New to R/C Cars
04-26-2013, 10:20 PM
#1
New to R/C Cars
Hey All,
I'm brand new to R/C cars, and I recently picked up an Atomik RC MM 1/18th Rally Car ($75 Brand New on Ebay; I've got some downtime in Astan that I need to burn, and you can only go to the gym so many hours out of the day). Since I have no clue what the hell I'm doing with these things, before I start buying parts (I'm a car and cycling nut, so I spend way to much money on toys LOL) at random, what are some of the main things I should look at upgrading/reinforcing? I'm guessing a brushless setup should be on the short list, but I have no idea where to start with that either. Before anyone says it, yes I tried searching, but nothing much is said regarding this particular car.
I've already bought 25 of each type of screw on the car, and I'm going to rip it apart and loctite everything when it gets here. I've bought a basic tool kit, and can get whatever else is needed here. I've also bought an extra battery as well. I'm really looking for stuff that will make the car more fun and durable (top priority), but like I said, I like adding bling as well.
Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Mike
I'm brand new to R/C cars, and I recently picked up an Atomik RC MM 1/18th Rally Car ($75 Brand New on Ebay; I've got some downtime in Astan that I need to burn, and you can only go to the gym so many hours out of the day). Since I have no clue what the hell I'm doing with these things, before I start buying parts (I'm a car and cycling nut, so I spend way to much money on toys LOL) at random, what are some of the main things I should look at upgrading/reinforcing? I'm guessing a brushless setup should be on the short list, but I have no idea where to start with that either. Before anyone says it, yes I tried searching, but nothing much is said regarding this particular car.
I've already bought 25 of each type of screw on the car, and I'm going to rip it apart and loctite everything when it gets here. I've bought a basic tool kit, and can get whatever else is needed here. I've also bought an extra battery as well. I'm really looking for stuff that will make the car more fun and durable (top priority), but like I said, I like adding bling as well.
Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Mike
04-27-2013, 01:25 AM
#2
Hey All,
I'm brand new to R/C cars, and I recently picked up an Atomik RC MM 1/18th Rally Car ($75 Brand New on Ebay; I've got some downtime in Astan that I need to burn, and you can only go to the gym so many hours out of the day). Since I have no clue what the hell I'm doing with these things, before I start buying parts (I'm a car and cycling nut, so I spend way to much money on toys LOL) at random, what are some of the main things I should look at upgrading/reinforcing? I'm guessing a brushless setup should be on the short list, but I have no idea where to start with that either. Before anyone says it, yes I tried searching, but nothing much is said regarding this particular car.
I've already bought 25 of each type of screw on the car, and I'm going to rip it apart and loctite everything when it gets here. I've bought a basic tool kit, and can get whatever else is needed here. I've also bought an extra battery as well. I'm really looking for stuff that will make the car more fun and durable (top priority), but like I said, I like adding bling as well.
Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Mike
I'm brand new to R/C cars, and I recently picked up an Atomik RC MM 1/18th Rally Car ($75 Brand New on Ebay; I've got some downtime in Astan that I need to burn, and you can only go to the gym so many hours out of the day). Since I have no clue what the hell I'm doing with these things, before I start buying parts (I'm a car and cycling nut, so I spend way to much money on toys LOL) at random, what are some of the main things I should look at upgrading/reinforcing? I'm guessing a brushless setup should be on the short list, but I have no idea where to start with that either. Before anyone says it, yes I tried searching, but nothing much is said regarding this particular car.
I've already bought 25 of each type of screw on the car, and I'm going to rip it apart and loctite everything when it gets here. I've bought a basic tool kit, and can get whatever else is needed here. I've also bought an extra battery as well. I'm really looking for stuff that will make the car more fun and durable (top priority), but like I said, I like adding bling as well.
Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Mike
Brushless systems have different kv (rpm per volt) ratings that suit different car types and driving styles. For a car like this, I would stay around 5000kv. Upgrading to brushless would likely also require purchasing a different radio (remote and receiver), along with many key drivetrain components.
Now that the warning is out about this model being more difficult than others to upgrade, should you still want to, here's a quick list:
http://www.atomik-rc.com/Aluminum-Ce...MM-1-18th.html
http://www.atomik-rc.com/Aluminum-Do...MM-1-18th.html
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXDAWN&P=7
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXWPW0&P=ML
These are more like basic requirements. You would also need a metal pinion gear for the motor (since the stock one is plastic), which I would try to keep in stock size first to see how the brushless motor likes it (gearing plays a very important role in performance). Also, with any car that uses plastic ring and pinion diff gears, you should grab some extras.
So, this is actually a tough car to upgrade much. As a first rc, I might have to suggest sticking to bling on this one and do performance mods on a different car
04-27-2013, 03:34 AM
#3
Thanks Meno1103,
More than likely I'll just stick with the blingy parts. You're right regarding it being a pain to upgrade; everything I've read leans towards that.
Thanks for the help, I appreciate it.
Mike
More than likely I'll just stick with the blingy parts. You're right regarding it being a pain to upgrade; everything I've read leans towards that.
Thanks for the help, I appreciate it.
Mike
04-27-2013, 07:16 AM
#5
Thanks for the tip on Traxxis though, I remember them from when I was younger, and they've always had a strong following, and have always produced quality stuff.
Mike
04-27-2013, 07:42 AM
#6
Tech Initiate
You may want to think about an extra battery and better charger for your first upgrade.
Mine does just fine on Nimh and they are cheap.
The next thing I would get is a mini ramp like this.
http://www.amazon.com/Shaun-White-Su...ateboard+ramps
You may prefer to make one similar if you have the materials handy, much funner jumping than just driving in circles.
I have a similar truck and the issues on mine were:
If it has a brushed motor, which it sounds like it does based on the price, charge the battery and put it in the truck, turn on transmitter, turn on esc, put truck on a coke can so the wheels don't touch anything and adjust throttle trim on transmitter until the wheels start to turn, not fast but steady, and run it for around 20 minutes. This is a quick brush break in and will make the motor faster and last longer. There are more complicated ways to do it, you can search brushed motor break in for more details.
Pinion that comes stock is a bit big for long runs, the motor gets very hot. Also these little trucks do not like driving through grass and will overheat the motor fast. A pinion set with a range of pinions so you can count the teeth on the stock and pick one that is a lower tooth count.
Also a heat sink for the motor couldn't hurt.
Check the motor temp every once and awhile during driving, just put your finger on it. If it's to hot to touch, then let it cool down and go to a smaller tooth count pinion.
Some extra dog bones, the 4 shafts that go from the diffs to the wheel axles, these can break or pop out when jumping and are cheap.
Some oil to oil the steering links, wheel bearings or bushings, and other bind spots, I use fishing reel oil that is safe on plastics. Just a little to smooth things out.
Way to light shock oil in shocks out of the box, you can check yours when it gets in and get heavier if needed, would need a hobby store for this. I actually had to use 2000 wt diff oil in mine, but handles much better now. I like to drop mine from about a foot and increase shock oil until the chassis stops slapping or just barely hits the ground. A little heavier shock oil in the back helps if you are losing steering while accelerating.
Like you mentioned, check the screws, especially the grub screws on any drive cups. You should be able to see the locktite from the factory, if not, worth some locktite, just be careful, they are tiny and if dropped are gone.
Other than that, I've had good luck with mine. I think running in grass, over heated motors, and people who upgrade them to the point of self destruction are the main problem of these little trucks, I don't have an Atomik, but a similar model and have had no breaks on mine and I have more crashes than I can count, but I do check motor temps and let it cool off if it gets too hot.
Mine does just fine on Nimh and they are cheap.
The next thing I would get is a mini ramp like this.
http://www.amazon.com/Shaun-White-Su...ateboard+ramps
You may prefer to make one similar if you have the materials handy, much funner jumping than just driving in circles.
I have a similar truck and the issues on mine were:
If it has a brushed motor, which it sounds like it does based on the price, charge the battery and put it in the truck, turn on transmitter, turn on esc, put truck on a coke can so the wheels don't touch anything and adjust throttle trim on transmitter until the wheels start to turn, not fast but steady, and run it for around 20 minutes. This is a quick brush break in and will make the motor faster and last longer. There are more complicated ways to do it, you can search brushed motor break in for more details.
Pinion that comes stock is a bit big for long runs, the motor gets very hot. Also these little trucks do not like driving through grass and will overheat the motor fast. A pinion set with a range of pinions so you can count the teeth on the stock and pick one that is a lower tooth count.
Also a heat sink for the motor couldn't hurt.
Check the motor temp every once and awhile during driving, just put your finger on it. If it's to hot to touch, then let it cool down and go to a smaller tooth count pinion.
Some extra dog bones, the 4 shafts that go from the diffs to the wheel axles, these can break or pop out when jumping and are cheap.
Some oil to oil the steering links, wheel bearings or bushings, and other bind spots, I use fishing reel oil that is safe on plastics. Just a little to smooth things out.
Way to light shock oil in shocks out of the box, you can check yours when it gets in and get heavier if needed, would need a hobby store for this. I actually had to use 2000 wt diff oil in mine, but handles much better now. I like to drop mine from about a foot and increase shock oil until the chassis stops slapping or just barely hits the ground. A little heavier shock oil in the back helps if you are losing steering while accelerating.
Like you mentioned, check the screws, especially the grub screws on any drive cups. You should be able to see the locktite from the factory, if not, worth some locktite, just be careful, they are tiny and if dropped are gone.
Other than that, I've had good luck with mine. I think running in grass, over heated motors, and people who upgrade them to the point of self destruction are the main problem of these little trucks, I don't have an Atomik, but a similar model and have had no breaks on mine and I have more crashes than I can count, but I do check motor temps and let it cool off if it gets too hot.
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