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Page updated
February 2004
Frequently Asked Questions - speed
How can I ... make my car go faster?
The 'straight line' speed of a model car depends on three major factors (and several minor ones)
It's all about GOOD maintenance - and common sense. There is no 'magic formula'!
Find out about keeping your motor clean and in top condition; what to do with your batteries; and how to reduce the amount of friction in the moving parts of your car by clicking on these links.
Other 'minor' tips can be found here.
To find out more about making your car go faster on the track, and improving your lap times, click here
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Friction acts like a brake. The motor will have to work harder to overcome rolling resistance - which means less power for speed! A motor that becomes very hot by the end of a race is a good indication that there is resistance somewhere.
Major causes of resistance are : -
- Something rubbing - a physical and visual inspection should reveal the problem.
- Wheels - do they touch the body shell or any chassis parts - perhaps when braking or cornering?
- Drive belts - do they rub against the chassis, or any components (speedo?; receiver?)
- Motor pinion - is it tight against the spur gear? It should be very, very slighty loose
- Dirty/clogged bearings.
- HPI bearings have a plastic side cover which is easily removed - which makes cleaning very simple)
- Schumacher bearings have steel side covers held in place with circlips. Removal is far from easy and long term immersion of the bearing in a cleaning solution may be the only option.
Less easy to rectify as bearings must be removed from the car to be serviced properly.
It is possible to dismantle the car in stages in order to identify the bearing or bearings to be serviced - but it may be preferable to do them all.
Not all bearings can be cleaned in the same way.
For example -
- Loose electrical connections - all 'push' type connectors can work loose.
'Tamiya' connectors often make a good physical connection, but the electronic pins can be loose or miss-aligned. - Dirty electrical connections - anything that does not look 'new'.
- Transmitter trim - check manufacturers instructions for amount of travel and adjustment.
- Transmitter/speedo set up - check manufacturers instructions and re-set if necessary
- Gearing - if the ratio is too high, theoretical top speed may never be achieved. If the ratio is too low, the theoretical top speed will be low. more
- Tyres/wheels - wobbling wheels or badly fitting tyres are easily spotted and rectified.