Posts Tagged ‘autos and trucks’
Tips For Racing Radio Controlled Cars
Racing is the most exciting part of owning a radio controlled car for most RC car enthusiasts. There are millions of RC car racing enthusiasts, so it is normal that a number of different types of racing have developed, but the two main variances are on-road and off-road racing.
Whichever aspect of RC car racing interests you the most, there are several items that everyone has to do to get ready for a race. The rest of this article will discuss some facets of racing your radio controlled car.
We will assume that you already have the best model car that you can afford, so the first thing to do when preparing for a race is choose the tyres to match the conditions, exactly as they would in a full-size car race.
The tyres employed for on and off road racing are different and the tyres used for a dry or a wet road are not the same too, so you will need at least two sets of tyres and you will have to practice changing them quickly at pit stops.
Most serious on-road RC car racing is done with models of real cars like Lamborghinis, Porches, Ferraris and Aston Martins leading the way. Others like to use Formula One style cars. Off-road scrambling is normally done with trucks, heavier models that can get a better grip on the landscape.
So, the faster, lighter cars are built for speed and need a smoother surface to run on. The surfaces used vary from a length of regular concrete or tarmac road that has been closed off for the day to a purpose built racing circuit of concrete or tarmac. Off-road vehicles are raced or scrambled anywhere, the rougher the better.
These conditions also have an effect on the scale to a certain extent. Racing RC cars tend to be the smaller 1/10 th scale, whereas off-road trucks tend to be built to the slightly larger 1/8 th scale, because they need the weight for increased traction.
However, contemporary developments have seen the increase in popularity of monster 1/5 th scale tucks and cars with real miniature petrol engines in them.
Standard two-wheel drive is sufficient for racing, although some racers do prefer four-wheel disk. However, four-wheel drive is more or less indispensable for all terrain racing. It is also better in wet and icy conditions, exactly like the real thing.
Fuel is an important consideration. Most speed racing cars run on nitro. It burns very fast and produces high acceleration, but you have to stop and refill frequently in a long race. Some racers prefer petrol, particularly in the larger, off-road trucks.
Petrol is not so ‘violent’ as nitro and it goes further. This means fewer pit stops. It also causes less wear and tear on the engine. Petrol engines do not break down as often as nitro engines. The parts are sturdier as well.
Maintenance is a big aspect of RC car racing, but it is more important the smaller your car is and nitro engines require the most maintenance of all. This is not difficult for many enthusiasts, in fact, they like taking their car apart and rebuilding it, but you might not. Maintenance is a factor to bear in mind when choosing an RC racing car.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with gas remote control cars. If you have an interest in model or toy rc vehicles, please go over to our website now at 1/5 Scale RC Cars
Remote Controlled Cars – A Great Hobby
If someone likes radio controlled hobbies, they almost certainly started with a car. This is because, unlike a boat or a plane, vehicles will not usually be completely destroyed if the operator makes a big mistake or the engine fails. It is fairly straightforward to construct a basic radio controlled car, but as you are doing it, you will realize that there is a vast amount to be learned.
As you gain this knowledge, you can utilize advanced techniques to construct autos that are tougher, faster and more efficient than your previous efforts. You can either piece one together in a few days, or you can spend months creating an astonishing car which has superb speed and handling.
If you are just starting out with remote controlled hobbies, it is probably sensible to purchase a pre-made, RTR (ready-to-run) radio controlled vehicle. It is possible to buy these in toy or modeling stores just about anywhere. They may be sluggish and clumsy and they may not satisfy your technological desires, but they are still a good place to begin. Play with it for a few days, and then dismantle it. Look at the way the motors are connected to the wheels, and look at the overall architecture of the auto.
After you have understood it all, you will have much better idea when you begin to build your own. You may even be able to use a few parts, such as the body of the vehicle or the radio control apparatus. The motors will almost certainly not be as powerful as you will desire.
Once you have gained this indispensable basic understanding of the way that radio controlled vehicles work, you can start with whatever your next undertaking is going to be. The ambition for most people is to build a model car from wood or plastic, install the electrical components, paint it, affix decals, and get it looking as good and running as well as possible. Others may want to construct an extremely fast remote controlled vehicle in order to show off to associates. But no matter what you want to do, you will only be able to achieve it, if you take it one small step at a time and become skilled at everything there is to know about remote controlled pastimes.
However, there are many different resources that can assist you become an authority in remote controlled hobbies. You will almost certainly spend a great deal of time researching all the different data that you require. You can find information and even tutorials on the Internet. For more specific questions, you could always go to community groups and forums. This is where people from all over the world meet together on the Internet to discuss their hobby, support each other, and show off about their latest accomplishments. These groups welcome newcomers, especially if you are polite when asking your question.
Radio controlled cars can also go in for competitions. If you want to put your auto up against those of other enthusiasts, there are different races and shows around the world. A quick Internet search will show where next event is. You could make a weekend trip out of it and it will be worth it to be around others who are as obsessive as you about what you are doing. These meetings may include races, or they may just be a get-together to share tips and tricks with other remote enthusiasts. You will be surprised at the quantity of information that you can acquire from the people who go to these dos.
It may be daunting at first to start a new hobby, since there is probably heaps of stuff that you probably know nothing about. However, the best thing to do is just get started with the fundamentals and learn gradually.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with gas remote control cars. If you have an interest in model or toy rc vehicles, please go over to our website now at 1/5 Scale RC Cars
Model RC Sports Cars
Do your interests in model remote control cars lie in high speed, rapid acceleration and magnificence of form? If this is exactly what you are looking for in a model vehicle, then a model sports car is almost certainly what you are looking for. Authentic size sports cars are a $4.5 billion industry with about 55,000 units being sold every year.
Sports cars and their model counterparts are manufactured as high performance machines, which means that they can be driven in ways that normal assembly line cars can not. For example, in the case of a real sports car, it frequently takes no more than five seconds to go from 0 to 100 mph. Likewise in a model high performance gas replica, it often takes no more than two seconds to reach 60 mph from a dead start.
Because it is more difficult to maneuver a speeding vehicle, sports cars and model sports cars are especially designed to handle best at high speeds. In fact, the word “sporty” was invented to refer to a sleek but robust design that exudes power. It was later personified to refer to the person behind the wheel or in the modelling world, the person at the remote controls.
The following is a basic glossary of sports car terminology and a basic list of sports car manufacturers (many of which have their counterpart cars in the world of model gas remote control cars).
- FF ? front engine, front wheel drive. The FF design has a moderate capability for high speed handling and is seen in some models such as the Fiat Coup?, and the Lotus Elan M100.
- FR – front engine, rear wheel drive Considered the ?classic? sports car layout, the engine drives the rear wheels but keeps the weight off the back. The FR is good at drifting corners while still maintaining control. Mercedes-Benz is recognized for using this design for its models.
- RR – rear engine, rear wheel drive With the engine at the back powering the rear wheels, weight placement on a RR design provides outstanding traction for a car. However, without auxiliary driving aids like stability control, handling becomes difficult. These days, the only maker who keeps the RR layout for its cars is Porche.
AWD ? all wheel drive An AWD design offers the easiest handling, making it ideal for those who are just starting to race sports cars. Audi began the widespread use of this technique with the Quattro. Japanese manufacturers like Mitsubishi used this layout to enhance handling, making it an excellent rally car.
Because of more stringent restrictions in the United States, sports car manufacturers are more prevalent in Europe than in America. Nevertheless, American brands are in equal competition with their European and Asian competitors. Some recognized makers and models are:
Alfa Romeo; Alpine; Aston Martin; Austin-Healey; BMW; Bugatti; Caterham; Davrian; De Lorean; Ferrari; Fisker; Jaguar; Koenigsegg; Lamborghini; Lotus; McLaren; Maserati; MG; Morgan; Panoz; Porsche; Triumph; TVR; Vector.
If this piece has whetted your appetite for a sports car, go out and purchase one now, if you are well-off. If not, why not do the next best thing and get yourself a 1:8 or even a 1:5 gas-powered, remote-controlled sports car?
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with the petrol remote control car. If you have an interest in model or toy rc vehicles, please go over to our website now at 1/5 Scale RC Cars
categories: cars,rc,radio,kids and teens,remote control,entertainment,sport,models,toys,vehicles,autos and trucks,product reviews,outdoor,other
Remote Controlled Models – The Helicopter
If you like remote controlled models and have plenty of space, then you might want to think about buying one of the new big remote control helicopters that have recently been introduced by several makes. These helicopters, which can occasionally be as large as ten feet long, rival real helicopters in dexterity. They are expensive and can set you back three thousand dollars or more.
As with many fads, some people just have to possess one of their own. So, the next time you are walking in the park and you see a helicopter flying around, look again closely. At first you will probably think that it is a real helicopter that is just further away then you first thought. But look again and you will almost certainly see someone controlling the helicopter with a huge remote control unit.
If you see one of these remote controlled helicopters in flight, deem yourself very fortunate. Because it is so expensive to own one of these beautiful models, they are also still pretty rare. However, because I am an ardent collector myself, I have considered buying one of these big remote control helicopters, and I even put a bid on one in Ebay once, but in the end I did not get it and instead decided to wait until the price comes down a bit more.
Just as with any new, trendy item, big remote control helicopters are the latest fad, but in a few years, I am sure there will be a better supply and the price will drop. Then I will be ready and waiting to buy. But until then, I have a very bighearted and rich friend who owns one, and I will rehearse flying his. I have already taken it out once – it is so much more powerful than the typical, small remote control helicopters that you are most likely used to. When you first turn it on, the big remote control helicopter?s blades spin with such ferocity, that you may worry that you are going to break something. and then, when it lifts off the ground, you will experience a huge sense of accomplishment, knowing that you are the one who is controlling it.
And if you are able to make a successful, smooth landing as well, then you can truly call yourself a helicopter pilot, because even those very experienced with small remote control helicopters will be impressed to see someone land a big remote control helicopter, because it really is completely different. So if you happen to be lucky, well-off, or just single-minded enough to purchase one of your own, take pleasure in your time with your giant helicopter.
I guarantee you that it will be one of the most exciting experiences of your life. For me, the entire process was unreal, and when it was all over, I had to call everyone I knew and tell them how I had flown a 10 foot helicopter and landed it smoothly. I bet that?s how pilots feel the first time they fly a real aircraft.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with remote controlled trucks. If you have an interest in model or toy rc vehicles, please go over to our website now at 1/5 Scale RC Cars
categories: rc,radio,kids and teens,family,entertainment,sport,models,toys,vehicles,autos and trucks,product reviews,outdoor,other
Reviews About RC Cars
I have read tons of reviews about remote control cars, because I am a subscriber to a remote control car aficionados’ magazine that carries articles about all the different sorts of remote control gas cars on the market. It also recommends the best one to buy depending on whether you are a first time owner or an RC old hand. The magazine is great, and it helps me understand what other RC car owners feel about the different models and brands of RC cars and trucks.
I have to say that people’s opinions vary quite widely on every subject, which is why it’s perhaps always better to do your own research and get what best suits you, rather than getting what other people say will suit you, when they do not even know you. Having said that, many first time buyers do not really know what they are looking for, and it is really these people that these reviews are written for.
However, these reviews are not meant to be taken too literally, rather they are intended as a guideline so that prospective greenhorn buyers have to think about the aspects of buying a remote control gas car or truck. It also gives experts a run down of the salient facts. Then you need to make up your own mind whether you care, for instance, whether the car’s engine runs on gas or nitro.
All in all, I like this magazine because it takes into account people from all walks of life, and its writers and editor appreciate that even if you are interested in purchasing a gas remote control car, you may not have enough money or you might be reading just out of interest in RC cars or trucks.
We all realize that money is difficult to come by these days, and purchasers are becoming more and more well-informed about the goods they want, which is a good thing in my view. After all, there are other merchants who just desire to get the most money they can for their products and mark up their RC model car prices to excessive amounts in the hope that they will get a couple of stupid customers that did not do their research.
And I am sure that they probably do get a few customers like that, because they do stay in business one way or another and I regularly hear horror stories about individuals who have paid far too much for their RC gas car or truck.
When you ask them why they did not take the trouble to read the reports in a magazine, they usually say that they did not know about the magazines, or even worse, that they did not have sufficient time. Therefore it seems that they had sufficient time to work like a dog for the money, but then not enough time to read a short magazine review? I doubt it very much. With a bit of luck, consumers will carry on becoming more and more vigilant about their purchases.
It is such a pity, so, If you happen to be a new RC car fan, or you know someone who is, please make sure you read the remote control car and truck reviews before making a purchase. It can literally save you hundreds of your hard earned dollars.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with the remote control-gas-car. If you have an interest in model or toy rc vehicles, please go over to our website now at 1/5 Scale RC Cars
categories: reviews,rc,radio,kids and teens,remote cotrol,entertainment,sport,models,toys,vehicles,autos and trucks,product reviews,outdoor,other