[aah78]

Gluing tyres???

Another introduction to me was how much thought & engineering goes into the tyres (tires) for scaled RCs. There's a whole universe of tyres with different compounds, tread patterns, foam-filled, etc. If you're into racing you can buy slicks, for off-road use, get bead-lock rims with mud-terrain tyres - unlimited choice.

The regular (non bead-locked) tyres are usually glued onto the rims, so they don't come off when you RC is in use.

The mighty little Teton comes with it's own set of mounted wheels. You can buy the entire set [Traxxas Part #7672], just the wheels [Traxxas Part #7671], or just the tires [Traxxas Part #7670] if you want replacement parts. They come in sets of 2, or just buy replacements from another manufacturer.

My tires & wheels are in fairly good condition but over time the glue came loose, and one or the other tyre keeps popping off when we drive the thing around on our little off-road patches.
As I already had everything apart whilst fixing the steering servo, now was a good time to glue them back on.

Traxxas, or many other manufacturer will gladly sell you tire glue [Traxxas Part #6468] but a little bit of browsing forums seems to advise that it's pretty much the same / similar to cyanoacrylate fast-acting adhesives (yes, Wikipedia ), what we commonly refer to as Super Glue / Krazy Glue, etc.

You'll need a 3/32" or 2.5mm hex head bit to remove the screw that holds the wheels to the hubs:


These tyres are malleable, so you can pull them off without a struggle:


Apply a thin layer of cryanoacrylate adhesive () into both inner & outer grooves that hold the tyre. Flatten any blobs with an object that fits in the grooves, e.g. toothpick, matchstick, agarbatti (incense) stick end, etc.
Mount the tyre before the glue dries and wait for a few minutes before it sets:


After fixing the issues, we were elated & went a little bit wild:

https://youtu.be/8vTcryXhCIc

This, & a little jump off a small concrete block unfortunately resulted in a broken suspension arm:



Needless to say, replacement parts are available [Traxxas Part #7630] but the replacement parts are also plastic and as this is now an older model, they're getting difficult to find. So I am looking for some aluminium (sturdier) replacements.
I'll put a write-up when I have them in hand...

[aah78]

Suspension Arms.

As mentioned in my previous post, after getting a little overzealous in our running of the RC with our upgraded servo, we ended up breaking off one of the suspension arms.

Now, I wanted to get aluminium arms but reading a bit into it, I learned that plastic arms provide a bit more flex and are recommended by hobbyists. So decided to stick with plastic.
That's when I came across: RPM R/C Products.

They make tougher high quality injection molded replacement parts at a great price - that's what I was looking for [RPM R/C Products Part #70862].
(They cost a wee bit more than the Traxxas replacement parts but they're heavy duty & seem solid):


Begin disassembling.

Remove the camber & toe links from the wheels. A long-nose pliers will help & you can use a bit of force on them. If you break any you can of-course get replacements [Traxxas Part #7636].
Pull the shock absorber off the lower ball mount. Later on you'll also remove the ball mount & transfer it to the new arms:


Unscrew 6 screws to remove the bumper:


Removing the small screw uncovers a steel pin that holds the arm onto the wheel.
Some times these pins will slide out with little pressure from a paper clip.
Remember to take the ball joints out using a 3/16" or 5mm hex head bit:


Other times the pins are stubborn & you'll need to hammer them out with a nail & hammer:


Disassembled:


Comparison:


Put in your nice new suspension arms.

Just a couple of shots to show how the pins hold the wheel to the arms, & the arms to the chassis:




Putting the bumper back on is not difficult but look out for the 2 tiny parts (they tend to fall out):


All back together:


Just a couple of pictures that I had showing a small disassembled portion of the car:


Now you're ready to go out & break something else!

[aditbelw]

Got a Thunder Tiger S50! It's 1/8 scale 4WD monster truck with 2 auto gears and one of most biggest & powerful 8.6 cc Nitro engines in this scale. Getting spares in India for this is difficult now and they are procured from Ebay.uk

[mail4ajo]

Originally Posted by aditbelw

Got a Thunder Tiger S50! It's 1/8 scale 4WD monster truck with 2 auto gears and one of most biggest & powerful 8.6 cc Nitro engines in this scale. Getting spares in India for this is difficult now and they are procured from Ebay.uk

This was my first RC car. It was a monster. I did quite a bit of work on it. But eventually moved to racing and the MTs are not really designed for that. I have still have some arms in my boxes. The arms will break on impact. Get a set or two. Another issue is the fuel priming bulb. Get rid of it.

Try looking up associated Sledgehammer. Its the same car.

[Enigmatic]

Hi Team, require your help finding a battery for my old RC Car.

I recently found my old toyish RC Car which was lying in the storage room. It is a RadioShack Desperado and it doesn't hold a candle to the amazing stuff on this thread. However, for nostaliga sake, I was trying to get it back to life.

The issue is that it uses a 9.6v ni-mh battery which I am unable to find online. It can also be powered by 8 AA batteries however the same would require a battery holder. The battery holders that I have seen online do not seem to come with the adapter which can fit in the RC Car.

Request your help to guide me where I can find something which would bring it back to life.

Attaching some photos of the RC Car and the original battery and charger for reference.

Best,
Enigmatic

[deathwalkr]

Sorry for bumping an old thread, but my son is at that age now when he no longer plays with his regular trucks and cars and wants a RC one.

Would this be a good choice?
https://www.hobbytoys.co/products/ma...e-blaster-1-16

At least it's a brand i know of. Amazon seems to be littered with chinese knockoffs that would run for 10-15 minutes.

[mail4ajo]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

Sorry for bumping an old thread, but my son is at that age now when he no longer plays with his regular trucks and cars and wants a RC one.

Would this be a good choice?
https://www.hobbytoys.co/products/ma...e-blaster-1-16

At least it's a brand i know of. Amazon seems to be littered with chinese knockoffs that would run for 10-15 minutes.

If you are ok to use and throw, get one from Amazon or Maisto. If want one that he can really grow up with, get a real hobby grade RC car. There are tons in the market at different price points from electric to fuel.

Not sure who deals with rc cars these days in India. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific request. Head over to IRCRA on FB and you can get some current info.

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

If you are ok to use and throw, get one from Amazon or Maisto. If want one that he can really grow up with, get a real hobby grade RC car. There are tons in the market at different price points from electric to fuel.

Not sure who deals with rc cars these days in India. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific request. Head over to IRCRA on FB and you can get some current info.

5 years would be too young for a proper hobby car i suppose. Shall get him a maisto and then if he is properly interested shall invest in a good RC car. How much would they cost anyway?

[mail4ajo]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

5 years would be too young for a proper hobby car i suppose. Shall get him a maisto and then if he is properly interested shall invest in a good RC car. How much would they cost anyway?

5yrs is not young to start. My son started at 3 with an 1/18 electric truck. As he progressed, I increased the throttle response, battery power.
Traxxas is a great brand for beginners and kids can grow up with it. Lot of other brands are available via Horizon Hobby at diff price points and skill level.

Yes it is expensive relative to a toy grade but offers a great experience and you can literally rebuild any damages. Its not like a bat/ball you throw in the corner after play. Big difference between toy and engaging hobby.

[clevermax]

Hello RC experts! I have one question regarding LiPo battery charger.

I am starting to build an RC car. It is the Traxxas 58014-4 model. I have all the parts as a kit from the US, except the battery and the charger.

Orange 4200mah 2S 35C/70C (7.4V) Lithium Polymer Battery Pack - I am considering this as the battery model I should use. Traxxas recommends a 5800mAh 25C LiPo battery as one option, so I guess this 35C battery would be more than sufficient to provide the required continuous current under high-speed runs. Battery capacity being a bit low is okay for me.

Now I need to find a charger for this. I did a quick search on robu website but then I thought I would post my query here to get an expert opinion.

Can anyone guide me, please? I am on a budget (I can compromise on charging time).

[mail4ajo]

Originally Posted by clevermax

Now I need to find a charger for this. I did a quick search on robu website but then I thought I would post my query here to get an expert opinion.

Can anyone guide me, please? I am on a budget (I can compromise on
charging time).

Chargers come in all size & wattages. How many batteries will you be charging at a time? That single 4200mah lipo will offer low running time, maybe 20-25mins depending on your throttle finger and ESC setting. My recommendation is two Lipo 35-70C 5000mah batteries for general bashing. Now racing is a different ballgame.

I recommend a multi chemistry dual charger with at least 50W output per channel. Usual charge rate on safe side is 1C ie 5amps if you battery is 5000mah. Today Lipos can safely charge 2C or more depending on cell quality.

50W per channel for a 7.4v lipo will get you roughly 6A max charge rate. That should be enough for your needs. Happy to help with further questions

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

I recommend a multi chemistry dual charger with at least 50W output per channel.

Thank you for your input!

I have ordered this charger:
https://robu.in/product/skyrc-imax-b...dapter-accopy/



Regarding batteries, I get your point. Running time will be low. I think I will start slow and then gear up for more speed and range, as this is my very first RC project.

Waiting to kick off the assembly this weekend. I will involve my 13-year-old daughter in this project, and hence it may go a bit slow, as we go through a session on 'why' each component or module is required in a car, and then assemble it. Yesterday was the differential day

[mail4ajo]

Originally Posted by clevermax

Thank you for your input!

I have ordered this charger:
https://robu.in/product/skyrc-imax-b...dapter-accopy/

Attachment 2321254

Regarding batteries, I get your point. Running time will be low. I think I will start slow and then gear up for more speed and range, as this is my very first RC project.

Waiting to kick off the assembly this weekend. I will involve my 13-year-old daughter in this project, and hence it may go a bit slow, as we go through a session on 'why' each component or module is required in a car, and then assemble it. Yesterday was the differential day

Attachment 2321263

Imax B6 is a good starter charger. This should serve your immediate needs of getting the car up and running. However its limited by the included power supply. It will not allow the charger to output its full 80W capacity. You can get a higher power PS. I used a different version of this as a receiver/radio pack charger.

As your needs grow and you get into higher capacity lipos, consider a better charger and you can keep this as backup. Discharging and maintaining lipos is as important as charging. So keep your lipos at storage voltage when not in use. All chargers have storage mode. But its too slow for my multiple high capacity lipos after race day. So I use a dedicated fast discharger and then balance cells to 3.8v/cell.

I currently use this:
https://www.skyrc.com/Charger/D400_Charger

The Hitec branded version of this is my backup:
https://www.skyrc.com/Charger/Q200_Charger

My discharger:
https://www.skyrc.com/bd250

All the best with the Slash build. Its a great kit and easy to build/setup. Your daughter will love it and will help to introduce the fun of building stuff and problem solving. Next step is racing it!!!

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

Imax B6 is a good starter charger. You can get a higher power PS.
Your daughter will love it and will help to introduce the fun of building stuff and problem solving. Next step is racing it!!!

Thanks for the inputs. Higher Power PS is definitely a plan.

We started building it yesterday. Completed shocks, differential, transmission, slipper clutch, and rear module. The front module is in progress. She has taken over the build entirely and I demoted myself as the supplier of muscle power & ideas where it is required

[clevermax]

Almost completed the build today. The clear-body painting is pending, and I am also waiting for an XT60 connector pair from Amazon to change over from that Traxxas Proprietary connector on the ESC.



We tested out the car today, and it was awesome! I didn't expect this much speed, it was too fast for our residential street. I know this is not particularly a very fast model. I had tried out a Traxxas Max at my friend's house in the US two weeks ago and it was way faster (~60mph).