Nitro Radio Cars

Tuning a Rc Nitro Engine for Optimal Power – a Guide for Beginners

When I first started racing Gas Powered RC cars, I used to struggle to get the engine into tune, while I was able to get the engine to start on a dime and it used to run fine for almost an entire fuel tank, it always seemed to over-heat near the end of the run. After many hours out on the track I can now finally say that I’ve got it down, tuning for me is now a 5 minute operation before I take my RC car out, and once it’s dialed in I only need to adjust one needle a fraction of a turn to get it back to it’s optimal settings.

I assume that your understand the basics of a RC Nitro Engine and how it works, if not please see my other articles which you can find on my website, see the resource box for details.

The Idle Screw

I always start with the idle screw, I adjust it so that the car will idle high when I’m first dialing in the engine. Once I get the engine up to temperature and with a tube that can keep it running without stalling I slowly adjust the idle down to the point where it’s about to stall, then I turn it back about 1/4 to 1/2 turn depending on the temperature. If your car stalls often it can be worth while increasing the idle to prevent this, it’s only a temporary fix while you sort out the other tuning issue, but it helps keep frustration levels down.

Low Speed Needle.

One of the great debates is which needle to adjust first, if your carburetor only has one needle adjustment screw then it’s not a problem, but if like most glow engines you have two you need to decide which to tune first. I always start with the low speed needle, this is because when you adjust the low speed needle you change the high speed needle. Once the low speed needle is dialed in you shouldn’t have to adjust it again. Make sure you keep it slightly on the rich side, when you RC Car idles the combustion chamber should start to fill up with fuel, this helps keep it cool. After a while the engine will stall, by measuring this you can tell if it should be richer or leaner. A good time is about 30 – 60 seconds before it stalls. The RC Car should pull off quickly from a standing start and should not bog down or flame out when you apply full throttle.

High Speed Needle.

Once you have your low speed adjustment needle dialed in it’s time to start getting the power out of the RC engine. This is done with the high speed needle, which adjusts the air to fuel mixture of the engine while it as high RPM (about 40% and up). Keep an eye on the trail of smoke as this is your first clue about the tune. You want to have a lot of smoke coming out of the engine at all RPM, if at some point there is little or no smoke then you are running too lean.

Hints, Tips and Tricks

Turn the needle clockwise to lean out and counter-clockwise to richen the mixture.

A lot of smoke means you tune is rich.

The sound can tell you about your tune.

Reading your glow plug after a run will tell you a lot about your tune.

Make sure to run your engine on the rich side, this will extend it’s life.

A lean engine will always put out more power, but it will shorten the life of your engine.

Temperature, air pressure and humidity play if big part in the tune, different days will need different settings.

Building RC Cars – 3 Ways To Power Your Car

Are you the type of person who loves to build radio controlled devices? Should you be building one now, you are probably faced with all kinds of choices every bit of the way.

You are going to have to decide on how you will build the model, how to get the radio transmitter in it and how exactly you wish to paint it. You will also be deciding on the type of power your car will have.

For power, there are several choices and no one stands out better than all the rest. It all boils down to your preference. Each power method has good and bad traits that will inevitably affect what you go with. Your decision ultimately rests on what you want to do with he car.

There are three ways to power a radio-controlled car:

1. Battery Pack –

The is the most usual way for a remote controlled car to run its motors. Many of these are seen in beginner cars and if done correctly, they can be effective. The best thing about or rather its strong point is that the car is very light. Cars who use electric are typically light.

Remember though…everything has a bad side too. Electric cars bad side is that it is the slowest of all cars. If you are going to race, do you want a car you can handle or do you want a car that will be a speed demon?

This brings the next choice of car powers up. It has more speed to it than its electric counterpart.

2. Gas Power –

These cars are without a doubt common when looking at hobby grade cars. While electric cars are lighter, gas powered equipment that will be handling all the gas and combustion will weight much more. This makes the car a little less supple on handling.

Again, what it lacks in weight, it more than makes up for in speed. Also, though not seen as a positive or negative aspect, cars that run on gas are much louder but it tends to attract more people who love noisy small machines.

Kits for gas powered machines are pretty easy to find. Should want one in your car, then the best place to look in an online specialty shop or the local hobby store.

3. Nitro Gas –

Remote controlled cars running on Nitro Gasoline are becoming much more popular than its other counterparts and is becoming the fastest growing of remote controlled cars.

Nitro cars come in various forms:

* You can build trucks that are durable, which take jumps at higher speeds and can do an off road course.

* If you want high speeds, build a race car that was meant or speed on pavement, tracks and other smooth surfaces.

Like gas powered machines, nitro gas requires the motor equipment to be heavy. To some people this can be a bit awkward. Yet, this is perfect should you want to switch your electric motor during a race.

Build Your Car

Should you build the car the right way and do not attach the engine to it in a permanent fashion, then you can make a switch whenever you feel it is appropriate. No doubt, the remote controlled fanatic will collect many issues over just a few years. They will be the ones deciding which engine is best to what situation.

Always consider the good and bad aspects of each engine and compare them with the goals of your remote controlled car project. Determine how much speed you want to have, compared to the agility and its turning speed.

Nitro Rc Trucks – More Fun And Power

Looking for a new hobby? Perhaps Nitro RC trucks may be just what you are looking for. Nitro powered trucks are powerful machines that can run both on-road or off-road (depending on the type of truck that you buy).

You can customize the truck just like a real vehicle, depending on your needs and preferences. Remote control alone with customization can be boring at times. If you are interested in the technical aspects of an RC vehicle, then this hobby is for you. Let’s see why hundreds of hobbyists are flocking to buy Nitro RC trucks.

1) Nitro – learn more about this new and powerful fuel!

First of all, don’t mistake Nitro for gas. Nitro is NOT gasoline. So don’t try to feed a nitro truck with gas. You won’t be able to get it to work anyway. The three main ingredients that go into Nitro is Nitromethane (hence the name Nitro), Methanol and oil. This fuel actually works to protect the engine as temperature goes up. This allows the machine to operate at higher efficiency. In other words, you get more power!

2) Able to customize.

If you are not happy with the performance of the truck, you can always choose from a wide range of performance accessories. You can choose to replace the battery with a more powerful one, or you may even replace the entire engine. It’s all up to your own individual preference.

This is, perhaps, the primary reason why hobbyists just can’t get enough of these trucks. There are just so many things that you can go into. Don’t think that it’s easy to customize a truck to maximum performance on a race course. When you think that you have gotten the best specifications, someone comes up with something better and beat yours. So back to the drawing board to find out why your truck isn’t performing as well as the competition.

It takes patience, time and lots of practice and experience to get the “formula” right. That sounds like all the right ingredients for an interesting and long lasting hobby.

3) Many attractive trucks to choose from.

There are so many different models to choose from. They range from road buggies to Titan trucks. Road buggies are getting more and more popular these days because of their appealing looks and their ability to perform on rough terrain. It’s actually more fun to see an RC buggy racing through the sand and flying over humps and whatever obstacles that come into its path.

4) Trucks are based on real life vehicles.

Perhaps you are not old enough to own a real truck yet. Or perhaps owning a real vehicle just isn’t an option. But you are in love with a truck. So what do you do? You buy a replica of the real thing – a remote controlled Nitro driven truck. This is a great way to get to own your dream vehicle without having to fork out a fortune.

Tweak the truck to your heart’s content and never have to worry about a single loan installment!

Learn more about nitro rc trucks at VVTecRacing.

Titan Battery for Nitro Power R72 8.4V 3000mAH Ni-MH High Capacity Battery

• 12 Month Warranty
• 30 Day Money Back Gurantee
• 8.4V 3000MAH

Product Description
NI-MH
8.4V 3000mAH
For use with any radio control vehicle
Charges up to 1,000 times”
Brand New
12 MONTH WARRANTY… More >>

Titan Battery for Nitro Power R72 8.4V 3000mAH Ni-MH High Capacity Battery