talontsiawd

Ok, so i'm new to nitro. And the whole thing in general. Basically i was wondering if you can use these cars when it is wet out. I have no intention of using it in the rain, but lately it's been raining just enough to keep the ground wet. The obvious thing for me is the electronics. But i don't plan to go drive through puddles or use it when it's actually raining. I'm sure it will get really dirty as well. My main concern would be to hydrolock the engine but again, just looking at everything, it doesn't seem like it would happen.

The you get into things like traction etc, but that doesn't concern me as much.


Anyway...
Is it ok to drive my car on damp pavement. Not soaked pavement, not puddles, not in the rain. Just pavement that isn't dry or atleast totally dry. I have an hpi evo 3 but that should make a difference unless something is notoriously bad for mositure. Anyway, let me know. Like i said, i'm new to this, i have no clue about these things. Tell me all of the bad, please, i don't want to mess this up. I do want to get a few more days before the rain really starts (cali so it's still never that bad).

swerv512

i was just thinking the same question you have (i'm in san francisco and the rain just started this week). as long as the electronics are safe (i.e. inside a balloon) everything should be ok...

snowbl!nd

Yeah, just make sure all the electronics are waterproof and do maintenance after every "wet" run to make sure parts dont rust or sieze up. You should be fine.

Driving in the frost is especially fun [>:]

talontsiawd

Cool, sounds good. Luckily it clear up today, i'm in the SF bay area as well so swerv, you know what it's like. Sometimes it just never dries out but doesn't really rain hard either.

A balloon, great idea. My idea was more involved and probably less effective.

Taffey

Bay area here as well. Hi fellas.

This is more geared towards monster trucks, but here's some good info on how to water- and snow-proof your ride: [link=http://www.misbehavin-rc.com/pit-lane/waterproofing/gn-waterproofing.asp]waterproofing your RC[/link]

rawkfist2

You can put these servos under water and use them as long as you let them dry out completly. Just drive and have fun, then spray nitro cleaner on it. Its like diluted alcohal but its sprayed on and drys really quick and actually kills water.

cardriverx

as long as your electronics are protected, and you have a air filter on, you will be fine. just dont drive in deep puddles haha.

talontsiawd

Well, i took my car entirely apart today and it got me thinking. What about the bearings in the spindles, etc? They look like miniature skateboard bearings and i know just a little bit of water can really affect them. I guess they are spinning much quicker though. I could always let it idle with the body on and let the water evaporate as much as possible. Then hit the throttle and get any water out. Has anyone had a problem with this though?

I plan to "weather proof" my electronics tomorrow. Even though i doubt it will see anything severe (i'm sure i hate the rain more than my car), it can't hurt anything and doesn't seem particulary challenging. My only concern...what color ballons?

Taffey

Definitely a valid concern. If you have rubber or teflon sealed bearings, you might be okay, but anything else will get contaminated with water. You can take care of that by flushing them with WD40, but that also washes all the rest of the lubricants out of the bearings as well.

Something that I used to do when running in wet conditions was to install an old set of bearings or bushings that I didn't care about.

talontsiawd

They are rubber sealed. But i've had the same on skatebard bearings and they didn't seem to make a difference. These bearings do seem a bit "tighter" from the seal to the inner race (don't know what to call it). I guess i'll just invest in bearings anyway. What are the average life of bearings in good weather but outdoors anyway?

Also, when i was looking at bearings, the hpi ones seem to be far more expensive. Is there any advantage in these? I assume no but i may as well ask.

rawkfist2

Dont upgrade anything. Just go out, drive through some puddles and make sure your having fun!

talontsiawd

I wasn't going to get new bearings for the winter, just if they get messed up, buy some new ones for when it dries out. Ironically, after i posted this thread it's been like 80 degrees every day. It rained in the morning today then was 75. Gotta love cali.

Cambo

My Feedback: (2)

I have driven my nitro tc3 plus, and flown my planes many times in LIGHT rain. Doesn't matter on planes as much as cars. Get that body on, don't idle in one spot for long, and don't go through puddles. I personally don't like it because just about everypiece of debree sticks to your car.
BTW,heavy rain will eventually get to your electronics.

talontsiawd

I already "waterproofed" the reciever and batteries. I also did any connections. Skipped the servos as i don't see a way to do them without either inhibiting the function or having a possible situation where water can get in but not out. No rain for me though, just wet pavement if the sun doesn't come out.

As for getting dirty, i don't mind. I take my car to the chassis about once a week lately. I hate that so an hour of my time isn't bad.