Radio control car gas info

Radio Control Car Gas Explained
(All links open new windows)
Contrary to what it may sound like, radio control car gas isnt gasoline at all. It is referred to as nitro fuel, and it is actually less volatile than regular gasoline. It is flammable, however, and care must be used whenever filling or operating a gas powered radio control car. It can not be said too many times never, ever try to use real gasoline in your
radio control car gas

powered vehicle.

This gas is actually a mixture including lubricants, methanol, and nitromethane. The lubricants used in the fuel can be synthetic or castor oil base. These lubricants serve the same purpose in your radio control car gas as they do in other 2-cycle engine fuels.

Because of the makeup of the 2-cycle engine, the lubricants in the fuel flow on both sides of the pistons and through the crankcase and keep these and other engine parts well lubricated. Whatever oil doesnt stick to the desired parts is simply burned through the combustion process or released in the exhaust.

The lubrication in the fuel can also help keep the running temperature of the engine desirably low. But you cant rely on too much of a good thing.

While more oil may keep temperatures even lower, it also lowers the ratio of nitromethane in the fuel, which is responsible for the actual amount of power transferred to the vehicle. But putting in too little oil to make room for more of the nitro can result in overheated, worn down engines in which extra power wont do much good.

The nitromethane content of a fuel is what it is generally rated on. This is the fuel that results in power in the vehicle.

Typical radio control car gas has a nitro content of about 10% - 20%, but many enthusiasts experiment with their own levels to achieve the mixture of power results and long engine life they are looking for. Larger radio control cars may benefit from higher nitromethane ratios, but remember the warning about too much of a good thing.

There is certainly a level of diminishing returns where more nitromethane doesnt convert to more power and just takes up the space where precious lubrication should be. Its a give and take relationship that takes quite a bit of mastering if you are going to experiment with your own fuel rations.

How does this radio control car gas work, anyway? It uses combustion within the engine to transfer power from the fuel into mechanical power. The combustion chamber has what is known as a hot spot created by a glow plug (similar in concept to a spark plug in regular vehicles).

The pistons create compression, the glow plug gets hotter, and the combination of the two results in the necessary combustion begin to burn and keep burning the fuel to power the engine.

As long as the combustion cycle continues to receive the oxygen and fuel it needs to keep the process going, the radio control car gas will continue to burn and power the engine.

So if gas powered radio control cars strike your interest, remember that the fuel is the key to running and maintaining a powerful engine. And also remember to use the proper safety and caution with the flammable materials involved.