do you run it on? I'm guessing it is one you would recommend just going by your comments?

The Saylors

Mine is ran primarily on rough flat terrain (there is an abandoned development near me. Dont get me wrong it does flip over but no more than the t-maxx or revo that my cousin has. Just takes some practice to learn its limits. The biggest fall back to the foxx is that the steering is very loose. I think they did this to make the linkage more resistant to pop offs or breaks but it leaves precision turning at the door and makes long, rutted hill climbs a bit of a fight lol (have been considering doing the four wheel turning mod for this reason). As a basher i love it but in any competition you will be lacking in maneuverability. In terms of the Yeti XL vs the Foxx i would take the Foxx all day just on the maintenance side of things since they go through diffs like crazy and are weak in the turning department as well. I think the draw backs for the foxx are turning, no e-start options that i have found, motor is finicky until you get used to running it, and no upgrade parts. On the flip side it seems to be as tough as nails and has amazing sound, once you get your ducks in row its so much fun and pretty forgiving, the Yeti seems to be the opposite in all departments aside from turning. I have literally broken on axle carrier ever since i got it a few months ago and the only reason that happened is because i tagged a wood post with just the front wheel at full speed. The carrier broke but every other part was fine and usable. Otherwise i have seen it full speed cartwheel on black top and rocky dirt and just keep chugging. Total re-pair was around 8 bucks for that spill lol. Its a fantastic day when my slash only needs 8 bucks thrown at it lol. It is defiantly a more simple design but with this hobby that is not always a bad thing. Also it is around $150 cheaper. Thats my .02 cents i could rant forever lol

The Saylors

Oh and one other thing if you get the foxx get a set of hex hardware for the major stuff unless you like dealing with phillips heads that they put in weird places. The motor mount and body hinge are hex but the rest is phillips.

S197Insano

I wouldn't be running it in any competitions and only bashing. Looks like you have the nitro version? It's almost 10mph faster on the top end when compared to the electric version. Three speed tranny on it as well, nice. My LST has a two speed and is fast enough, wouldn't want a third gear. I've been looking at electrics since I am going to run it around my yard, but if it's not obnoxious, may consider the nitro version. The electric only supports 2x2S LiPo...may be part of the reason it is so much slower.

Where did you pick up the hex bolts? Did you size and purchase one at a time, or is there a prepackaged set?

The Saylors

I had most of the hardware left over from builds and just bought the rest. It really wasn't that hard to put together just a little bit of time. This nitro is only slightly obnoxious (most find it similar to a weed eater in pitch and DB rating) so if you have neighbors 10 feet from you i wouldn't recommend it but if you have a big yard with good spacing then you will love it. The three speed is pretty nice but you don't really hear the gear changes so i sometimes forget it even has it. It is pretty fast! In a drag race against the t-maxx i will lag off the line compared to him, but i always slowly pull away from him after about 50 feet. Is your truck the lst xxl? I really liked the look of that truck, looks well built and the two stroke gas would be nice! One more thing to keep in mind about the Foxx is that the receiver is a little lame on range so i put a spektrum in it, stock controller isn't too bad for an RTR but oh well i will take the range. It wasn't terrible but i felt it should be quite a bit farther, so if you are on more than an acre or two then i would do the same.

I just noticed that there is an electric lst so maybe that is the one that you have. Both look really nice though!

S197Insano

The LST is the original model that came out a long time ago, nitro burning .26. You can hear the transmission shift and see the truck bump a hair when it does. I don't have a huge yard, about 1/2 acre. I will be using the new 4PX with it though.

As far as the noise, I was shying away from nitro for that, but will need to mull it over. I am still eyeing some electric buggies. Those suckers are extremely quick and pretty tough for the most part.

The Saylors

oh ya with a 4px you will be more than fine. I do love my electrics mainly because of the ease of it all and the speed, but that nitro puts that stupid grin on my face everytime

mainmothman51

I just bought a " mad crusher" and I am very happy with it. I haven't started it yet as its winter here. ive had savages, t-maxx, revos, but this truck really just was what I wanted, i'm a nitro fan and I am wanting it for bashing mainly, i'll let you guys know how it holds up. love this truck.

Smiff 24

Do keep us posted on the Mad Crusher, Im still into the nitro as well !
T Maxx 1.5 , T Maxx 2.5 , Revo with 2.5r , Losi xxxnt , rc10gt could never bring myself to part with them !