Radio Control RC

Radio Controlled and Nitro Powered - Saturday Nite at the Races 1/10 Style
Randy Rater

What's all the buzz about 1/10 scale nitro powered,radio controlled cars and trucks?. Well, let me ask you- Are you a dirt track auto racing fan? Do you love the smell of alcohol fuel and burning rubber? What about the sight of mega horsepower propelling a race vehicle, rear tires throwing rooster tails of clay, sideways through a banked turn while the driver counter steers and feathers the throttle to keep the car on the track and ahead of the other competitors? And the sounds! Engines roaring, tires squealing, fans cheering!

Wow! I love Saturday night racing at the small dirt circle tracks that are plentiful in most parts of the country. What does this have to do with nitro (gas) powered RC trucks and cars? Everything! These remote controlled 1/10 scale model trucks and cars are a riot to operate and provide an extremely rich and satisfying hobby experience. They are a lot of fun to just romp around the back yard or driveway, but if you really want to get that 'Saturday night at the races' feeling, build a 1/10 scale dirt oval track and modify your RC trucks and cars for maximum performance and fun.

It's actually quite simple and inexpensive to perform most of the mods that will make your radio control vehicle suitable for this style of racing. If you are like most hobbyists, you look forward to each improvement with a passion. Here is what our small group of RC truck racers have done to make our hobby more enjoyable.

We built a clay surfaced, oval shaped race track measuring approximately 100 feet long and 30 feet wide. These dimensions equate to approximately 1/10^th of a real ½ mile race track. The racing surface is about 8 feet wide on the straightaways and 10 feet wide in the turns. We banked the turns about 20 degrees to simulate one of my favorite tracks. The infield is grass.

All six of the guys in our little club started with a popular brand of RTR (ready to run) nitro powered 2 wheel drive stadium trucks.Click here. They were fun right out of the box, but some modifications made them incredibly competitive and much more fun to operate. The factory supplied tires were the first items we needed to upgrade. There are a bunch of suppliers of aftermarket tires to choose from. We are currently using street tires intended for asphalt or concrete, but they work great on our hard clay surface without chewing it up too badly. Suspension mods involved aluminum bodied shocks to replace the original plastic ones. We installed o-rings on the shock shafts to limit travel and lower the ride height. We have found that springs with a softer rate work well.

For operation on a dirt track, premium engine intake air filtration is critical to engine longevity. Shop around and get yourself a good aftermarket air filter! You will more than likely notice an increase in power with a quality air filter also. An aftermarket exhaust will boost your RC trucks power considerably and sound cool to boot.

Gearing is an area that has generated a lot of discussion amongst the members of our group. Depending upon the other modifications made to the vehicle, and individual driving styles, opinion on the ideal final gear ratio for our trucks varies. Some of the guys like higher gearing for maximum top speed, while others prefer the quicker acceleration made possible with lower gears. We have all added our personal touch to our racers in the form of aluminum upgrade parts such as shock towers, rear bulkheads, spindles, axles, and one guy has even replaced the entire main chassis. Mods to this extent are enjoyable to perform, but are certainly not required to allow you to show up on race day. A wide variety of bodies are out there so you can easily support your favorite make of automobile.

The ready availability of aftermarket performance parts and accessories for 1/10 scale radio control trucks and cars makes this a truly interesting and challenging hobby. I have tried to give you just one idea how you can have a blast and keep yourself off the streets. Now go do it in the dirt!

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