Any tips on buying a RC car?

[Zakerid 10+ year member]

2) I think thats the whole point of "tuning" any motor, your not "tuning" to decrease performance? The problem with tuning is people tend to tune too lean resulting in better performance but then the motor runs far too hot.

With a heat gun you can monitor the temperature of the engine while tuning to get the best performance possible out of it. Otherwise you have no idea what temperature your running the motor at and can severely damage it if you overheat it.

These tiny little motors are sooo touchy. A small change in temperature, or even elevation can drastically affect the tune....

Regardless of how my post can be interpreted, I have seen so many nitro newbs trying to tune their engine based off of a temperature. This can and will be frustrating, b/c these people are searching for this ultimate temp that everything is perfect, that temp doesn't exsist Tune the engine for performance and ensure that you are not overheating or running too lean (I missed this in my orig. post).

Once you learn how to tune... I don't think that the engines are touchy. If the engine is touchy, it probably is still breaking-in.

Once again to the OP. READ the directions cover to cover a couple times and watch the DVD a couple times. Get someone who know what they are doing to help you out if you can.

 

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

no one said to tune by temp just make sure it is within operating temp, but feel free to run an engine too cold..when it dies after 1.5 gallons and has no compresion and wont hold a tune that is why..spit tests are not good either.

 

[dbman150 5,000+ posts]

There is kid on this forum selling anitro RC car for $50 it just needs a new clutch spring or something, I would search for this and check it out.

hey i am no kid lol ill be 31 monday but its sold

 

[Ken448 10+ year member]

swap out the plastic spur gear with a metal one after the plastic one breaks, replace the stearing servos with 1 good servo and get the metal servo arm to do this. if you start to run into universal shaft issues (will start to happen as the boots wear) you can go with the MIP ones to bring it more on par with the other vehicles. i would have bought more glow plugs as a general rule the "break in plug" will get fowled from a rich engine which is nt to good to keep around after a couple days running after break in is complete

DONT use metal spur gears!!!!!!!! You need a weak link in the ******, and the easiest place for that is the plastic spur gear. Spur gears strip because there is a problem somewhere in the drivetrain. Often, it is because of improper gear mesh, sometimes it is because of a bent chassis. Buy another plastic one and find the issue if there is one!

As for break in... Take your time! Dont rush it, and your engine will give you hours of fun and enjoyment. Ask your hobby shop to help you if you need it. They likely have a nitro nut that will spend some time with you especially since you bought it from them.

Congratz on the Revo!!

Tuning is an art, it takes time to learn. Pay attention to the sound of your motor, and how it is driving and accelerating. Temp guns are GREAT tools for VERIFYING proper temps not tune. Look on eBay for a Raytek gun. A lot of those cheap little temp probes arent that accurate, and can give you a false sense of security. IF you are breaking it in and it is cold out, wrap the head with something to keep the temps up. Running an engine cold is WORSE than running it too hot.

 

[Brian Owens 10+ year member]

DONT use metal spur gears!!!!!!!!

x2.

If you mesh them correctly, they will only strip if something is wrong. A $3 spur gear that is EASY to replace is much better than killing the transmission. . .

Brian

 

[Zakerid 10+ year member]

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96451

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93984

I was trying to help him avoid the trap of temp tuning.... that's it. I use a temp gun but only to make sure the engine is with operating temps (like you suggested). Although I can tell if an engine is running properly, I check the temps on extreme hot or cold days. My problem is that many newbs look for a perfect running temp that doesn't exist.

Tune for performance

make sure you aren't killing the engine (too hot or too cold)

have fun

spit test is good if you know how to do it....

 

[Zakerid 10+ year member]

x2.
If you mesh them correctly, they will only strip if something is wrong. A $3 spur gear that is EASY to replace is much better than killing the transmission. . .

Brian

x3

 

[klaze]

a backyard basher tuning a nitro engine on a Monster Truck. .Lawlz..

He shouldn't even be worried about the break in.

You guys are so silly.

 

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

there is a clutch and a slipper clutch..if you hit something that hard to move the engine far enough to break the ****** case i would venture to say that you would toast something else from the plastic gear shattering. if your mesh is bad with metal gears you hear it and stop it with the plastic you squeeze the trigger and it doesnt move or you hear a chewing sound. most of the guys who jump their revos that i know have switched. they jump buildings and do forward and back flips over big jumps ....you would have to break an engine mount or bend a chassis so bad that it would have to physically break the outer gear box from the inside out. likely hood wouldnt be that great. if you have a serious bind on the inner gear case gears and you drive it you would probably destroy the plastic gears inside of the ****** anyway....which is why i suggested a truggy as they dont have plastic multi speed gear boxxes to even have to deal with...

 

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

2 out of the 3 main guys have full on robinson racing clutch bell and spurs, metal 1st and second gears the other runs stuck clutch, a delrin spur and the robinson geared trany. yes they are all bling bling with aluminum. just talked to one of the guys on the phone and they no longer have gear issues..they all beat the crap out of their trucks, like making jumps where the trucks get 10+ feet up off the ground and land front flips and back flips and they do this all day long when they run.

 

[Skip01 5,000+ posts]

Welp...ill be off to home depot to buy a temp gun than to parkin lot to break it in

But....i will watch the DVD first and foremost.....i dont need something that has the lil bit of extra ounce of performance squeezed out of it....just running good and hitting some dirt

Thanks for the replies and info...much appreciated....ill ley yall know how it goes

 

[klaze]

I always use an onboard temp gauge.

they are cheap now.