RC Car Parts List: All You Need to Know to Make Your RC Car!

RC cars are Radio Controlled cars that can be controlled from a distance by using a remote. Building your own RC car is not that hard to do if you know what you should be doing. For that, you will need to compile an RC car parts list first.

An RC car is composed of several parts such as kits, ready runs, RC-powered tools, Electric power source, Nitro models, chargers, batteries, spur gears, RC fuels, and wheels.

There are lots of components needed to build an RC car, and you should get to know about them all first before diving down with your RC car. Let’s take a look at the RC cars part now.

RC Car Parts List: A Complete Guide

There are on and off-road RC cars available. On-road RC cars are good for smooth surfaces and normal uses, while off-road RC cars are able to drive over difficult terrains.

No matter what kind of RC car it is, a few common components are needed for all RC cars.

Here is a list of all RC car parts:

• Kits
• Ready to runs
• RC specified tools
• Electric power source
• Nitro models
• Chargers
• Batteries
• Speed controls
• Motors
• Spur gears
• Glow plugs
• Exhaust pipes
• Servos
• Pitbags
• Gasoline-powered models
• Radio systems
• RC fuels
• Wheels

Kits

Kits are basically the RC car parts packaged in a box for you so that you can assemble your own RC car with the components provided.

All the parts inside are labeled and named. It comes with a manual to help you assemble the car with ease.

Most Kits are mostly modified so that the complicated parts are already pre-assembled.

You will need to add your own electrical devices and models according to your preference. This is one of the perks of assembling your own kits.

Ready to Run (RTR)

Ready to run or RTR are pre-assembled RC cars ready for immediate use upon buying.

You won’t be able to learn the mechanical structures of the car yourself by choosing an RTR, but it will be efficient if you need to start using the RC car right away.

Most RTRs require only an AA battery to run. These cars can reach a speed of 30 miles per hour up to even 100 miles per hour.

RC Specified Tools

Whether it is kits or RTRs, all RC cars have an RC-specific tool set to help assemble them. The usual tools in this set are-

• Nut drivers
• Hobby knife
• Curved Lexan scissors
• Slip joint
• Body reamer
• Needle-nose pliers
• Sprue cutter

Electric Power Source

Electric RC cars models run by electronic speed controllers (ESCs), which adjust the amount of power the motor delivers to the car.

Most electric models use brushed motors, but they also use business motors.

Electronic speed controllers (ESCs) use the electric motor as a magnetic brake while being used.

It allows the driver to control the car better than any other controller. The pulse-width modulation pulses varying outputs of voltages for efficiency.

Nitro Models

Nitro models use Nitromethane nitro to run and don’t need electricity to run like the previously mentioned model. These RC cars use a single servo to achieve braking controls and throttle.

Nitro models are powered by fuel and air. Therefore, you can hear the familiar loud engine revving while starting the car, unlike with an electric RC car.

However, this sometimes leads to overheating of the engine as well.

Chargers

Battery chargers can be AC/DC. If it is a DC battery, it needs to be a 12 V full-sized battery or an additional AC converter.

At times, the charger can simply have a start/stop button. In other cases, there are multiple adjustable parameters and charge profiles.

Monitor the charging cycles of your batteries to ensure their peak performance.

Batteries

There are usually two types of batteries used for RC cars. They are-

• Lithium polymer batteries (LiPo batteries)
• Nickel-metal hydride batteries (NiMH batteries)

LiPo batteries are considerably better as they have higher discharge rates and lower resistance. These require special care to work perfectly. On the other hand, NiMH batteries don’t need much care to work well.

Speed Controls

The speed control determines how much voltage to send to the motor from the battery. Speed controls can have a one-touch setup or multiple adjustable parameters.

There are throttle curves for adjusting the linear or exponential throttle response too.

Motors

Electric brush motors are widely used for RC cars. But now, brushless motors are also taking up a place in the motor industry for it.

A battery powers the motor. As a result, the motor spins when the battery power is applied to it.

When you increase the battery power, the motor also spins faster and provides more power.

Glow plugs

Glow plugs are used to create a spark in order to ignite the fuel in Nitro-modeled RC cars. Various types of glow plugs with different heat and pressure settings are available.

Exhaust pipes

Exhaust pipes are another feature of nitro-powered RC models. The electric models are missing this feature because they don’t need it.

Gears

The primary gears for RC cars are the spur and pinion gears. Moreover, the number of teeth, tooth size, spacing, and pitch – are all needed to consider while purchasing your gear for the RC car. You can consult the manual for it.

Bodies

Usually, RC car bodies are made out of clear Lexan. The bodies are painted from the inside. This technique prevents chipping of the paint and damage done to the paint job.

Most of the time, you will need to reconfigure and shape the body parts of the RC car according to your preference.

Wheels

You can choose your tire and wheel types for your RC cars. Usually, the tires are glued permanently to the wheels of an RC car. This allows the vehicle to have high speed on the road.

You can buy the tires and mount them yourself or get pre-mounted ones from the manufacturer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the most vital information and queries that may arise in your mind at some point in time regarding your RC car.

What Electronics Do You Need for An RC Car?

There are a handful of common electronic components you need for an RC car, such as-

• Motor controllers
• Transmitter
• Receiver
• Servos
• Electric motors
• Gears
• Propellers
• AA, LiPo, or NiMH batteries

What Kinds of Motors Do RC Cars Need?

There are four general types of motors RC cars need. They are-

• Brushed motor
• Brushless motor
• Servo motor
• Vibrating motor

Bottom Line

Radio-controlled cars can be confusing to assemble by yourself.

So now that you have read this through and been introduced to the different components from this RC car parts list, you are already one step ahead for arranging your own RC car for the first time.

There are manuals with every part to help out with the assembling. The entire process will undoubtedly make you familiar with the internal machinery of the RC car.

But if you want to avoid the whole ordeal, you can always just get a pre-assembled RTR and get on the road with it!