Features & Specifications
As big as the Inferno ST truck was the Kyosho Inferno GT Ready Set looks larger thanks to the much bigger body. My test car was equipped with Kyosho’s newest body, a superbly detailed Aston Martin DBR-9 race car. Naturally the numbers on the side of the car are 007 (James Bond drives Aston Martin you know). The body is made from a durable lexan material that stands up well to the rigors of on-road driving and racing. There is so much detail in the body that it continues to impress each time you run the car. The holders for the body on the car are adjustable so you can change the ground clearance to the track or street you are driving on.

Fully adjustable four wheel independent suspension sits at all four corners of the Kyosho Inferno GT Ready Set and does a fantastic job of keeping the car planted during high speed runs and sharp cornering. The tires used are a low-profile design with soft rubber and foam inserts that grip road surfaces well. Four-wheel drive powered by drive shafts coupled with good tires and suspension gives fantastic overall handling ideal for the track or parking lot.

The massive 4.6cc GXR28 engine gives the car fantastic acceleration and will throw the car into power slides at will. I had great fun launching the car from a standing start just to see it jump sideways and spin all four tires. Once the Kyosho Inferno GT Ready Set found traction it takes off like a shot screaming all the way through second and tops out somewhere in the realm of 50 mph.

The radio that Kyosho uses for the Kyosho Inferno GT Ready Set isn’t quite as nice as the one they use on the Inferno ST but it does the job well. It is an all analog AM affair with knobs for adjusting the throttle and steering. You can bring your own radio to the party if you so desire and Kyosho equips the car with a sealed radio box to help protect the electronics.

With such a large engine Kyosho used a large tank as well that holds 125cc of fuel. The exhaust is an all aluminum tuned pipe and brakes are vented metal with steel-backed fiber pads. With the top speed that the Kyosho Inferno GT Ready Set is capable of brakes are very important and they work well to slow the car down from repeated top speed runs without noticeable fade. The front end of the car has a large foam bumper that helps to protect the vehicle in the event of an impact. Thankfully I didn’t have to try the bumper out but it is thick and sturdy and should work well.

Set-up, Starting & Tuning
Starting the large engine is done with a pull starter that uses a Cam-Lock design. This design eliminates maintenance and improves performance, when running the pull starter completely disengages from the engines crank shaft. Getting the Kyosho Inferno GT Ready Set running takes a few pulls and you are ready to go. You must be careful when starting the car; if you get a bit too zealous you can damage the pull starter. Tuning the engine for optimal performance takes a bit of tweaking and is done via one screw that controls the air/fuel ratio and one that controls the idle speed. Tuning a nitro engine has a bit of a learning curve for those new to the sport, but once you get it right and spend some time with the car you get the hang of it.

Right out of the box to get running all I had to do was add the batteries for the electronics and fuel the Kyosho Inferno GT Ready Set up and start the engine. Starting the engine for the first time is a bit more involved than starting it after tuning and running a few times. The easiest way was to get all four wheels off the ground by placing the car on a block, prime the carb by blocking the exhaust and pulling the starter a few times and after a few minutes of pulling the engine fired right up. Be sure to allow the car to sit for a bit to warm up so it doesn’t stall as soon as you take off. Once tuned you have to go through a break in period with the engine before you really open the car up which is done by running about three tanks of fuel through the car without going over half throttle.

Performance & Handling
Once the break in is complete you can really lay into the throttle and watch the car fly. It is really cool to see the Kyosho Inferno GT Ready Set launch off the line, tires spinning then hit second gear and see the fast top speed as the car fly’s by. I did find on my first top end run that the car was too rich as evidenced by the engine bogging and the car refusing to shift to second gear. A quarter turn leaner on the air/fuel ratio and the car was screaming to top speed without issue.

High speed handling is good, but it takes some getting used to. I had great fun hitting the brakes and spinning the car around, though this did result in the car sliding off the road quite a few times. Thankfully the car was never damaged and held up quite well to the occasional pot hole and rough transition from driveway to street and from the dirt shoulders of my road to the pavement during my occasional off-road excursions (quite accidental).

All the performance, handling and pure fun that Kyosho gives us with the Inferno GT is quite impressive. You might expect the Kyosho Inferno GT Ready Set to be one of the $500 types of RC vehicles you see online and in the hobby store. Surprisingly given the level of completion of the car, the performance and plain fun the Inferno GT delivers it sells for a virtual bargain price of only $389.99 including every thing you need to run from the radio and electronics to the glow plug igniter, fuel bottle and wrench for removing the tires. Kyosho delivers tons of fun at a reasonable cost for a pre-built, high-performance nitro powered RC car that is perfect for beginners yet has adjustability for the more advanced user.