Set Up Tips

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PAINTING TIPS FOR LEXAN SHELLS

Car preparation is the most important key to winning races. Always check over your car before a race meeting. Don't leave it until the last minute or expect someone else to sort it out for you. The following checks should be carried out before every race meeting.

1: Check all wires for damage or breakage's and if in doubt replace or resolder the connection if necessary. Pay special attention to the speed controller, battery and motor wires.

2: Check all nuts bolts and screws to make sure they are tight.

3: Check that the motor is tight on the motor plate and also check that the pinion is tight. Failure to check this regularly will result in stripped gears! Also check that the wheels are tight and use the correct washers on the back wheels when fitted.

4: When using a mechanical speed controller visibly check for burn marks or bad connections between the board and the wiper arm. If there is damage then clean the board with brasso or fine sandpaper the lightly bend down the wiper arm to improve electricity contact.

5: Check that the track rods or steering arms are not bent or broken.

6: Always check that your radio gear works properly and the servo's are trimmed up. When sticks are at neutral e.g. the speed controller is at neutral and the front wheels are straight/parallel to the back. This is very important as if the steering is not trimmed up the car will not run in a straight line.

Following these steps shouldn't take long. They will save you time at the race meeting and should make the car easier to work and above all more reliable. Which will give you more enjoyment out of the racing and more time to chat to fellow racers.

A badly set up car is the hardest thing to drive well. A well prepared car is easier to drive and quicker. The following hints may help you to set up the car for your own style of driving.

1: Toe in and toe out of the front wheels. Toe in is where the front wheels turn inwards to each other. Putting a slight bit of toe in will make the car run better in a straight line and makes it more stable, but beware to much toe in will effect the cornering ability.

2: Rear springs: The rear springs fitted to the cars are right for everyday racing, but if you require the springs stiffening/ hardening then place 8mm washers between the top grp mount and the spring itself. If your car shakes when cornering and when accelerating then the spring is to stiff. If the spring is to soft the car will bottom out and lose rear end grip. To set/check the spring put the car on a flat surface with the batteries in the bottom motor plate should take the weight of the car approx 3mm between the bottom motor plate and the chassis plate.

3: The bolt that holds the front motor pod to the chassis has an o ring between it this is a useful adjustment as it works like an anti-roll bar. If you undo the nut a turn or so it will give front end sharper steering. If you tighten it down it makes the front end more stable ( less grip). This is a useful set up because it means you don't necessarily have to change the front tyres to alter front grip.

4: The gearing supplied with the car is the most suitable for most tracks. If you race on a long oval then try a 13 or 14 tooth pinion. This will improve the top speed of the car but will load the motor more shortening the motors life

5: A brake resistor can be fitted to give a motor resistance brake when the speed controller is at neutral, depending on your driving style is whether you need one

Depending on the surface always try to race with the hardest tyres without compromising rear end grip as wear rate of the tyres will be low and there is less chance of tyres ripping/chunking. Note after sticking tyres to wheels if possible true the tyre with sand paper and round the edges off, as this will also stop tyre ripping/chunking and improve stability. The following information on tyres should be used as a guide line. I will try to explain what the car will handle like if the following are fitted.

1: 2 hard tyres on the front and soft tyres on the back. This set up makes the car easy to drive as normally this set up makes the car understeer.

2: Soft tyres on the front inside and hard tyre on the outside and soft tyres on the rear. This is the best alround set up, as the soft inside front tyre improve turn in whilst still maintaining a stable car on bends.

3: Soft tyres front and rear. This set up gives good grip on the front and rear, but at the cost of tyre wear on the front, maybe a good set up for beginners.

4: Hard tyre on inside front, soft tyre on outside front and rear. Not recommended as it causes a lot of turn in grip and makes the car very unstable causing spin outs. Alarming tyre wear on front inside.

5: Soft tyres on both front and hard tyres on both rear. Not recommended as this normally causes spin outs and a very unstable car to drive.

6: Soft tyres on the inside front and hard on the outside front and the same on the rear. This set up makes the car turn fast and sharp but the downside is the car wants to run to the inside of the track down the straights. If your an experienced driver try this. This set up depends on the surface raced on.

7: Hard tyre on the inside front and a soft tyre on the outside front and the same on the rear. If you try this the car normally ends up on its roof as the car is very unstable when you turn in.

Once you have a bit of experience in driving you could try staggering tyre diameter. The following are some guide lines.

1: Small inside tyre, larger outside, same size rears. This set up improves cornering, speed and sharpness of the car, but without any loss of stability. It's used more on medium sized tracks where you need to have a good cornering speed and a stable car set up.

2: Small inside front, large outside front, and the same on the rear. This set up mirrors what happens when you put soft tyres on the inside of the car and harder tyres on the outside, it makes the car handle well in the bends, but the car will not run very well in a straight line. This set up is normally used on small ovals where sharp quick cornering is needed. Without using softer tyres, experienced drivers will use this set up.

3: Large inside tyre, small outside tyre, same on rear. Not very often used as it causes the car to roll in most cases in the bends, but it can improve turn in on a large track, using two hard compound tyres on the front.

4: Both front tyres same size, rear tyre small on inside and large on outside. This is not ideally used as it makes the car unstable on the straights, when you accelerate the car tries to spin in the middle of the track. It will however make the car turn quickly if used on a small track.

5: Same size front tyres, larger on inside rear , small tyre on outside rear. Again you should never use this because you will find the car wants to turn over every time you come to a bend. It also makes the car very unstable on the straights as well.

Only start using staggering tyre diameter when you have got used to racing and just try one thing at a time. This way you will know if the change you made is working or not. In time you will start using a combination of tyre compounds together with tyre staggering.

But remember only change one thing at a time so you know if the changes have made your car better. If you change too many things at once you wont know what's making the car better/ worse. Try and practice as much as possible and with some preparation it wont be long before you are enjoying yourself and getting better at model car racing. And remember the most important part of your car YOUR BUMPER.

PAINTING TIPS FOR LEXAN SHELLS

You just bought your first R/C car and you're shocked when you open the box to find

a clear plastic shell instead of the trick metallic silver body you were expecting. Well,

never fear. You're just seeing an R/C car body in its raw, unpainted state. With the proper

tools and some patience, you can create a motorized masterpiece.

R/C car bodies are usually made from clear Lexan. You paint them on the inside to keep

them from getting banged up on the track. To paint an R/C car, you'll need special R/C

paint that flexes under pressure. Paint from a manufacturer such as Pactra is specifically

designed to work with R/C cars. Don't paint your Lexan R/C car body with model paint-it

will crack and fall off under the rigors of movement.

Before you begin, you'll need all the basic supplies. Have on hand a double-sided coarse/smooth

dishwashing sponge, some soap and water, a hobby knife, some two- or three-inch masking tape

(if your car doesn't come with precut masking stickers), a drop cloth or newspapers to catch any

mess, a paint mask and plenty of ventilation. You want the temperature of your work area to be

at least 70 degrees. Paint won't stick when it's cold, so you should either wait for a warm day or

try painting in a climate-controlled environment-though that may compromise your ventilation. If

you can't get enough ventilation, wait until it's warm outside to paint. Once you've got all your

supplies laid out, it's time to get to work!

Prepping the Car

First, use soap and a sponge to wash the inside of the body. Then use the rough side of your

two-sided sponge to rough up the inside of the body a bit. This makes the surface more porous

and less shiny, allowing the paint to stick better.

Dry the body with a clean, dry lint-free cloth. Put the body

back on the car and use a permanent black marker to mark

the outside of your car where the body posts, accessories,

engine parts and antenna will poke through.

Most cars come with indentations where these parts come

through the body, but some cars do not. Marking these ahead of time will save you plenty of heartache later.

Make sure the car is dry, then start your masking process. Here, you want to mask off everything you

don't want painted. Usually, this simply includes windows, though more advanced painters often mask

off door seams and window trims for multiple color applications.

To mask off your car, you will need either the masking stickers that came with your car or a high-quality

masking tape. If your car doesn't come with precut masking stickers, you'll have to make your own

mask by placing tape over the windows, holding the car up to the light, then tracing the outline of the

windows over the tape. Then take the tape off, cut out the outline with a hobby knife, and use that mask

to cover the inside of the OPPOSITE window of the car. Repeat for the other windows.

The windshield and rear windshield are symmetrical, so you don't have to worry about switching the masks

you made for those.

Make sure your masks-whether homemade or those included with the car-are securely attached at the

edges. You don't want to have any paint seeping in under the masks.

Most manufacturers make their bodies with a protective covering on the outside to prevent over spray that will

ruin your car's shiny finish. If your car comes with that protective body covering, great. If not, you're going to need to either mask off the outside of the car by covering it with a plastic bag and taping the bag to the

bottom edges of the car, or remove any over spray with rubbing alcohol when you're finished painting.

In a well-ventilated area, preferably outside, set up your painting equipment. You should wear a paint mask

and remember to shake your paint can for a few minutes to make sure the paint is mixed thoroughly.

Begin painting by holding the can about 10 to 12 inches away from the body and using steady but very light

passes over the car. You want to end up with a super light coat of paint-your first coat should be almost

Wait until that coat of paint is completely dry, then begin your next coat, using the same technique. The key

here is to put on many light coats instead of one thick coat that might drip or flex off in big chunks once it's

dry. Remember, you're painting something that moves-and sometimes crashes. Though R/C paint is usually

quite flexible, you still need to make sure that you're not putting on one thick coat of paint that will peel if your

car hits something.

Each coat of paint takes about 20 minutes to dry, depending on the humidity and heat where you live. You

should end up with about three or four good coats of paint when you're finished.

When the last coat of paint is completely dry, you'll need to finish off the inside of the body with a backing coat of paint.

Backing primarily needs to be done when you paint your car a bright, light color. Backing helps bring out the

brightness of your paint, plus it helps to seal your paint job.

Your backing color should be either white or silver, and you'll need to apply about two coats of this backing color,

letting the first dry completely before applying the second.

Finishing Touches

After your backing coat dries completely, take a hobby knife and loosen one edge of your masking, then slowly

peel it off. If any paint sticks as you're peeling off the masking, just stop where you are and push back any paint

that came up. When paint comes up with the masking, it's a sure sign you haven't let your paint dry long enough.

Once you peel off the masking, check for over spray on the outside of the body. If you find any, just use a solvent such as fingernail polish remover to take off any excess paint.