first time r/c'er

[tbill]

hi all. i am a full size gear head at heart,[ i own a 1971 camaro SS and a 1969 nova ] and just bought my first r/c car/truck. i bought an HPI nitro M/T RS4. i got it friday, and so far i managed to do the static break in of the engine, and most of the initial break in [idiot that i am, i turned in the wrong direction in my back yard and hit a HUGE puddle, thus soaking the throttle servo, and subsequently frying it, thankfully it quit working on the next start up] and i got the body painted without too much of a hassle. i have never run a nitro r/c before [as evidenced by the steering error] and was wondering if you all had any tips for tuning and such. it has a .15FE motor, and naturaly all stock components. for the short time i have run it, i think my 12 year old son is gonna be fighting me to drive this thing, so i have a feeling another truck will be in the near future.

also, there are a few local off road tracks near me, how forgiving are you folks to novice middle aged drivers?:( :)

that's it for now, just thought i'd say hello.

~tbill

[anothermbdusted]

first of all welcome to the forums youll find very useful information from most everyone here....
its good to hear someone else older getting into the hobby and yes your son will want one so be ready for i promise you that....let the servo dry out befor you run it again it might be ok but for future reference put them in a ballon or silicon them so they are water proof i suggest the ballons though as they are less messy....and most race tracks have a novice class and they are all beginners and a good track owner will watch the races and tell you to advance to the middle class if your good enough to compete there at all...so dont be worried about that...and most of all have fun...cya

[HauntedMyst]

tbill, welcome! As a gear head, you'll have the knack of it in no time. Just keep it running rich through the first 4 or 5 tanks, making sure you always see some blue smoke. I think the FE only has a high end needle (I could be wrong) so your tuning options aren't much. If you want to expand them, you can get a 2 needle carb from HPI that will let you set the high and low ends. I'd also suggest getting the Purple aluminum cooling head for that motor. It will keep it running color and extend its life span.

[tekrsq]

I too welcome you to the hobby!!!!!!!!! Another than that, can't add anything. The other guys gave excellent advice.

[PtCruiser2003]

Welcome. The tracks are open to every one. Go ahead and go. Thats how you learn about driving around other people. Dont worry about what the other people say. I got a lot of greif because i am the only guy at the indoor carpet track the drives a Truck. I run a Team Associated Factory Team T3. I have foam tires from TRC. The other people at the track didnt like me being there at first. After a while they liked the fact that i drove something differant. I cant beat them and their touring cars yet but am gaining on them.

As fo the gear head part. I have a 1967 Ford F-100 and a 1966 Ford Mustang.

Again I say Welcome to the forum.

[fakieflip101]

I like waffles.

[rocknbil]

Welcome aboard tbill, and welcome to the Foundation of Parts Buying Fathers named Bill. :D

IF I can give three pieces of sound advice for a new nitro owner:

Stay off the street. Tempting it is, but curbs are low -lying, sneaky, evil, unforgiving barriers. You may think they are static but you know what? THEY MOVE. They jump out in front of you when you're sure you are way clear of them and cause irreparable damage. Also there are liability issues . . . find a parking lot and stay off the street.

Always verify electronics. The worst thing in the world that can happen to a nitro owner is to have the receiver batt's go dead while you're on a hot run, you can't retract the throttle, and bye-bye it goes . . . . usually far enough out of range until the engine blows.

Don't give in to the WOT siren. (WOT=Wide Open Throttle.) The first thing many new owners want to do is get it on a large parking lot and let it rip to see how fast it will go. It's almost irresistable. Do not open it up for more than 3 seconds at WOT or she'll go "ping . . . "

Lastly visit rccaraction.com and browse their nitro archives, man there are so many sound tips there and it is great reading!

[Greg_Hager]

These people are exactly right, listen to them.

PtCruiser2003: Nice cars!! My dad has a 68 428CJ Mustang, Grandfather has a 390 Mustang Convertable, and I have a 1992 Mustang 5.0 LX. :D

[mx416]

You should check out a track, because racing is awesome. Feel free to ask as many questions as you want to the racers at the track, they will be more than willing to help you.

[teamskunkwerx]

Welcome to the world of RC!!

As far as tips go: The FE will last 6 gallons+. Take care of your motor, after run oil it, clean your filter, and also install a Fuel Filter. After your finished running the car for the day, take out the plug, but first take a Q-Tip and wipe the area around the plug clean. Put about five drops of oil (Marvels Mystery oil works good), and turn over the engine a few times with the Pullstart.

Oh yeah! I almost forgot! No matter what happens, youre probly in this hobby for fun, SO HAVE FUN!!

And as far as Gearhead goes: 1962 'Vette

[tbill]

thanks for the welcome everyone!

water-proofing is on the list for sure. i had to get another servo, the 'wet' one just wouldn't come back to life:mad:

the motor that came with it [it was an RTR kit] already has the purple cooling head, and i have a temp gun, so i have been checking it as i run it [stays right around 180-200], and i get a nice trail of smoke when wide open, and a little when idleing, so i think i have it close. if anything, i have it a tad rich.

i got my first chance to really run it today. during lunch i went to a huge empty parking lot and ran it around. only problem i had was a tire 'got loose', gotta re-glue it, she was a bit wobbly for a minute there:) that and i rolled it over a couple of times:rolleyes: but i think i'll have the hang of it in no time.

thanks again for the welcome.

[MrCrash]

Your gonna get the hang of it in NO time.It's just like riding a bike.Your gonna smack your skull into the cement a few times,get some stitches,and maybe a cast,but you will be very good once you get through the "learning" period.

Gearhead part:I DESPERATELY want a 1979 Pontiac Trans Am (yes,I don't count yet,but I am a gearhead in training:D )

[PtCruiser2003]

tbill i have that same problem with mine. those tires just wont stay glued.

[PtCruiser2003]

tbill i have that same problem with mine. those tires just wont stay glued.

[KulSecHskY]

^^ its cause you guys are such CRAZY drivers ;)


welcome im new too.

i guess im a gear head but more of a new age gear head. im into imports but if I had the extra $$$ i'd have a 67' Fastback =) Don't worry im not like the average punk how has a few bolt on, my car was pretty bad a$$ till it was stolen :mad: and I did all my work cept the head work. Head work is crazy and the tolerance are insane compared to ur domestic muscle =P

:wave:

[ThunderChicken]

Wannabe nitro car newbie here. Is that true with all nitro cars? Hold WOT for more than a couple of seconds and the engine is toast? Is that true for any terrain? All terrain? All conditions? Even running rich?

My first car was a 1979 Black T/A with 301 which I built up. I now know why you never hear of built up 301! They are a total junk engines. Can't tell you how many main bearings I've turned in that thing (4-maybe?)...plus two cranks to boot (broken, not scared)!!! Of course, having to go through two trannies was a pain too. :rolleyes: I later went to a '82 firebird (6-cyl...yuck), a '91 Mustang (5.0, 5-spd; oh ya!) and am now in a '99 T/A (350-6-spd; pretty nice). Seems I've come full circle. :cool:

[mugenseike]

hey well since were on the issue of car's, I currently own a 03 evo VIII,95 fd rx7, and 97 accord "swapped h22a turbo and nitroused" as a family car :D , yes it's a four door but it sure can smoke you.
-Dave

[ExtremeMT]

Welcome aboard hope you like your truck, I got the same truck and here are some great tips. They will help out alot.

You have 3 really good choices with your current engine. For $90 on HPI's site you can get the ABC piston and sleeve (its longer lasting and more heat tolerant), 5.5mm 2 needle carb, and a more aggressive better working purple heatsink. But for $90 and your FE engine sent into HPI you can get the .15SS back, which has .8hp compared to the FE's .56hp, alot more torque, and a max rpm of 33k rpms to the FE's 29k rpms. Its got an ABC piston and sleeve, 5.5mm 2 needle carb, and an even better heat sink then the optional one for the FE. I got the .15SS engine a lil while after me FE died and I have put 5 gallons through it and it was still running strong (5 gallons is a good bit without having to rebuild the engine) but I bought the O.S. .15 CVR-X recenty. It makes 1.2hp, 40oz in of torque (Alot more then the .15SS) and has a max rpm of 38k rpms. Its a very good, fast, and reliable engine for a good price ($200 for the pull start) It has been running very strong and it absolutely HAULS. WHat ever you do get these.

Lightweight Flywheel (Pull start) You can get alot more rpms outta this.
Racing clutch (It's adjustable for rpm engagement and its VERY long lasting)
Fiber Brake Disc (VERY long lasting)
Fuel Filter
Better air filter (Motor saver if you get the .15SS, but if you get the O.S. engine you dont need it cause the OS comes with a good air filter.
Heavier shock fluid (45 wheight is good)
Blue rear and front springs

These are some mods for now

[tbill]

thanks for the info. i must admit though, since my first post here, i also bought a savage [ya, i'm hooked:) ].

i did however get a good air filter for the nitro m/t, and a slipper clutch. i also had to get a front control arm, cracked one in 1/2 after a good sized jump, i boiled the new one, and the intact old one just for good measure. i also ordered some cvd's for the rear, and will probably get some for the front after my wallet heals from buying the parts mentioned and the savage.

funny thing is, after i got the m/t back together and going again, i turned my attention to the savage. i turned my son loose with the m/t, and in less than 2 minutes he ran it into the ditch out front and soaked it hard. the reciever got fried [partially my fault, i didn't re-balloon it after my repairs], so i had to get a reciever the next day [along with some other odds and ends].

it's been like a week and two days that i have been 'nitro-enabled', and i am already about $1,000 deep:o , and my wife thinks i have lost my mind:D , but i am having a ton of fun! i even marked out an area to build a track in the back yard, i can't wait to get to the local track and 'bash' around:cool:

[ExtremeMT]

AWSOME!!! Hop on aim sometime and well chat, I added you to my buddy list