How to Successfully Prepare for racing RC Cars

RC or radio controlled car racing is the most thrilling part of the radio control car world. RC car racing brings excitement, whether you're driving against the kid next door or competitively on and off road track.

If you're going to race competitively, there are some steps you can take to prepare for the race to help you win. First you need to select its high errors correctly. The rc tires you choose must be matched to the surface, you will be doing the RC car racing on. Take a little time and do some research on the types of tires that your competitors and the better racers use. It can be difficult to perfect the right combination of rc tires and inserts for your RC cars. New gadgets come on the market often, stay away for now. Stick with the tires and inserts that you know work for you and that your competitors try the new rc tires out first. Dan learn from their experiences.

Any unlikely event you are an able to find out what other races are using, there are some guidelines you can follow to select your rc tires. If you're racing on asphalt with foam tires, purple compound tires on all corners worked nicely. If you're racing on the carpet with foam tires, try using plaid compound upfront and use the purple compound on the back tires.

It is amazing, but psychology also plays a role in a successful race. For example, it is good practice to arrive at the track early. By doing so, you sure as your fellow racers that you're serious and are willing to work hard in order to win. There are others that make it a habit of being the first one at the fact before the gates even open for the race. When you are early, you have plenty of time to set up your pit area. You can also charger batteries for practice and tie up any loose games before beginning your practice runs.

As well, help set up a track if they need it. The faster they can put up the track, the faster you get to practicing. We arrived late, it penalizes you because you are not getting as much practice time. It will affect your familiarity with the track. Just leave the arriving late up to your competitor. Use any advantage that you can get.

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Off-road Rc Cars

There are already two choices available for your RC car. You can either run it on or off road but if you want to go the extra mile and add a few rush of adrenaline to your racing experience, you can opt for the off road car, truck or buggy. We all know that RC cars are the most common type among all other RC toys. RC vehicles are ideal for a typical racer or those who love speed even from just little cars.

But then again, there are still the off-road type of RC vehicles you can try just in case off-roading became a sudden curiosity and interest to you; there are off-road trucks and buggies available. Don’t worry, if you think that off-road RC trucks are limited to electric engines, better think again because these babies are also available in nitro fueled engines. It doesn’t stop there, if you’re a first timer in handling off-road RC trucks, don’t worry, there are ready-made merchandise available in the market as well.

Next are the buggies. What are these things anyway? These are little RC vehicles that can run up to 60mph. Compared to off-road trucks; they are much reliable to be handled by beginners. But that doesn’t make trucks less than any better. The only difference with this type of RC vehicle is that they are only available in nitro kits.

With an off-road RC, you’ll be able to race your car/truck/buggy just about anywhere. These vehicles can still run fast on sand, hills or uneven terrain and will also be able to jump on anything without fuss. Also, if you feel like running a two-wheel RC car, you can easily find off-road RC toys in this version.

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Nitro Rc Cars for Enthusiasts

Nitro RC cars are added to the list of vanity and sought after toys for the big boys. If you have been driving for many years but never heard of Nitro RC cars, these are but miniature model vehicles/autos run by nitro methane via remote control device. The way it got its name.

Driving this engine, too close to be an accomplishing, life-like experience is for enthusiasts who love electronically manipulated gadgets. Gaming with nitro RC cars could get so serious that hobbyists find themselves neck-to-neck in racetrack competitions. What do you expect in racetracks? The bets and fun!

More than what Nitro RC cars can do to sensible past time, people indulged in the hobby, is more hooked by assembling and maintaining the toy. It is a state-of the art creation anyway. Models can be brought in kits and assembled at home. The make is similar to a life-size car, except they are small.

The measure and assessment of what size you will take comes in scale of say 1/10 of real car. It means if you buy the model, you get a small car in a package with an engine powered by methane by-products. Hobbyists just get crazy by the roar of the engine. You can't expect this noise with real cars, planes, choppers and buggies.

Nitro RC cars have specific language quite different from what other men talk about with life-sized cars, although the context is just the same. Repairs will not come close to real automobiles, but they also take some time to overhaul. Running them have no specific rules other than what big men can already make up with common sense. But believe it or not, these minute power players can run a speed ranging from 20 to 90 MPH!

In other words, running it carelessly anywhere can already cause hazard in some ways. That is why there is silent gathering for serious enthusiasts who have come to terms with the expertise of operating their nitro RC cars. The price range could start as cheap as $150 for starters who would practice with low-end mechanism.

After spending the novice periods or probably after smashing the nitro RC car in careless fall, one could spend higher amounts on a new one. Collections could make enormous slash in the budget, but if the hobby goes beyond simple vanity to business, then it becomes an asset.

Most of the maintenance and repair come from electronic problems. People who are good in electronic troubleshooting have the advantage of saving the budget. Buying kits and assembling the nitro RC car can help in developing the feel of each spare parts and invoke learning. At times, this is considered to be the fun side of which.

After you have made the fruitful assembling of your sophisticated technical toy, it's time to start asking: "where do I go from here?" Space is all it takes. Joining clubs with members indulging with the nitro RC car racing as hobby is the place to be! Such places are available online at your convenience. For starters, a large parking lot approved by the owner is a good place to start with.

You can gather friends for maneuver practice until you get the knack. If you plunge into the serious hobby, you will realize how big the opportunities would lead you to other possibilities. But at first you will start as novice and be grouped according to your skill level.

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Methanol on Nitro Fueled Rc Cars

There are a lot of things needed to take note of and still many things to learn about owning a RC Car car. Also, the difference between electronic powered cars between a nitro fueled ones has to be mastered accordingly.

Of the several important things needed in running nitro RC cars, there are three important facts you need to know about nitro fuel and what it does for your car. The basic components of a nitro fuel have three blends. First, there is the methyl alcohol or otherwise known as the methanol, then there is the nitro-methane or simply called nitro, and then of course oil. Although these components may sound so technical (especially the first one), finding nitro fuel for your car isn’t that difficult since you can purchase these blended fuel with no problems via online or straight from your local hobby shops.

Now, we go back to methanol or the other names it has such as methyl alcohol, carbinol, wood alcohol, wood naptha or wood spirits. What it does is it provides power for the engine and it’s the primary power to be provided to RC cars running on nitro. An ideal fuel this is, mainly because it’s not as flammable and it tends to release more energy per pound compared to gasoline.

A disadvantage in using methanol is that it can intoxicate you but not directly kill you since it isn’t poisonous. Once exposed to it, the toxic breakdown in the body caused by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase forms formic acid in the liver which eventually leads to blindness. Be careful not to inhale this fuel or to have your skin absorb it. Be sure you contact a medicine expert for any suspicious central nervous system depression that occurs.

But going back to methanol’s main purpose to RC car, it is an important component to boost Nitro RC cars energy and overall performance. It is, also affordable compared to gas so expenses shouldn’t be of any issue with this type of fuel.

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RC Cars How To Decide

How to Decide Which Rc Cars rc Trucks to Buy

When it comes to deciding which RC cars or RC Trucks you’re going to spend your hard earned money on it's a tough call, this is a short guide to first time buys, who I'm sure are overwhelmed by not only the choice but also the types of RC cars available.

In a nut shell there are two basic categories:

Off-Road

This is generally considered to be the most popular, off road have several different sub classes like Monster RC Trucks, Rally RC Cars, Bashers and Truggies, with the latter being a kind of on/off-road

On-Road

This is my personal area of expertise, these are pure bred race machines built to eat tarmac, but it has to be good tarmac, even slightly ages parking lots will hurt these baby, the have the setup options that you'd expect to see on Nascar or F1 RC car, everything from camber to dampening can be adjusted.

There are also two main sub categories.

Electric.

This is the starting point for most people, I would suggest that you give this a try before you dive into anything that has a internal combustion engine. They are easy to maintain, relatively cheap, don't break half as much and are much, much cleaner. What these lack in power they make up for in precision, clip ever apex like a pro.

Nitro (a.k.a. Gas or Petrol RC)

The grand daddy of RC cars and rc trucks, these babies have incredible power, the Nitro engines also take a little getting used, unlike electric racers there is a slight delay in the throttle and breaking that you need to get used to, but if noise, smoke and power is your thing look no further. Nitro RC cars and RC Trucks tend to not survive crashed as well as electrics due to the weight and speed at which the crash.

The basic rule of thumb is to stick to Electric rc cars and rc Trucks until you are ready to race the Nitro’s they are insanely fast and a lot can go wrong, run out of batteries for example and the throttle might stick open. While on an electric the car won’t have the change to run away, with internal combustion it’s a different story...

So you've decided which main class you want, now you need to decide what the car will be used for, there is a huge difference between the weekend warrior who tears up his local parking lot and anyone who wants to take racing seriously.

A few tips on picking a good starter car:

2nd hand RC equipment has no resale value, which is good for you, look in forums and auction sites and you will save about 75% of the original cost, not to mention that most owners have several hops=ups and extra which they normally throw into the deal.

you need three things to get into RC, A Kit, The electronics for the kit (Speed controller, Receiver, Sero's, battery packs) and a Remote

Building rc cars and rc trucks yourself is easy and can be done in about 8 hours, but for the birthday boy it's best to get a RTR (Ready to race) as these most often come with all of the above, check the box before you buy it they will tell you what extra’s you need. A TT01 generally comes with everything you need apart from the remote, it's worth spending a bit more on the remote as this is something you will use over and over again.

Make sure that you will be able to find spares and hop-ups for the kit. (Important)

The best place to buy is the internet, this is true without a doubt, you get the best variety and prices from online stores.

Stay away from Nitro (Gas) powered RC cars and RC Trucks until you can drive an electric one, electric RC cars are easy and cheap to maintain and give a lot less problems overall.

Which car to buy?

Personally I’d recommend a TT01 from Tamiya, they have amazing support world wide, while the car doesn’t have the finesse of a carbon fibre racing beast it can still compete, winning RC events is about consistency, not tire warmers (yes you get RC tire warmers, blew me away the first time, but I still ended up beating most of the “Tire-Warming-Pro’s”

The next step up from there is a Tamiya TA05, this is a belt driven RC car, while the TT01 is a shaft driven, there are some differences, but I’ll leave that for a different article. The TA05 can also take any motor, so you can race in all three classes (Stock, Super Stock and Mod)

Using one of the above cars is cost effective and a good way to see if RC cars Racing is something you might like to take to the next level. Once you have selected your car it’s time to get involved, the best way is to join a local racing club...

The Right Glow Plug for RC Cars

Choosing the Right Glow Plug for Your Nitro Rc Cars.

The glow plug is one amazing piece of engineering, the closest anyone has ever got to a true perpetual motion machine, you rc cars engine will run without anything apart from fuel, no spark plugs or electrical ignition, these babies run on the glow.

Selecting the correct plug is not that difficult you just have to understand how they work. Truth be told they are not exactly perpetual motion machine, they still require a little kick with a 1.5V battery to start the glow, after that they will keep glowing as long as the engine is running.

Turbo or Standard

A turbo plug will only work in a turbo engine, these do not have tiny 1:10 Scale fans blowing air into the engine of rc cars like there full sized counter parts, the turbo plug is tapered at the end to create a tighter fit to the engine head, this in turn increases power slightly, you can't use a turbo plug in a standard engine, these require standard plugs.

The Glow Plug Temperature Rating

You need to find the right temperature plug for your engine, a hotter plug will work better when the engine is a little short of heat, while you should use a cooler glow plug if you have a large engine that produces a lot of heat.Hotter glow plugs also make it easier to start your engine, while the colder glow plugs will give you slightly better performance during you run of rc cars.

There is no right or wrong setup, everything needs to be taken into account, from the temperature of the air to the hight above sea level these all affect they way the glow plug will perform, and in the end you rc cars.

Quality over quantity.

When buying a radio controlled plug it's always, as so many things in file, worth your while to get the slightly more expensive glow plug, these generally have a more consistent tune and heat and will often outlast the cheaper plugs by several runs, which makes up for the extra cost.

Reading your glow plug

Using a few simple methods it's easy to find out how close you are to a perfect tune by inspecting the glow plug, if there is a surplus of oil on the head then they are running to rich and need to lean up your mixture, if your plug is a grey color with a small amount of oil then your spot on with your tune, likewise if there is little to no oil and your plug filament is bent or thinning where it connects to the base of the glow plug then you are too lean and need to richen your mixture.

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Electric RC Cars & RC Trucks

Initially, for beginners, there are two types of RC cars or models to choose from. Mainly, the engine has two classifications and it’s the electric versus nitro cars. The difference between the two is evident in the performance of the cars, but; the benefit depends on the preference of the person owning it. There can be certain advantages to a person if he opt for the nitro powered ones but there can also be obvious benefits to the other person who chose the electric rc trucks. Either way, if you’re confused about the advantages and disadvantages of the two; be sure you have thought about what you really want to get before settling for a choice.

What about electric RC trucks? Generally, cars running electrically are great for people who have just started RC trucks as a hobby. In terms of location where to use electrical RC cars, there is a great advantage because it’s not as noisy as the ones running on nitro. Speed is generally fast as well though not as fast as the nitro RC cars.

In terms of power, electric RC cars require batteries. It’s best to use rechargeable ones and make sure you have a spare. Running time lasts for about 10 minutes; while the other battery is being used on the car, you can charge the spare one since charging time takes about 20-30 minutes. The rechargeable batteries can be charged from a 12-volt car battery or directly from the wall socket.

Another reason why electric cars are easy to handle especially for the beginners is that the maintenance of the car is easier compared on nitro cars. With electric RC cars, you only need to make sure you have a good set of quality rechargeable batteries and battery charger. Although initially, buying these requirements is going to cost you much or almost the same as the cost of a nitro rc truck, you’ll be able to save in the long run as long as you take care of the batteries and charger. Cleaning is also a breeze with these models so it’s even less the hassle but still maintains great power at the same time.

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Nikko rc cars

Why you Should Drive Nikko Rc Cars

Believe it or not, Nikko rc is the largest manufacturer of radio-controlled vehicles in the whole world.

What Nikko rc is

Nikko is the manufacturer of rc cars and is a global producer of high quality RC products.

Due to the fact that Nikko has its own factories, they effectively control, ensure and monitor quality in every product they produce.

Quality, quality, quality

Nikko is also one of the very few manufacturers of remote controlled cars that provide customer service to its consumers. Every product that Nikko produces is tested individually for durability and quality in order to assure one hundred percent satisfaction to its customers. Also, Nikko RC products are covered with a warranty for sixty days.

Nikko product awareness

As much as possible, buyers should also be wary and aware of products that are mere imitations prior to purchasing. Believe it or not, Megatech spends sufficient time in ensuring that consumers receive the best and durable highly-performing products.

Nikko rc products are generally tested carefully and the packages are specifically sealed with the Megatech quality seal.

Warranties etc.

There have been changes made lately; products by Megatech that are bought on the internet, (Yahoo or eBay etc.), are actually void of warranties. Also, any Megatech products that are purchased from hobbytron.com do not offer any repair warranty.

An example of a Nikko product

One product of Nikko is the RC Nissan 1/10th z turner with battery and charger. This particular product is able to steer exceptionally well and in a responsive manner; in the right or left direction, as well as back and forward easily.

This Nissan as made by Nikko is orange in color and has windows that are tinted. A 9.6 volt battery pack is included as well as a nine-volt battery.

Nikko rc product features

Other features of this Nissan RC cars is its turbo extra boost that allows it to drive in a speed that is faster. It also has four drifting bonus tires included. It has working headlights, spinning wheels, front adjustable wheel alignments, suspension in the rear and front. Believe it or not, it also has a body that resists impact and a gear differential much better traction.

All in all, Nikko rc cars and products are oriented towards quality and in efficient and consistent service to its various consumers.

How to Convert Your Rc Car Into Drift Spec

Remote Control Drifting is taking off in a big way, in this article I show you step by step how to convert that old 1/10 touring rc car into a drifters dream machine. It's very simple and generally only takes a couple of hours, using this practical guide I'll have you sideways before you know it.

What exactly is drifting?

In a nut shell drifting is the art of changing the angle of attack of your car, while still maintaining full control, so in a typical drift driver X approaches the corner and turns in hard too early, this will bring the rear of the car around, Driver X will then turn back into the slide and keep the car going around the corner while maintaining as much angle and speed as possible, then he will over correct and throw the car into another slide right after the first one, with as little straight lining as possible.

Can a RC cars Drift?

Yes, if you`ve ever been involved with RC racing, you know the level of setup that even the basic RC Cars come with, and drifting is no exception. While a stock standard RC car can drift out of the box, there are some basic setup and chassis modification that will help you get more angle, speed and chicks ;)

Where do I start?

The first thing you need is a RC car, I'll use two examples, both of which I've had personal experience with, the Tamiya TT01 and the Tamiya TA05 rc cars. The first step to drifting is to break that traction, due to the power to weight ratio of RC Cars we need a little help, Drift Tires are all you need to get sideways, but there is a little more you can do if you want to compete. If you can't find RC Drift tires you can use insulation tape, be sure to wrap it in the same direction that the wheel will be turning, a good trick is to lay it down and roll you RC Car over it, this is the right way, Taped tires tend to work best on surfaces that already have a little to no traction, i.e. an underground parking lot, but they don't last long. Drift tires all have different tractions, more traction = bigger drifts, but this is useless if you need to compete on a tight track as the amount of torque used to break traction will also generate a lot of speed, in the end it's down to personal preference.

What next?

Okay so you taped your tires and played around a bit, not we need to get the car to be more predictable, all the standard racing setting apply, shocks, ride height and wheel angles are up to you, but if there is a must have it's the rear differential, you need to lock it, this is also know as a spool diff, basically it means that both wheels must turn at the same time. The result is a car that will break and regain traction on command, the drifts will also be much easier to control, more throttle = more angle, less throttle = less angle.

TT01

The Tamiya TT01 rc car uses a planetary gear setup for the rear diff, which is easy to convert (and convert back should you change your mind later) the two most command ways to lock this diff are 1. Open the Diff and fill it with glue from a glue gun, or 2. Take a small piece of fuel tubing ,cut it open along it's length, and roll this around one of the planetary gears. Once done close the diff and check if it give the desired result before you put it back. The other option is to buy a hop-up spool diff.

TA05

The TA05 rc car uses a ball diff at the back and the front, this is not as easy to modify, but it can be done. The way I modified mine was to use pop rivets. I opened the diff and removed the ball bearings and metal plates that the balls run along. I then drilled three small holes in the side, getting both halves of the diff. I then pop riveted them together and filed down the rivets. This worked, but be careful. 1. It's not reversible and if you make a mistake the diff will be destroyed. 2. It doesn't last long, eventually the forces that go through the diff will destroy this because it's been weakened by holes. A Spool diff is available for the TA05 and this is the preferred options.

What about the front diff of the rc cars?

Now that we have a solid platform we can experiment with slightly different setups to find the one that suites us best, this varies from car to car, but the principle is the same. I personally love using a front one-way diff, or a center one-way diff for more control. The downside is that using brakes at any time is the same as using you e-brake (hand-brake) in a real car, the tail will slide around in a 180, while this can be useful to initiate a drift and transition to a second drift from the first it's very easy to spin out, so most people prefer not to use the one-ways. Once again this is down to personal preference.

Why drifting rc cars is much better than racing.

Well I love both, but from the drifting side it takes a lot more skill and a lot less rc car, what I mean is that while racing takes skill, you can compensate with an awesome rc car, there is no way a TT01 will consistently win in a race against a carbon fibre racing machine. But with drifting you can, a TT01 can out perform any car out there, yes it will be difficult, but so much of drifting is down to driver skill that anything can happen. This being the case it's also possible to get into drifting with very little financial backing (unlike racing)

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