Intro- types of vehicles

There are 3 main types of vehicles for a nitro R/C car. There are on-road street cars, off-road buggies, and off-road monster trucks. The on-road street cars are very low to the ground, with little ground clearance. Their tires are smooth, and they are usually faster than the off-road types. They are only good for flat surfaces such as smooth roads or race tracks. They will not work in an off-road environment such as grass or dirt that is not perfectly flat. They also usually have 2WD.

nitro on-road street car

The next vehicle type is the off-road buggy. They have 1-2 inches of ground clearance, and still go very fast. Their shocks are larger to absorb the bumps and impacts of driving off-road. Their tires have bumps for traction. They usually have 4WD, so they can go over many obstacles and steep inclines, on almost any terrain. These are a very good type of vehicle, because you can drive it off-road, as well as race on-road since they still can achieve speeds of 25-50 MPH.

nitro off-road buggy

The third type of nitro R/C vehicle is the off-road monster truck. They are similar to the buggy, except bigger. The ground clearance is usually 3-6 inches, meaning it can go over larger obstacles. The tires are larger, so it has better traction. Usually it has more power than the buggy, however they go slower. Since they are higher off the ground, they aren't usually ideal to be racing, but it is possible.

nitro off-road monster truck

So if you are looking to purchase your fist nitro R/C car, I would recommend to get a vehicle that best suits your environment. If you live in a very flat area where there are a lot of roads, or you will be racing a lot, go with a street car. If you want to drive it around your backyard and around the neighborhood, go with a buggy. And if you want to go over some serious terrain, you will want a monster truck.