The term roller car strikes confusion among a lot of people including RC enthusiasts. This happens because most can’t think of it as a part of their RC model. It’s often confused with road rollers.
So the question is, What is a roller car?
A roller car is a chassis that provides the basic framework of your RC model. It doesn’t have any electronics attached like a motor, engine, driveshaft, etc. But it does have a set of wheels.
Looks interesting? Well, these were just the overview of what a roller car is. We’ll discuss them in a more detailed way in our article. So what are you waiting for? Let’s dig right in!
Contents
Roller Car – What is it?
A roller car is basically the framework of an RC model without any electronics. It doesn’t have a motor or an engine. Rather, it is the basic outline of the desired vehicle.
A requirement of a roller car is that it has to roll smoothly on a plain surface. It usually has wheels and tires attached to it. If it doesn’t have a set of wheels, then it’s more of a slider/pre roller rather than a roller car.
So, to put things straight, a roller car is basically a chassis. And, it can’t have any sort of electronics in it. Those electronics, if present, make it hard to roll. You simply send the rolling car to a certain manufacturer and they make it complete. Plus, you get a vast field of modification options open.
What to and Not to Expect from a Roller Car
As we mentioned earlier, a roller car cannot have an engine or a motor. So there’s that. What it can have are the wheels and tires attached. But there are many cases found where sellers label their product as a roller car without it having wheels attached to it. So definitely lookout for this.
Plus, a roller car doesn’t have a transmitter, receiver, servo, or battery. So, all sorts of electronics are excluded from the roller car. The one thing that many people debate about roller cars is the presence of drive shafts and transmissions. Many expect the roller to have these.
But, drive shafts and transmissions are not entirely necessary for the roller. In fact, these make it hard for the roller to roll. So we can safely say that the driveshaft and transmissions will not be there in the roller car.
Purpose of Roller Cars
Now, the most important concern of people is the purpose of a roller car. Like why would you buy some RC car that has no electronics in it? Let’s see why-
You Can Modify it
The main reason behind the existence of a roller car is the fact that it can be modified.
Think of it this way- a roller car is the basic framework of your RC model. So you have the option to give it the shape of whatever you like.
You can customize the body according to your wish and just put it on it. Plus, you can choose your own servos, transmission, driveshaft, and all other electronics on it. You can also choose from different popular motors e.g. 540 or 550 for building your RC model.
Most RC enthusiasts don’t like the inner working parts of their model. They have issues with the motor, engine, transmission, or suspensions. So, you can just buy a roller car and customize it according to yourself.
Cost Efficiency
The next benefit of getting a roller car is saving money. This is a basic concept that if you build something by buying each part differently, you can save some bucks out of it.
Furthermore, in most of the ready-to-race RC models, there’s less chance of replacing components. So what you do is end up buying a new RC model for one damaged part of the model.
For instance, you can use a motor according to your wish in your RC model. There are different types of it like the waterproof brushed motors, or even brushless ones. A roller car gives you the opportunity to choose between whatever you like.
But in the case of roller cars, there are more options for replacements as we mentioned earlier. So you don’t need to buy a whole new RC model if one of your components gets damaged. You can just replace them.
Recycling
Now let’s see what advantages you can get from a seller’s perspective. Suppose you want to upgrade your RC model but you don’t want to let go of some parts of it. Like the servo or the transmission. So what you can do is keep the parts you want to and sell the framework i.e. roller car.
Roller cars are basically found in the used RC markets. So you can put yours up in the popular communities of RC. We recommend that you sell the framework with wheels attached. That’s because most people would expect a set of wheels in the roller car they’re buying.
Time Saver
Setting up a roller car can be time-saving compared to Rc kits. There are differences between RC kits and roller cars. Rc kits come with a set of instructions on how to set it up on your own. So it’s you who sets it up following the instructions.
But with roller cars, you send it to manufacturers and they set it up for you. So you don’t get to set it up on your own. But since it’s assembled by professionals, it takes much less time than it would take from you.
Pros and Cons of Roller Car
We’ve discussed the good things about a roller car so far. Now, let’s see some of its cons along with the pros highlighted above.
| Pros | Cons |
| 1. Less expensive | 1. Can’t have intimate knowledge about the building process |
| 2. Less time consuming than kits | 2. Can be hard to find |
| 3. Built by professionals | 3. More time consuming than readymade models |
| 4. Massive scope for modification | 4. Hard to set up on your own |
| 5. Consistent final product | 5. Can be disappointing if certain parts of the whole setup is not found |
These are the major good and bad sides a roller car has to offer. So it’s up to you which features you prefer.
FAQs
Now we’ll be discussing some of the most commonly asked questions regarding roller cars. Let’s see-
What Would You Consider a Roller is?
A roller is basically the framework of your RC model minus the electronics. It cannot have a motor or an engine. Neither does it have the transmission or the driveshaft. But one thing that is a must is the wheels. So a roller must have the wheels attached to it minus the electronic stuff.
Why Buy a Roller Car?
A roller car is bought because it has the scope of modification. You can modify it starting from the body of the model to the specific parts like motor, engine, transmission, etc.
Conclusion
This was all from us regarding what is a roller car. We hope we’ve been able to help you clear your confusion.
To sum it up, roller cars provide excellent scope for modifications. Plus, you can keep some parts of your RC model and sell out the framework, or the roller car.
If you still have any further queries, let us know in the comment sections below.