Caleb | May 14

Need For Speed

Everyone knows hobby-grade RC cars can go fast. But just how fast? Fast enough to run over a hundred miles an hour!

Going that fast is risky and quite dangerous and isn’t something even most experienced hobbyists think about doing. Running anything at high speed is a cautious (and a bit crazy) man’ game. Imagine crashing such a small machine at that speed. Any minor road bump or error in control and it’s gonna be bye bye for your car.

Check this video out to see a couple of runs building to exceed the 100MPH barrier. It may not look exactly like going over a hundred but this is apparently real speed, not scale speed!

By the way, careful when crossing the street. That car can take your foot out!

Category: RC World | Tags: , , , ,
Caleb | May 6

After-run Maintenance

Check the body for any loose parts, cracks or breaks check if the tires have become loose, unglued or if there are any cuts, tears or missing pieces.

Next, clean the body, especially if you’ve come from an outdoor track. A good few passes from a compressed air can followed by a complete wipe-down with paper towel is usually more than enough. Make sure you hit the hard-to-reach places with a few good shots of air. While wiping down, pay close attention to the screws around the RC and make sure they’re all tight (but not over-tightened).

If you’re running a nitro RC and you have no plans of running it in the near future, you’ll need drain the fuel tank. The drained fuel is still reusable, so if there’s still a good amount, there’s no reason to throw it all away. Just store it in a good container.

It’s also a good idea to keep your air filters clean. Simply take the assembly apart and wash each part with warm, soapy water. Rinse well and leave to dry. Once dry, oil the foam filter and re-assemble the air filter.

Next, check the batteries. Charge them if they require charging. If you’re not planning to run your RC in the near future, it’s a good idea to leave them out of the car.

Before finally storing your RC, it never hurts to give it a good look-over just to make sure everything is in order.

Category: RC Care | Tags: , , , , , ,
Caleb | May 4

Precision RC Drifting

Arguably, one of the best thing to happen to RC competition is the drift circuit. Check out the best drifters doing their thing in Korea.

Drifting a real car requires a helluva lot of concentration and its no different on the RC scale. A little tweaking and practice and you could be doing this with your cars!

Category: RC World | Tags: , , ,
Caleb | April 27

Refilling Shocks With Shock Oil

It’s very important to keep your shocks well maintained and have enough oil in them at all times. Without oil, they’re basically useless springs that don’t do what they’re supposed to. These oil-filled shocks provide more stability – or a smoother ride – for your car over rough terrain. Without the oil in them, they will compress and rebound without absorbing the impact from bumps and jumps. The impact is now absorbed by the body instead of by the shocks and may lead to damage.

Here’s a great video on not only refilling your shocks but understanding the whole assembly altogether – definitely, a must-watch:

Category: RC Care | Tags: , , , ,
Caleb | April 26

Easy Tire Cleaning

It’s a good idea to clean regularly your RC tires, especially after outdoor runs on sand or soil. It’s a pretty simple process and won’t even require removing them from the car using this method if you do it shortly after the run.

Here’s what you need to do:

  • Prepare a large container of water and a stiff brush – a used toothbrush will be fine
  • Fill the container with water to about an inch and lower the front or back tires into the water
  • If the container is large enough, you can lower the whole car and move it forward and back to dislodge the loose dirt
  • Spin the tires slowly to dislodge loose dirt
  • With the brush, loosen and remove the mud or sand stuck in the tire treads
  • Repeat the process for each wheel
  • After cleaning all wheels, give them all a final rinse for good measure
  • Wipe each wheel and the undercarriage of the car as best as possible
  • Leave out to air-dry before storing

You may use a mild household cleanser if necessary but I wouldn’t recommend using warm or hot water.

It’s not a good idea to soak your tires for too long as this may have a negative effect on foam inserts and the glue holding the tires to the rim.

If you’re coming from a run on an indoor track, dry brushing plus a few bursts from an air can is usually all you need.

Category: RC Care | Tags: , , , ,
« Older Entries