Back to RC racing
 

Hi All ! ive not raced since 1993... but want to get back in to it, i think im decided on what car to buy BUT dont understand these days at all about speed controllers, motors (brush-less - how does that work !) and battery / chargers, is there a good ' getting started ' guide somewhere - im just really struggling to decide what bits to buy ! thanks in advance :)

Are you looking to race 2wd or 4wd?

For 2wd I would recommend either a 7.5 or an 8.5 turn brushless motor, for 4wd a 5.5 or 6.5 turn. You should look at a sensored motor as the are smoother, and you have more control.

Speedo wise buy the best speedo you can afford, good speedo’s that I would use are as follows:

Speed Passion 2.0 GT Pro
Speed Passion 2.0 LPF
Hobbywing (can’t remember the version)
Viper VTX either of them
Vampire either of them.

Charger Core UAC 50.

Cells – you need 1 good pack, 2 maximum. I use SMC 5200mah 60c. The higher the ‘C’ rating the burst or punch you have.

If you have any more question fire away.

Im in the same position as you but maybe 3 weeks in front of you.

After a lot of reading this is the route i have gone.

Durango DEX410 R
Savox 1257tg
Speed Passion V3 7.5
Tekin RS PRO
Intellect 7.4v 5400mAh 60C Li-Po
Spektrum DX3C DSM
CORE RC UAC-50
Custom Paint by IAN

Some nice choices there especially the paint by Ian :thumbsup:

+1 :thumbsup:

If it were me, I'd pop along to a local club and speak to people there. See what motors they're running, also see what cars they're all using. If you find they are all using a certain car, you're best off with that then at least you can 'borrow' parts when you smash into a wall or something, and think of all the experience you can tap into.

I was in your position not so long ago, I got a 4t motor thinking it would make the car fast as poo off a shovel, only to find out it was far too fast for the clubs track, and that a 6.5t was recommended. Another reason to speak to a club before buying anything.

I bought an Ansmann xbase 2.0 charger, and got two packs of 4000 Core-RC Lipos (pretty cheap but last more than long enough for a race).

It was a shock for me at first, last time I raced was about 1995 (ish), and people still had nihm batteries and brushed motors.

Thanks all , im looking at getting a Cougar SV :) but again not sure about the 'race' or 'pro'

i went along last week to a session but everyone was quite a little bit - well over my head ! i just enjoyed watching how much faster and longer the battery last ! As for kit im so out of touch so happy to go on recommendations... i was recommended by the club to go for a 7.5 motor - but which one ??? speed controllers too - were do i start ?? oh and the transmitters-all digital and lots of ' fiddling ' that can be done - sounds old school but i sort of want to plug it in - turn it on and get going not fiddle with speed controller / motor settings pretending to be lewis hamilton :) as im also starting off from the beginning and getting all kit in one go i dont want to spend too much right out of the box, id prefer to get stuf that can get me going - and compete then upgrade the odd bits when i need to, or perhaps buy second hand ?

I'm not an expert, but I'd say a speed controller that can cope with a 6.5t motor, that way you have a little bit of room for improvement should you ever need it.

A quick look on Modelsport brings up this ESC
http://www.modelsport.co.uk/nosram-m...products/33345

And then this Speed Passion 7.5t Brushless motor
http://www.modelsport.co.uk/speed-pa...products/36280

You'll also want 2.4ghz transmitter/receiver as well (so you don't need crystals).

EDIT: and a servo, I've just got this...
http://www.modelsport.co.uk/spektrum...products/34476

I use the speed passions, and to be honest a rarely touch them detting wise. I just run the factory recommend settings with the latest firmware update.

Good choice with the Cougar :thumbsup: there are a couple of S1 spec ones racing at our club, and outdoors which go very well :)

Worth noting is the new Cougar SV2 coming out within weeks, not a massive step away from the SV performance wise, but you might fancy waiting for that, or alternatively get a good deal on an SV! :thumbsup:

thanks for the advice guys - yes i think im getting there... 7.5 turn motor, that speed controller Nosram Matrix Power Brushless Reverse looks good - do they have good brakes on them as well ? also what about wires between batterys / motors etc... got to be honest i dont want to order a whole load of bits and need to start soldering and faffing with wires too ! ive seen a few people seem to have plug and play sort of cables - what are they too ? Sorry for all the questions im quite out of touch :) i like the idea of waiting around for the new one too.. reading around seems it solves a few issues the current one has ! this may get expensive... lol

the plug and play are speed passion motors, they have bullet connectors on them.....but you would still have to solder them 1st time. To be honest, these days once your motor is in you don't really need to take it out for ages, no maintenance on them to speak of.

The new Cougar does have improved gearbox internals, which was one area the old one could be very slightly weak (after time)

Oh, and Nosram speedos are very good, but remember you can't use reverse at anything more than a club night........not having it keeps your mind alert to not crashing too!!

I agree re wiring, wire it once correctly and then forget it. I use 4mm bullet connectors and wire directly to the motor. The less "joins" the better.

I'm sure someone at your local club could help with the soldering.

cheers guys most helpfull :) ive just got to learn the sizes of all the cables to ensure i order the right bits , what about cables between the batterys / chargers / motors / esc ? any suggestions on what bits i get ? there will be nothing more furstrating ordering a car, motor, esc, battery, transmitter, reciever, servo, charger and realising im missing a few £2 cables !!!

oh and any advice on receivers / transmitters?

Chances are the speedo will already have the power cables on them, so you shouldn't need to worry about them. As for battery connections, I'm using deans.

As a previous poster said, the speed passion motors are good because of the connections on the back. My speedo already had the cables connected to it, then all I had to do was solder the motor connectors onto the ends and plug them into the motor.

I'd imagine any 2.4ghz transmitter/receiver would do. I've got a fairly cheap acoms set which also came with a servo. It works absolutely fine.

I'd say you need...

A soldering iron & solder
Speed controller - The nosram one seems fine
Motor - Speed passion 7.5t?
A pack of dean connectors
Lipo batteries 4000 or above - Stick or saddle pack depending on the car you use
Lipo charger - Core RC do a fairly cheap one, check the modelsport website
Transmitter/reciever - Any 2.4ghz should do, but other might recommend soemthing
Servo - A cheap one will do, but preferably get something with metal gears. Modelsport have a spectrum one for about £27 I think
Some velcro & double sided tape
A selection of pinions (suitable for the track you're racing on)

Well ive got myself a car an esc and a motor - so just need servo, batterys, charger im going to get the uac50 charger but im very confused by what batterys to get ! most people at the mk club used saddle 5600's but there are so many different types im a little confused ! any suggestions for good batterys in the 40 - 60 quid mark ? will one also be enough for an evenings racing ?

I've got 2 stick packs for sale if you're interested, £60 for both! what car did you get?

ah, just read you have bought a Cougar.....good choice!

the ones I'm selling are ideal for that, and will fit in an SV2 (with a separately available holder)