Noob questions
 

I have two questions for all you gurus out there. First, can an on/off switch be purchased and installed in a Team Associated 1/8 scale buggy? I bought one and the only way I can power it up is to plug the battery in. I would rather have a switch on it to turn it on and off.

Second, will putting a bigger pinion gear on the motor shaft increase the speed significantly? Mine has an 18 tooth gear on it and up to 22 teeth gears are offered. What would a 20 tooth gear do for it?

Thanks, guys

not enough information is provided... what is the ESC? Can you provide some close up pics? Was the wire spliced to bypass the switch? If so, then yes you can replace the switch.

What are your current temp readings?
If you don't have a temp gun then first I would invest in one and observe the following limits:

Battery < 120°F
ESC < 140°F
Motor < 160°F

After taking some readings, then that will tell you if you can gear up... the longer you run your car the higher the temps go up... if you gear too high, then expect to reduce your run times to prevent over heating, or install cooling fans on your motor/esc.

I did not realize that cars/trucks would be this complicated. I have been into planes since 1972 and am just getting into cars. The buggy I have has been upgraded to Castle Creations motor and ESC. The motor has a heat sink around it and both have cooling fans on them. You talk as if the car originally had an on/off switch on it but I don't find one. May be overlooking it? I have no idea how hot the components are running. Is there some way to measure the temp? One other question I have concerns changing tires to a more aggressive off road tread design. Are all car/truck tires driven by a hex drive inside the wheels? If so, it is a really good idea to standardize this but I have found in airplanes that this is not necessarily the case. Seems the different manufacturers like to do things their own way to ensure the customer coming to them only for replacement parts..

There is a certain amount of standardization. Eighth scale rigs use 17mm hexes, and tenth scale uses 12mm. But Traxxas puts a twist on their 17mm hexes where they "facet" the hex that essentially makes a star like shape that is intended to resist the rounding off a regular hex can get if the wheel nut gets a little loose.

What you have to watch out for in wheels is that you get ones with the appropriate offset to match your vehicle. In your case, that should be easy, just about everyone makes wheels for Associated buggies.

If you have a Castle system, it should have an on off switch. Or at least a place to solder one on if you know where. That info should be in the ESC specs on their website. Oh, but then, it's Castle. They're not real good about sharing information. And their ESC cases are usually sealed plastic things without many if any exposed circuit board connections. But if you can identify where the previous owner jumpered the on off port on the board, you could install a wired switch.

I agree with Bill. You need an infrared thermometer to measure your motor temps. You can get cheap ones at Harbor Freight for $25. Essential tool for determining your gearing.
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Thanks, guys. Have to pick up a prescription at Walmart today, Harbor Freight is in the same mall. Will pick up a thermometer today.