important info for newbies...
10-24-2004, 10:00 AM
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important info for newbies...
Many people come to these forums and see all of our cars and are interested in drifting and often times their threads slip through the cracks unanswered and they leave and probably never return. first things first you need a car.
THE CAR
All AWD r/c cars will drift with abs/pvc tires... but the handling in a drift does vary with different cars. I have a Tamiya TT01 http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXFDN6&P=0 and the Yokomo drift car http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXGMV6&P=0... both are fairly powerful/fast cars and both run abs tires. but I'd choose to drift the yokomo over the tamiya any day just because it controls so much better in a drift... now on the same note compairing the yokomo chassis and the tamiya chassis is like compairing yugo's and skylines(also indicated by price). I would say with my experience in r/c that any medium level r/c car will be a better investment than a low level (TT01 for example) car. that means try to get a car that COMES WITH AT THE MINIMUM, ball bearings, oil shocks, adjustable turnbuckles/tierods and ball differentials. these things ALL go a long way toward helping you get your car drifting easier, smoother and more consistently. and they will also add up in cost quite quickly if purchased separately from the kit afterwards so keep this in mind.
ball bearings: reduce rolling resistance by reducing friction at all rotating points, axles, gear shafts etc. they also greatly reduce the wear on these parts.
oil shocks: these are filled with oil to reduce the amount of bounce in the chassis when the car goes over uneven surfaces, increasing control and smoothness.
adjustable turnbuckles/tierods: these allow you to adjust the cars toe in, (makes the car track straighter) and camber (allows you to adjust how much of the tire contacts the roads surface, making the car slide more or less with simple adjustments).
ball differentials: these allow you to adjust the amount of traction each wheel has (like an LSD in a real drift car).
SELECTING A RADIO
Now you need a radio. you do NOT need a $400 top of the line, magnesium cased, radio with a 14" LCD screen on it to drift as well as the pro's. a basic radio is all thats actually needed for an electric car. some of the added features are nice but not really needed. what you WILL want to have are:
servo reversing switches: if you assemble your car and it turns right when you turn left you can fix it with the flick of a switch.
steering dual rate: allows you to limit the maximum amount your car steers in either direction. (helpful of you turn to the right and the wheels stop turning at half of the steering wheels range of motion. with this feature you can turn down the amount it turns so the steering doesn't bind)
The rest is up to you as far as features...these are both great low cost radio's that have these features http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXCFW0**&P=0 and http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXENN3**&P=0.
CHOOSING A MOTOR
Choosing a motor for your drift car is fairly simple. but keep these few things in mind.
number of winds: how many winds of wire are on the armature inside the motor. the lower the number of winds the higher the rpm...the higher the number of winds the higher the torque. lower winds will also drain the battery faster reducing your run time. generally for drifting a 15-20 turn is all you need.
Bearings: helps to make your motor last longer by reducing the wear on the armature shaft.
replaceable brushes: you can make your motor like new again with a set of brushes and springs (a lot cheaper than a new motor)
BATTERY POWER
There are quite a few options in battery power these days. everything from lithium ion to nickel metal hydride. many pros and cons with each. nicads are the most durable but you must make sure and discharge them completely every few runs or they will build a memory and not fully charge making your runs shorter and shorter. nickel metal hydride's don't build a memory but are not supposed to be charged over and over in a short period of time. the need to be allowed to cool completely after each run before they are recharged or they won't last long. the higher the MAH the longer your run. up to 2400 MAH are usually nicads and over 2400 are usually NMH. I stick with 2400 nicads because of their durability but the government is phasing out the use of nicads to they won't be around for ever (no idea how much longer).so eventually we will all be using NMH's.
Well this information should get you started in the right direction as far as equipment. have fun and keep it slideways! ...Kingcobra
THE CAR
All AWD r/c cars will drift with abs/pvc tires... but the handling in a drift does vary with different cars. I have a Tamiya TT01 http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXFDN6&P=0 and the Yokomo drift car http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXGMV6&P=0... both are fairly powerful/fast cars and both run abs tires. but I'd choose to drift the yokomo over the tamiya any day just because it controls so much better in a drift... now on the same note compairing the yokomo chassis and the tamiya chassis is like compairing yugo's and skylines(also indicated by price). I would say with my experience in r/c that any medium level r/c car will be a better investment than a low level (TT01 for example) car. that means try to get a car that COMES WITH AT THE MINIMUM, ball bearings, oil shocks, adjustable turnbuckles/tierods and ball differentials. these things ALL go a long way toward helping you get your car drifting easier, smoother and more consistently. and they will also add up in cost quite quickly if purchased separately from the kit afterwards so keep this in mind.
ball bearings: reduce rolling resistance by reducing friction at all rotating points, axles, gear shafts etc. they also greatly reduce the wear on these parts.
oil shocks: these are filled with oil to reduce the amount of bounce in the chassis when the car goes over uneven surfaces, increasing control and smoothness.
adjustable turnbuckles/tierods: these allow you to adjust the cars toe in, (makes the car track straighter) and camber (allows you to adjust how much of the tire contacts the roads surface, making the car slide more or less with simple adjustments).
ball differentials: these allow you to adjust the amount of traction each wheel has (like an LSD in a real drift car).
SELECTING A RADIO
Now you need a radio. you do NOT need a $400 top of the line, magnesium cased, radio with a 14" LCD screen on it to drift as well as the pro's. a basic radio is all thats actually needed for an electric car. some of the added features are nice but not really needed. what you WILL want to have are:
servo reversing switches: if you assemble your car and it turns right when you turn left you can fix it with the flick of a switch.
steering dual rate: allows you to limit the maximum amount your car steers in either direction. (helpful of you turn to the right and the wheels stop turning at half of the steering wheels range of motion. with this feature you can turn down the amount it turns so the steering doesn't bind)
The rest is up to you as far as features...these are both great low cost radio's that have these features http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXCFW0**&P=0 and http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXENN3**&P=0.
CHOOSING A MOTOR
Choosing a motor for your drift car is fairly simple. but keep these few things in mind.
number of winds: how many winds of wire are on the armature inside the motor. the lower the number of winds the higher the rpm...the higher the number of winds the higher the torque. lower winds will also drain the battery faster reducing your run time. generally for drifting a 15-20 turn is all you need.
Bearings: helps to make your motor last longer by reducing the wear on the armature shaft.
replaceable brushes: you can make your motor like new again with a set of brushes and springs (a lot cheaper than a new motor)
BATTERY POWER
There are quite a few options in battery power these days. everything from lithium ion to nickel metal hydride. many pros and cons with each. nicads are the most durable but you must make sure and discharge them completely every few runs or they will build a memory and not fully charge making your runs shorter and shorter. nickel metal hydride's don't build a memory but are not supposed to be charged over and over in a short period of time. the need to be allowed to cool completely after each run before they are recharged or they won't last long. the higher the MAH the longer your run. up to 2400 MAH are usually nicads and over 2400 are usually NMH. I stick with 2400 nicads because of their durability but the government is phasing out the use of nicads to they won't be around for ever (no idea how much longer).so eventually we will all be using NMH's.
Well this information should get you started in the right direction as far as equipment. have fun and keep it slideways! ...Kingcobra
12-30-2004, 01:16 PM
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RE: important info for newbies...
Very nice. Thanks for the info. Much more helpfull than the others on here.
Anyone want to post how to make (measure, cut, mount) PVC/ABS drift "tires"??
Anyone want to post how to make (measure, cut, mount) PVC/ABS drift "tires"??
01-29-2005, 05:56 PM
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RE: important info for newbies...
OK...this was the easiest ever (about an hour & less than $15):
Go purchase a section of 2" diameter PVC or ABS pipe from your local home improvement store. (I got the ABS since it's black like tires) Since I didn't want to use the wheels that came with my TT-01 (WRC) car, I went to the local hobby shop and purchased "standard touring car" wheels that were 2" in diameter. I also have a mitre box that would help in cutting the pipe sections evenly in 2" wide sections.
- Measure the pipe in sections so that they are just slightly wider than your wheels.
- Use a mitre box to cut the pipe evenly...or rough-cut to the correct width without a mitre box.
- Using a sanding block, sand the edges smooth.
- Sand the outside of the wheels that you will be using so that the new "tire" will stick.
- Press fit the new "tires" onto the wheels and sand the new tires to fit.
- Once you are satisfied with the look of the new tires on your wheels, press them on and use CA and run a small bead of glue around the back-side of the wheel/tire (so you don't see th glue)
- Wait for the glue to dry for a while.
-Mount your new "drift wheels" and go enjoy!!
I got a 10 foot section of ABS for less than $5. (Could make about 144 "drift tires" from it!)
The "standard touring car" wheels were about $9.
Go purchase a section of 2" diameter PVC or ABS pipe from your local home improvement store. (I got the ABS since it's black like tires) Since I didn't want to use the wheels that came with my TT-01 (WRC) car, I went to the local hobby shop and purchased "standard touring car" wheels that were 2" in diameter. I also have a mitre box that would help in cutting the pipe sections evenly in 2" wide sections.
- Measure the pipe in sections so that they are just slightly wider than your wheels.
- Use a mitre box to cut the pipe evenly...or rough-cut to the correct width without a mitre box.
- Using a sanding block, sand the edges smooth.
- Sand the outside of the wheels that you will be using so that the new "tire" will stick.
- Press fit the new "tires" onto the wheels and sand the new tires to fit.
- Once you are satisfied with the look of the new tires on your wheels, press them on and use CA and run a small bead of glue around the back-side of the wheel/tire (so you don't see th glue)
- Wait for the glue to dry for a while.
-Mount your new "drift wheels" and go enjoy!!
I got a 10 foot section of ABS for less than $5. (Could make about 144 "drift tires" from it!)
The "standard touring car" wheels were about $9.
02-18-2005, 12:09 AM
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RE: important info for newbies...
as i've said on another post, a great way to mount your tires on the rims is to use a drum sander on a drill press, or a spindle sander and sand the inside of the pipe to fit really tightly on the rims. you shouldnt be able to push the rims in the tires when youre done sanding. next, put the rims in the freezer for about an hour, then put the tires in a toaster oven or normal oven for a few minutes at 150 celcius. if you start to smell hot plastic, theyre done. take them out, and put the frozen rims in. they'll fit in perfect. let the whole thing cool and you wont be able to get the tire off again without puttin a small slit cross-tread ways. this way, no glue, no mess. it works great.
