Anyone in So Cal race RC cars - specifically 1/8 nitro off-road?

[LargeOrangeFont]

Wondering if anyone races or wants to get into off-road RC racing? I’m thinking about getting back into 1/8 scale nitro cars. I scored a cheap RC8B3.1 buggy kit on EBay. I haven’t raced in about 10 years, and my old car is just sitting in the garage.

I will probably run at Revelation Raceway in Montclair. It is a large outdoor track. For the nitro cars it is always good having someone to hang out with and trade pit bitch duties.

 

[Bpracing1127]

I’m big into rc cars just sold mine too. All nitro.

 

[Bpracing1127]

I need another hobby ......

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

I need another hobby ......

Buy and new one and come
race with me or use my old car.

 

[Waffles]

What did it run you? I use to go to ocrc and West coast (before it closed) a ton. Never raced nitro tho

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[LargeOrangeFont]

What did it run you? I use to go to ocrc and West coast (before it closed) a ton. Never raced nitro tho

Sent from my FRD-L14 using Tapatalk

I have never been to OCRC, but I thought about going that route and doing 1/10 electric again. 1/8 scale is just so much fun though.

I got the kit for $425 shipped. It is $550-$600 usually. The nice thing about nitro is that everything from 10 years ago is still useable. I am going to pluck the engine, exhaust and running gear from my old car and drop it in the new one.

If you are thinking of getting into it, buying a lightly used roller on EBay is a good bet and will likely save hundreds. Just pull it apart, go through it and fix any problems.

I like nitro because of the pit stop element and the longer races. When I was sponsored and racing 18-20 years ago, there were no LIPO batteries so all electric races were 5 minutes.

 

[Cole Trickle]

Into rc cars but never liked nitro and never got into 1/8th stuff.(sold off all the nitro stuff as soon as brushless and lipos started outperforming nitro.)

Taking the kid up to axialfest in pine grove ca later this month for a 4 day rc crawl party.

 

[Slats]

I ran electric cars in the beginning. Then went to nitro for longer run time. Then got into gas rc boats. Still have a bunch of my old electric cars. One new brushless truck. But really enjoy my boats

 

[buck35]

My ex work partner is big into electric crawlers. Went to nationals in Tenn. back in may. He designs and builds all kinds of cool shit.

 

[Cole Trickle]

My ex work partner is big into electric crawlers. Went to nationals in Tenn. back in may. He designs and builds all kinds of cool shit.

People are super nuts into the sale crawler game.

I like to play with them and the slow speed allows me to drive with one hand while drinking with the other...haha

Should be a kick they call it the worlds biggest land based rc event... tons of courses and races.

 

[buck35]

If you have have fakebook check it out at toyzuki.
He started out in central cal building sidekicks into crawlers and used what he learned to improve the rc stuff. Smart cookie!

 

[milkmoney]

Hey baller , does the wife know ur spending money [emoji6] [emoji202]

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[Bpracing1127]

The smell of nitro tho. #electricisfornewbs

Electric sucks as there isn’t any tuning

Nitro for the win

 

[Cole Trickle]

The smell of nitro tho. #electricisfornewbs

Electric sucks as there isn’t any tuning

Nitro for the win

Fuck that I would rather play with my cars than tune them...haha

Don’t miss nitro tears either glow plugs or broken pull strings.[emoji85][emoji22]

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Fuck that I would rather play with my cars than tune them...haha

Don’t miss nitro tears either glow plugs or broken pull strings.[emoji85][emoji22]

Starter box..

Pull starts are for lawn mowers.

For screwing around and certainly rock crawling I do like electric better. For racing I like the added elements of strategy and tuning in nitro cars.. especially 1/8 scale. Clutch tuning, diff tuning, shock tuning, swaybars, chassis stiffness, etc.

 

[Bpracing1127]

All my motors have been electric start and ready to run!

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

All my motors have been electric start and ready to run!

You haven’t lived.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Hey baller , does the wife know ur spending money [emoji6] [emoji202]

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LoL I’ll use her excuse... “It was on sale, I had to buy it.”

 

[Cole Trickle]

Starter box..

Pull starts are for lawn mowers.

For screwing around and certainly rock crawling I do like electric better. For racing I like the added elements of strategy and tuning in nitro cars.. especially 1/8 scale. Clutch tuning, diff tuning, shock tuning, swaybars, chassis stiffness, etc.

I don’t have time to wrench on real and fake cars ...lol

Shouldn’t you be leaving the toys alone so we can cam/ head swap your cars...lol

 

[DEEZNUTS]

Fuck that I would rather play with my cars than tune them...haha

Don’t miss nitro tears either glow plugs or broken pull strings.[emoji85][emoji22]

And flame outs in mid race....

Raced 1/10 nitro truck for years before short course. Sold off the nitro stuff years ago. Love the gnar fast brushless stuff. Dont race any more tho.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

I don’t have time to wrench on real and fake cars ...lol

Shouldn’t you be leaving the toys alone so we can cam/ head swap your cars...lol

Probably, but I can work on an RC car in my air conditioned office.

1/8 scale is easy for maintenance. I build them and seal the diff housings with RTV.

Remove engine and radio tray, which takes 5 mins, and throw it in the dishwasher. Fix anything that needs work, lightly fog with WD40 and wipe down. Reinstall engine and radio gear. Ready to race.

You can substitute simple green and a hose instead of the dishwasher.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

And flame outs in mid race....

Raced 1/10 nitro truck for years before short course. Sold off the nitro stuff years ago. Love the gnar fast brushless stuff. Dont race any more tho.

I hated when that happened. Or when a new engine finally fully broke in and went pig rich in the middle of a race.

 

[DEEZNUTS]

I do love me some 1/8th scale. The new brushless 1/8 buggies look fun but $$$ to build to a competitive level.

 

[4Waters]

I like the performance of lipo and brushless, but electric lacks soul that nitro/gas has. And you can't drive until you can run a full tank of fuel in a 2wd nitro stadium truck around a track without crashing, the RC10GT was a blast.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

I do love me some 1/8th scale. The new brushless 1/8 buggies look fun but $$$ to build to a competitive level.

That was my feeling as well. Even with LIPO and brushless motors, you still are playing the constant technology curve game to be competitive.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

I like the performance of lipo and brushless, but electric lacks soul that nitro/gas has. And you can't drive until you can run a full tank of fuel in a 2wd nitro stadium truck around a track without crashing, the RC10GT was a blast.

Yea, those were a handful. 2wd 1/10 gas truck racing is gone now.

 

[Bpracing1127]

You haven’t lived.

No I mean tuned them so they start and run

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

No I mean tuned them so they start and run

Gotcha

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Here is my current car, original RC8. It hasn’t ran in 8 or 9 years. I can’t believe it has been that long. It is in great shape. The silicone has leaked out of the diffs and it needs to be cleaned, but it should fire right up. I could probably get it race ready in an afternoon.

I have enough spares for it to build another rolling chassis LOL.

 

[ltbaney1]

Im an electric guy, weekly racer at OCRC in Huntington beach. Worked pit duty for a buddy a couple of times at revelation and thunder alley. It's a great time, just can't commit the dollar amount for nitro right now,but it is in the future

 

[96motorhead]

I have a traxxas revo that has all the upgrades for racing. The motor is toast right now, I was just looking at buying a new engine for it today actually.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Im an electric guy, weekly racer at OCRC in Huntington beach. Worked pit duty for a buddy a couple of times at revelation and thunder alley. It's a great time, just can't commit the dollar amount for nitro right now,but it is in the future

What do you race?

 

[ltbaney1]

What do you race?

TLR 22-4.0SR 2 wheel buggy sportsman, and I'm torn between picking up the TLR or Tekno 4 wheel buggy. Either way the 4 wheel will be 13.5 motor. I've ran stadium truck and short course truck as well but decided to just stick with buggy for now. Rumor has it tekno is releasing a 4 wheel stadium truck that would be awesome, but no one is sure about it or what class it would run in. If your near Orange there is a track called the yard, super low key but very small outdoor track mostly nitro.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Now I really feel old, this was my first on road car and is literally 20 years old. HPI RS4 Pro 2.

I have a couple more prehistoric Losi cars, and my first car in the rafters in the garage.

My GF in high school broke up with me because I bought this car instead of an annual pass to Disneyland.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

TLR 22-4.0SR 2 wheel buggy sportsman, and I'm torn between picking up the TLR or Tekno 4 wheel buggy. Either way the 4 wheel will be 13.5 motor. I've ran stadium truck and short course truck as well but decided to just stick with buggy for now. Rumor has it tekno is releasing a 4 wheel stadium truck that would be awesome, but no one is sure about it or what class it would run in. If your near Orange there is a track called the yard, super low key but very small outdoor track mostly nitro.

I have heard of that track. I may have to check it out.

I need to familiarize myself with the brushless stuff. I just have a 1/16 brushless Traxxas Slash now. Maybe I need to swing by OCRC as well and check it out. Last 2wd buggy I had was the Losi XXX. I bought it the day it came out. The one class I never raced was 4wd 1/10 buggy.

 

[milkmoney]

Next u will want a RC section. Lol [emoji6] [emoji202]

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[rvrrun]

Now I really feel old, this was my first on road car and is literally 20 years old. HPI RS4 Pro 2. View attachment 660946 View attachment 660947 I have a couple more prehistoric Losi cars, and my first car in the rafters in the garage.

My GF in high school broke up with me because I bought this car instead of an annual pass to Disneyland.

That’s not old, I still have a collection of RC-12e’s, i’s, l’s that I raced when I was a sponsored driver in the seventies and eighties. My love will always be on road pan cars but I raced 10th buggy, truck and 4wd buggy off and on as well. This MRX4 is the last 1/8 scale car that I built. With kids I don’t have as much time to race but might get back into it if there was a close track. Half the fun for me was building, setup, dyno testing motors and building battery packs, but lipos and BL took that fun away (but the handful of BL cars I have are insanely fast)

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

View attachment 661001 View attachment 661003
That’s not old, I still have a collection of RC-12e’s, i’s, l’s that I raced when I was a sponsored driver in the seventies and eighties. My love will always be on road pan cars but I raced 10th buggy, truck and 4wd buggy off and on as well. This MRX4 is the last 1/8 scale car that I built. With kids I don’t have as much time to race but might get back into it if there was a close track. Half the fun for me was building, setup, dyno testing motors and building battery packs, but lipos and BL took that fun away (but the handful of BL cars I have are insanely fast)

I enjoyed the building a setup too. I was sponsored for a bit but didn’t put enough time in to get really good. I ended up being a builder, tuner, and mechanic for a few top level guys.

I never did pan car stuff, because I hated the foam tires but raced everything else, minus 1/8 on road (again with the foam tires) and 1/10 4wd buggy, all the way up to 1/5 scale.

I remember those MRX4s. I used to build and work on many of those 1/8 on road cars with 2 and 3 speeds. There was a whole ring of people that would do RC drag races for big money in The Forum parking parking lot late at night.

 

[River Runnin]

I need another hobby ......

Me Too!...Like a hole in the head!

But would like to do the off road/Boat/Drone R/C thing! LOL

 

[FlyByWire]

View attachment 661001 View attachment 661003
That’s not old, I still have a collection of RC-12e’s, i’s, l’s that I raced when I was a sponsored driver in the seventies and eighties. My love will always be on road pan cars but I raced 10th buggy, truck and 4wd buggy off and on as well. This MRX4 is the last 1/8 scale car that I built. With kids I don’t have as much time to race but might get back into it if there was a close track. Half the fun for me was building, setup, dyno testing motors and building battery packs, but lipos and BL took that fun away (but the handful of BL cars I have are insanely fast)

I grew up racing at the Ranch Pit Shop as a kid. Back when we were running home made nitro 10th scale trucks. I kept with it and picked up a few minor sponsors. I get into and out of racing every few years. ALWAYS wanted to run 1/8 on road. So awesome. They just built and AMAZING track at Fontana speedway (steel city RC) that has me really looking into running one.

 

[jones performance]

i grew up racing a the ranch as well. raced the 10th scale dirt track mainly. it was cool when they did the dirt oval races. had an rc10 setup as a late model dirt car back then. todays dirt offroad racing to me isnt dirt. blue groove tracks on clay hard as concrete.

still got most of my rc shit.. 4 or 5 rc10's (old school gold tub cars), og kyosho ultima with trinity graphite chassis, another ultima with a sprint car conversion kit, 3 or 4 losi jrx2's jrxpro, rc10L pan car, rc12, traxxas nitro 4tech pro kit (never built) nitro 4tech rtr, hpi baja 5b, 2 nitro tmaxx's one with a big motor kit, 2wd slash brushless, 4x4 slash brushless, and probably a few others im forgetting about. i never got in 1/8 scale stuff.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

I grew up racing at the Ranch Pit Shop as a kid. Back when we were running home made nitro 10th scale trucks. I kept with it and picked up a few minor sponsors. I get into and out of racing every few years. ALWAYS wanted to run 1/8 on road. So awesome. They just built and AMAZING track at Fontana speedway (steel city RC) that has me really looking into running one.

View attachment 661053

I’ll have to check that track out as well. I didn’t know it opened!

My only problem with 1/8 on road besides the foam tires was that the cars vaporize when they crash That track looks really good!

I grew up at Ranch Pit Shop too, I remember when they were on COPS because the cops were busting hookers next door to the track.

I had about 25 cars at one point. Sold some and then had a bunch of them stolen.

 

[jones performance]

 

[rvrrun]

I enjoyed the building a setup too. I was sponsored for a bit but didn’t put enough time in to get really good. I ended up being a builder, tuner, and mechanic for a few top level guys.

I never did pan car stuff, because I hated the foam tires but raced everything else, minus 1/8 on road (again with the foam tires) and 1/10 4wd buggy, all the way up to 1/5 scale.

I remember those MRX4s. I used to build and work on many of those 1/8 on road cars with 2 and 3 speeds. There was a whole ring of people that would do RC drag races for big money in The Forum parking parking lot late at night.

We didn't have any of those guys when I raced. Guys like Mike Reedy and Gil Losi that worked for Gene and would be the closest thing to today's factory drivers. If you brought home trophies and had an AE sticker, Gene would hand out fresh Mabuchi closed bells and new foams. The thing that sucked, was finding that special motor and having them rip it apart and check the windings if you won. Most guys ran the factory welded stick packs, using the same pack for each race. The benefits of discharging were unknown and, if you could run the entire heat without dumping you were almost guaranteed a podium. These were the days before the Astro Flight charger and almost everyone but the factory employees still used a hot wire for charging. My dad and a couple of employees that raced modified pacemaker battery chargers for myself and a few others. He had an aerospace company, so my car had titanium axles, half height aluminum steering blocks to allow coil springs and other fun stuff. Gene's wife and I were two of the few that stayed competitive with stick radios when the FP2F came out. I finally got on the bandwagon when we started modding them with slot car pistol grips. Every race during my first year I took home a trophy in Production class. My second year I moved to stock and Gene had offered to pay for my lodging at the regionals. Unfortunately, my mom didn't think it was a good idea and would interfere with school (I was 14-15) or things could have been much different. Electric was still in its infancy, most thought nothing would ever come of it, and the guys that raced RC 250's and 500's at the ranch were the rock stars. A handful of those guys "played" with the 1/12 scale cars and I remember it being a pretty big deal when we ran our little cars at the Ranch as an exhibition between 1/8 scale heats.

I still love to do it, I can't see anymore and my coordination is nothing like it was when I was younger. If there was a place that was still running 1/10 pans, I'd be all over it. They 1/10 TC's are fun, but my heart will always belong to a pan car.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

We didn't have any of those guys when I raced. Guys like Mike Reedy and Gil Losi that worked for Gene and would be the closest thing to today's factory drivers. If you brought home trophies and had an AE sticker, Gene would hand out fresh Mabuchi closed bells and new foams. The thing that sucked, was finding that special motor and having them rip it apart and check the windings if you won. Most guys ran the factory welded stick packs, using the same pack for each race. The benefits of discharging were unknown and, if you could run the entire heat without dumping you were almost guaranteed a podium. These were the days before the Astro Flight charger and almost everyone but the factory employees still used a hot wire for charging. My dad and a couple of employees that raced modified pacemaker battery chargers for myself and a few others. He had an aerospace company, so my car had titanium axles, half height aluminum steering blocks to allow coil springs and other fun stuff. Gene's wife and I were two of the few that stayed competitive with stick radios when the FP2F came out. I finally got on the bandwagon when we started modding them with slot car pistol grips. Every race during my first year I took home a trophy in Production class. My second year I moved to stock and Gene had offered to pay for my lodging at the regionals. Unfortunately, my mom didn't think it was a good idea and would interfere with school (I was 14-15) or things could have been much different. Electric was still in its infancy, most thought nothing would ever come of it, and the guys that raced RC 250's and 500's at the ranch were the rock stars. A handful of those guys "played" with the 1/12 scale cars and I remember it being a pretty big deal when we ran our little cars at the Ranch as an exhibition between 1/8 scale heats.

I still love to do it, I can't see anymore and my coordination is nothing like it was when I was younger. If there was a place that was still running 1/10 pans, I'd be all over it. They 1/10 TC's are fun, but my heart will always belong to a pan car.

That is awesome! Great stories! I came into it as the RC250s and 500s were dying off and 1/10 electric was taking off.

 

[Slats]

I don’t race cars anymore. I have a rc10sc truck. Brushless. It’s mostly just to have fun in the dirt areas near me. Most of my time is now spent with my boats when I get time to run them.

 

[rvrrun]

That is awesome! Great stories! I came into it as the RC250s and 500s were dying off and 1/10 electric was taking off.

It was a shock when I got back into 1/10 pan. Everything was different, I found out the hard way about needing to sauce foams for prepared tracks (I hit every board on my first lap). ESC's instead of resistors, computerized battery chargers, com lathes and adjustable timing. I still have all of that stuff packed away that lipos and BL made obsolete. 100's of Nicad packs and loose cells, can after can of brushed motors, 500piece bags of silver brushes (and brush cutter/com lathes). Just about every computerized charger made during the era including a couple of Hi-IQ's with the massive 1 farad zapper for reviving cells and zapping can magnets. So many memories are rushing back.

Oh, and two huge plastic totes full of foams (mounted and donuts) in zip lock bags that are probably all hard and cracked. Maybe someone should start a vintage class for racing so I can use this crap.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

It was a shock when I got back into 1/10 pan. Everything was different, I found out the hard way about needing to sauce foams for prepared tracks (I hit every board on my first lap). ESC's instead of resistors, computerized battery chargers, com lathes and adjustable timing. I still have all of that stuff packed away that lipos and BL made obsolete. 100's of Nicad packs and loose cells, can after can of brushed motors, 500piece bags of silver brushes (and brush cutter/com lathes). Just about every computerized charger made during the era including a couple of Hi-IQ's with the massive 1 farad zapper for reviving cells and zapping can magnets. So many memories are rushing back.

Oh, and two huge plastic totes full of foams (mounted and donuts) in zip lock bags that are probably all hard and cracked. Maybe someone should start a vintage class for racing so I can use this crap.

Yep. I don't have quite that much left over. I worked at a hobby shop and trued tons and tons of COMs, and even lathed many foam tires.

I got rid of a lot of the obsolete stuff 10 years ago. I kept my first cars, and with fresh NIMH battery packs they should run. I remember that was always the PRO argument for Nitro racing - you don't need anything special... just fuel and you don't have to participate in the battery and electric motor wars. The electric motor in my 1/10 touring car was the fastest stock class motor I had ever seen outside of full pro stock class guys.

I don't have any Lipo chargers. When I got back into it a few years ago I just bought new NIMH batteries for my transmitter and radio gear in the car to save a few bucks. I have to decide if I am going to do that again, because all the chargers I have still work fine.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

View attachment 661182 View attachment 661183 View attachment 661184 I don’t race cars anymore. I have a rc10sc truck. Brushless. It’s mostly just to have fun in the dirt areas near me. Most of my time is now spent with my boats when I get time to run them.

I have seen some guys with brushless electric boats out in Havasu. Wow they move. 2 got into a head on crash at speed and one ripped the entire top half of the hull off the other LOL.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

View attachment 661143

Wow that brings back some memories. I always tried to get that pit to the left under the driver's stand on club race nights.