Radio Control Cars
Racing Your Radio Controlled Car by Owen Jones
Racing is the most exhilarating aspect of owning a radio controlled car for most RC car aficionados. There are millions of RC car racing enthusiasts, so it is natural that several different types of racing have evolved, but the two main variances are on-road and off-road racing.
Whichever aspect of RC car racing interests you the most, there are several things that everybody needs to do to prepare for a race. The rest of this piece will discuss some facets of racing your radio controlled car.
We will take for granted that you already have the best model car that you can afford, so the first thing to do while preparing for a race is choose the tyres to suit the conditions, exactly as they would in a full-size car race.
The tyres employed for on and off road racing are different and the tyres used for a dry or a wet road are different either, so you will require at least two sets of tyres and you will have to practice changing them fast at pit stops.
Most significant on-road RC car racing is done with models of real cars like Lamborghinis, Porches, Ferraris and Aston Martins leading the fashion. Others like to use Formula One style cars. Off-road scrambling is normally done with trucks, heavier models that can acquire a better grip on the terrain.
So, the faster, lighter cars are constructed for speed and need a smoother surface to run on. The surfaces used vary from a length of ordinary concrete or tarmac road that has been closed off for the day to a custom built racing oval of concrete or tarmac. Off-road vehicles are raced or scrambled anywhere, the rougher the better.
These conditions also have an effect on the scale to a certain extent. Racing RC cars tend to be the smaller 1/10 th scale, whereas off-road trucks tend to be built to the slightly larger 1/8 th scale, because they need the weight for increased traction.
However, contemporary developments have seen the rise in popularity of huge 1/5 th scale tucks and cars with real miniature petrol engines in them.
Standard two-wheel drive is sufficient for racing, although some racers do prefer four-wheel drive. However, four-wheel drive is more or less indispensable for all terrain racing. It is also preferable in wet and icy conditions, exactly like the real thing.
Fuel is an important consideration. Most speed racing cars run on nitro. It burns very fast and produces high acceleration, but you have to stop and refill frequently in a long race. Some racers prefer petrol, especially in the larger, off-road trucks.
Petrol is not so ‘violent’ as nitro and it goes further. This means fewer pit stops. It also produces less wear and tear on the engine. Petrol engines do not break down as often as nitro engines. The parts are sturdier as well.
Maintenance is a large part of RC car racing, but it is more important the smaller your car is and nitro engines require the most maintenance of all. This is not difficult for many enthusiasts, in fact, they like taking their car apart and rebuilding it, but you may not. Maintenance is a factor to bear in mind when selecting an RC racing car.
About the Author
Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is at present involved with the petrol remote control car. If you have an interest in RC vehicles, please go over to our website now at 1/5 Scale RC Cars.
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