Rc cars are remote controlled cars and when it is designed in a way that it can drift to perfection it is known as Rc car drifting. Drifting in other words is navigating your Rc car through curves and bends without letting it fall, instead of falling at the curve it is suppose to drift and carry on. Rc car drifting can become a reality only when its wheels are designed to perfection.

Apart from the powerful engine your Rc car would require the best and most sturdy wheels. It is the wheel of your Rc car that takes the brunt the most, it is prone to wear and tear. That is the reason why you should either select your tires very carefully or else you can make the tyres yourself, to your satisfaction and perfection.

There are many companies offering specially made and designed tyres for Rc drifting. All you need to do is do a little bit of research and ask those passionate Rc car drifters and you will very easily zero in on the tyre you need to buy for your Rc drifting car. You can also get your Rc car tyres from many other companies like sushi, tamiya, yokomo etc. These tyres are specially designed to stand the wear and tear that is part and parcel of Rc car drifting. They use latest technology available in the market and hence these tires will give you the desired result for your Rc car drifting.

Rubber Tyre are good enough for Rc drifting cars but a problem with them is they wear off very fast. You can protect your Tyre from wearing fast by applying insulation tape on the grooves of the Tyre. This protects the Tyre for a longer duration. You can also make your own Rc car wheels by getting yourself PVC or ABS pipes. You then cut it in a manner that it slides on to your rim. You can apply glue on one side of the wheel and this will give your Rc tyre the much-needed grip that is necessary for your Rc Cars, it give you the desired results as far as Rc car drifting is concerned.

Another type of tyre that is fast catching up on Rc car drifting circles is hard and sturdier tyres made of polyethylene. It provides more stability and allows a much firmer grip that allows you to be more competitive on Rc car drifting competition. Wear and tear is less in these types of tyres. If you make it by using cold technology, it will work even better for your Rc car.

What are you waiting for then, go ahead and start making your own Rc car tyre, to your perfection, specification and need. If you are passionate about Rc car drifting then this is the perfect recipe for you, as far as Rc car tyre making is concerned.

Rookie racers of gas powered RC cars used to find it difficult to tune the engine. They won’t have any trouble in starting the engine yet at the end of the run, it was overheated. Once gained experience, they can tune the engine in less than 5 minutes. Adjusting the optimal settings of the car will also be easier.

The Idle Screw

It is always advisable to start with the idle screw. Adjustments must be made so that the car will idle high when we initially dial the engine. Once the temperature of the engine is set, we can adjust the idle slowly to a point where it stalls. After this, we must turn it to one-forth or one-half based on the temperature. When our car stalls often, it is better to increase the idle. While we rectify several other tuning issues, it increasing the idle is only a temperature fix. It will also help us to keep the frustration levels down.

Low-Speed Needle.

If our carburetor has two needles, confusion may occur as to which needle it should be adjusted first. If it has only one needle then it is not a problem as we have to make adjustments only on that. When such type of confusion occurs, low speed needle should be adjusted first because once it is set, high-speed needle can be easily changed. We must always make sure that we keep the low speed needle on the rich side. This helps to keep the combustion chamber cool. Once adjustments have been made in low-speed needle, we should not adjust it again. When the engine stalls, we can tell whether it should be richer or leaner in a matter of just 30 to 60 seconds. The RC car should not get stuck or flame out when we apply a full throttle. It should pull off quickly from a standing start.

Nitro drift car

High-Speed Needle.

Once the adjustments in low-speed needle are done, we should get the power out of RC engine. This is possible with high-speed needle as it adjusts the air to fuel mixture of the engine. This is done at a RPM of about 40% or more. To get the first clue about the tune, it is important to monitor the trail of the smoke. Irrespective of the RPM, we need to have lot of smoke coming out of the engine. If we get a very low amount of smoke, then it means we are running too lean.

Hints, Tips and Tricks

• To lean out, turn the needle clockwise and to richen the mixture, turn it in anti-clockwise direction.
• High smoke emitting from the engine implies our tune is rich.
• After a run, reading the glow plug will tell us about our tune.
• Turning the engine on the rich side will extend its life.
• Temperature, pressure of the air and humidity influences the tune. So different settings are required on different days.

Remote control cars, although being so small, can achieve really great speeds. This is really an amazing engineering achievement. You must have wondered what actually get these little things to go zipping around so swiftly. These machines may look minuscule but in what ever they do – accelerate, brake or drift – there is a whole world of engineering and mechanics that is operating and state of the art control systems are at work which can be really complex at times. This article is targeted to make you learn how to get your RC car play some ticks and move really fast.

Though most of the remote controlled cars are built almost the same way, it’s not always that all the cars run at the same speeds. Obviously, in car races, some cars pick up more speed than the others. So what exactly makes these cars to be better than others? The secret is a simple upgrade that is known as shims. The shim is fitted in the substantial gap present in the car between the axle pin and the back hub.

Let’s try to understand what actually a shim is. Shim is generally a piece of metal that is generally thin in construction. Sometimes, the shim can be made of wood also. The purpose of placing the shim in a RC car is to prevent the car from dis-balancing and toppling especially when it runs over uneven roads or tracks such as stones, slopes etc. It helps in reducing the car’s sloppiness and increases its balance.

So what do you need to do for fitting a shim in your remote controlled car to get it really zipping around? Firstly, the car needs to be disassembled completely which means that all the parts have to be separated. Therefore, the car will be constructed from the starting with the rear hub to be fitted along with the shim at first, which will then be fitted with the bearing. A very important thing to take care of is that the dimensions of the shim and the ball bearing should match; otherwise the assembly will not work properly. This assembly will reduce the gap present between the axle pin and the ball bearing making your remote controlled car go amazingly fast.

The only problem that may be faced by fitting a shim as directed above is that if the dimension of the shim does not match with the bearing, it will result in binding of the tires of the car. To avoid this problem, just make sure that the shim is cut into the proper size according to the bearing. Use this simple way to ramp up your car speed.

One of the amazing pieces of engineering is the glow plug. It is a motion machine that is perpetual. Only fuel is essential for the radio controlled cars to run. With only fuel in its tank, it can even run without spark plugs or electrical ignition.

Understanding the principle behind working of glow plug is very important. Choosing the correct plug is not a tough task.  Actually, these glow plugs are not perpetual motion machines. It requires some 1.5v battery to initiate the glow. Once initiated, it will continue to glow till the engine runs.

Turbo or standard

The plug that works only in the turbo engine is called turbo plug. They do not have the scale fans to blow air into the engine. To create a firm fitting to the engine head, the plug is narrowed at the end. As a result, there is a slight increase in the power.  Turbo plugs are not suitable to be used in standard engines. Only standard plugs are suited.

Temperature rating of the glow plug

It is important to choose the glow plug with the right temperature to suit our engine. If the engine is short of heat, hotter plugs will function better. If the engine radiates a lot of heat, cooler plug is essential. To start the engine, hotter plugs are more convenient. During the run, colder plugs will give a better performance compared to hotter ones.

Performance of glow plugs will be influenced from anything between air temperatures to the height of sea level.  So there is nothing like a wrong or right setup.

Quality over quantity

Whenever we buy a glow plug that is remote controlled, it is always advisable to get glow plugs that are expensive.  This is because it will have a stable tune and heat. It also works longer than cheaper plugs. So rather than getting cheaper plugs often, it is better if we spend only once and get an expensive one.

Nitro car

Reading your glow plug

By inspecting the glow plug, it is easier to find how close we are to a perfect tune. The methods of finding this are simple. If there is a plenty of oil present in the head, it means they are running rich. If the color of glow plug is grey and if there is a small amount of oil, we are spot on with our tune. If the filament of glow plug is bent and if it has very little oil present in it, it is necessary to richen the mixture.

Some general points about glow plugs

• Fragile filaments should not be touched as it can break the filament and spoil the plug.
• Good glow plugs should only be used as it protects the engine better.
• Glow plugs should not be kept in a damp place.  Cool and dry place is suitable for it.
• Selecting the right glow plug is important.
• It is also important to keep the engine in tune.
• It is also not advisable to tighten the plug too much.
• If nitro detonation occurs, it means we are using the wrong plug. Also, the tune may not be rightly set.
• A proper glow starter has to be used.
• It is better to consult other racers for help.

Are you struggling with those drifting stunts? You might as well stop worrying now as I would be teaching you some thing that would make you like a pro in the world of drifting. The real deal is every body wants to learn drifting. They are all after making the car move parallel to the straight way that they are driving on and round the corner with out loosing on the speed aspect. Now that’s something, which is going to happen with a little bit more practice. But the under mentioned is what you need to achieve the desired.

First, thing you would need is a four wheel drive RC car. This would be important for you in the learning phase, because you still are learning and you would not have the control elements with in you, thus the end result which is the sliding of the car is not likely to happen without the 4WD RC car.

Second, is if you are new into this then it would make all sense for you to go for an electric car than for a Nitro based car. The electric cards do not tend to break while you are still learning and your investment would look safer in an electric car.

Third, it’s very essential that you have smooth tires while you are still learning the art. This either you can buy from the market or you can make your own using the ABS or the PVC pipes. The other cheaper option would be to still have what ever tires you have, but just wrap them up with an electric tape. The best way to understand what tires work best would be to watch the videos and mark the kind of tires used in them for the action.

Fourth, you need to ensure the proper sealing of the transmission. This is required to ensure that the dirt and the dust are not getting in any where, where it should not.

Fifth, last but not the least certainly, you should ensure that the track is of low friction. Some tracks just would not allow the drifting as learning this game would cause a great deal of dirt and dust to be picked up from the track and set them flying in the air. You don’t need to be too hard on your self. With the right intentions you would also learn how to drift in some more time. But what is completely essential is the combination of a high power car with a low friction track to make the drift look phenomenal.

Selecting a good RC drift car could be tricky and could depend on several considerations. Let us discuss a few of the selection criteria in detail in the forthcoming paragraphs.

1. Age of the User
2. Purpose of use
3. Budget
4. Fuel preference or choice of power.

The most important consideration should be age of the intended user. If it is intended to be used by a kid, it is advisable to buy an entry level variant of the drifter. These are mostly powered by pencil or button sized cells or occasionally through electric power. These drifters do not generate very high speeds and have restricted movement options, therefore it is considered to be safe for the child.

The next important consideration would be purpose of use. RC Drifters are available in category of toys as well as advanced, high end variants. The more advanced categories are used by adults usually for gaming and competition purposes. Such drifters are mostly nitro powered and are capable of generating exhilarating speeds (often in the range of hundred miles per hour). Depending upon whether the intention is to participate in gaming races, there are various options and manufacturers to choose from.

A popular Off-Lander RC Drifter variant

Another important consideration is budget. RC Drifters usually are available from a few hundred dollars or lower and can even cost up to thousands. While a pint sized miniature would be some where around the hundred dollar price tag, a bigger variant could cost more. Depending upon manufacturer, standard features of the equipment would vary and with it, the price tag would also differ. The decision to choose the desired RC Drifter type would essentially depend on the purchaser’s budget.

Another consideration could be the fuel preference. Many buyers are not confident about using nitro fuel option, in spite of its ability to generate much more power and infrequent fuel refilling required. Reason being, nitro is an extremely inflammable gas and could pose security hazards in many user conditions or particularly if they are intended for kids. On the other hand electrically powered drifters are considered to be very safe from the inflammability point of view.  Although the electrically powered drifters would not produce exhilarating speeds or movement options, there is no inherent danger of the drifter blowing up in an explosion or catching fire due to overheating or any accidental fire.

A careful consideration of the above factors would definitely enable the customer to pick up the correct variant of RC drifter.

Drifting the car using a remote control is becoming popular day by day. Let us discuss some steps that can convert an old 1/10 touring car into a drift car that suits the drifters. Learning and following these steps is also very easy.

Changing the angle yet controlling the car in a proper manner by bringing the rear end of the car around is named as drifting. It’s the variation or movement from any normal motion of the car. Whenever the driver approaches a corner or a turn, he can perform this drift, maintaining the desired speed and angle. The driver has to perform it carefully without making any damage to the tires or other parts of the car. It should always be kept in mind that drifting should be performed in a well controlled manner.

A question that commonly arises is that whether a RC car can drift or not? Well the answer is yes. Even a basic model of RC car can drift, if performed correctly. With the level of set up involved in RC car racing, drifting can be made possible. Some modifications can be made in the steel body of the car and some basic steps have to be followed to get more angle and speed.

To learn the basic steps involved in drifting, let us take some common examples of RC cars, Tamiya TT01 and Tamiya TA05. Breaking the traction is the first step in drifting. This is important because of the power to weight ratio of RC cars. Drift tires is very important to get the car drift sideway. If we are unable to get the drift tires for RC cars, it is advisable to use an insulation tape. It should be kept in mind that the tape should be wrapped in the same direction as that of the turn of the wheel. A better idea to do this is to lay down the tape and roll the car over it. For surfaces that have a very low friction, taped tires is suited the best. To achieve bigger drifts, more friction is needed. If we need to compete on a tight track, more traction is useless. This is because the torque needed to break traction will generate a lot of speed.

After the taping is done on the tires, it is up to the driver to set the ride height and wheel angles. The rear differential or spool diff is very important in drift. Spool diff implies that both the wheels must turn at the same time. As a result of spool diff, what happens is that the car will break and gain its friction again on command. Another advantage is that drifts controlling can be easier. Also, the angle associated with drift is directly proportional to the throttle.

Powerful Drifting

So an overall control is essential to perform drifting. Also, drifting should be practiced well before trying it in public. Necessary precautionary measures should also be taken to take care of the car body and maintained properly to prevent any accidents from happening.

RC Drifting or Remote Control drifting is a new concept altogether. This was born in Japan, the mother land for all kinds of funky electronic stuff that you can think of. Now to tell you briefly about what this RC Drifting works, I would say imagine a racing track, with a whole bunch of enthusiasts, and some great looking cars in the track. Please mark the word cars. Buy this word am referring not to the racing cars that you can’t even think of buying like a Ferrari, Porsche or a Renault. Rather these are miniature cars with remote controls. They look just like the racing cars. And you would have to be part of a real event to see them perform.

Once the race has started then the scoring depends on more things that you can probably think of. The first thing is that the scoring parameters may differ according to the local tracks but mostly the common parameters that are used are as follows, The judges would be scoring you on a one to ten point system. And the parameters primarily would consist of angle of attack, smoothness of your lines, crowd reaction and of course speed, would be an important factor. And surprisingly the looks of your car could also be one of the parameters that you would be pointed upon. Then the way it goes as say for example if there are total twenty people competing against one another then all of then compete against one another till there are ten left (only the toppers of course). After that they would look for the top five and so on.

To elaborate on the maneuvers I would say:

Angle – This may be considered as the most important aspect in RC Drifting. When the corner is approached, then the opposite should be fully locked while having moved slightly away from the corner. Remember you need to be steady on the gas. This move is advanced and perfection is likely to come with practice.

While you are in practice before you really get into a real RC Drifting event, you can practice the digit eight with some track dots placed on the ground. This would help you understand better how your RC Drifting car can be maneuvered easily from the right to the left or otherwise. Please ensure the distance should not be more than five o six feet. As you get doing better with your maneuvers start doing this eight formations more than once continuously.