basic questions....
 

1. How long will a glow plug last? How do you know when to change it?


2. Where can I learn about gearing? do you change the gear on the engine or on the drive shaft? How often do you make adjustments?


3. What are some good books to read about skills, tuning, racing, etc?


Thanks!

RE: basic questions....
 

It's almost like a real car when to get a tune up. (Me personally) I normally change a typical O.S. A-3 glowplug after each gallon of fuel. There is no way to tell by looking at a glowplug of how good it is no matter how bright it looks either, unless the engine is running funny. There are glowplug testers you can get that can tell you how good they are but really isn't worth it. If you want a good quality glowplug, you should get an O.S. #8 Glowplug. Again I'd change it after every gallon of fuel used to be safe and get top performance. But this #8 will make a difference by lasting longer and running hotter for faster speeds. Remember though when breaking in an engine you may go through like 2 or 3 glowplugs before the engine is broken in. This doesn't always happen, but can. So start out with the cheap ones (OS A-3) if the engine is new.

For as gearing goes, depends on if you want faster take offs, or faster top end speeds. You can start by getting 2-speed transmission. Works just like a real transmission in a car. Or you can simply get bigger clutch bell and the smallest fly wheel possible. You can gain 600rpm easily just by switching to a smaller fly wheel. A bigger clutch bell may slow down your take off a little but will give it more top end speed. 2-speed transmission will be my number one suggestion because of it gives you both a fast take off and even faster top end.

And no I don't know of an good books to study this stuff on, but information just comes over the years and from expierneced hobbyists. And if you have any other quesitons. ASK! I'd be more than happy to help you out.

RE: basic questions....
 

well, glow plugs last awhile if u dont hurt them...much. make sure its on securly and not loose.

RE: basic questions....
 

im confused about "getting a smaller flywheel" they all look the about same size to me. they do make lightened ones though, and even then i doubt there would be a 600rpm increase. what chassis do you have? ive been trying to find a 2 speed for my nt.

RE: basic questions....
 

Yes this is true. I was guessing he may be running a stock engine. At least for O.S. Thunder Tiger, and HPI engines comes with an approximate 3 and a quarter inch round fly wheel made of steel. I was just telling him he can get a smaller fly wheel like a 2 inch round made of alluminum. And yes they make em that small. And I can guarentee he'll get a 600rpm difference. It happened for me like 750rpm, but I also got a dual tune pipe. Also about that 2-speed trany for that NT. Look up rc4less.com The best prices and has everything you'll ever need.

RE: basic questions....
 

dang steel? that would suck. ya then you could pry get another 600rpms. how are you measuring flywheels? diameter?

RE: basic questions....
 

Yeah diameters. Actually it's measured in ounces or something, but I don't know exactly what they are so I just described by the size. But yeah, you can actually feel the difference in the weights. Not sure why they do it anway.

RE: basic questions....
 

What in the world are you racing? I've never seen a 3" diameter steel flywheel in any 1/10th scale nitro truck.

RE: basic questions....
 

ive saw big flywheels like that befor, just not on a stadium truck.

RE: basic questions....
 

Actually Old Bill I was refering to a Nitro RS4 with a .15 stock engine. Was refering to my own personal experience. I don't know where you got the idea about me refering to a truck. Anyway I am an On-Road type of person.