Elec 8th Racing Poll

[DaveG28]

Just trying to see if growing the class is really an option in the UK, what the reasons are for so few running etc!?

If your answer to the poll is 1, please say where you race, if 3-5 please post a comment explaining why!?

[steelie600]

Ive voted about being too busy, but the main reason is cost.

[DCM]

Not racing mine, as I am currently waiting for the last bits of the conversion to come through. To be honest, it hasn't been the simplest of things to do...

[Jan Larsen]

If you want me to stay out of this since I'm not british, just tell me, but the cost thing is, imo, a poor excuse. Granted, it may be a bit expensive in the start up phase, but after that it gets very cheap.

I've raced one race with mine (3x5min quallies, 15min quarter, 20min semi and 45min final - we run together with the nitros) and well as completed 3 hours of total practice driving yesterday. Cost? 2 sets of tires and a worn out pinion.

[mikerobinson83]

i have not voted because i havent done my conversion yet.
but for me,there is not enough interest to make it work.
example-the closest multi venue race series to me (plymouth) is SWORDS
and electric are not aloud to run with the nitro cars, but there is no electric class as there is not enough interest, instead we have to run in the outlaw class with .28 nitro and truggies.this caused quite alot ranting inbetween race at our race day.
there are however people at my local club that run electric 1/8th both buggy and truggy so if we could get a series within reasonable travel distance i dare say we would be interested in running.

Mike

[carty]

we do race 1/8 electric down at the south coast rc club, only a small club with 10-15 racers at best at present but we are trying to grow slowly, the leccy's are totally wasting the nitro boys and the field is now about 75% brushless as one by one the nitro guys are changing.

[Beanie]

Raced my 8Te with the nitro boys only yesterday at Adur off road track near Steyning, West Sussex.

Was a blast!

[sime46]

Not much interest around my area past the curiosity phase. I bought one hoping to encourage others and myself to have a crack but so far, only me.

[jasonwipf]

Nice poll. Good to get that sort of feed back.

In the states its taking off fast and we have seen 100-500% increase in the numbers of E buggies over the last year alone. Even the die hards are converting. Once E buggy gets their own class gas guys come over quicker as they want to run more than one 1/8th buggy class on a race day and it compliments thier driving skills. They just need to know there is some competition there too, so get the "good" drivers to convert as anchors for the "cause".

Lately the only excuse not to do electric is 1. "I like gas and messing with the engine" (lame!) 2. "not enough people in it" (that excuse is disappearing fast in the U.S.)

Cost was an excuse this time last year, but it that argument has been so blown to bits that no one dares use it anymore. If you race and practice weekly you going to save 1-2.5 Thousand Dollars a year going Electric.

If they allow you guys to run Elec with the gas that is great. And YES you DO need to make it obvious how awesome it is you dont have to do all the tuning and maintenance that the Nitro guys do. While our nitro guys are sweating over some mystery tuning problem, changing clutch parts or flaming out, we have no shame in pointing out how that is all irrelevent in Electric while we enjoy a relaxing smoke, joke around or watch movies on our portable dvd's at our pits and drink beer and laugh at them. All the while beating them in the mains! It does take its toll on them. We try not to cross the line and be total jerks but just playful fun. In the end they do wish they could enjoy race weekends as much as us and they convert. Its a total blast when the die hard nitro lovers that argued with you last year about Elec Vs. Nitro start whispering to you at the track or sending you private messages on your local forums asking where to get their electric conversions and how much you think their Nitro motors and starter boxes will fetch on Ebay! LOL

[Chris Doughty]

here are my reasons why not.

- I don't have time in addition to what I am doing
- if I went to test with it on a practise day I would have to wait for batteries to charge, with nitro, I just give it a drink and drop it on the box
- and to a certain extent, the thing I like best about racing is racing with the best people, if the best racers were racing 8th electric I'd probably be more tempted to do it.

[Beanie]

Originally Posted by jasonwipf

If they allow you guys to run Elec with the gas that is great. And YES you DO need to make it obvious how awesome it is you dont have to do all the tuning and maintenance that the Nitro guys do. While our nitro guys are sweating over some mystery tuning problem, changing clutch parts or flaming out, we have no shame in pointing out how that is all irrelevent in Electric while we enjoy a relaxing smoke, joke around or watch movies on our portable dvd's at our pits and drink beer and laugh at them. All the while beating them in the mains! It does take its toll on them. We try not to cross the line and be total jerks but just playful fun. In the end they do wish they could enjoy race weekends as much as us and they convert. Its a total blast when the die hard nitro lovers that argued with you last year about Elec Vs. Nitro start whispering to you at the track or sending you private messages on your local forums asking where to get their electric conversions and how much you think their Nitro motors and starter boxes will fetch on Ebay! LOL

+1

I got loads of stick when I started racing the 8Te at our local club.....all good natured of course, now slowly that has turned to lots of questions of where to buy and how much from most people!! All are keen for a peek under the shell to find out more!

I think they see me simply put in a battery, turn on, trundle to the track from the pits with just car and TX in my hands, pop it on the track and then race. Simple.

Then after, drive the truck back to the pits, battery on charge, check drivetrain and things, marshall the next race and then sit back with a coffee....

[Chrislong]

Originally Posted by DoughtyUK.net

here are my reasons why not.

- I don't have time in addition to what I am doing
- if I went to test with it on a practise day I would have to wait for batteries to charge, with nitro, I just give it a drink and drop it on the box
- and to a certain extent, the thing I like best about racing is racing with the best people, if the best racers were racing 8th electric I'd probably be more tempted to do it.

Same as CD but.... Cost & Reliability....

On the 2nd point, it isn't just that for me, its the fact of the extortionate price to achieve continuous running whereas Nitro is top up with fuel and continue at no extra cost (except for the small amount of fuel). Plus then the reliability, as magnets etc don't work well when glowing hot.

I believe when a class gets easier in the pits, the racing gets closer & then the need to spend money greater to stay close to the sharp end, but its so close the difference between 5th to 25th may be bobbling off on a random bump - or my eyesight (not hitting apexs on distant part of track).

For me I take a lot of enjoyment from learning, fettling and tuning things without spending a fortune - going brushless would remove much need for skills in the pits. So I am really enjoying playing with Nitro engines, when they work well and I do as well as I can, I really come home with a sense of achievement. So even if I was given a Brushless system, until there is no Nitro class to race I just wouldn't use anything but Nitro.

I also like the way Nitro feels, torque curve the right way around, drivability.


Chris

[BRS]

I've raced mine at Pendle and NNRC but I dont score points which I want too.

I can do 20min finals on one battery which isnt fair and there isnt anyone with me or there capable of changing the batteries for me.

The simplicity and throttle control of electric is streets ahead of nitro, but I'll be running nitro anyway to try win the club champhionship and do the odd National

[DCM]

I like the 8th class, but with no pit crew, it is almost impossible, as you can't keep asking favours for fuel splashes during qualies and finals. Plus, I could never get my head around the engine tuning, no matter how much I tried. Electric opens up the class.

[DaveG28]

Ihave to admit, all the reasons sound fair enough to me (I think Chris brings up an interesting point about tuning options) except cost. Maybe I'm naive but from what I've seen starting out in nitro surely it's more expensive than elec??? Just in terms of clutch rebuilds/glow plugs/engine rebuilds/filter changes/tank changes/brake changes (not too often I guess), cost of fuel etc! Maybe I'n just Bern down on them but at Neo I couldn't believe how much rebuilding/consumables were required, separate to tuning parts etc!?

I may have been dead lucky but I did @8 meetings in elec 8th in the end with not a single esc/motor problem, so if set right would have thought elec should be more reliable, not less (just as you have extra moving parts in the clutch etc to fail on a nitro), plus I do just find it difficult to do nitro without a mechanic. Ignoring having someone to refuel you, it's a night are trying to set an engine up without someone in the pitlane helping!!

All good stuff though, I'm trying to mull over what's needed to make elec 8th work, I guess one thing would be some equivalency for when running with nitro (eg around pit stops etc) as it seems it would be difficult currently to get enough in one place together for their own class, and probably more people won't get into it until they do have their own class etc!?

[DaveG28]

Keep the views coming everyone, may do another poll on what would be of most interest, local racing mixed with nitro, one off big meetings or a national style series!?

[Chrislong]

The only time I may favour Electric personally, would be the winter & indoors. But A) I don't have the money & B) Id rather take it less seriously - hence my SC10 for the Winter.

I run a Hong Nor clutch, about £8, lasts 5-6 meetings. Bearings about the same. Air filter I replace after 2-4 meetings depending on when it needs to be. Tyres - haven't worn any out yet! Fuel - Gallon lasts me 4-5 meetings. Glowplugs - never blown any. breakages - few to none. Travelling - far less. Tracktime lots more.

Compared to 10th electric, which needed tyres for each meeting at a minimum, every run to 2 runs at a national, cars break regular, had to travel far more to race more people. Became very expensive.

So overall, I am spending about half what I was before, considering also Diesel for travelling. And thats bearing in mind I was a Schumacher B+ driver before.

I know this is an Electric 8th compared to Nitro 8th arguement, but I know you know 10th Dave hence my comparison.

[Jan Larsen]

I did 193 laps on a 50 sec-a-lap track last sunday. Price? Nothing. Well, the tires wore out, but hey...
Not one single issue, instead I helped the various nitro guys getting their engines to cooperate, or else I'd just be sitting in my chair getting bored, having nothing to do.
This was done on three $70 zippy batteries that were charged at home, and just kept charging in a steady way all day as they got used. Each battery drove 3-4 times.
The reliability and cost issues just isnt there anymore. If setup right, you'll be able to run just as much as nitro guys.

[DaveG28]

Originally Posted by Chrislong

The only time I may favour Electric personally, would be the winter & indoors. But A) I don't have the money & B) Id rather take it less seriously - hence my SC10 for the Winter.

I run a Hong Nor clutch, about £8, lasts 5-6 meetings. Bearings about the same. Air filter I replace after 2-4 meetings depending on when it needs to be. Tyres - haven't worn any out yet! Fuel - Gallon lasts me 4-5 meetings. Glowplugs - never blown any. breakages - few to none. Travelling - far less. Tracktime lots more.

Compared to 10th electric, which needed tyres for each meeting at a minimum, every run to 2 runs at a national, cars break regular, had to travel far more to race more people. Became very expensive.

So overall, I am spending about half what I was before, considering also Diesel for travelling. And thats bearing in mind I was a Schumacher B+ driver before.

I know this is an Electric 8th compared to Nitro 8th arguement, but I know you know 10th Dave hence my comparison.

Chris, I definitely hear you in terms of 10th versus 8th, in terms of elec 8th vs nitro, seems to very much come down to reliability from what your saying and others are saying, if you can do that level of maintenance it's probably pretty similar!

I guess indoor winter running may be the answer (like micro), but it then gets to be cost again I guess, it's a LOT of money to do elec 8th as a fun class! I still think it may be good as an intro class to 8th, an easier way of doing it, it's just whether that's needed!

[DCM]

I suppose, if you way the cost of a Brushless system against a decent engine, there isn't much difference, and with both, if you get it wrong, it is going to cost you either way.