AMGRacer

Hi, assuming you are totally new to R/C and mechanics in general I would stick with simple stuff to begin with.

A very good starting motor is an OS TR motor, a fair bit of power, but REALLY easy to tune right.

A good transmitter I feel is a Futaba 2PL which is cheap and simple, but very good quality and with enough features to begin with.

RD Logics makes some nice pipes for the OS motor, again fairly cheap.

Any sort of Protoform body is great.

LAyGOmyDAyGO

Thanks for all of your help.

Yes, I am very new to R/C Cars. I did not know what "nitro" meant till last night. LOL

What is the biggest engine size I can fit in a R40?

Any type of fuel recommendations?

Thanks again

AMGRacer

The R40 is made for .12 sized engines and this is all I would use. There are some other larger engines that will fit, but they are generally less powerful and there is little point in my opinion.

For fuel you cant go wrong with the big brand names. O'Donnell, Trinity and the rest are all good. The important things are:

Run around 15-20% nitro to begin with. Run 12-15% oil to begin with. These %ages will make the motor run well and be easiest to tune.

fastharry™

iTrader: (4)

I would definately hit HPI's web site under the "what is RC?" section....It will be a great knowledge builder......

DOMOisCOOL

Yes. As fastharry said, check out HPI's site. It gives excellent info on all types of R/C cars.

I would also invest in a failsafe. They cost around $25.00. This is an excellent part. For example, if you lose radio reception between you and the car, the failsafe will automatically turn on and activate the brakes. So it will give you time to go over and stop the engine. Another feature is if your receiver pack goes below a certain voltage. The brakes will turn on.

For glow plug igniters, I would get a rechargeable one. These last a long time. And they're rechargeable, so there's no replacing batteries.

I agree with AMGRacer on his recomendations.

The O.S. TR .12 is an excellent "entry level to racer level" engine. Provides ample power and lasts a long time. Easy to tune and is forgiving. Around $150.00 in price.

The Futaba 2PL is more than good enough to begin with and excellent build qualty. Futaba makes very reliable radios. About $80.00.

With the extra money from your budgets, buy some upgrades or some tires. However, the kit itself stock is great. Even the tires. It's just a tad heavy.

Engine: OS TR .12
Transmitter: Futaba 2PL
Receiver: Included w/ radio
Servo: Included w/ radio
Exhaust Pipe: RD Logics One-Piece Pipe (Any)
Exhaust Header: Comes with RD Logics pipe since it is "one-piece"
Glow Plug Igniter: Any Rechargeable
Body: Any Protoform
Fuel: Any would be good

Also, buy some extra glow plugs and replace the one that comes with the engine after you break it in.

Hope this helps .

AMGRacer

This list looks great. The money you "save" on these parts you should invest in:

Some alternative gearing, if required (depends on track size)
Some alternative springs to assist you in setting the car
Some shock oils, 70, 60, 50 probably good starters
TIRES! This is where you should use the money. Burn heaps of tires by practicing as much as you can. The guys at your track can probably point you in the right direction.
AVOID spending money on hopups or shiny bits. The stock R40 is an awesome car and it will have all the handling your driving skills can handle for at least a few years.

Another tip, see if you can get friendly with a local racer or local hobby shop owner and get them to help you with engine tuning and especially helping with the clutch setup. These two things are the biggest hurdle in getting into nitro.

Solara

iTrader: (17)

That will be your first MAJOR mistake you will make if you have that concept in your mind............Biggest does not mean better, ESPECIALLY on HPI car............how many ppl have their Super Nitro with 21 enigne that is super fast on the straight but cannot even brake or turn.........?

Stick with OS TR engine....cheap, good enough speed and easy to set....Nitro engine is not like a elect motor, you have to SET the high end, low end and idle needle to get the engine running good....if 1 of those needle set wrong, you will have a nightmare the whole day......

If you look at HPI japan site, one of their team driver is using the exact same OS TR engine to race national............not those $300 JP or Nova MAX motor that only the rich can buy.

fastharry™

iTrader: (4)

Just got my 3rd R40......another 2004 edition....

I really got to find time to build the 2nd car also...I also ordered the graphite arm set....AND the aluminum rear mounts...both very bitchin'(AMG was right...).......Can't wait to see the car handle with these both options,AND the rear sway bar kit I got last week....

BTW,I had a chance to drive a stock r40 last week....with an OSturbo(same as mine).....and ONLY the shock towers(no weight reducing stuff).....Same set up as mine though...

What a difference between the cars...mine(which weighs 1720) handles so quick,its harder to drive....the stock car felt bulky to me...but I still prefered mine..

AMGRacer

I agree the 2004 version handles really well, but it is definately more on the edge than the stock kit version. The best thing is how much steering I can dial into it before the rear gets loose.

luketob

iTrader: (2)

Any of you guys know what's the weight on 2004 edition? Where can i get one here in U.S? Fastharry, how did u shave down the weight to 1720, do you use all lightweight stuff for r40?, i really appreciate if you can list all the stuffs.


Thank you

fastharry™

iTrader: (4)

I just used all the option parts...a lite weight battery,smaller servos's...btw,that weght is w/o body...

TerraX

fastharry: which servos did you go with?

X-Garage

Who has this?


Good...bad?..or wast of money?

Solara

iTrader: (17)

Almost everyone here that has the 0.8 system said they are well worth it, better acceleration and somehow better top end (compare to 1.0 system)....I tried to order mine, but of course, BACK ORDER....(P.S...FASTHARRY...stop cleaning up all the R40 option parts in this world........ j/k)

X-Garage

Can I use the old spur and pinnion with this new gears?