Answers.Body: <p>If you have no technic and no power functions you will need to get quite a lot. You could buy small technic sets to get enough parts to build the moving parts and you your current collection, or buy a big set and just add power functions to it. The <a href="http://brickset.com/sets/42029-1" rel="noreferrer">Customized Pickup Truck</a> is a good starter set that has all the right moving parts, but pretty much any Technic truck/car contains steering and a drive chain that you can attach a motor to.</p>
  
  <p>For steering I recommend the <a href="http://brickset.com/sets/88004-1/Servo-Motor" rel="noreferrer">servo motor</a>. As a kid I spent a lot of time making cars that would lock left or right but not flick back to exactly straight afterwards.</p>
  
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/zINbP.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/zINbP.jpg" alt="88004 Servo Motor"></a></p>
  
  <p>For propulsion you have a whole array of motor options, the biggest and strongest (but also the slowest) is the <a href="http://brickset.com/sets/8882-1/XL-Motor" rel="noreferrer">XL motor</a>. I've seen the Customized Pickup Truck converted to full RC using two M motors.</p>
  
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/SOvV1.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/SOvV1.jpg" alt="8882  XL Motor"></a></p>
  
  <p>One <a href="http://brickset.com/sets/8884-1/IR-Receiver" rel="noreferrer">IR receiver</a> can control two wires so if you're only thinking about propulsion and steering one will do.</p>
  
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/CvGHj.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/CvGHj.jpg" alt="8884 IR reveiver"></a></p>
  
  <p>You'll need a battery pack. I prefer there <a href="http://brickset.com/sets/8881-1/Battery-Box" rel="noreferrer">one that takes AA</a>s because years from now AA battery will still be purchasable and may be even longer lasting, plus you can keep spares near by, as opposed to the <a href="http://brickset.com/sets/8878-1/Rechargeable-Battery-Box" rel="noreferrer">Lego rechargeable battery</a> which will wear out over time and not be available forever.</p>
  
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/E5UIq.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/E5UIq.jpg" alt="8881 Battery Box"></a></p>
  
  <p>And finally a remote. The <a href="http://brickset.com/sets/8879-1/IR-Speed-Remote-Control" rel="noreferrer">speed remote</a> lets you control the speed of the motors, not just forward/backwards at a fixed speed. However you'll need some extra parts to make left/right steering make sense on there. The other option is  the basic <a href="http://brickset.com/sets/8885-1/IR-Remote-Control" rel="noreferrer">IR remote</a>. Either one can control two functions.</p>
  
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/civfk.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/civfk.jpg" alt="8879 Speed Remote"></a>
  <a href="https://i.sstatic.net/aU2Dj.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/aU2Dj.jpg" alt="8885 IR Remote"></a></p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-12-11T23:56:44.780Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2016-12-11T23:56:44.780Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Craig
Body: <p>I want to make a car or truck that can be driven by a controller.</p>
  
  <p><strong>Q: what Power Functions sets do I need in 2016? Any other suggestions?</strong></p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>I have no Technic nor Power Functions</li>
  <li>I'm willing to buy anything</li>
  <li>I am at an Expert level for brick-based construction</li>
  <li>...but know almost nothing about beam-based construction</li>
  <li>my existing library of beam parts comes from whatever parts happened to come with brick-based sets</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>References from older questions:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li><a href="https://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/45/what-are-the-best-options-for-building-a-lego-rc-car">What are the best options for building a LEGO RC car?</a></li>
  <li><a href="https://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/845/does-the-power-functions-ir-remote-control-8885-make-a-good-remote-for-a-car">Does the Power Functions IR Remote Control 8885 make a good remote for a car?</a></li>
  </ul>
  
Tags: <power-functions>
Title: 2016: which Power Functions for controllable car?
UserDisplayName: MonkeyWidget
ThreadText: # 2016: which Power Functions for controllable car?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2016-12-10)
  
  I want to make a car or truck that can be driven by a controller.
  
  **Q: what Power Functions sets do I need in 2016? Any other suggestions?**
  
  * I have no Technic nor Power Functions
  * I'm willing to buy anything
  * I am at an Expert level for brick-based construction
  * ...but know almost nothing about beam-based construction
  * my existing library of beam parts comes from whatever parts happened to come with brick-based sets
  
  References from older questions:
  
  * [What are the best options for building a LEGO RC car?](https://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/45/what-are-the-best-options-for-building-a-lego-rc-car)
  * [Does the Power Functions IR Remote Control 8885 make a good remote for a car?](https://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/845/does-the-power-functions-ir-remote-control-8885-make-a-good-remote-for-a-car)
  
  **Tags:** power-functions
  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2016-12-11. Score: 5 | Accepted answer
  
  If you have no technic and no power functions you will need to get quite a lot. You could buy small technic sets to get enough parts to build the moving parts and you your current collection, or buy a big set and just add power functions to it. The [Customized Pickup Truck](http://brickset.com/sets/42029-1) is a good starter set that has all the right moving parts, but pretty much any Technic truck/car contains steering and a drive chain that you can attach a motor to.
  
  For steering I recommend the [servo motor](http://brickset.com/sets/88004-1/Servo-Motor). As a kid I spent a lot of time making cars that would lock left or right but not flick back to exactly straight afterwards.
  
  [![88004 Servo Motor](https://i.sstatic.net/zINbP.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/zINbP.jpg)
  
  For propulsion you have a whole array of motor options, the biggest and strongest (but also the slowest) is the [XL motor](http://brickset.com/sets/8882-1/XL-Motor). I've seen the Customized Pickup Truck converted to full RC using two M motors.
  
  [![8882  XL Motor](https://i.sstatic.net/SOvV1.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/SOvV1.jpg)
  
  One [IR receiver](http://brickset.com/sets/8884-1/IR-Receiver) can control two wires so if you're only thinking about propulsion and steering one will do.
  
  [![8884 IR reveiver](https://i.sstatic.net/CvGHj.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/CvGHj.jpg)
  
  You'll need a battery pack. I prefer there [one that takes AA](http://brickset.com/sets/8881-1/Battery-Box)s because years from now AA battery will still be purchasable and may be even longer lasting, plus you can keep spares near by, as opposed to the [Lego rechargeable battery](http://brickset.com/sets/8878-1/Rechargeable-Battery-Box) which will wear out over time and not be available forever.
  
  [![8881 Battery Box](https://i.sstatic.net/E5UIq.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/E5UIq.jpg)
  
  And finally a remote. The [speed remote](http://brickset.com/sets/8879-1/IR-Speed-Remote-Control) lets you control the speed of the motors, not just forward/backwards at a fixed speed. However you'll need some extra parts to make left/right steering make sense on there. The other option is the basic [IR remote](http://brickset.com/sets/8885-1/IR-Remote-Control). Either one can control two functions.
  
  [![8879 Speed Remote](https://i.sstatic.net/civfk.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/civfk.jpg)
  [![8885 IR Remote](https://i.sstatic.net/aU2Dj.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/aU2Dj.jpg)
  
  
  ---
  
  