What Is The Best Fuel For Nitro RC Cars?..

If the engine is the heart of nitro RC car, the fuel for the engine is the life blood for the nitro RC car! You just can not use any fuel in the Nitro RC car engine. 'Little devils', 'little geniuses', you call them by any nick name or hail them as very realistic, for their impeccable imitation of their real counterparts in every point to point detail. They have amazingly reproduced details like their real counterparts. Yet, they do not run on diesel or gasoline (petrol) as a fuel.

The term Nitro refers to the presence of Nitrogen based compounds in the specially blended fuel. It is made by blending nitro-methane, methyl alcohol and castor oil or synthetic oil. This fuel is readily available in many hobby shops or in internet RC sites.

Do you wonder why it runs on this peculiar concoction? Well, because in the tiny engines of RC cars, gasoline, or much less diesel, would not give enough quantities of energy per unit weight of fuel burnt. Thus the high energy fuel blend is specially designed for RC cars.

Let us study the components of this fuel, to know how it worked.

Methyl alcohol: Also known as Methanol, it is the main ingredient in the RC car fuel. It is widely available and also inexpensive, making it ideal for an RC car engine fuel that is cheaper than regular gasoline! It has a burning point appropriate to the RC car and high energy potential per unit weight of fuel. That is when it is ignited by the platinum glow plugs in the RC car engine cylinder and compressed by piston, it burns and releases much more energy than gasoline.

Nitro-methane: Also known as Nitro, it is an explosive additive to give punch to the fuel. It enhances power output and hence, improves acceleration from idle. Also dubbed as the "hot fuel," the nitro is used only in small proportions in RC car engine fuels. Due to explosive nature, it needs to be handled with extreme care. Remember to always follow the manufacturer's instructions for handling your RC car fuel to prevent hazards.

Oil: Either synthetic oil or sometimes, and for certain engines, Castor oil is used as a lubricant inside the engine. While for 2-stroke engines it is blended into fuel, 4-stroke engines take it from an oil reservoir. One can choose from different blends of synthetic and castor oil with varying proportions.

RC fuel blends are available in different proportions of each component, typically, methanol added with, 20-22% lubricant blend and 10-15% nitro. Choosing the right proportions as per manufacturer's instructions is necessary for optimum performance.