FrostyDude

Would the excitement and realism of racing benefit from a real (mechanical) brake?

I would think something like what is used on nitro cars, although I am open to ideas. In real racing (full sized) cars you drive as deep as possible into a corner, then stand on the brakes. Think how much more exciting racing would be with the excitement of late braking and trying not to lock up the brakes.

Has anybody tried this on an electric car? I realize it would not comply with IFMAR/ROAR/whatever rules.

ThePanda

iTrader: (68)

whats the point? the motor gives you essentially the same thing, and is more consistent when set up correctly. the only reason i see this as a benefit is that it would remove some of the strain from the motor and be able to change brake bias.

FrostyDude

You can't be serious. The motor barely slows you down compared to a mechanical brake. Have you done or even seen any full sized racing???

It's all about the braking. Whoever can brake deeper and later is going to be able to pass into the corner.

dragonracing

iTrader: (7)

it would be nice to have front brakes on my f1 car. might make it brake better and not step out going into corners. then i could have more braking. instead of the miniscule amount of brakes i have now.

andrewdoherty

iTrader: (49)

I can set the brakes on my sedan to lock up on carpet and asphalt. I don't see an advantage.

FrostyDude

You don't think that the braking from the motor lacks the feel and modulation of a mechanical brake? I think the braking from the motor feels more like an on/off switch than a real brake.

dragonracing

iTrader: (7)

i would agree. the motor does feel like an on/off switch. i had a 1/5 car for a while and i really liked the mechanical brakes it had. the felt linear unlike electric motor braking. much more smooth than electric.

FrostyDude

By the way, I have spent most of my time racing electric, and it is what I prefer. However, the thing I miss about racing nitro is the brakes. Much heavier nitro cars are able to stop better than electrics because they have real brakes.

FrostyDude

Exactly, you have way more control with mechanical brakes.

vabroom

Then it's settle! Now all you have to do is figure out where to put the brake servo and where mount the brake discs. If you have a mill and a lathe it should be easy for you.

I forgot which manufacturer made a mechanical brake for 1/8 ebuggy. Some like it but it didn't catch on.

IndyRC_Racer

iTrader: (9)

Why not integrate a mechanical brake into the motor itself?

frozenpod

iTrader: (1)

Loved the brakes of a nitro TC.

My current ESC the delay time for braking is inconsistent which makes the car hard to drive, I now use a little drag brake to help. My previous ESC the brake delay was consistent but slightly longer and a lot easier to drive.

I think the ESC brakes are the only lacking area of the current technology.

I would hope this could be fixed with better software.

Due to the corner speed a lot of tracks require very little braking.

More power, lower corner speed equals more brakes.

asc6000

iTrader: (15)

Nitro cars do not have "real" brakes. "Real" brakes imo would be one on each wheel. The only advantage that nitro 4wd cars have is it brakes the front drivetrain as well as the rear. They do make brakes that go on each wheel and they work just like real brakes.

FrostyDude

I completely agree with you. However I think it would be tough to implement 4 little brake discs with four tiny calipers to go on the wheels.

FrostyDude

I have actually been thinking about taking something like a Nitro TC3 or a Nitro RS4 and replacing the engine with a brushless motor. Then use a 3 or 4 channel radio and use the radio to mix the channels of the speed control and brake servo.

I am going to have to do some research about that brake for 1/8 scale electric buggies that you mentioned.