Hmmm, better gas or electric? There’s not a straightforward answer to this question. It depends on what your intentions are and the level of comfort you have around cars.
If you want something that makes a lot of noise and sounds somewhat real gas is for you. Truly they sound like little dirt bikes when they are revving and moving around. You can see little puffs of smoke when you accelerate.
Are you a tinkerer or consider yourself a mechanic? If so, gas is a good fit for you. They tend to be better for individuals who like to work on things. They can be a little difficult to get started and keep running. There are some maintenance responsibilities like checking the piston, piston sleeve, glow plug, and carburetor for wear.
If you don’t like the smell of fuel and just want a car that runs pretty much every time electric is for you. It’s pretty easy to troubleshoot, whether the battery is charged or it’s not. Most of the indecisive things happen at the beginning with electric cars. Like understanding which type of battery, the car needs and what to charge it with.
Back in the day, I took a small engines class because I wanted to work on lawnmowers. In the class, we also learned to work on weed eaters. Naturally, I believe that’s what has drawn me to true gas RC cars.
I own a Losi 5IVE-T that I purchased two years ago. Can you believe that I’ve never played with it? To me, it’s the ultimate RC car because of its size and 32cc engine. It’s like having a remote-controlled go-kart. If you are into the large-scale stuff but don’t want gas there is an electric 1/5 scale but it’s the DBXL-E. The E stands for electric, so make sure that is what you are looking for to pick that. If you don’t, you’ll get a gas one which is called the DBXL.
So the question of which is better gas or electric doesn’t make sense to me. I would like to have both of them, and it depends on what you want to do with them.
Since I haven’t played with this car yet I don’t have any posts about it. I do have a couple on some of the different nitro cars that I own. When I finally bring this one out to play I’ll make sure to include some pictures and video.
Maintenance – Better Gas or Electric
Regardless of what you decide to own prepare yourself for maintenance. Learn as much as you can about how to fix the car yourself. This is truly the piece that frustrates people and makes them not want to own a certain car. Believe me, both types of cars have their issues it depends on what you want to deal with.
To be honest, I believe that’s truly why I haven’t played with the Losi 5IVE-T. Once I fire it up and start running it, the maintenance begins. With anything gas, it’s usually going to be something with the fuel system. Carburetors always have some type of gasket problem. If you’ve ever worked on a carburetor there are too many small pieces and you have to remember where things go back. Sometimes it’s easier just to purchase a new one.
Some would argue that gas cars are dangerous. If you know anything about electricity you know it can be just as bad. No matter which one you get you need to be careful. Don’t overcharge batteries in electric cars where they could explode. In gas cars make sure there are no leaks that could spark a fire. If you’ve owned or been around enough of these toy cars you’ve seen this at least once, whether it was you or someone else.
Parts Reliability
I don’t see much of a difference in this category. A lot of times the parts are the same on both cars. It helps the manufacturer keep the costs down. You can buy upgrades, but in a lot of cases, they still break.
Truly what I believe the upgrades do is make the car look better. It’s always cooler to show your friends a carbon fiber-looking piece instead of plastic. But if you are just playing with your car on the weekends I don’t know how big of a difference this makes. What I do know is if you try to turn around and sell your car it may cause an issue. How so? Most people try to sell it for what they put into all of the upgrades. Many used RC car purchasers don’t understand any of that and can’t figure out why the car costs the same or more than a new one.
Once again, which is better gas or electric? Neither is better than the other.
