Performance Tips  

1.Anti Fuel Bubble

Engine vibrations can cause fuel in the fuel tank to bubble easily, causing air bubbles to form inside the fuel line to the engine. This can make the engine stall from lack of fuel. Loosening the screws that hold on the tank can keep the vibrations down. You can also use old o-rings between    the screw and tank to help further cushion any vibrations. 

2.Degrease Your Bearings

When buying a new set of bearings, most come with grease all over. The grease is there to prevent rust and for long wear. But too much grease will create extra drag. So simply take a degreaser liquid and spray it on to remove the extra grease. Common decreaser include mineral spirites. 

3.Graphite Suspension Liquid

Want your suspension to work a little bit smoother? Who doesn't? The next time you build or rebuild your vehicle's suspension, pick up some powdered graphite dry lube from your local hobby shop. It's used for many things including pine wood derby cars. Put a small amount of dry lube between your hinge pins and the parts they are going through. You can also put a small amount inside your ball cups before you snap them in place. Unlike oil or grease, the dry graphite doesn't attract dirt or dust and will keep your suspension working smoothly. Graphite lube is available through Pinecar and is called Hob-E-Lube (P358). If your local hobby shop doesn't carry it, ask them to order it for you. If you can't find powdered graphite in your area, you can also try using baby powder. 

4.Lower Body Ground Clearance

This process is known as "Slaming" the body. By lowerering your body, wind drag will be reduced to a minimum and provides a lower CG (Central Gravity) which will result in more speed and less chance of fliping your car. 

5.Polish Those Bushings

No matter if it's a stock motor or bronze axle bushings, they need to be polished to get the best performance. Just stop by your favorite automotive store and pick up some "Mother's" aluminum polish paste. Just force some into the bushing and run the motor or axle slowly for about 5 minutes. The polish will turn black while it's doing it's job and may need to be replenished once or twice. Make sure you really clean out and oil the bushings before you race. 

6.Work Those Shocks

Before a race, it's important to pump your vehicle's shocks. This will help to release any air that may be in the shocks. If you listen closely when you do this, you can hear the shock oil smooth out as you pump the shocks. You will notice that your vehicle's suspension is more consistent through the first few laps of the race. 

Body Tips 

1.Color Laying

When painting with multiple colors, always start with the darkest color you have, then remove the tapes, then move on to a lighter color. Sure, you've heard this before, but do you know why it works? The trick is when the guys who makes spray paint made colors, they made it such that darker colors are more opaque then others. Dark colors are made more opaque then lighter colors (Think of Coffee vs lemond tea). There for the light coats on your body is almost see
through. So when you put black on top of it, the black could be seen because the lighter color is see through. 

2.Make Lots of Holes!

When the motor of your RC overheats, performance is decreased by a noticeable factor. Make air intake holes close to the motor and allow a natural air flow to cool off the motor. Becarefull not to cut too much, or else you may damage the overall structure of the body. 

3.Making Body Post Holes On Painted Body's

When mounting a painted body, put grease on the tips of the body posts and set the body on. Lift the body up and the grease will mark the spot where the holes should be drilled. If you mess up the first time you put it on, always clean the old marks off before doing it again. This way you won't get missed up from the new marks and the old bad marks. 

4.Making Paint Stick

Before spraying your body, use a very fine steel wool, give the inside of the body a going over. This will slightly rough up the surface, without making big scratches, letting the paint bond better.

5.Masking Tape Designs!

In order to cut different designs and patterns out of masking tape or masking material, you can use pinking shears (which are normally used for cutting fabric). The shears are available in different cut patterns like jagged edges, waves, etc. The designs can be used to quickly and easily customize any paint job. Use a high-quality masking tape or masking material for the best results. 

6.Paint Mixing

When you are trying to mix paint in a bottle, add a little pebble (piece of rock) before shaking it.
This works just like the marble inside a conventional spray paint can to better mix the paints. And
believe me, the difference is very dramatic! 

7.Pre Heat

Just before you start painting your awesome body, pre heat it with a hair dryer. This process will
prevent the paint from bubbling up like drops of water. 

8.Protection

Sick of getting a great body and a great paint job and then chipping it up on an asphalt track?
Try going to your local hardware store and picking up some silicone. This is great for preventing
splits and cracks in your body! Just squeeze it out around the inside of your body and you will
never worry again! 

9.Protection Against Body Post

For a body cushion, try cutting a piece of fuel line and stick your body posts through the fuel line.
This will prevent the body from getting scratched by the bottom part of the body post. The
cushion also acts as a damper from a car roll, almost like oiled shocks as body posts. Note
however over time the cushions will wear down due to friction from the body. Also, make sure the
fuel line is big enough that it will not actually go through the holes on the body.

10.Round Corners

When cutting your body with what ever tool you have, never ever cut sharp corners. Cutting
sharp corners increases the chance of ripping the body upon any impact. Always make all your
cuts smooth with no sharp corners at all. Always round your corners, especially for your window
cut outs (holes for ventilation) and wheel wells (the 4 holes for your wheels) those places is
where the fragile body will place its stress on during an impact due to its nature of design.

11.Shaving It Close--N E W ! !--

Here's a tip when cutting lexan. Cut about 1/8 inch from the actual line where you want the final
edge, then use a dremel with a sanding drum on it and sand your way to the edge! 

12.Wing Reinforcement

I've seen it too many times at races where the wing of a car get busted off thier mount after being
hit etc. Later I found out the screw that attached it to the body was riped thru the body itself. My
solution to this is to add washers on both the wing and the body and check to see if they are lose
after every race because those spots are barely visible but the effect is FATAL! Diagram 
Maintenance Tips 

13.Belt Tensions Without a Belt Tensioner

Front belt tension and side belt tension were an interesting problem to deal with on the 99’
Vector. While in Florida this year one thing that Brian Bodine pointed out to me was that my front
belt tension was too loose. His suggestion for repairing it was to take a business card and with a
straight edge and an exacto knife cut about a 1/16th strip off of the long edge. Loosen the 4
screws holding the mid shaft block in place and then slip the business card strip into and under
the front of the block. Then tighten them down evenly. This will tighten up the front belt and give
some slack to the side belt. Fixed !! 

14.Gear Diff Cleaning

The next time you rebuild your diff and you've removed the old diff balls, spray some plastic-safe
motor cleaner on the diff gear to clean it off. After that, use a pipe cleaner and run it through the
diff ball holes. Inspect each hole to make sure that you've cleaned them thoroughly before you
begin to install the new balls. This will ensure that you've gotten all the dirt and grime out of the
diff ball holes. 

15.Hidden Heat sink Dirt

A clean engine will run at a lower temperature thant one that's varnished with fuel residue. These
residues are usually hidden between the fins of your engine heat sink. Use a pipe cleaner to
remove any of those hidden dirt and fuel stuck to the fins. 

16.Increase Tire Life Span

If your R/C car has four identical tires, you can maximize their life by rotating them as you would
on a real car. It will take only a minute or two, but they'll last weeks longer. Start your first rotation
by swapping the forward and back wheels. Next time you rotate, swap the front left wheel with the
right front wheel and the left back wheel with the right back wheel. Repeat this process every 5
batteries used. Beware, you cannot do the left and right swap if your tires are threaded and are
they directional. 

17.Pinion Gear Replacement Time

After running your RC for a while, you will notice your vechile makes weird noise. These noises could come from many places, one of which could be caused by the wearing out of your pinion gear. The pinion gear is the gear attached to your motor. The gear on the left is the one which has been weared out, the teeth on it looks like shark teeths. The gear next to it is a health pinion gear. Pinion gears is the easiest to wear out because it spins at the highest RPM of all gears which means it is subject to friction with other larger gears most often. 

18.Removing Glued Tires From Rims

Never ever rip off the tires from the rims if they are glued together. This will leave little bits of rubber on the rims making the rims unuseable. Always remove the tires by boiling the entire wheel in hot water. Boiling water will not be hot enough to melt either the rubber or the rim but it will be hot enough to disable most of the glue. 

19.Removing Servo Tape

Don't get sore thumbs from trying to remove old servo tape by rubbing it off, or make a huge gooey mess by using motor cleaner. Instead, grab a heat gun or hair dryer and heat up the servo tape. Remove the servo, ESC, or receiver. Apply the heat to the tape residue. Be careful not to melt anything. Once the tape has softened, it should come off easily. 

20.Repairing Body Damage

Strong lexan repairs can be made with a hot glue gun. Use strapping tape to hold a tear in place while running a bead of hot glue along the inside of the tear. Reinforcement ribs can be applied along the inside the front bumper for extra strength. 

21.Shock oil leakage

Many plastic and aluminum shock bodies and caps leak over time. This could be due to tighting those caps far too much. To fix this problem, purchase some Teflon tape at your local hardware store. Simply wrap the teflon tape around the threads where necessary. When applying the tape, make sure the end of the tap points towards the direction in which you would turn to unscrew the cap. 

22.Storing your Car

If you are going to put your car away for long periods of time, be sure to put it on some sort of stand or take off all four wheels of the car. If you don't, the tires is very likely to deform under pressure. The tires does not deform when running on the ground because the pressure is supported evenly during the wheel's rotations. 

23.Stripped screws

In most cases, if you strip a screw, you can use a machine screw with a lock nut on the other side. If it is a blind hole, put a little Expando on the screw first. You can get this at any Home Depot or plumbing supply house. When it dries it expands to tighten the joint! 

24.Suspension Parts WEARS OUT FAST

It seems a lot of people don't know it, but front suspension springs and T-plates wear out. If you run a pan car, be sure to check your front suspension springs every couple weeks. You'll find that they become "collapsed" after a dozen runs or so. T-plates should also be changed after 25 runs. 

Assembly Tips 

1.Assembling Battery Packs

The best way I have found to assemble battery packs and still make them easy to take apart is with Shoe-Goo. It holds them together securely but can still be disassembled without damage. Shoe-Goo can be found at most department stores. 

2.Gluing 

When gluing tires to the rim, instead of running a bead of glue all around the tire, put one drop every 90 degrees on both sides..this holds the tire great and makes changing them simple! No more sore thumbs! 

3.Installing Receiver Antenna 

If you are having a very hard time sticking those thin antenna wires in those tiny tubes, then you need to add some suspension oil. Just rub the liquid on the actual wire all the way up, then stick it in the tube. Warning, suspension liquids become sticky when dry, there for wash the tube and the wire before reinstalling. 

4.Installing Tires (the easy way)

Have you ever bought a new kit that used three-piece wheels? Remember what a hassle it was to get the tires on those wheels? Any one who has had to perform this task knows it can be tough. To make your life easier try assembling those wheels and tires over a sink or bucket of soapy water. That's right, just as if you were about to do the dishes. Rinse the tires and wheels in the soapy water and assemble them just like the instructions tell you. The soap acts as a lubricant and dries easily without leaving a residue or mess. 

5.Pinion to Spur gear distance

To determine the right pressure between the spur gear and pinion gear, take a piece of paper and run it between where the two gears meet. The paper should almost be cut through. If the paper is cut through the mesh is to tight. If it is hardly dented the mesh is to loose. 
 

6.Preventing Cracks in Fibre Glass or Graphite

To prevent the edges of a fiberglass or graphite from cracking, apply a bead of glue around the edge. Use a thin cyanoacrolate (superglue) glue. Apply a small amount to the edge and let it flow along the outer surface of it. Continue until the entire outside edges is shiny from the glue. Allow the glue to dry before reinstalling your fibre glass or graphite. 

7.Rusty Screw

To prevent rusty screws paint them with a clear coloured enamel paint such as Humbrol super enamel no.52 which is a light clear blue. It also gives the screw an anodised effect. 

8.Shock Oil bubble terminator

The odd sound you hear when pressing up and down on your shocks is usually caused by not enough or bubbled shock oil. To prevent or fix this problem, fill your shocks to the top with the piston all the way at the bottom. Then slowly move this piston up and down about 4 times. By the end you will find that the shock oil is not filled to the top anymore. Now just add addition shock oil and close the cap. Ah, the sweet sound of silence. Diagram 

9.Sticky Screws 1

From time to time, every R/Cer has to install a screw that must be inserted horizontally or straight down. In these situations, more often than not, the place where the screw must go is in a nearly inaccessible spot. You can't even hold the screw in place with tweezers or pliers while trying to screw in the screw. To hold the screws on the screwdriver or hex-head wrench tip, apply a little diff grease, or any grease that is thick and sticky, to the end of the tool. Place the screw on the tool and carefully insert the tool and the screw into that hard-to-reach spot. 

10.Sticky Screws 2

Believe it or not, you can actually magnetize a screw driver! .This can be done by rubbing a piece of magnate on along your screw driver. However make sure you rube it in only one direction, either from tip to handle, or the other way around. And be careful not to place the magnate near electrical equipment! The effect of magnetism will last for
about 24 hours.

11.Sticky Screws 3 

1) Obtain about 2 feet of electrical wire (12 gauge or thicker will do);

2) Wrap wire around metal end of tool in a spiraling fashion leaving approximately 6 inches at
either end dangling; 3) On a 12v battery, ground one end to the negative end, then quickly strike
the other end onto the positive post. Repeat procedure approximately two to four times. That's it.
The action creates a magnetic field that magnetizes the metal in the tool and will last
literally...forever! Diagram 

12.Suspension Shaft Installation 

You've seen different methods of holding shock shafts while attaching rod ends. We've got a
great method for you that's better than any you've ever seen. Place a small piece (about half an
inch is all you need) of silicone fuel tubing over both noses of your needle-nose pliers. Once the
tubing is in place, use the pliers to hold the shock shaft firmly while screwing on the rod end. 
Saving Money 

13.Buy at where its made

This is a given, but I'm going to remind you anyway. Always attempt to buy ANY product at the
place where its made. This cuts down shiping cost and Tax if you live in a city where Tax applies.
A great real life example would be a Tamiya 1400 SC battery stick for electric cars. This product
is made in Japan and can be purchased in Canada for $30 + 15% Tax. The same product can
be purchased in HongKong (a city near Japan) for as low as $10 with out tax. Get the point? 

14.Buy in Bulk

Two items that you can buy in bulk and save just tons of money are "Litespeed" type battery
connectors and 1/8" diff balls. A call to a industrial electrical supply house should net you the
battery connectors and the diff balls can be found at ball bearing suppliers. How much will you
save? Connectors will cost about $.75 each and diff balls about $8.00 per 1000. 'Nuf said? 

15.Home made Body Clip Holder 

After cutting short a body post, use the cut off portion to hold extra body clips. 

16.Home made Body Post 

Take those thick coat hangers not the wire one's and cut them into medium sized pieces then
drill holes in the hanger so you can place your clips in. 

17.Home made receiver cover

If you get a new motor that comes in a plastic case, cut the "dome" shaped case and tape it over
your receiver (receiver sizes may vary). Then cut a (small) hole for the wires. It makes a perfect
"free" cover for your dirty little demon. 

18.Pull Start String Alternative

Instead of buying the over priced small bag of pull string from your local hobby store. Go to your
local outdoor supply and get yourself a spool of 100 - 150 Lb fishing line. It will last much longer
and It costs allot less! 
Battery Specialist 

19.Battery Peak Charge (partial)

Many charger offers two or more speed of charging. Slow charge and fast charge. A better
(burst) of performance can be obtained by charging the battery at slow charge then peaking the
speed to the highest towards the end. I recommand peaking it at around 75% full. 
Note: Fast charging with any charger and battery WILL shorten the life of the batteries an
considerable amount. 

20.Over Discharging

Never leave your batteries on your discharger or connected to discharge lights too long.
Extended discharge, or discharge below a safe voltage cut-off, can seriously damage your
batteries. Yet many of us, whether we're playing around in front of the house, or out at the track
practicing, will run our cars down until they can barely move. This is just as bad for your
batteries, if not worse than leaving those batteries on your discharger. Once you see that your
car has slowed down quite a bit, pull it over. For those people who like to use light bulb
dischargers, be sure to unplug it as soon as the lights dim sharply. 

21.Reconfigure those packs

If you are using pre-assembled battery packs, you should change the way they are assembled.
The wrap around the batteries increases the temperature. The tabs that connect each battery
are not very good either. Re-assemble the pack in a side-by-side configuration with battery bars.
You will notice a difference in battery temperature and overall performance. 

22.Stroke Engine Tips 

1.Easy Start Up Method

For some strange reason, engines tend to start better when they are nice and warm. This affect I
cannot explain but the right temperature can be achieved by using a hair dryer. Just simply blow
your hair dryer on the engine for a minute or two. Then your engine should start like a McLaren
F1. 

23. Car Insurance 

1.Heat Sink Protection 

In the event that the car flips over, and the body detaches as well, the top of the heat sink head
will be scratched. to solve this, simply tie a zip tie around the tip fin, with the locking square part
on top. Now if you flip over and lose your body, the zip tie will scrape the ground and not the
head! 
CAUTION: Certain types of Zip tie may melt 

2.Boiling Plastics Explained

Have you ever heard that boiling plastic parts makes them stronger and less likely to break? Well
now you have. The legend is that if you boil any parts made with plastics, they increase in
strength. Well, legend is wrong. Boiling plastics does not increase the strength of your parts, the
process makes it more flexible and softer by introducing moisture back into the plastics. This
means instead of cracking in 2 pieces, the plastic bends and give slack on impact. 
Note: 10 Minutes in boiling water is recommended. 
CAUTION: Nylon parts shrink when boiled.

Source : N/A from contributor

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