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How To Start a Petrol Remote Control Car (Guide/Tips)

If you are interested in Petrol RC cars you may be wondering how to get one started, and if it is hard work or not.

What is a Petrol remote control car?

Petrol remote control cars use two-stroke engines. These engines use a combination of petrol, commonly known as gasoline in North America, and oil. They also use a pull-start system rather than a glow plug used in nitro cars, or batteries used in electric cars.

So, now you know what a Petrol car is, you may be wondering how you get one started, if they are different to nitro cars, or if they are more expensive to run, right? Keep reading for these answers, and much more.

Is a petrol RC car the same as a Nitro car?

A petrol car is different from a nitro car. Petrol cars use different fuel from nitro cars, have two-stroke engines, meaning they use petrol (aka gasoline), have different physical sizes, and they have different starting mechanisms.

If you have heard about petrol RC cars before and assumed they were the same as nitro cars you should now understand that they are two different things. However, it can be confusing because some people, mistakenly, treat them as the same.

How to start a petrol remote control car

Starting a Petrol RC car is not as straightforward as an electric car. There is a procedure you need to follow to get it started correctly. Here are the steps:

01. Put the transmitter on first

Once the transmitter is on, check the wheel movement.  Make sure it is moving the remote control correctly.

02. Prime the car

Prime the car by pre-filling it with fuel. To do this, press the fuel button. This will pump fuel through the closed-circuit fuel system to “prime the car”. Do this until the system is full. Be warned, this may take a while.

03. Put the choke on

Once the choke is on start pulling the starter cord vigorously. Until the car starts. Then immediately switch off the choke to avoid flooding the engine.

04. It started – Now, Rev the Car

The car should now be started. Once it starts, rev it a few times, with one hand on the car to stop it from speeding off, to make sure that the car is running reliably and consistently. You should be now ready to race.

Are petrol RC cars for beginners?

RC Petrol cars are not for beginners. This is because they are harder to get started, larger than most other cars and contain complex components (Click here to see the standard RC car components), like ignition units, spark plugs, etc. This also means that they can be difficult to maintain.

If you are curious about petrol cars, or radio control cars in general, you may have wondered if petrol cars are a good starting point for you, right? So, now you understand that this may not be the ideal starting point for a beginner.

Are petrol RC cars expensive?

Petrol RC cars are expensive, especially when you look at their upfront cost. When it comes to ongoing maintenance, compared to an electric car, they are also expensive. However, when comparing maintenance costs with a nitro car, it could be debatable.

One of the main factors is nitro cars need ongoing fuel which is more expensive than the fuel used in petrol cars.

If you are comparing the costs of an RC car before you commit to one particular type you may have wondered how they compare, right? So, now you know some of the costing and what to expect.

Can you get an RTR petrol RC cars?

It’s unlikely you will find an RTR petrol RC car. This is because they are speciality cars that are often sold in kits. They are specialized cars that are intended for skilled racers, or RC car enthusiast. To run these cars takes much more than simply slotting in a battery and pressing the go button.

If you have been trying to evaluate the costs of Petrol RC cars and wondered if they are simple enough for a beginner to get started with, in particular, ready to run (RTR), out the box, now you understand that they are not likely to be and, for that reason, they may not be ideal for you.

Are Petrol RC cars typically bigger than Nitro cars?

Petrol cars are typically a lot bigger than nitro cars. To put this into perspective, the typical size for a petrol RC car could be 1/5 scale. Compared to an average 1/8 scale, or even 1/10 scale, for an electric or nitro car.

I know when you glance at these size differences on paper it doesn’t sound like much. However, if you see these vehicles in person the difference is huge.

Is nitro fuel more expensive than 2-stroke, used in petrol cars?

How to start a petrol remote control car.
How to start a petrol remote control car.

Nitro fuel is more expensive than the fuel that goes into a 2-stroke engine. Also. nitro fuel is less convenient. Meaning, nitro fuel needs to be ordered, for example, from an online store or hobby shop. Whereas, with petrol cars, you can grab petrol (gasoline) from your local garage.

If you are wondering about the ongoing costs of a nitro vehicle compared to a petrol RC car you may have wondered which one is more expensive to run. So, now you know.

Why are petrol cars exciting?

Petrol cars are exciting because they are large, make noisy engine sounds, and are fast. Their speed alone is exhilarating for the hardened car fan. Also, because it takes more work to get them started, it is more rewarding once they are racing.

If you have heard a lot of people talk about petrol RC cars you may have wondered what the big attraction is, right? So, now from a high level, you can understand what some of these attractions are.

How fast can a petrol car go?

A petrol RC car can go quite fast. However, as you can imagine, this depends on the individual car you choose. But, in general, a petrol car can go over 70 miles per hour. For a vehicle of this size, this is quite impressive. However, it is worth noting that you need some skill to control the car this fast.

If you are a real fan of speed you may be wondering how fast an RC petrol car can go, right? So, now you should understand this.

What is a Gas-powered RC car?

A gas-powered RC car is essentially the same thing as a petrol RC car. The reason you may have heard people use these different terms is depending on which part of the world they come from. Because, in North America, these vehicles are often called gas-powered cars.

This is the result of cultural differences and the choice of words. Gasoline, or “Gas”, in North America, is commonly referred to as “Petrol” in the UK or some parts of Europe.

If you have been confused about why some people call gas-powered cars, petrol, you should now understand why this has happened.

Can you get diesel-powered RC cars?

You can get diesel-powered RC cars. However, these are not that common and are often referred to as a specialist car. For that reason, not many people discuss these cars. And, some people may not even be aware that they exist.

If you have heard people talking about diesel-powered cars, you may have wondered if this was just a rumour or reality. So now you know it is a reality.