BJ, I am also relatively new to nitro's, but not to R/C...I've always set everything to neutral, or else you're bound to burn something up. Also, so that others might be able to help you better, and everyone speak the same language, The steering arm and linkage controls your front wheels and has nothing to do with your throttle or brakes...Although it's run off a servo, it is called Throttle linkage (or anything else refering to throttle). This way here, if you're having a linkage or servo issue, people won't get confused by the question being asked, and you won't get wrong advice. Not trying to pick, or be over critical, but trying to help...nothing worse than asking a question and getting help, only to find that what you're told doesn't work because everyone is talking about a different part (I run into this a lot with my p/t business)...Good luck with everything...