R/C Handbook By Scott Guyatt May 2005 About R/C Handbook This material first appeared as a printed booklet by Scott Guyatt of Heavy's Hobby Shop, Australia. It was written "to help local kids avoid all the pitfalls we didn't manage to" over eleven years of racing off-road buggies. It proved effective, so he decided to publish it on the web, calling it Oz-R/C Online, Building & Setting Up Your R/C Car . Associated came across the material and entered into an agreement with Scott to incorporate it into this site. Associated modified the pages of Scott's web site to update it with today's technology and to relate it directly to the concerns of Associated kit owners. With this e-Book, we updated this document a little more, regardless the brand. Recently, Scott Guyatt wrote a specific booklet about on-road racing car, particularly Touring Car. With Scott Guyatt approval, both booklets have been merged to obtain only one reference R/C Handbook because a RC car still a RC car, the general rules always can be applied. All materials come from Mr Scott Guyatt – and belong to him and only some lines have been added to obtain a consistent document. With this version, the booklet is updated once more. Have you ever wondered just how the pros always get their cars set up perfectly, choose the right tires, and have just the right motor in their car? Here's the answer: they've practiced and practiced and practiced. We've done that too – practiced and practiced and practiced. Over the last eleven years of racing R/C cars we've learned a thing or two about exactly how to go about setting up the car. Scott Guyatt: www.actionrc.com.au 1 V2: Team Associated: V3, V3-2, V3-3 & V3-4: Oople / PetitRC Table of Contents Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Glossary of Terms............................................................................................................................................................... 4 Setting Up Your Car ............................................................................................................................................................ 5 Basic Setup ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Be An Individual .............................................................................................................................................................. 5 Choosing the Right Tires..................................................................................................................................................... 5 Mounting Rubber Tyres & Inserts....................................................................................................................................5 On-road tyre .................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Off-Road tyre................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Shock Absorbers and Springs........................................................................................................................................... 10 Shock Absorbers........................................................................................................................................................... 10 Shock Mount Positions.................................................................................................................................................. 12 Suspension Geometry....................................................................................................................................................... 12 Camber ......................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Camber Link Mounting Positions................................................................................................................................... 13 Caster and Anti-squat.................................................................................................................................................... 13 Toe-in and Toe-out........................................................................................................................................................ 13 Ride Height ................................................................................................................................................................... 14 Anti-roll Bars.................................................................................................................................................................. 14 Suspension Droop......................................................................................................................................................... 15 Roll Centre .................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Wheelbase and Weight Distribution .................................................................................................................................. 16 Weight Distribution ........................................................................................................................................................ 16 Wheelbase .................................................................................................................................................................... 17 Setting Up Transmission/Gearbox .................................................................................................................................... 17 Gear Ratio..................................................................................................................................................................... 17 Differential..................................................................................................................................................................... 18 Specific On-Road Racing Car Transmission Components............................................................................................ 19 Specific Off-Road Racing Car Transmission Components............................................................................................ 19 Motors ............................................................................................................................................................................... 20 Motor Care .................................................................................................................................................................... 20 Modified Motor Brush Selection .................................................................................................................................... 21 Motor Selection ............................................................................................................................................................. 21 Stock Motor Tuning ....................................................................................................................................................... 22 Brushless System.......................................................................................................................................................... 22 Body Shells & Aerodynamics ............................................................................................................................................ 23 Driving the Beast............................................................................................................................................................... 24 Money ............................................................................................................................................................................... 25 Electronics and Radio Gear .............................................................................................................................................. 25 What’s Next?..................................................................................................................................................................... 26 Appendix ........................................................................................................................................................................... 27 Scott Guyatt: www.actionrc.com.au 2 V2: Team Associated: V3, V3-2, V3-3 & V3-4: Oople / PetitRC Introduction This booklet is designed to help you learn about setting up, maintaining and driving electric radio controlled touring cars and buggies. R/C car is a complex business, it can take an individual many years to learn the intricacies of building and setting up R/C cars. As a R/C car still a car, the book is aimed for both electric touring cars and buggy, much of the information (particularly as regards suspension settings, geometry and driving) is equally applicable to nitro cars. Just ignore the section on electrics and seek the assistance of somebody wise at your local club to sound out on nitro