Electric vs. Nitro

Are you still struggling on whether to buy an electric vehicle or a nitro powered one? Well there are several things that you must look at before you decide. Both nitro and electric vehicles have pretty much the same components, but assembling a nitro vehicle takes a lot more care. Because of the vibrations of the nitro engine, some screws and/or bolts can come loose so thread locking fluid and more maintenance are required. Speaking of maintenance, the nitro vehicles require a lot of tuning and they can't be used in many of the weather conditions that electric vehicles can run in. When a nitro vehicle runs out of gas, the only thing you have to do is open the tank and put more in. However, when your electric vehicle runs out of charge, you have to recharge the battery which can be very time consuming. If you are looking for a vehicle with more speed, then electric is what you should go with. Though nitro vehicles are faster right out of the box, you can buy a fast electric motor, change up the gears a little and get a more powerful battery and then your electric vehicle will fly right past that nitro. If you are looking for a vehicle with better performance, then it can be either electric or nitro because neither one performs better than the other on a track. Electric and nitro vehicles have to be cleaned, but because of the fuel and oil that the nitro engine puts out, a lot of dirt is attracted to the vehicle so more cleaning is required for nitro vehicles. As you can see, there are several factors that you need to look at before buying your r/c vehicle. So which one will you choose?

Team Losi Micro Desert Truck

With the holidays coming up soon, what better gift to buy than Micro Desert Truck. At a reasonable price of just $89.99, this 1:36 scale 2WD ready to run r/c truck has all the features and components of a racing truck. With a chassis under 6 inches, an ESC/receiver, a powerful brushed motor, a transmitter and an NiMH battery, this thing comes with everything. Its chassis is longer than the Micro-T which gives it more stability for better traction. The Desert Truck's micro ESC goes both forward and reverse and connects to the motor which helps propell it at an amazing fifteen to twenty miles per hour right out of the box. Large shock absorbers and shock shafts can handle pretty much anything that is thrown at them with ease. The included battery, an NiMH battery, can easily be switched out with a Team Losi LiPo battery that is specifically made for the Desert Truck for $44.99. This will make your vehicle go about an additional five miles per hour. To make your Desert Truck even faster, you can purchase the 1/36 Xcelorin 8750 Kv Brushless Combo for $49.99 and now your truck will go an additional five miles per hour on top of that. Even though you have spent as much in accessories as you did for the car itself, it now goes an amazing thirty miles per hour.

Making Your R/C Vehicle the Fastest

When using your remote control vehicle, there are a few tips on making it run smoother and faster. One obvious tip is picking out the right motor. If your ESC will allow it, try to get a motor with the lowest amount of turns as possible for a better speed. Also, you can get a LiPo battery which carries 30% more energy than other batteries and is 30% less weight too. Next, you can purchase an odd number and an even number pinion gear set and a spur gear set for you vehicle. Test out which combinations of gears will work best together for the fastest speed with the best acceleration. The faster top speed you have, the slower acceleration you will get, but on the other hand, the slower top speed you have the faster acceleration you will get. Another thing you can do to make your vehicle go even faster is to buy a shim, which is a thin metal ring. This inexpensive component can be placed in between the rear hub and the axle pin. Make sure that when you are picking out a shim that it has the same dimensions as the bearing in your vehicle. If you put in to many shims then the tires of your vehicle will bind so be careful and just put in enough shims to make the gap between the rear hub and the axle pin smaller.

Futaba Magnum 3PM 2.4G Fasst Transmitter/Reciever

When your ready to drive your r/c vehicle, you probably would like to just pick it up and go, no glitches, no worries right? Well that is exactly what the Magnum does for you with their new Futaba Advanced Spread Spectum Technology, or FASST. This new feature sends information twice as fast and at 8 times better resolution than other transmitters. Also, 2.4GHz are wired straight into the transmitter so it doesn't require any additional plug-ins and is crystal-free and channel-free. The fasst system also uses Frequency Hopping to hop to an unused frequency every 2 milliseconds or 500 times per second so that you have no interferences. The fasst receiver which accompanies the transmitter has an auto detect feature that tells the vehicle if your transmitter is on HRS (High Response System) mode or PPM (Pulse Position Modulation) mode. Lastly, the transmitter has a 10 model memory, is easily programmable to fit you and your r/c vehicle's needs, it is fail safe while in HRS mode and it has a button on the back of the transmitter for a direct link to the receiver. This setup is affordable and definitely one of the most reliable as well.

The Traxxas E-Maxx RTR

Are you the kind of person that is not so great with your hands, yet you still like the idea of having a remote control vehicle? Whether you are good with your hands or not, the all new Traxxas E-Maxx is the vehicle to go with! This 4WD monster truck is ready to run right out of the box because it comes with all the interior components and is pre-assembled by Traxxas themselves. It is powered by dual motors, propelling it at an amazing 30 mph and has a dual servo system for a precise turn everytime. The E-Maxx's transmission has extra wide, steel gears to give you even more torque and power. The vehicle's ESC, the EVX-2, brings out over 16 volts from the two 7 cell batteries required for the E-Maxx. The EVX-2 also has a built in fan so the motors will not overheat and it has a training mode for people just learning to use an r/c vehicle. In addition to all of this, Traxxas has weather sealed all the electronic components so you can use your truck whenever you want and wherever you want. Also included are pre-glued monster truck tires for every wheel so you don't need to do any work except drive. Is 30 mph just not fast enough for you? Well then you are going to want to know that early in 2008, Castle Creations is coming out with a new ESC and motor for the E-Maxx called Monster Maxx. This setup can make your E-Maxx go about 60 mph or double what it was originally. Now your truck is equally as fast or faster than nitro cars and/or buggies with a lot less maintenance!

Electronic Speed Controls

The Electronic Speed Control, or ESC is probably the most important driving component to your vehicle. This component can make it so that your vehicle can change direction, speed and brake as well. There are competition speed controls that go forward and brake, but they don't go backwards. These ESCs go faster than a reverable speed control because they require less power to power the motor. Reversable speed controls allow for more fun, but go slower because they require a motor with a high turn limit which takes more power to run. One speed control that I would recommend would be the A.I. Brushless Pro Reverse Speed Control. This ESC requires a brushless motor with 8.5 turns or above and can go forwards, backwards and brake. The Pro Reverse also is 100% waterproof so you can drive wherever you want and it is fail safe too. Another great speed control would be the LRP Sphere Competition ESC. This speed control has no-solder leads that are pre-connected so you won't need to waste time. Also, it accepts NiCd, NiMH, and LiPo batteries and requires a motor with at least 3.5 turns which promises for some very fast driving. However, with this speed control, you can't go in reverse. The last speed control is the Castle Creations Mamba Max ESC. This component is best compatible with Castle Creations 540 7700kV motor and it accepts NiCd, NiMH and LiPo batteries. It is also programmable through the computer via usb and can go in reverse as well. Make sure to check out my post on "Motors" for more info on the compatible motors for these ESCs.

Motors

Picking the right motor for you all depends on preference. There there are two different types of motors which are brushless motors and brushed motors. Brushed motors are a lot of maintenance and they tend to overheat your vehicle in a quicker amount of time compared to brushless motors. One motor that I recommend would be the Vector 5.5T brushless motor. This motor a standard 540 size motor that is run by neodymium magnets and oversized, low friction ball bearings. The Vector has a 91% efficiency rate, has an RPM of 58,320 U/min and is compatible with the Team Associated LRP Sphere Competition ESC as well. Another motor that I recommend is the Novak Velociti 5.5T Racing Brushless motor. This motor is a standard 540 size motor that is run by a neodymium cylindrical magnet and ball bearings. It has superior torque and is also sensor based, so it has amazing drivability. The Novak Velociti 5.5T motor is best compatible with the Novak GTB Electronic speed control. My last and most favorite motor is the Castle Creations 540 7700kV motor. This standard 540 size motor accepts NiMH, NiCd and LiPo batteries giving you your choice on how you want to power your vehicle. It's top speed is equal to a 5-7 turn brushed motor, which is very quick. The Mamba Max electronic speed control is compatible with this motor and can be costom designed by plugging it into the computer via usb and by using the pc software included.

E-mail me with questions at: pspfreak12@gmail.com

How to Glue Tires

Tires are a key point to making your vehicle run and you want to make sure that the tires are set up in the most effective way possible. First you have to rub some rubbing alcohol on your rims and mounting channels. Then wipe off the rubbing alcohol and whatever it picked up with a paper towel until nothing shows up on the towel anymore. If you want an even tighter bond between the tire and the rim, you may want to lightly sand the rim before rubbing it with alcohol. Secondly, center the foam insert in the tire and don't do any trimming unless the entire insert does not fit in the tire. Put the tire with the insert on the rim and make sure that there aren't any lumps. Then, put a rubber band around the tire and rim so that they are held tightly together. Third, you need to start glueing. You have to pull the tire sidewall just far enough away from the rim so that the glue can get down to the bottom of the tire-mounting channel. Put four, evenly spread out, small drops of glue on each side of the tire. Make sure let one side dry before flipping over the tire and starting on the other side. Lastly, you need to give a gentle pull on the sidewall and put a drop of glue where the loose spots are if there are any. Seal the edge of the tire, or bead to the wheel by putting a full drop of superglue between the tire and rim. Tilt the tire a little and then slowly rotate it 360 degrees in your hand so that the glue spreads all in between the bead and the rim. Let this dry before starting the other side and remember to not run your newly glued tires. Have fun.

About Batteries

When deciding how to power your electric vehicle, you need to know all the information that you can about what batteries will fit your needs the most. The most popular type of battery to use for electric radio control is the Nickel-cadmium battery, or NiCd. These batteries are pretty lightweight, have a great charging efficiency and are harder to damage than most other batteries. They are also compatible with most, if not every speed control. Next, there is the Nickel-metal hydride battery, or NiMH. This type of battery is very closely related to NiCd batteries and also fits most speed controls like the NiCd as well. However, a NiMH battery can weigh 2-3 times more than a NiCd battery of the same size, and its memory effect is not as efficient. Lastly, there is the Lithium-ion polymer battery, or LiPo. This battery is a technologically evolved version of the Lithium-ion battery. Very few speed controls will accept this type of battery because of its high energy output. But this battery can be up to 30% lighter weight than a NiCd or NiMH battery and can also put out up to 30% more energy. On top of all of that, this battery's life can last so much longer than any other battery allowing you to run your vehicle at its best again and again for as long as you want.

Choosing Parts

When choosing parts to go inside your vehicle, you must make sure that everything is compatible. I recommend parts that don't require sottering because that is just a hassle. Also, you do not want to get a Brushed Motor because it overheats and could cause a flame-up depending on what battery you use and how long you run your vehicle for. If you want to race your car, buggy, etc. you probably do not want a speed control that goes backwards, however if you are just going to be having fun with it, you may want a reversable speed control. When you decide on a speed control that fits your needs, make sure you know what kind of batteries it will operate on and what the minimal turn limit for the motor is if there is one. Once you have that done, you need a motor that has a turn above the limit on the speed control. The higher the turn, the more power it takes to run the motor causing your vehicle to go slightly slower. On the other hand, the lower the turn, the less power it takes to run the motor, making your vehicle go faster. Not many speed controls accept li-po batteries, but if they do, you may want to think about purchasing a li-po battery. They are 30% less weight than a nimh or nicd battery and have a 30% longer run times. You may also want to look into a cooling fan or other unit to cool down your vehicle. This insures that there will be no overheating and allows you to run your vehicle for a longer period of time. The last interior component that you need for your amazing racer is a steering servo. This controls the steering and when picking one out, you may want to purchase one that is manufactured by the same people who make your transmitter or pick one that is compatible with your transmitter. To run your vehicle, you need a transmitter and a reciever. I recommend a 2.4GHz, 2-3 channel transmitter and a reciever that is made by the same manufacturer as your transmitter and is also compatible with your servo, speed control and battery voltage. Lastly, to make sure that you do not have any glitches between your reciever and your transmitter, you may want to purchase a transmitter capacitor which will prevent any problems from occuring or fix a problem that has already happened between your reciever and transmitter.

For all your R/C parts, go to: http://www.towerhobbies.com

The Team Associated B44 Kit

At a whopping price of $324.99, the B44 is not the cheapest thing around. It doesn't come with a motor, servo, speed control or even a battery, so why buy this over, lets say a Traxxas? Well, Team Associated gives you the quality merchandise to race or to just have fun wherever you are and under whatever conditions, and with how durable their supplies are, you won't be needing to replace anything serious for awhile besides maybe some tires. In the long run, this will save you loads of money! Also, since it does not come with any key components, it gives you the opportunity to put what you want in it rather than buying a ready to run buggy that has low quality parts anyways. So if the kit does not include a motor, servo, speed control, battery, or transmitter, what does it include? It comes with a composite front bulkhead and rear chassis plate to add more space between it and the ground and also improve its durability. Also, the buggy is built with blue titanium turnbuckles, blue aluminum shock bushings and blue aluminum servo mounts which improve durability as well and makes this buggy a wonder to drive. A shaft drive powers the buggy making it's speed unbelievable and it's acceleration quite quick. Each wheel has its own aluminum shock tower and gold shock shaft which make any bump or hill a breeze. Lastly, it has 4WD which gives this buggy an advantage in any climate, on or offroad, over any other buggy on the market.

For more info on this buggy go to: http://www.teamassociated.com/ae/b44/b44_home.htm