8th electric/nitro comparison

[DaveG28]

Just wondered, anyone who's run both, whether one has clear speed advantage over the other??

I run electric 8th and feel I'm getting an advantage, but having never done nitro not sure it's really the case!?

[Answer-RC-Pete]

There is very very little bewteen them really if the E8 is a good set up .
Neo09 this year the nitro stuff had the edge in lap times but it was minimal -

Personally I find the electric easier to drive and can be quicker with it than nitro but I think the electric masks my poor skills and is certainly smoother..

[DaveG28]

Yeah I've got into electric in the last few months but I'm always the only one running one at meetings, and considering trying the whole nitro thing!!

In terms of some of the techniques, what happens if you don't throttle blip nitro's in corners, do they stall? How easy to set the mix/idle is it on them?

[Answer-RC-Pete]

what happens if you don't throttle blip nitro's in corners, do they stall?

Haha! No 15yrs ago you had to be a guru to get them to start and you were the man if you made it idle but the game has moved on a hell of a lot and they are pretty straightforward. Some people never take to it and hate nitro but most gtet along ok.. Most clubs have someone you can turn to when its all going wrong anyhow..

[DaveG28]

Originally Posted by Answer-RC-Pete

Haha! No 15yrs ago you had to be a guru to get them to start and you were the man if you made it idle but the game has moved on a hell of a lot and they are pretty straightforward. Some people never take to it and hate nitro but most gtet along ok.. Most clubs have someone you can turn to when its all going wrong anyhow..

This will be an equally dumb question but why do so many blip it then?? Why not be smoother?

[Marvin]

People blip the engine to keep the clutch engaged, though it can also help slide the back of the car around on tight corners.

I'd stick with electric, it's the future...

[DaveG28]

Originally Posted by Marvin

People blip the engine to keep the clutch engaged, though it can also help slide the back of the car around on tight corners.

I'd stick with electric, it's the future...

t is, just wouldn;t mind finding some oter people with them to race!

[Marvin]

If you come all the way to Maidstone to race at KMRC, then there would be others (mine really...).

[lambchops]

Im hoping to use my new brushless MBX5 at the next Clanfield round against the Nitro's. I think Pete is right the electric is easier to drive as the power is more controllable and you can be more precise. Will let you know how I get on after the 20th

[abramsM1]

Electrics certainly have the advantage as far as torque goes. As for which is easier to drive, it depends...

[DaveG28]

I'm a bit surprised electric is easier to drive, unless I am mistaken with how the diffs work etc, there is no slipper on an electric 8th, but the nitor's have a clutch to "take the edge off". Is it that Nitro have a very difficult torque curve?

My own experience of running electric vs nitro is that the electric certainly gets out of the corner quicker, but running 4s I get murdered on long straights, and have to hit jumps on a lot of throttle too to get distance!

[Answer-RC-Pete]

The clutch on nitros is not so much to take the edge off as to allow the cars to idle in a stationary posistion as with no clutch the drivetrain would constantly be moving when the engine was running, also if you were to brake with no clutch you would stall the engine as the brakes would be taking it below its idle speed.

[Northy]

Plus centre diffs are gay aren't they Pete?

G

[Answer-RC-Pete]

Haha! Mr Araldite! no slipper, no diff thats what makes G happy!

[DaveG28]

Originally Posted by Answer-RC-Pete

The clutch on nitros is not so much to take the edge off as to allow the cars to idle in a stationary posistion as with no clutch the drivetrain would constantly be moving when the engine was running, also if you were to brake with no clutch you would stall the engine as the brakes would be taking it below its idle speed.

I know the clutch is there for the above reasons, but I am surprised it does not have the side effect of taking the edge off is how I meant it!

[Northy]

Originally Posted by Answer-RC-Pete

Haha! Mr Araldite! no slipper, no diff thats what makes G happy!

It went ok though didn't it

G

[SwisströM]

Originally Posted by DaveG28

but running 4s I get murdered on long straights, and have to hit jumps on a lot of throttle too to get distance!

If I may ask, what setup (chassis/motor/esc/battery/gearing) are you running?

[Chrislong]

Dave are you at NNRC tomorrow? id be interested to know if you can hear me blipping the throttle.

[DaveG28]

Swiss, I run the losi 8E2 with 4s battery, 2100kv motor on 14/45 (don't know the final ratio sorry!). It's bloody quick round a lap (hence me starting the thread wondering if it's got a big advantage!), it's especially good around twisty bits and on short/medium length straights, but not so hot on top end, which luckily is hardly any time disadvantage as not many places have long straights! I don't want anyone getting the impression I think electric is a disadvantage, I am coming from the opposite point of view, I think it's an advantage, but can't work out how much and haven't really considered electric could be more forgiving (I haven't driven nitro, just assumed a side effect of the clutch would be to make it more forgiving!)

Chris, I am there tomorrow, and it will be interesting to see your driving style, I still don't get the whole throttle blip thing to be honest, my only experience of similar clutches is karting from donkey's years ago and my vague memory of that was that blipping would be the wrong way to go, better to hit the throttle once and early and try to get it to then "bite" at the right time, but wondering if my memory is wrong! Also, if nitro's have a nasty torque curve then I can see it may be very difficult to use that method!

[Chrislong]

An electric motor has all its torque at low revs decreasing linear as revs raise. Whereas with Nitro it is vice versa. With disk brakes (which can be very aggressive) and all the torque at high revs, somehow I do feel the need to keep blipping the throttle - as its hard to give the car little throttle as a constant, the clutch engages and its off at warp factor 5!

You'll enjoy your switch to Nitro though Dave, I am. Its not as complex as it seems. I had fun today laughing at my dad getting things a bit wrong, but it was all fun, he couldn't hear me trying to shout him so he didn't know - he weren't listening to my directions beforehand anyway, funny though.