My R/C Addiction

[Joe]

Hehe crashing at full speed is bad, but hitting a curb dead on even going slow can cause a good deal of damage.

Never drive these cars in the street! Curbs = your enemy

[trit187]

haha.. id's think cars would be a bit worse... although i guess on most streets you could just outrun them.
have some experience with that joe(as mentioned in the first post) any pics of the damage?

[Joe]

No, the damage looked very minor, but what it did was bent a good deal of metal parts and shatter some plastic ones in ways that you didnt notice until you started to take it apart. It bent a 1/4" thick stainless steel turnbuckle, but the plastic parts attached to it were OK... so much for failure points.

Other damage was the hinge pin was bent nicely, the front hinge pin carrier was bent very nicely, an A Arm was cracked, the top A Arm hinge pin was bent, the shock tower was tweaked, the hub hinge pin was bent, and the CVD bone was tweaked. It shattered the bumper, and possibly bent the shock shaft.

All from a well placed 10Mph impact.

[thegame]

well all that from going 10mph into a wall. going into a wall would really be faster than 10mph since you are coming to a dead stop so its like your going faster lol. that sux man. you should have seen my tmaxx frame, i bent it from doing a jump off of a house*note to self dont ever do that again* i wish i still had the pix or any of the parts i messed up.

[kipperfillets]

This truly is the place for the addicted matey,I have 4 Tamiya cars they are, Toyota Celica GRB, Toyota Pickup, Manta Ray, And one i have yet to paint Porsche 959 also i need new front uprights for it (perished as i have had these cars for 12 years)

[Joe]

some pics of my onroad car getting closer to running time. New body, etc...

The paint job on the body is lacking but was fast and simple, and looks better in the sun, due to it being a 2 coat deep metalic black with a candy blue coat in there for effect on the hood area.

[Fyber]

Not bad, I see I'm not alone in the R/C world.

I personally own 2 R/C planes.

One's a Right Flyer 40T (it's a trainer, i know. Hey, i'm just learning...)
The other is a Tiger Sport 40L (had a little mishap though, moving stuff around in the garage, accidentally put an american flag right through it's wing.

I still haven't built the trainer, I should get to it eventually.

[trit187]

this has lay dormant for a while but one more quick question, how does the OFNA hyper 7 pcr compare to the OFNA violator and OFNA ulrta lx pro, recent e-bay auctions nib ultra lx were going for 250, but the hyper 7 pcr with some upgrades are going betweenn 400-450, the hyper 7 is looking pretty tempting to me...

[neonblingbling]

Woo, let's spice this up.

Update for tmaxx lovers: You're not the king of the hill anymore. Even traxxas has out done the tmaxx with the revo. Plus the tmaxx is SUPER fragile. I dont have one myself, but an emaxx. Sure, it's electric, but the nitro cant beat the torque. Anyways, it would break so often.... Plus is poorly designed to handle power (not really an issue.... it handled the original .15 TRX engine back in what.... 1999? Now take a look at all the new monsters on the block....

For trit187: Still looking for a R/C car? Are you REALLY gonna get into this? They can turn into a REAL money pit. Plus, I don't think the buggies will handle mud that well...... Unless you skim over it at 40 mph. :P

[Joe]

A lil update from my R/C stuff:

My HPI RS4-3SS has been racing almost every weekend this summer. Its not a top shelf machine in terms of suspension geometry, but its doing good at holding its own against some nicer cars with the same engines.

Upgrades that Ive put on it since, is the 3mm Carbon Fiber shock towers (the plastic ones were warping due to the strong springs I am using) , Aluminum rear hubs (because if I tapped a wall I would break the plastic, atleast these dont break like glass). I also changed the wheel base of the car to about 1CM longer front to back.

Its sporting a new spiffy Mazda6 body also.

Some pics fo my recent racing fun can be found here:
http://clegg.procooling.com/Den-Track/8-21/

in #31 (big image 900k) my car is the one with the orange glob design blending from red/purple/blue in the middle of the line up.

The blue EZ-Up is mine, adn the dude by it is Neil, my Arch enemy and pit mate hehe we are buds, run the same engine, and different cars... its a total grudge match.

Last week after a 40 lap race with him and 6 others, I won by .64 seconds. Man is it a rush!!

But I am buying a Kyosho FW-05R come spring to race next season. The HPI will go on the shelf in a Show car capacity.

[ISoar]

My addiction can be found at:
http://isoar.ca/~andrewm/rc/
Heck, my forum user name and DNS name prove it!

You might find my RC bookmarks interesting:
http://isoar.ca/~andrewm/bkmks/

This bird alone goes for $1375 USD + shipping, and then I have $700 USD of radio gear in it ... no wonder I'm afraid to fly it eh! Luckily I have others

[Joe]

Wow I thought gliders were supposed to be cheap!

[BillA]

I met a guy yesterday that has retractable gear
little mechanical marvels

[rs4lola]

say it isnt so joe!!!
selling the type ss for a ....kyosho fw05
much better car but...there is a certain satisfaction
upgrading the rs4-3ss to run with the big boys...
I too have almost completed my type ss renovation
with hardly anything left from the original kit...
Car runs great with an OS .18 cvrx. Next spring we will
be racing and they have a limit of .15 small block...so out
with the .18...a few questions:
1) what type of springs are you running???
2) what is your pinion/spur combos?
3) what type of clutch are you running?
4) have you tried a centax clutch???

[Joe]

Well I am not selling the SS. I am keeping it as it is a KILLER car. its as perfect as a RS43 SS can be for racing. I raced a good bit with it over the summer and I would still use it next year if it wasnt for the fact the rear end has too little configurations for it.

Springs I am running are the "med" HPI Proceed springs on the front (Orange) and the stiff ones on teh rear (Blue). yes these are the springs for the HPI 1/8th scale

I am running a tall gear set, I will need to look but I think 37/41 for the spurs and the gold 1st gear and purple 2nd for the pinion.

I am running the HPI racing clutch on the closest hole to the pad (latest engagement).

I dont think a Centax will fit on the RS43, but it would be nice to try.

The reason I am getting away from HPI is they ****ed me on 70$ worth of ball diff's... the ones they sell for the RS4 3 suck and when you need to rebuild them.... YOU NEED TO BUY A NEW DIFF! grr. But Its all good.

I got my Kyosho FW-05R built w/ hardened parts, clutch, pipe and header from a hgih end racer at the track for 140$ (hes got a 600$ investment in it but buys/sells cars almost monthly). It will be a solid platform for racing next summer.

Also I have a new R/C hobby I am into now. I have a RC12L3 1/12th scale pan car for racing onroad carpet. I am running 4Cell Stock brushed class. (this is my first time dealing with a brushed motor, or doing lots of soldering on a R/C... sort of a reality shock compared to nitro). These 1/12ths are land missles that are on rails. Very incredible lil machines. and CHEAP. I got into the hobby complete for under 300$. ( I buy everything used in R/C now... you get stuff that has all the weakspots already repaired, and generally is in solid shape for a fraction of the new price).

[Joe]

Also I was running the HPI .12R XS plant which is a higher reving and different power band than your engine. Also I set my car up for the specific track running on foams with a prepared surface, so your milage may vary.

[Joe]

RC12L3 Chassis - w/ team rear diff components. (used)

TRC wheels (Purple Front, Gray rear compounds)

Novak Atom ESC (Used)
Sanyo, and GP3300 batts (3 sets of matched 1.7+v GP3300 cells and 3 beat to hell Sanyo practice packs)
Futaba FM Reciever
AMB Transponder
Trinity Monster Stock Pro Motor

Charger - LRP Pulsar Competition
Radio - Futaba 3PK

[tlake]

It's practically my life's ambition to own a classic Tamiya 1/10 electric buggy. Either the Holiday Buggy, Sand Rover, or the absolute holy grail the Sand Scorcher. Anyone know about those models??

[rs4lola]

Great...keep the faith
I just put in a NovaRossi RR12L3 1.54hp@ 40,800rpm
killer motor so far but not fully tuned in.
I got the HotBodies centax clutch but I have not installed it yet
I have the NTC3 3-shoe flywheel/shoes and they wok great so far.
The wolkpack 2-speed works 100 time better than the HPI junker!!!
I too am using the proceed 1/8 springs with the black "medium" front
and red "soft" for rear. My car looks much like yours with woven graphite shock tires. I got the woven graphite front arms on both the front and rear to make
the wheelbase a full 260mm. All the HPI bodies now fit without magor surgery
aswell as easily using a rear exhaust engine.

My son will be parking lot racing with this car next spring and I think it can be competative. The car is setup more for acceleration as I am using 43/39 spurs
and 17/21 pinions.

Should I get some ball diffs?? I really do like the low maintenace so far
from the gear diffs and I think ball diffs would not give any advantage for
the short parking lot type racing that we will be running next year.

I am using the HPI sway bars but I think they are crap. I wish there was a way
to fit blade type sway bars so i could tune the suspension a little more.
Even with these crappy sway bars, the threaded shocks more than make up for
it as the car really corners like its on rails once its setup correctly.

and most of all...the car is solid like a rock!!!
Fantastic durability so far. Yes all of thoe "pro" cars are better but
hopping up this rs4-3 to make it faster has been grat so far. I think I am
going into my third g-note and thats without getting any great electronic
stuff yet...
Next week i get my digital camera and I will show you some pics.
I painted my car just like the black status you had as I think that was an
outstanding color combo!!!

[Joe]

Very nice! Yeh the RS4 is NOT bad for racing at all. But when you start to push it hard you need some rear end tuning abilities more than the 1 or 2 Deg toe in options wiht the VERY weak and VERY flexible rear uprights.

Yes the HPI sways are a joke I would take them off cause all they are is weight. Also with the springs being as strong as what you are using, none of those bars could do any weight shifting against those.

I have my Kyosho here and really the HPI looks more bad ass but the Kyosho is a wonder to look at, engineering took first importance on it it seems. Very cool car. Not perfect, but very cool. Cant wait to fling this thing around the track next summer.

[Joe]

Yes the ball diffs are nice, they give some great tuning and ability to control the car. The fastest I have ever had the HPI was with 2 ball diffs. But they both torched themselves in ONE race day. and you cant buy replacement diff gears or most of the parts. the HPI ball diff's are a waste of money IMHO. I got screwed out of 60$ on mine.

[rs4lola]

Looks like I will stay with the gear diffs then. Any other hopups to
speed up the car for parking lot type racing??? More concerned with
acceleration than top speed...

What shock fluid/piston sizes do you run and did you ever try
the one-way diff?? Only rear braking and would probably not be good
for tight parking lots.

I was thinking of adding a paralel camber link in the rear to help
stabalize the rear hubs a little more...

Originally Posted by Joe

Yes the ball diffs are nice, they give some great tuning and ability to control the car. The fastest I have ever had the HPI was with 2 ball diffs. But they both torched themselves in ONE race day. and you cant buy replacement diff gears or most of the parts. the HPI ball diff's are a waste of money IMHO. I got screwed out of 60$ on mine.

[Joe]

Originally Posted by rs4lola

Looks like I will stay with the gear diffs then. Any other hopups to
speed up the car for parking lot type racing??? More concerned with
acceleration than top speed...

What shock fluid/piston sizes do you run and did you ever try
the one-way diff?? Only rear braking and would probably not be good
for tight parking lots.

I was thinking of adding a paralel camber link in the rear to help
stabalize the rear hubs a little more...

Hmm additional camber links. Didnt think of that. There is a few weak spots on those rear hubs that will break easily if you tap a wall wtih the ass end.

And with the motor you have you are geared too low. Get a higher gearing in there. Acceleration isnt much of a concern with a plant like that with how small of the ratio change is. Also the final drive in the RS4's is quite low geared like 2.97:1 I think.

I was running the #3 pistons (teflon) with 60 weight fluid all around. the shocks on the car are beautiful, the aluminum body super shocks, vented hats, MIP Blue silicone o-rings, stiff bladders, Ti Nitride shafts, and the Proceed spings. very hot looking. and bullet proof. Never had one leak or get air in it.


One ways are good only if you have a consistent high grip track, and know how to drive the car fast without front brakes. Its a bit different feeling for the car. I dont know many people who run front one ways much at all since you loose brake'n quite a bit.

[rs4lola]

Yeah, I already have aluminum rear hubs and we have yet to bust anything on the suspension...but since I am using the carbon graphite
front arms as rear arms aswell, I think I need to stiffen the rear a little more. The rear hubs still seem to squirm around too much for my liking.

I was running teamcrc outlaw foams 30mm front/ 35mm rear.
Car was planted but rear tires started to chunk within an hour.
The fronts lasted much better (35 shore f+r).

I just ordered some 1/8 foam adaptors and want to see how
on road front 1:10/1:8 on-road foam tires would make the car handle. The club we race at is open on the size of the foams we run.
Hopefully they will still fit under Status body I am running (7416).
GQ products makes bot touring foams and 1:8/1:10 on-road foams
too...

I like low gearing for the short staits and early shifting into second as well as powering thru corners. The track we are running is too short for any taller gearing as increased top speed is useless.

A little harder to control but very fast car as long as suspension is hooked. I am using a Kyosho steel brake from the mp6 and braking
is fantastic with no fade. Had to glue them and I use the optional firm
Kyosho brake pads.

This car was originally setup to run OS .18 cvr. VERY fast engine and now that I have the .12 engine, I think handling should be even better
Spring cant come too soon now!!!

I also just ordered some ceramic nitride bearings. Hopefully the drivetrain will run a little smoother. What about using aluminum
mip cvd bones from the rs4 pro2?? They are the same length as the
rs4-3 mip dogbones. Maybe this would lighten the drivetrain a little...

Originally Posted by Joe

Hmm additional camber links. Didnt think of that. There is a few weak spots on those rear hubs that will break easily if you tap a wall wtih the ass end.

And with the motor you have you are geared too low. Get a higher gearing in there. Acceleration isnt much of a concern with a plant like that with how small of the ratio change is. Also the final drive in the RS4's is quite low geared like 2.97:1 I think.

I was running the #3 pistons (teflon) with 60 weight fluid all around. the shocks on the car are beautiful, the aluminum body super shocks, vented hats, MIP Blue silicone o-rings, stiff bladders, Ti Nitride shafts, and the Proceed spings. very hot looking. and bullet proof. Never had one leak or get air in it.


One ways are good only if you have a consistent high grip track, and know how to drive the car fast without front brakes. Its a bit different feeling for the car. I dont know many people who run front one ways much at all since you loose brake'n quite a bit.

[rs4lola]

Just talked to HPI regarding the ball diff parts. It looks like they sell all the parts required individually instead of as a rebuild kit