Today, the trend of playing with RC cars, also known as remote control cars, has been responded to by many speed enthusiasts around the world.

Accordingly, the market for RC models is increasingly diverse, with many types, performances, and segments.

The question here is, what makes RC cars gain such popularity? It is the specific characteristics of this plaything that allow it to perform movements that a real car can hardly do.

So, how fast do RC cars go? Are there any differences in speed when compared to a real car? This article will provide you with the answer! Here, you can grasp the most basic knowledge about this unique game and how to choose an RC car for yourself.

View more: Which is the best choice between Nitro and Electric RC Cars?

How Fast Do RC Cars Go?

How fast can an RC car go? An RC car can achieve a maximum speed of 70 mph. In particular, some types of cars can go up to 100 mph.

Models that can reach such top speeds are usually designed separately for the race, while the RC cars for the off-road usually have a maximum speed of about 20 mph.

Your RC car can reach top speed quickly if you know how to properly upgrade it 

Top 5 RC Cars That Worth Trying

Traxxas E-Revo VXL

Traxxas E-Revo VXL is a remote control truck with a maximum speed of up to more than 70 mph.

E-Revo promises to bring you an excellent car play experience with impressive color and the latest technologies, such as a 2200kV brushless motor, 2.4GHz radio system, etc.

The car’s design allows you to easily replace components (pinion gear, spur gear, and battery) to achieve the fastest speed.

Besides, larger wheels made from tougher rubber help improve traction and car performance.

E-Revo is known as a groundbreaking monster truck from the manufacturer Traxxas (Source: amazon)

Arrma Typhon 6S BLX

Arrma Typhon 6S BLX is designed to achieve top speeds of up to 70 mph.

To achieve such fast speeds, Arra employs 2050 kV brushless motor technology and a Spektrum 3-channel radio system that makes the vehicle easy to move in all terrains and different conditions.

What’s more? This RC car is completely waterproof and dustproof, limiting constant maintenance after each play. In addition, the car is equipped with fans to help reduce heat quickly when the vehicle accelerates and a detecting thermal overload system.

This Arrma Typhon is also a car with a charger easily compatible with a wide range of Li-Po batteries, from 3S, 4S to 6S.

Arrma Typhon 6S BLX is placed as one of the most worth experiencing RC cars (Source: amazon)

 

Traxxas Rustler 4×4

Powered by a Velineon® 3500kV brushless motor, Traxxas Rustler 4×4’s power is optimized, thereby helping it achieve an incredible top speed of 65+mph.

With this car, you can choose from a three-drive program to suit your playing needs, including sport mode, racing mode, and training mode.

The Rustler’s design allows you to use either a NiMH battery pack or a Li-Po battery pack.

In addition, the integration of Traxxas Stability Management technology helps to improve acceleration and braking on terrains having low traction.

You can improve the top speed of Traxxas Rustler to over 65 mph by using a 3S LiPo battery (Source: amazon)

Traxxas Slash 4×4

Traxxas Slash 4×4 uses a Velineon 3500 brushless motor to increase its operating power with the max velocity of 60+ mph.

It can be said that this Slash 4×4 is beautifully designed and does not require too much maintenance, giving you the confidence to drive it in any terrain, even mud.

Like Traxxas Rustler 4×4, this car also has three modes: sport, racing, and training. Such modes are suitable for everyone, from newbies to seasoned players.

The TQi 2.4GHz transmitter is compatible with the Traxxas Link wireless module allowing you to connect the RC car from your Android 4.4 and up or iOS 4.3 and later device.

JLB Racing Cheetah

Depending on the battery option, JLB Racing Cheetah will have a top speed ranging from 30 to 60 mph. You can opt for the 3S Li-Po battery to get the expected results.

Equipped with a three-channel 2.4GHZ remote control system, the car can receive signals and control the buggy from up to 150m away.

The 4-wheel drive system and clear thread tires give this RC great performance no matter how difficult the terrain.

In particular, the JLB racing car is developed with an anti-shock system to protect the electronic components inside if the car is accidentally bumped or flipped.

JLB Racing Cheetah receives positive reviews from customers (Source: amazon)

How To Pick The Right RC Cars?

Factors That Affect RC Car Speed

How fast does the fastest RC car go? Even the fastest car will be affected by various factors which might change its top speed dramatically. Here are the factors you need to consider.

You need to carefully learn the factors that affect the speed of your RC to have the fastest car

RC Power – Acceleration and Maximum Speed

Acceleration represents how fast your car reaches speed in a short amount of time. For example, the Traxxas XO-1 can speed up from 0-100 mph in 4.92 seconds.

High acceleration is important if you drive the remote control car on short roads with many narrow bends. On the contrary, a faster top speed will suit cars traveling on a larger terrain.

In fact, you can improve both the acceleration and top speed of the RC car. Yet, be mindful that the maximum speed may decrease as the acceleration increases and vice versa.

Model’s Size

Heavy RC cars inhibit acceleration and top speed quite a bit. Meanwhile, those that are small and light are hard to control.

To choose the right car size for your needs, you should learn more about remote control cars’ scale sizes and scale speed.

You can easily see scale sizes, such as 1:8, 1:10, 1:12, and 1:14 appearing on the packaging of this toy car. Such scale sizes suggest how many times smaller the model is when compared to the real vehicle.

Keep in mind that this scale size is approximate, so you need to check the size and weight of the RC before ordering.

Besides, please refer to the scale speed carefully, as some sellers often exaggerate the maximum speed their products can achieve.

Motors

Currently, brush motors and brushless motors are commonly used in remote control cars.

The brush motor is quite suitable for those new to the model car hobby. Yet, this type of motor belongs to older technology, causing RC cars to lose a lot of electrical energy due to friction.

Brushless motors do not provoke such a loss of energy. This motor helps your car convert electrical energy into mechanical energy with an efficiency of up to 15%, thereby increasing the speed of the RC car.

Batteries

RC cars use two kinds of batteries, Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) and Lithium Polymer (Li-Po).

NiMH batteries are cheap, safe, and easy to use. Yet, this type of battery has a lower energy density, which reduces RC’s performance.

Hence, if you want to increase your car’s speed, consider replacing the NiMH battery with a Li-Po one. Although Li-Po is more expensive, you will certainly be satisfied with the amount of power it brings to your RC.

Gearing

Upgrading gearing, including pinion gear or spur gear, can improve either acceleration or top speed for your buddy.

Smaller pinion gear, together with larger spur gear, can give the RC car faster acceleration but slower top speed.

Meanwhile, with larger pinion gear and smaller spur gear, you can achieve the opposite result- acceleration decreases, and top speed increases.

Tires

Standard tires will enhance traction, resulting in better acceleration and turning handle. 

Conversely, using poor-quality tires can cause unnecessary problems for your beloved toy. Worse, you might even lose a huge amount of money for these parts in the long run.

Terrain

The terrain where you play the model car is among the key factors that determine the car’s speed. Uneven, wet, or too dry surfaces can partially reduce the vehicle’s performance.

Thus, to reach the fastest speed for RC cars, consider choosing the right terrain for them.

How To Make Your RC Car Faster?

Alter The Gear

Gear ratio adjustment is the most cost-effective way to speed up your RC cars.

An RC car consists of 2 basic gears, pinion gear, and spur gear. You need to consider the results you want, such as a faster top speed or higher acceleration, to upgrade these gears appropriately.

If you want RC cars to increase acceleration, choose smaller pinion gears having fewer gear teeth and increase the size of the spur gear.

Conversely, increase the pinion gear teeth amount and decrease the spur gear size when you want to achieve top speed faster.

Remember that changing the number of gear teeth calls for careful checking, as increasing so many teeth at a time can cause your car to change temperature abnormally and encounter unexpected damage.

Switch Up The Motor

The speed of cars using brush motors can be reduced since much energy is lost during electricity-motion conversion.

In contrast, the brushless motor allows the RC to be more energy-efficient when it comes to friction, helping it move significantly faster.

While upgrading to a brushless motor ensures exceptional speed for an RC car, driving such a motor-powered car is not a piece of cake. Thus, if you are a newbie, use the brush motor before considering upgrading to a brushless one.

Change The Tires

Altering tires suitable for the playing terrain makes it easy to achieve top speed quickly.

Full spikes tires are an ideal choice for slippery or muddy roads, and tires with small spikes are suitable for carpet surfaces.

Make sure you choose high-quality tires for the RC car. Cheaper ones make traction low, affecting the chances of your RC car spinning or rolling when you make a sudden turn.

The larger diameter tires cover more ground for each turn, thereby increasing the RC’s speed. Yet, tires that are too big can increase the car’s weight, which might cause the speed of the RC to drop. Hence, please consider this factor carefully in case you want to try.

Reduce The Weight

Replace heavy components with lighter materials, such as carbon or aluminum. 

Even a small amount of weight reduction can make a surprising improvement to your RC car. However, the reduction in weight means less traction, making the car more prone to roll over when turning. Here, add weight to the front of the remote control car. 

Besides, you can employ a lighter battery type- Li-Po battery to reduce the heaviness of your RC car. Unfortunately, this type of battery is not the best choice when you want to save money.

Upgrade The Batteries

If you are longing to own the fastest RC car, the Li-Po battery pack can help you make that dream come true.

This type of battery provides more power to your buddy. You can even increase that power by upgrading the Li-Po battery from a 2-cell pack to a 3-cell pack.

Not all RC cars are compatible with Li-Po batteries. Inserting the wrong battery can cause serious harm to your beloved car. Hence, please refer to the RC cars forums to see whether this battery suits your car type.

More importantly, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions when charging the battery to keep your car safe.

Practice The Techniques

Remember that practice makes perfect! No matter how much money you spend on upgrading, your RC will surely not be able to achieve the speed you desire if you do not know how to control it right.

Take the time to learn the suitable racing techniques for your car type and practice regularly to achieve the expected performance soon.

Electric Vs. Nitro RC Cars: Which Are Faster?

The answer is that an electric RC is faster, with a top speed of up to 100 mph when compared to a nitro one.

So, what about the nitro RC car? How fast do nitro RC cars go? The fastest nitro RC car can only reach a top speed of 50-60 mph.

With continuous improvements from brushless motors to Li-Po batteries, electric RC cars have dominated over nitro cars in terms of pace.

Also, electric RCs are more cost-effective and user-friendly than their counterparts. You do not need to adjust the engine, prepare fuel, and spare tires like when using nitro cars.

Is 30 mph Fast For An RC Car?

It is difficult to say whether an RC car running at 30 mph is fast or slow, as the speed of a car depends on many different factors, such as components, motor, battery, terrain, etc.

For racing RC cars with a top speed of 30 to 100 mph, 30 mph is considered a slow speed.

Yet, when you play RC types suitable for off-road or rocky terrain, 30 mph is the ideal speed for great performance.

Conclusion

How fast do RC cars go? There are many factors that have a direct impact on your car’s speed.

You should understand such factors and make upgrades based on your car’s actual condition to optimize the speed. We hope your RC can experience an outstanding top pace with the useful information above. Thanks for reading!