Yelreppa

Am new to the 1/8th game and just trying to get a idea of what kit I need? Am running a agama 😊
What spares are a must for race day? like glow plug, lipo, etc. Am thinking of getting a donar car for spares back up as well.
Also what wear rate like for car and engine what is the longevity of stuff like
Clutch bearings?
Filters every race?
Fuel tank?
Brake shoes?
Diff oils?
Tyre's am running UK dirt?
Cheers
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Roelof

Do you wanna stay or do you need to go home when something fails?
For sure a competition racer needs to be prepared and has basically everything with him.

Yelreppa

So double of everything don't think I can have a spare engine yet, due to cost trying to do it on a budget

Roelof

A 2nd (maybe used) car (roler) can be usefull to get parts from....

For sure you need the stuf that easilly break
- tires
- gears
- suspension plastics
- rear wing

And yes, some clutch material and a 2nd set of shocks wouls be usefull as well.

ZEe_NYC

iTrader: (78)

The most important thing (in my opinion) is to prepare your car as best you can before race day. Make sure things have loctite on them. Make sure your pit bag has all the tools you’re gonna need for the car.

things that have failed on me: clutches. Loose screws. Dead batteries. Receivers. Servos. Broke wing mount. Loosened wheel nuts.

but, at the same time... guys at the track are always quick to help a fellow racer in need. No one wants to see someone go home because of broken parts or a simple fix like a hung up clutch bearing.

goolduck and enjoy it! Summer nitro is awesome.

Yelreppa

Deffo right on the prep of your car I've been doing 1/10th so hopefully the transition to1/8th should be fine. I'll go through manual see what screws need locktite.
Spare wings, wheels nuts a good shout, there a friendly bunch we're am going to race so there be lots of help on hand, can't bloody wait to see how my agama goes round track everything is bigger tracks, jumps and dirt loose dirt yes 😊
I've been listening to no name rc podcast as it's about more 1/8th so leant alot about set up etc
And bought bullitt receiver lipo 3300 think that will last for race day.
Still not sure about heats, times etc yet, as in nitro u can get bumped up for finals not like electric 1/10th.
Nitro is the glory 😁
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bob.less

Its better to have it and not need it.......Than need it than not have it.....

Matt Piva

iTrader: (25)

Yep, words of wisdom u dropped. If I can add anything to that quote it would be 'but expect to need it, because these are rc cars' haha.

Anyways it doesn't hurt to buy someone's cheap kit to get a whole cars worth of back up parts.... heck u can do what I'm doing and just drop n engine n servos in and now u have a whole back up car to use if the race car breaks and u don't feel like ripping two cars apart to only leave 1 fixed and 1 broken.

Im a bit lucky to have a few engines and everything on hand, it's not worth it to go somewhere and have no radio

IOP_Racer

iTrader: (14)

As others have mentioned, I think the ideal is having a spare for everything, but I do not think it is necessary to be prepared for 99.9% of race days. You will definitely want to have spares for commonly broken/bent parts such as arms, driveshafts, shock shafts, etc. I also like to have spares for all wear items like shock bushing, orings, screws, bearings, oils, etc. This is a little general, but overtime you will learn what tends to fail on your buggy. Some more expensive spares to have that you will use less often is a servo and engine. What I have been doing for the past 2 years or so is to take an old engine, have it repinched and keep it as my backup. In the end, no matter how much I try to prepare I have had situations were I did not have the part I needed, and this is where having friends and brand support at the track really comes into play. Hopefully this list helps you out.

Zerodefect

I keep a whole extra car, ready to go, for racing. Stocking parts just sucks. Spare cars can be useful for reducing wear and tear on your primary car. Muddy track, BS dusty conditions, etc. But Nitro is a special treat around here, so I bring:

One 1/8th Ebuggy.

One 1/8th Ebuggy back up car. Ready to rock, just move my transponder over. Usually it's my practice car. An older obsolete chassis, older battery, etc.

One 1/8th nitrobuggy. Can scalp parts off of the backup Ebuggy. All three cars are Xray so parts compatibility is very good. Extra clutch, shims, clutch bearing, fuel tank, fuel line, glow plugs, air filters.

6 sets of race tires, six sets of used practice tires. Two chargers, but only one power supply.

the wrench

iTrader: (3)

spare car seems to be the most cost effective, i snapped up rollers and part them out, sort through whats still usable and whats totally trashed, luck of the draw though, as they can be pretty worn out, stripped plastics etc etc, but even semi junk parts might come in handy if your runner breaks something worse, its hard to do budget with most current platform as people want new kit pricing for an assembled and run car, if your at the front line of latest greatest, two kits are the route, especially something like an agama where local support might not be there

my buggy minimal has been diff cups, bulkhead diff cases, hinge pins and pills, shock shafts, front arms, front tower, bearings, clutch bell/shoes/springs, assorted hardware, shims, spare tank, shock boots, servos... total minimal hard parts stuff, your support equipment/consumables are a whole other thing, filters, plugs, ignitors, starterbox belt/motors, thats stuff you gotta judge through use

also you should account for the specialty stuff you might need like kingpin bushings, odd length screws, gear sets, outdrives, most of that stuff is on assembly basis, as it wears, gets lost, depending on maintenance, like if you check/replace pinion and diff bearings frequently, your gears keep better mesh longer and dont grenade suddenly

spares are kinda tricky, there will ALWAYS be something you dont have but need, but hopefully, even in a worse case scenario, someone has what you need on site and you learn what additional trinkets you should pack from than on

petersen114

If tracks nowadays were even a tad bit less aggressive, then less spares would be needed. It shouldn't cost a ton of money just to race these cars. It's a hobby and not the Lucas off road racing series, Nascar, etc. The whole hobby has gone steadily south since the mid 80's

Zerodefect

Doesn't matter. Less aggressive tracks still get rained on, still dust up in the sun. Stuff still happens.

I'm not getting significant parts cost, from casing big jumps like a newb. On a good track, the biggest jumps should be easiest section of the track.

Itsmikeyhoncho

nothing like the good ole’ days right? Cars are faster more durable better geometry better tires better plastics etc than they where 40 years ago. Tracks have evolved in the same manner.

Back on topic; I carry a partially built kit to the track so if anything breaks I can swap out that entire section and be able to get back on the track. I leave the heavy maintenance to when i get home and can work in a climate controlled environment without being rushed. I will then order the part that broke and have a fully functional spare again.

fyrstormer

iTrader: (1)

The best spare is always a complete second car, built and tuned to the same specs as your main car.

Failing that: A full set of A-arms and hubs (unless your hubs are metal), a full set of turnbuckles, one front CVD and one rear CVD, a complete set of wheel bearings, a complete set of any plastic gears your car uses, a complete set of spare tires, and a jar of spare screws. (the tiny screws used for clamping wheel hexes sometimes break.)

I disagree with your overall assessment of the hobby -- RCs are mechanically, electrically, and aesthetically better than they have ever been before -- but I do agree with your assessment about tracks. Buggy tracks, in particular, are just a bunch of ramps anymore. You can blame the increasing aggressiveness of track design on alpha-racers, who want to push everything to its absolute limit -- not least because one of the most reliable ways to win a race is to make your competitors smash their vehicles and have to drop-out. There may be rules against intentionally making your competitors crash using your RC, but there's no rule against volunteering to stay late and helping to redesign the track to be a meat-grinder for other people's RCs. I've seen it happen in person, and I noped out of the building before I said something rude.