Best RC Cars Toys for Adults in 2022

With the above information in mind, the first question should be, where do you intend to drive it? If you want to run offroad, obviously an onroad car won't be the best option, but even with offroad, there are various grades of how rough the terrain is, and what car will handle it best. Same with onroad, a carpet racer won't run well on a parking lot if it's now smooth enough.

It's actually not a matter what is better, as each vehicle type has it's merits and drawbacks. 2WD means a more simple drive train, so most likely less maintenance. The less complicated drive train also means less drag, so with the same motor, battery, etc, a 2WD vehicle will most likely have better acceleration, better top speed, and longer running time. Also, since there are no driven front wheels that spray dirt etc all around over the body and rear suspension parts, you will typically have less cleaning to do after running of a dusty terrain. Plus it's fun to make a rear drive car make donuts, and slide through corners. Drawback of 2WD is that it's easier to get stuck on terrain, if one wheel is lifted from the ground, and the drive train has a free moving differential, the wheel that is still on the ground will not have traction. With a 4WD you will stil have 3 wheels that can keep the vehicle moving. Besides this trait of 4WD, better traction, cornering is usually also easier, as the front wheels help "pull" the car around the bend. Since you can also brake on 4 wheels (as braking with an electric driven car is done by locking the motor) you have better brake power, even though a 4WD vehicle will usually be heavier than it's 2WD counterpart. All this makes a 4WD vehicle easier to drive for beginners, whereas a 2WD rear drive vehicle can "hook" in a corner, or do a 180 turn if you are too eager on the throttle, on a surface with less grip. Still, the easier construction of 2WD vehicles, and their usually lower price tag, still makes these also an excellent choice for new drivers. Personally, I prefer to have both types around. P.S. don't be fooled into thinking that a 4WD with front drive train disconnected will be a way to experience 2WD driving so you can have both with a single car, as a 4WD vehicle without 4WD will usually just feel like what it is, a crippled 4WD vehicle, and lack the fun driving traits of a true 2WD one.

A new driver will soon learn that RC cars come in different scales and sizes. Very small, like the 1/36 scale Losi Micro T, to very large 1/5 scale buggies. Just like with 2WD vs 4WD it's not really a matter of what is best, but where do you want to drive your car. A smaller car will be more affected by obstacles on the track, where a bigger car will not even be fazed by that same obstacle. A smaller vehicle will be easier to carry around, and require less storage space. But with a bigger car you are less limited to where you can drive, no need for an ultra smooth running area. If you want to stay a little allround, 1/10 is a good starting point. While lacking the "nothing can stop this car" abililty of 1/8 scale and bigger, it's still quite capable running offroad, and less "nervous" than smaller 1/16 or 1/18 scale cars. A 1/14 scale buggy with relatively large wheels, like the Losi Mini 8ight, and more recently, the LC Racing EMB Buggy (also known as the Tacon "Soar") combine quite good offroad performance, with a smaller size car.

Simple answer would be, one has brushes, one hasn't. But that's a little too simple perhaps. In a brushed motor, the brushes deliver current to the commutator, a series of metal strips, that each are connected to a coil in the motor. When a battery is connected to the 2 motor terminals, current starts flowing through those brushes, to the coils, making these magnetic, causing the axle to spin. Reverse the polarity of the terminals, by switching the wires, and the motor starts turning the other way. This type of motor has simple wiring (2 wires, that's all) and is quite cheap usually. Performance can be pretty good too, there is just one catch. The friction between commutator and brushes causes these to wear down, and eventually the brushes need to replaced, or the motor needs a new rotor, as a worn commutator can't be replaced. It's possible to clean the surface of the metal patches of the commutator some times, for instance by using a special lathe tool, but as this removes material from the surface, at some point it's over. Also, the efficiency of this type of motor isn't very high, as the friction turns energy to heat. Brushless motors don't have this problem, as there are no brushes and commutator to switch on and off the current to the motor's coils. Instead the motor is connected to the speed controller with 3 wires, and the switching of the respective coils is done electronically, in the speed controller. This makes a brushless speed controller more complicated, and also more expensive. But in return you get almost zero wear on the motor, just the bearings that may need replacement sooner or later, depending on track conditions, and the motor can run more efficient, converting more of the battery's power into motion, instead of heat.

This depends on the type of motor. A brushless motor has no commutator that the brushes need to wear in to, so no break-in is required. With a brushed motor, proper break-in will yield a faster running motor, with longer life expectancy. There are a couple of ways to do this: - Most simple method, take it easy the first runs. Don't run full throttle, and get the car up to speed gradually. Drawbacks, the motor does get to work, so some arcing and commutator surface damage may occor. Also, it takes a lot of self control to go easy on a new car for several batteries. - Also pretty simple to perform, but easier on the motor. Put the car on a secure stand, so the wheels are not touching the ground, and use the throttle trim on the transmitter to let the motor run at low rpm. Added advantage is that the gears get the chance to run in a little without any load. As a variation on this, it can also be done without the pinion on the motor axle, for lowest possible motor load, which in theory should be a little better for the motor. - Wet method. This involves putting the motor in (preferably demi) water, and connect the motor wires to a 2.4 volt power source, like 2 AA batteries. As the commutator and brushes are not exposed so air, there is no arcing possible, to less chance on commutator surface damage. The water also acts as polishing agent, and provides some cooling too. After a while the water will become greyish or black, showing the worn down brush material. Disconnect the battery, and remove the motor from the water. Dry it out well, flushing the motor with electric motor cleaner tends to work well, or a blow dryer, or putting the motor in a bag of rice. When properly dried, remember to oil the bearings. This method is claimed to yield the best results, but it's a bit more messy, and if the motor is not dried well enough, rust can occur. P.S. for some advice to keep your brushed motor in good shape, check the next posting, for the header "Caring for brushed motors"