I originally posted this guide a couple years ago on RCU. Having just recently entered the hobby at that time with no prior experience, I knew first hand how daunting it could be for a novice. There are a lot of terms and jargon that don't make much sense when you have no frame of reference, and I wanted to break them down so even a novice could understand them. This site seems much more accommodating of newcomers than RCU, so hopefully this will get a better reception here than it did there. I've made a few modifications and additions to keep it up-to-date with the current state of RC. If there is something you feel needs to be added or expanded upon, feel free to suggest it.



Types of Vehicles


Monster Trucks (MT): I think everybody knows what these are. Huge tires and lifted suspension. They usually aren't the fastest, which is actually good because they don't handle well at high speed. However, excellent ground clearance means they'll run over pretty much anything.



Buggy: Open wheeled with a narrow front, usually an exposed motor in back and a wing on top. Buggies have relatively low ground clearance compared to STs and are preferred for dirt-track racing rather than going through grass and brush.



Stadium Truck (ST): Basically a buggy with a modified truck body, a wider stance, and modified (usually higher) suspension. STs are sometimes referred to as "truggies", though there are technically a few distinctions between the two. A good "all-around" truck that will handle well on pavement, dirt and gravel, and can still get over grass without too much difficulty.




Short Course Truck (SCT): Sometimes called a CORR (Championship Off Road Racing) truck, these are usually a bit narrower than STs and the outer body is widened to cover the wheels. They usually have smaller wheels and a bit less suspension travel and ground clearance then STs. Good for pavement and dirt, but the lower body gives them some trouble with coarse gravel or high grass. The wide body has something of a "parachute effect" when taking jumps, which takes some getting used to.



Desert Truck/Buggy: A fairly new offshoot of the SC truck with an emphasis on proper proportions and cosmetic details. Many DT/DBs are narrower than other vehicles of their scale, sacrificing handling for realism. They usually include touches like spare tires, roll cages and drivers. Not particularly popular with racers, these are more of a "fun" vehicle.



Rock Crawler: These are a specialized version of MT with highly articulated suspension components. They go very slow, but they'll climb over obstacles that nothing else can handle.



Scalers: A newer subsection of crawlers focusing on scale realism. These vehicles are modeled as closely as possible on real truck chassis with ladder-frames, leaf spring suspension and realistic drivetrain layouts. This is the category where fastidious model building and RC engineering most closely mesh.



Touring car: There are probably several subtle sub-classes that I am unaware of, but in general, a touring car is low slung with very little ground clearance. They are designed to race on asphalt, concrete, or carpet, and cannot handle uneven terrain. Their suspension is stiff with little travel, but they'll drift around corners like nobody's business.



F1: Also called indy cars, these are road-only vehicles that are set up to look like full-scale race cars with wide, exposed wheels and spoilers.



Rally car: Just as with real cars, RC rally cars bridge the gap between on-road race cars and off-road trucks. These cars don't have the ground clearance for really rough terrain, but with the proper tires they'll do well on either paved or dirt tracks. Until recently, most rally cars were simply touring cars with a little more suspension travel. But some manufacturers are now making touring cars based on SC chassis which have much more robust off-road capability (at the expense of on-road prowess).




Pan car: Less common these days, pan cars were very simple carpet racing cars. They were stripped down to the bare minimum to keep weight down, and often used unrealistic wedge-shaped bodies for optimum aerodynamics. Foam wheels were also used for weight savings and grip. As the chassis sat barely a quarter of an inch off the ground, they are only really usable on carpet tracks or exceptionally flat and clean pavement.



Drivetrain



2 Wheel Drive vs 4 Wheel Drive: As you would expect, 2WD vehicles only have two powered wheels while 4WD vehicles send power to all four. 2WD cars have the benefit of being simpler and cheaper. Fewer parts means less to break and lower weight. Spinning all 4 wheels takes more effort than just two (not to mention all the extra drivetrain components that link the front and rear), so 2WD cars can get away with using a less powerful motor. 4WD is not without its benefits though. In exchange for the extra weight and cost, you get much better traction on all surfaces. Regardless of the conditions, 4WD will handle and steer better (especially in rough offroad situations).

4WD systems can either be shaft-driven or belt-driven



Shaft Drive: A metal or plastic shaft connects the spur to the front and rear differentials. This is stronger than a belt, but the torque can cause (minor) handling issues, especially in onroad cars.



Belt Drive: Smoother than shaft drive and without the torque-twisting issues, but not as robust and easily fouled by debris. Rarely used for off-road vehicles as dirt on the pulleys will wear down the belt quickly. Belts can also stretch or crack over time and will need to be checked, adjusted, and occasionally replaced.



Differentials: In order to get around a turn, the wheels on the right and left sides will have to spin at different speeds. The device that allows this to happen is called a differential. There are a few different types, but to keep things simple, just be aware that all RC cars have one between each pair of powered wheels (so one at the front and one at the back for 4WD), and some also have one in the middle to allow the front wheels and back wheels to spin at different speeds. The tricky thing about differentials is that you don't want them to spin too easily. If you've ever gotten your car stuck in the snow or mud, you've probably seen one wheel spinning away while the other doesn't move. in RC, we minimize this by using heavy oil or grease in the diffs to make it harder for the gears to spin. This allows the wheels to move at different speeds (needed for cornering) but no so different that all your power ends up going to just one wheel. Exactly how thick the oil/grease should be depends on a lot of factors that I won't get into here.



Motors

RC motors are available as either brushed or brushless (BL).



Brushed motors are cheap and get the job done, but they are not as fast as BL. Brushed motors are rated by the number of turns (t) they use. In general, lower turns means higher speed. Most stock motors are in the 17t-30t range, while high performance motors will be 5t-12t. Brushed motors have two power wires. Rebuildable brushed motors are made to easily be disassembled so that the brushes and springs can be replaced when worn out. Most cars come with non-rebuildable motors (often called "cans") which are sealed and must be replaced when they wear down.



BL motors are faster and more efficient, which means they'll run longer on a single battery charge. The trade-off used to be that they were more expensive than brushed motors, but now you can get inexpensive brushless kits that will shame all but the highest-end brushed setups. These days, the brushed motor is mostly resigned to cheap, entry-level vehicles. BL motors are rated by KV, with higher ratings equaling higher max RPM. Note that "faster" is not always better, since heavy vehicles actually do better with lower KV rated motors, which don't spin as fast, but have more torque. All BL motors have three power wires. Brushless motors are available as either sensored or sensorless. Sensored motors have additional wires (as shown above) which plug into the ESC. These wires connect to sensors inside the motor and allow the ESC to know exactly what the motor is doing for better control. Sensorless motors are cheaper, but they are not as smooth running as sensored, especially at low speeds. In most cases, you can run a sensored motor in sensorless mode if your ESC does not support sensored, and vice versa.



Electronic Speed Controls (ESC)


ESCs are the electronic devices that control how fast the motor runs - basically a digital throttle. Without getting into too much unnecessary detail, just be aware that a brushed motor requires a brushed ESC and a BL motor requires a BL ESC. Most BL ESCs have extra programmable features, like anti-lock breaking, low-voltage cutoff and signal loss protection. Brushed ESCs are rated by the number of turns (t) they support, while BL ESCs are rated by the amps (A) and voltage (or number of LiPo cells) then can handle.



Gears


When people talk about changing gears or gear ratios, they're usually talking about the pinion and spur gear. The pinion is the small gear mounted on the motor itself, and the spur is the big gear that meshes with it. Making the pinion gear bigger or the spur gear smaller will lower the gear ratio, while making the pinion smaller or the spur larger will raise it. A higher gear ratio will give more power, but a lower top speed. A lower ratio will do the opposite. Both gears are rated by the number of teeth they have (t) and the pitch (angle) of the teeth (p). If you want to learn all the specific math behind gearing, I highly recommend you read this post.



Suspension


Suspension tuning really deserves a lengthy post all to itself (in fact, many already exist), but the quick version is this: Shocks absorb up-and-down jolts to the car. The springs on the outside keep the car from slamming into the ground, and the pistons (usually filled with oil) inside the springs dampen the rebound and keep the car from bouncing off the track. Camber is the vertical angle of the tires, and toe is whether they point in or out. Ackermann is the difference in steering percentage between the front wheels. For a more detailed explanation of how these (and other) factors affect handling, see here. For the ultimate lesson in every aspect of RC car handling, this site is phenomenal.



Tires and Wheels


For all tire types, softer material will give better grip, but will wear out faster. All tires work better with foam inserts, which are included with most tires these days. Tires should be glued to the rims with cyanoacrylate (CA) glue. If you chose tires with an outer diameter that is much larger or smaller than your factory stock tires, you may need to change your gearing to maintain performance. Here are the main types of tires (stolen almost verbatim from this post):

Pins: Extremely high wear on hard surfaces, low traction on hard surfaces, gives even traction in all directions, traction greatly reduced on sand. Ideal for dirt or carpet. "Mini-spikes" are a version with fewer, thicker pins that work better on grass.

Ribbed: Only used on the front wheels of 2-wheel-drive vehicles, good for most off-road conditions, excellent side-to-side traction.

Grooved: Medium-low wear on hard surfaces, high side-to-side traction, low traction on acceleration on sand.

Slicks: Can be made of rubber or foam, high traction on hard surfaces, gives even traction in all directions, virtually no traction off-road.

Paddle: High wear on hard surfaces (especially during acceleration), extremely good traction on sand, can drastically reduce steering on 2WD vehicles

V-Groove: Similar to slicks, but provide improved traction in wet conditions during acceleration.

X Pin: Medium-high wear on hard surfaces, relatively low traction on hard surfaces, gives even traction in all directions, traction less effected by sand.

Drift (not pictured): These are road tires that look like slicks, but are made of hard plastic. They intentionally have very low traction, which makes it easier to break the tires loose and slide around corners.


Different types of wheels (rims) are almost purely an aesthetic choice. As long as you chose a wheel that is sized correctly for your tires and has the proper hub for your car, it's up to you what "style" you want. The only exception is beadlock wheels, which are primarily used on crawlers. These wheels have a pair of rings which are screwed in to the inside and outside of the rim, holding the tire in place (instead of glue).

Servos

The servo is the device that actuates the steering for your vehicle. It gets a signal from your receiver and moves its arm accordingly. Servos are rated for torque (oz/in) and speed (sec. per 60 degrees). Unless you make some major modifications to your vehicle, you should be fine with the stock servo or a replacement which is similarly rated. They are available with either analog or digital control - digital being slightly more precise and analog being slightly cheaper. Either will work with any modern RX though.



Transmitters and Receivers


The transmitter (Tx) is the radio that you use to control your radio control vehicle. The receiver (Rx) is the little box with the antenna sticking out of it takes your radio signals and translates them into signals that the ESC and steering servo can understand. There are three main types of Tx/Rx systems, and the two components must be of the same type to work together. The older systems are AM and FM, and if those sound like the kind of "radio" that you listen to in your car, it's because they work on the same principles. Both AM and FM setups are made to work on one of several frequencies, and each of those frequencies are broken down into a handful of channels. Most AM and FM sets use removable crystals to determine the channel they work on. If you are using your vehicle near other RC cars, it is important that no two cars use the same channel, or you will interfere with each other. The third, newest, and by far the best system is Digital Spread Spectrum (DSS). These sets work on the 2.4GHz band, so many people refer to them by that number. A DSS Tx must be "bound" to a Rx, which syncs them to each other. Once bound, the Tx and Rx will communicate without noticeable interference, no matter how many other RC vehicles are near by or what type of system they use. Most DSS transmitters have extremely long ranges - so much so that you are likely to lose sight of your vehicle before the Rx loses the signal.

Every Tx is rated based on the number of channels (control channels, not to be confused with the frequency channels) it supports. Most cars only need two - one for the throttle and one for steering. Some large trucks use a third channel to lock/unlock the differential, but it's not common.



Batteries

There are two main types of batteries currently used for RC cars - nickle metal hydride (NiMH) and lithium polymer (LiPo). Originally, all RC vehicles used a third type - Nickle Cadmium (NiCad) - but NiCad has been almost completely replaced by the vastly superior alternatives and few shops sell the old batteries these days. All batteries have two key ratings which you should be aware of: Voltage (V) and milliamp-hours (mAh). Voltage can be thought of as "electrical pressure". The higher the voltage, the stronger the battery is. The mAh rating tells you the capacity of the battery. The higher the rating, the longer the battery can run between recharges.


NiMH batteries are usually sold in packs consisting of 6 or more cells. Each cell provides 1.2V, so a 6 cell pack would be rated for 7.2V. NiMH batteries are heavier and cannot provide as much current as LiPo, but they are cheaper and less finicky. NiMH batteries are generally recommended for beginners.



LiPo batteries usually consist of packs containing two or more cells of 3.7V each. A two cell battery has a total voltage of 7.4V, and is usually called a "2S" pack, which stands for "2 cells in series". LiPo batteries have another rating in addition to voltage and mAh: C. The C rating is an indication of how much amperage a battery can supply. The exact calculation is not really important, just be aware that a LiPo battery with a 20c rating or higher will be sufficient for almost any stock brushed motor in a 1/10 scale vehicle. If you upgrade to a higher power motor/ESC (like a 60A+ BL setup) then you should also upgrade to 30-40C packs, especially if you're using low-mAh cells. LiPos are much lighter than NiMH, and they are able to provide more current as well. The down side is that they can be a bit more expensive, and they require more careful handling. You must use a special LiPo charger to recharge them. LiPo batteries are very sensitive, and all the cells must be charged to the same level or you will have problems. All LiPo batteries have a 2nd, smaller connector called a "balancing connector" so that the charger can monitor and charge the cells individually. If you discharge the batteries too far (below 3V per cell), they will be damaged and cease to function properly. If you overcharge them (above 4.2V per cell), short them out, or physically damage them, they can explode. It is good practice to charge LiPos in a lipo bag to contain any fire/outgassing that may occur during a charging failure. Most manufacturers are now producing "hardcase" LiPos which, as the name implies, are enclosed in a hard plastic shell (in a somewhat standard size) to help prevent physical damage. If you intend on racing, many leagues require these hardcase packs.



Battery Chargers


A good charger is important. If your charger is slow, you'll spend more time waiting for your batteries to charge than actually driving your car. Make sure you get a charger that is capable of charging the type of batteries you will be using. Even if you're starting out with NiMH batteries, it might be a good investment to get a charger that can handle LiPos as well, so you won't have to buy a different charger if you upgrade in the future. It's hard to go wrong with something like the AC6 (shown above), which will quickly charge every type of battery you're likely to come across. It will also cycle NiMH batteries (drain them flat before charging them), which can help your batteries last longer. In any event, look for a "smart" charger with a charge rate of at least 3A.



Battery Connectors

There are a lot of different battery connectors available for RC vehicles. Though some would argue otherwise, there really isn't one "perfect" connector. Heck, if there was, we probably wouldn't have so many to chose from. Here are the ones you are most likely to see:


Deans: Until recently, these were (and still are, to some extent) the "go-to" connector for all serious RC enthusiasts. They have a high current rating, they're very small, and they are not too difficult (or too easy) to connect and disconnect. The problems with Deans are that they are expensive and comparatively difficult to solder. Some companies (especially on Ebay) sell "knockoff" deans connectors, which do not work nearly as well. Be careful when buying online because it can be hard to know if you're getting the real deal.



XT60: These are the new connectors on the block. Debuted by Hobby King, these address the main problems with deans and EC3. The pins/plugs are permanently molded into high-temp plastic, so they should never come apart. They are easy to solder for anything up to 10AWG wire (but do require heat shrink), and they're cheap.



EC3/EC5: These are a great all-around connector. EC3s use 3.5mm bullets and are rated to 65A, while the much bigger EC5s use 5mm bullets and are rated to 120A. Both are fairly easy to solder, and they're super-cheap. The down side is that the pins/plugs must be inserted into the housing after soldering, and this can be difficult if you're using heavy gauge wire with a thick jacket. Some people complain that they're especially difficult to disconnect, but others like the fact that they fit together so securely.



Traxxas: As you might expect, these are the connectors used in Traxxas vehicles. They're not bad, but they're expensive and not particularly easy to assemble. Unless you buy a Traxxas vehicle with these already installed, you should probably just avoid them.



Tamiya: Sometimes called "standard" connectors, because for 20 years, they were the standard. Also occasionally referred to as a "molex connector" after the company which originally designed it. Many cars still come with these connectors, even though they cannot handle much current, are difficult to disconnect, and have a tendency to melt at high temperatures. Tamiya connectors can be crimped instead of soldered, but crimped wires have a tendency to get pulled out - especially because you really need to yank on them sometimes to get the connectors apart. These are fine for beginner setups with brushed motors and NiMH batteries, but once you go much beyond stock performance, you'll need to upgrade to something better.



Bullets: Sometimes called "banana plugs", these connectors come in various sizes and can be connected (as shown in the pic above) or separate. These are most often used to connect the ESC to the motor, but some people use them for batteries as well. There are a few different types/configurations of plastic enclosures for bullet connectors, so make sure all yours are compatible. It's probably best to go with a named standard, like EC3 (3.5mm), EC5 (5mm), or XC150 (6mm).



Anderson Power Poles: Excellent connectors that can be reliably crimped instead of soldering. Unfortunately, their large size makes them a bit of a hassle for smaller vehicles. The connectors are somewhat expensive, and the special crimping tool costs upwards of $50. But if you can afford them and don't like to solder, they're probably your best bet.



Tools



You're going to need some basic tools to work on your RC vehicle. Exactly which tools you'll need will depend on what vehicle you buy, but a good all-around RC toolkit should contain the following:

• Hex drivers (allen wrenches) in 1.5-8mm and 1/16-1/4in.
• Hex sockets in 5-12mm (larger for large-scale lug nuts) and a driver to attach them to
• Phillips head screw drivers in #0, #1 and #2 - a set of precision (very small) drivers would probably be helpful as well
• A sharp utility or hobby knife and a sharp pair of scissors
• A pair of precision needle-nose pliers
• A wire stripper/cutter
• Soldering gear - A 30W or higher iron, solder, and desoldering braid
• CA (cyanoacrylate, aka super glue)

Some additional items that aren't strictly necessary, but might make certain tasks a lot easier:

• A hobby vise
• Extra hands
• E-clip tool
• A Dremel or other rotary power tool
• Needle Files

"What Car Should I Buy?"


It's the one question that absolutely everybody asks, and it's the one question that everybody else is sick of hearing. It's also impossible to pick one vehicle that it perfect for everybody. But if I had to try, I'd say that it's pretty hard to go wrong with a Traxxas Rustler XL5 for your first hobby-grade RC. It's tough as nails, waterproof, is decently quick, has a low-speed "learning mode", and will run pretty well on any surface. You can get one with everything you need (including Tx, battery and charger) for under $200. There is a load of aftermarket upgrades for the platform, so whether you want to bling it out or make it insanely fast, you have options. Pretty much every hobby shop stocks traxxas parts and you can even get them at Pep Boys auto stores.

Beyond that, I'm not going to try to anticipate everybody's individual needs. I will say that no matter what your requirements, someone else has already asked for the same thing and been answered. I would highly recommend searching the forums before starting another "what should I get?" thread. As long as you buy something from one of the main manufacturers (Losi, Associated, Traxxas, Ofna, Duratrax, Tamiya, HPI, ECX), you'll probably be happy with it. Just remember, you get what you pay for - mostly. There are deals to be found, but there is a reason why the "good" brands cost more than the cheap ones. A sub-$200 1/8th scale brushless monster truck on ebay may look tempting, but the reason that a Savage Flux costs thrice as much is because it's thrice as well made. The no-name brands were not designed or built with reliability in mind, and when they do break, you'll have a hell of a time finding parts.

General Information and Suggestions

Faster isn't always better. If you're new to RC cars (and if you've bothered to read this far, it's safe to assume you are), then you're probably not an excellent RC driver yet. You'll have a hell of a time not running into things at low speeds, let alone at 40MPH+. Don't run out and buy the fastest car you can find, because you probably won't be able to control it, and that won't be much fun. Once you get the hang of RC driving, then you can work on fast RC driving.

Your car will break - accept this fact. If you plan on driving at more than a walking pace on anything other than smooth blacktop, You're going to break something eventually. If you're anything like me, you'll probably break something the first time you go out for some serious bashing. Don't sweat it. Most of the non-electronic parts can be replaced for only a few bucks. Don't let your fear of breaking your new toy prevent you from using it to its fullest potential.

Use the right tool for the job. If you don't have the right tool, buy it. You'll be taking your car apart and putting it back together a lot for repairs and upgrades. You do not want to have to deal with stripped screw heads and rounded-off nuts. You can find complete sets of metric and standard hex drivers and sockets at most hardware stores, and they're not very expensive.

Bearings, bearings, bearings. If your car comes with solid bushings (many low-end ones do), then the first thing you should do is replace them with bearings. Bearing kits are cheap, improve the overall performance of your car or truck, and if you bought a RTR kit, they'll give you a good excuse to tear it apart and learn how it goes back together.

Bumpers are your friends. Even the pros crash sometimes, and beginners crash a lot. A cheap set of big front and rear bumpers can save you a lot of money on parts replacement in the long run. Most new cars come with either tiny bumpers that don't protect much, or none at all. These guys make custom bumpers for almost every make and model car and truck. They're cheap, practically indestructible, and guaranteed for life.

Racing - Look before you leap. If you want to get into organized racing, you'll want to check out the local racing organizations before you chose a car. Different tracks have different classes / requirements. If nobody else in your area runs in a particular class, it wouldn't make much sense to be in it. Go to your local track and scope it out. See what the other guys are running and get something similar (or at least competitive). If you choose a car that's popular at your track, then you will have no problem finding people to give you help and suggestions for getting the most out of it.

Don't be afraid to ask for help, but always ask correctly. First, search the forum to see if someone else has already asked the same question. If you cannot find the answer you're looking for, post your question with as much detail as you can. Be clear and specific. Post a picture of the problem if applicable. Use proper spelling, grammar, capitalization and punctuation. If you can't be bothered to ask your question properly, then why should anybody else be bothered to answer it? If your question isn't answered right away, wait some more. Bumping your thread every hour or starting another identical thread will only make people less likely to help you. And most importantly, be polite. If someone takes the time to help you out, thank them for it. This goes for in-person interactions as well. RC hobbyists are generally a friendly bunch and most folks at a track will be more than glad to answer your questions, but always ask politely and thank them for their assistance.


Some notes on "scale"

Scale in RC can be a bit confusing. In general, it gives you an idea about the size of the vehicle, but there are some conventions which can be counter-intuitive to a beginner. A 1/10 vehicle is not usually one tenth the size of the real-world vehicle it is based on. Instead, the underlying platform that a RC is built on is given a scale based on a few different criteria (size being only one of them) and any vehicle based on that platform is given the same scale. I could make a long and complicated list of reasons why a Summit is 1/10 and a Savage is 1/8, even though both truck are nearly identical in size. Or why the new Traxxas rally car built on the 4x4 Slash platform is called a 1/10 while it's actually bigger than one eighth the size of a real rally car. But that would get confusing quickly. Just be aware that scale is more of a performance/durability classification than a strictly size-based system. In general, a 1/8 vehicle will be heavier, faster and tougher than a 1/10 vehicle, regardless of physical dimensions or size comparative to the real-world vehicle it looks like.

This is a fantastic thread for noobs! I wish I had this as a resource when I got started!! Bravo!!!

Thank you for putting all this together in one place.

do I smell a sticky?
Great post! There's some information that is a bit off, like SC trucks being narrower than 2WD buggies... (2wd buggies are the smallest 1/10 vehicles I've yet to see)
and you're missing 1/8 buggies and truggies...
and a ST is also usually a widened buggy (along with all the other things you stated)

might also want to mention that ST's and the buggies you were talking about are all 2WD, and that things like SC's and MT's can be 2WD OR 4WD.

also: maybe sneak pan cars in around the F1, and maybe a section for scalers and their differences from crawlers?

just some suggestions
but great post though!

This really should be sticky

Fixed several broken image links and added a few bits here and there. Any additions/corrections are appreciated.

This could replace parts of "beginning RC info"! Very well done! Can you expand into 4wds eventually, and the differences between 2wd and 4wd for newbies?

You should add some info on the differentials too, tell us why its there, and why it should or shouldnt be locked

Edit: yay, you got the drivetrain