MIKE

Advice
"As for advice. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE.. Try running different setups as much as
you can to learn what the car do's etc."

Braking
"rccartips... I usually have my brakes turned way down so that if i do panic and stab
them hard it do's not throw my car for a loop.. So in sharp corners at the end of
straights i lay on them pretty hard since i have it set in the radio at like 50% or
something close to that.. I have never been one that could be smooth on brakes like i
am on the throttle.. So i need this crutch to help me."

Car Bodies
"At the preworlds we used the Protoform Mazda 6 and also at the reedy race we used
the Mazda 6. I think the two bodies to try and that and maybe the stratus 2.0 from
protoform."

"But here is what my testing showed for me. The alpha was the loosest and most
consistent entering and mid corner then any other body. The stratus was loose mid
corner not so much as entering. And the Mazda turned in like crazy but would not finish
the corner. No matter what i did to my car i could not get it to finish the corner. so i
went back to the alpha..."

Charging and Discharging

"If you are willing to spend $$$ a Competition Electronics Turbo 35 is the best one right
now.. I think there may be some more companies coming out with chargers like these
soon.. But i use that."

"I charge 6-cells 6.0 amps and .02 cut off... 4-cells i charge 5.0 amps with a .02 cut
off... Hope this helps.. I have not tried any of the funky reflex stuff..."

Coppertone 45
"I put paragon on first then apply coppertone on the surface you put the paragon on
only , Right over top of it , Use a fair amount to make sure it covers the paragon then
Let it sit your desired amount of time ... usually for me between 15-25 mins then wipe
like normal."

"Coppertone 45... I use it because if it is hot out side and the sun is beating down hard
paragon has a tendency to dry up rather quickly, So by putting coppertone on the tire
after the paragon the tires actually are able to soak without the heat or sun drying it
up."

Differential
"I run my front diff tighter than my rear diff."

Droop
"More droop = more roll = more traction to a point.. less droop less roll =less traction to
a point.. It also will change weight transfer .. So it is really a trial and error thing."

"I usually run about 1.5-2 mm of droop in the front and .5-1.5 mm in the rear for
carpet."
ESC Profile
"Novak profile.. I have done lot's of testing and 5 has the best feel as far as punch and
top end. Pay no attention to the oval tag. The speedo has no idea where it is :-)"

Gearing
"We play with spurs for getting the motor geared correct. I have also found the biggest
spur you can run to get your ratio the more efficient it is also."

Gears
"I would stay with 48 pitch.. I recently switched from 64 to 48 for outdoors.. I like it a
lot better.. less hurting spur gears and easier to get a good mesh and not as easy to
strip. Plus if you get dirt etc it do's not effect as much.. Only downside there is not a lot
of room to play with ratio's as with 64 pitch.. But that is something i do not think you
need to worry about."

Motors
"I have been running 10 turns the last few weeks preparing for the nat's.. I like the
doubles better. Seem to be a little more efficient with good top and bottom end.. I am
running the springs bent a little stiffer with 18-24 deg of timing.. 766 brush"

Motor Brush and Springs

"I ran 767's with a hole in the brush. Never played that much with two different brush's.
I also ran the stock springs Bent past 180 so basically like purples or stiffer. If i run one
lighter it is always the neg."

Motor Timing
"Yea bigger tracks less timing a little more gear , I get scared with a lot of timing of
having a meltdown :-("

Novak Discharge Tray

"The new Novak discharge tray.. It works awesome . I usually tray them before and
after i run them.. I do the .9 per cell on the tray.. I like it the best so far and the batt's
seem to stay consistent... I do this for both touring and 1/12th scale."

"I really like it.. I think my battery's have been way more consistent now and to be
honest they are not losing the runtime that they once did.. I was losing 40-60 seconds
with a new pack.. Now i am losing about 10 -15 with a increase in volts."

"Yea i am using a turbo 35 to test my packs and some of the older one's not using the
tray i was losing that amount of time . Then i got some new packs that have been used
on the tray and they are staying real strong."

Racing Career
"The first and most important thing is practice, The more the better.. Then after that
learn your cars. What i mean is to try different setups all the time and learn what change
do's what . With doing this and the practice you will go far, Just do not get frustrated
and think positive all the time... This is as much a mental sport as anything."

RC Job
"AS far as the job in r/c racing.. Well to be honest the thing you need to do is get
noticed. Once there then try and prove your self either in racing or design which ever
way makes you happy.. Just keep practicing and go to some of the bigger races .... I am
one of the lucky one's in this industry."
Servos
"I use the KO pds2343 Servo. It is the best i have ever driven."

Steering
"I always limit my steering by dualrate.. I set my car up with max steering then back off
from there. I usually will run anywhere between 80-95% dual rate at race's."

Tire Additive
"I usually sauce anywhere from half to all the way to the orange... Mostly all the way to
the orange to be consistent... I always sauce the rears full.. Never have tried anything
but that ... I think you might not be able to be as consistent as you would with a full
sauced rear."

"I let my tires sit till the heat before then i wipe them to were they are somewhat dry .
Then i have someone scrub them in to finish them off."

"I used paragon Ground effects for traction at all the race's that allow the use of it ."

Transmission
"As for the free transmission.. Two tips.. First one is to get the newest transmission
case's they have been adjusted to be perfect with no dremeling required... you might
have to use two shims on the diffs now though. Then spray out all the bearing's remove
one or two seals and apply a light oil to them and you are ready. Just make sure
everything is free piece by piece and do not overtighten anything."

Tweak
"As for tweak . I set ride heights then set the tweak on the track. Then after i get it
where i think it is correct. Then i will set it on a tweak board and see where it is then go
back to that setting before each run."

Here are some of the best speed tips from Brian Kinwald, Trinity Factory Driver
and World Champion as posted on the Tech Talk forum of Team Trinity's official
website.

Batteries
"Ok, anything you do to increase performance will usually make the battery deteriorate
faster.. like charging at a higher amperage or discharging before you run. I use a single
cell discharger about every 5 runs to equalize the pack...I charge at 6 amps probably too
high 5 might be better."

Building
"A few things i do, tap all the holes with a 4-40 tap go about 3/4 length of the screw, it
will keep parts from stripping. I also spray out all my bearings and re oil them with light
bearing oil. Always make sure all parts are free and nothing binds. That's about it as far
as performance, everything else is just for looks....good luck."

Car Setup
"That's a tough one, you kind of have to not concentrate on driving and pay attention to
what your car is doing. You ever notice how when you watch someone else's car you can
tell what it does or needs. But you cant tell what your own does or needs.....it's tough."
CVD's
"Try just using bearing oil on the CVD'S, no grease. That's what i do it seems to work
better."

Noisy Gears
"Most gears that are hard "efficient" are loud. BK pitch was loud and they were the most
efficient gears ever."

"PRS pinions and spurs are by far the best i have ever run."

Piston Holes
"A smaller hole piston will make your car react slower, usually giving you more traction
but it will probably do everything else worse. It is something you have to try for yourself
to if you like it."

Racing and Driving

"Usually you don't remember what happened when you are at your best. It has only
happened to me a few times........in the zone. No there was never a race i knew i would
win...LOL"

Racing and Money

"Hey guys it's not always about money, trust me i have been offered a lot more to run
****. You run the best. If someone wants to pay you to run it ..then great. or you could
just be bored and want a change , some times a change gets you fired up to do good or
try harder?"

Universal Drive Shafts

"Ok here is the deal with the universals. They are not "new" actually they are really old,
sometimes they work better than "CVD'S" so Losi just wanted to give everyone the
option to run them if they want."

Weight
"Weight in the ft [front] will usually give you more on power steering
but your car will change direction slower...and yes it is legal you can make your car as
heavy as you want."

Hope these tips help you out.

A bad servos will manifest on the race track as if your rc car suddenly veers to one
direction or another, or simply goes straight when you already turned the steering
wheel.

What we see as radio glitch is in reality caused by a weak or bad servo. And sometimes
even a bad or sloppy servo saver. A Tamiya high-torque servo saver is notoriously
sloppy and problematic. By a Kimbrough servo saver, they are the best.

How To Test If Your Servo is Good

 Strong enough to turn the wheels and return to center under load.
  While powered on and steering wheel neutral, servo should not move clockwise or
anti-clockwise when manually applying force with your fingers.
 Returns to center even when resistance is applied.

How To Tell if Your Servo is Bad

 When powered on an in neutral, stutters when you force to turn it to the left or
right.
 Does not return to center when force is applied.
 Does not follow your transmitter steering wheel movement smoothly.

Watch the video as it shows a good servo versus a bad one. What surprised me was that
the two new Sanwa SRM-102 servos that came with my MT-4 controller failed my test. It
was strong turning clockwise, but stuttered badly when forced to turn counter clockwise
when in neutral.

What passed my test and feel good on the race track are the Futaba 9550 and the cheap
Blue Bird BMS-706MG.

Hope this tip helps solve your r/c radio glitching problems.

HOW-TO DRIVE YOUR RC CAR 30% FASTER

Hello. This week I share with you tips on how you can drive
faster and do well in r/c racing. Hope you read my story and
pick up some useful tips.

I started driving rc cars when I was around 7 years old (1978).

Around 1982 I joined off-road races using my Tamiya Ford XLT
and Wild Willy (original model). In 1986 there were major races
that had around 400 entries, and racing lasted until midnight. I
usually finish in the top 7 of my class (which would have around
200 rc cars). So I felt good about my driving abilities.

In 1992 I visited a large, indoor, off-road rc track called "Queens

R/C Off-Roaders" located in Queens, N.Y. USA. It was there
that I improved my driving skills by around 30%!

Let me tell you how.

There I was driving against sponsored drivers or semi-professional

drivers. They were so fast that I would usually just place in the
C-main. Sometimes even the D-main.

Fortunately, I met and became friends with one of the fast drivers.
His name was Hardjono, and he was originally from Indonesia.
He was consistently winning races and was semi-sponsored.

I remember one advice he gave me that I still remember to this

day... "Drive Consistently, Lap After Lap."

And because of that advise, I have managed to win some big

races in the Philippines because I drove consistently, even though
my lap times were about 1 second slower than the others. It was
just that I avoided making mistakes or crashes that would have
cost me 5 - 10 seconds per incident.

Also, driving consistently and error free will calm your nerves and
make you more relaxed when driving and racing.

Practicing Is Not the Secret

When not racing, Hardjono and I would go to various rc tracks,

just to play. I remember we found one in Connecticut, inside a
school campus. It was a beautiful outdoor off-road track.

He was consistently beating me during our one-on-one racing,

so we switched cars.

And he still beat me!

Hardjono was simply a faster driver... but he also pointed out that
my rc car setup needed improvement. I also noticed that his rc
car had more power when I was driving it.

How did he drive faster? I noticed that when I was coasting

through corners (off the throttle), he was driving the same corners
at 1/2 or 3/4 on the throttle. So he was basically faster than me
during the corners. But you need a good car setup and driving
skill to do this.

He also had a smooth driving style, slowly accelerating, slowly

braking, but always trying to maintain speed through the corners
by keeping his finger on the throttle (1/2 to 3/4) rather than fully
lifting off the power.

Practicing One-on-One to Improve Passing and Defending Skills

During our one-on-one driving sessions, our goal was for one
car to lead, the other to try and pass. We would do this for two
or three laps, then reverse the position of the rc cars. That way
we both managed to practice our passing skills, as well as how
to defend our position from cars behind us.

Doing this for months, I eventually managed to drive fast enough

to sometimes get lucky and get into the A-main. And I have to
thank my mentor, Hardjono, for showing me how. Practicing is
good, but it is not enough. You have to know what to do, then
practice. And hopefully, after reading this story, you now know
what do to.

Now time to go out, find a mentor, and practice with him... or her!

Servos for Nitro RC Cars

"What I've found, I like to use a good high-torque servo, both for steering and for
throttle. Usually they're quick enough so you can improve on your driving...they will hold
the car’s wheels in that position even if forces from the track are trying to change it."

"The throttle servo to me is more important than the steering servo because of the
brakes." - Arturo Carbonell of Team Serpent (www.mytsn.com)

Radio Controller Tuning

"I know a lot of new radios have all kinds of adjustments, inputs, abs, exponential,
throttle help, steering help, etc., etc. If you like to play with that stuff, you can try it, but
I personally don't use any of those adjustments to improve my driving. Again, all those
adjustments are a crutch. You won't learn to improve your driving by using them." -
Arturo Carbonell of Team Serpent

Nitro Engine Tuning Tips

"Most importantly, listen to your engines. A lot of people fall into just watching the
smoke that comes from the exhaust and tuning the engines that way. This way is ok but
if for some reason you use different fuel (with different oil content or mixtures) it
becomes much more difficult to make your engines perform consistently from race to
race and in different weather conditions from just the sight of smoke. Learn how your
engine sounds and responds to your throttle input." - Josh Cyrul (www.teamtrinity.com)

Nitro RC Cars Fuel Tips

"I usually only run 25-30%. I don' t like running over that - the engines weren't
originally designed and made for that. They are actually made to run on 16% - that is
the EFRA and IFMAR rule!!" - Josh Cyrul

Clutch Tuning

"When the clutch engages too soon it bogs the motor, which hurts acceleration. The
motor needs to reach it's power band at the same time the clutch fully engages. A good
rule of thumb for clutch adjustment is: if the car moves before you see smoke from the
exhaust, your clutch is engaging too soon." - (www.teamtrinity.com)

Hope these tips help you out.

Joel M

Maximum Engine Power

To get the maximum power from a new engine, just follow these basic tips:

1. Ensure no air leaks - Make sure there are no air leaks by using high-temperature
gasket or silicon sealants. Apply to areas such as the carburetor to the engine block, the
exhaust manifold to the exhaust port of the engine block, and the back plate or pull-start
mechanism against the engine block.

2. Proper motor break-in procedure - Run at least 3 tanks of fuel through the new
engine, maintaining temperatures between 140 - 160 degrees. Vary the speed of the
engine while running, but avoid going for top speed. Keep the body off during the break
in process to keep the engine cool.

3. Proper running temperature - Basic guide is to keep engine temperatures between

200 - 210 degrees. But for more power you can lean out the engine a little more, and
keep the temperature between 200 - 225 degrees.

Running Temperature

Hello i have a bv1 and it has the os .15 engine. the running temp is 150F. what i cant
seam to do is take of quick. it will always gurgle and then go. do i need to make it run
hotter or should i tune the low end needle. i have seen peoples running temps at 230F is
this alright. should i lean the high end needle more or lean the low end. im not sure if
150F is a low temp. is it?
any help would be great. thanks lachlan

Answer: Hi Lachlan, 150F seems to be on the cold side. Gurgle (a rich sound) may
indicate a "rich" low end. Tune the low end, then readjust the high end. With the
temperature, I myself just use the spit test. If spit sizzles when put on the cylinder head
fins, then it is too hot. - Joel

Overheating Problems

HI i have just bought a Traxxas 4tec nitro and am shocked at the speed of this thing but
i am concerned by what others are telling me about it such as over heating problems
also that the engine wont last if that is the case what other engine can fit on and will it
be just as fast. thanks andrew

Answer: Hi Andrew, If you follow the tuning guide that comes with your engine you
should be ok. Just make sure that the engines get enough cooling air to prevent
overheating (usually cutting holes in the windshield). Also tune the engine carburetor to
be on the slightly "rich" side. - Joel

Overheating Problems Despite a Rich Setting

joel maybe you my have answer i have a thunder tiger tsn-4 with .15 have probs with
over heating no matter how rich i have the fuel. have the car at max rpm tune in to max
rpm then rich it 1/8 of turn as i have been told runs great but will only go through about
1/2 a tank then will stop motor to hot with or without the body on getting very pissed off
with it have taken it back to place i got it from they so it ok can you suggest anything
mate. waiting your reply. thanks joe

Answer: Hi Joe,

I used to have those motor problems when I first started, but over time it becomes
easier to troubleshoot.

I would take a guess and that the problem is either:

1. There is an air leak somewhere.
2. Maybe the low end needle setting (if it has one) is set too lean.

Just keep in mind, a hot engine is one that has too much air and not enough fuel in the
mixture entering the engine. So check anything the might increase air (air leaks) or
decrease fuel (dirty fuel, pinched air hose, weak backpressure coming from the tuned
pipe). - Joel

Too Lean

Here are some symptoms of an engine that is running too lean:

1. Dies or "flames out" at full throttle.

2. The glow plug wire or "element" turns white.
3. A drop of water or spit on the engine heat immediately sizzles. Too hot.
4. Dies while just idling.
5. Dies while accelerating from idle. Note this can also be caused by a rich engine.

Too Rich

Here are some symptoms of an engine that is running too rich:

1. A lot of blue smoke from the exhaust pipe.

2. A lot of unburned fuel exiting the exhaust pipe.
3. Idles properly, but bogs down an dies when the throttle is full applied.
4. Never reaches full top speed.
5. Engine temperature is too cold (e.g. below 200 F degrees)

Glow Plugs

Glow plugs are very important to the performance of your engine. You can also read
your glow plugs to determine if you are running too rich or too lean.

A brand new glow plug has a wire or filament that is shiny. If after running the wire is
still shiny and the bottom of the plug is wet, then you are running too rich. You are
probably getting only 85% of the maximum engine power.

If the wire turns starts to turn gray, and the bottom of the filament is slightly wet, then
you are almost near the peak engine power.

Once you have a gray wire, and the bottom of the plug is dry, you are at 100%
maximum power.

Once the glow plug wire starts to distort, you have exceeded the maximum power and
are running too lean. Adjust to a slightly rich setting.

Hot plugs are used for hot summer days, while cold plugs are designed for cold "winter"
days.
WINNING TIPS OF AN INTERNATIONAL RACER

In preparation for the big race next week, I'm currently practicing
with whom I consider the best rc car driver in my country today.
He is also my teammate, and unfortunately we are competing in the
same category (Tamiya M-Chassis). He has been active in
international racing and has always qualified and ranked high in
the A-Main of world championships and regional competitions.
But for now, we are working together to improve our speed for
the big r/c event.

Here is what we have been doing.

1. We practiced for about 3 hours of actual track time during the

past week.
2. We practice the start of a race (someone does the toot sound
and then we start racing each other.)
3. For 3 laps I take the lead position while my friend tries to
overtake. Then we reverse positions, I try to overtake him.
4. We share information about r/c car setup, what springs, shock
oil, etc and the effect it has on the r/c car.

Results:

The track had a difficult layout. Initially we had a hard time, and
hit the barriers often.

But after 3 hours of track time, we now find the track relatively
easy to drive, and rarely hit the barriers.

Key Idea:

The best way to prepare for a race is to practice with someone

else. Practicing alone is good, but not good enough. Practicing
with another r/c car trying to overtake you will help you control
nervousness and improve your performance under pressure.