1:5 scale petrol-powered trucks - ShengQi/Maverick/HPI?
Discussion
Hi Collective!
I'm looking at getting a half-decent vehicle as per above description. I am definitely after petrol-powered (not nitro, etc), and these would mainly seem to be a decent 1:5 scale.
Google seems to bring Nitrotek up as basically No.1 supplier for such things, and then they have some fantastically-priced models that fit my bill, made by ShengQi (about £400, ready-made). I did really want kit-form - but then the other criteria aren't fulfilled.
Now - £400 seems to be almost too-good-to-be-true territory for what you seem to get - and there seem to be extremely mixed reviews of said cheap Chinese-built cars. Obviously, the Internet will only dredge up stories of those few lemons that broke, or of owners who were incompetent in some regard.
However - given the types of faults occurring with these £400-mark cars (e.g. wheels falling off after normal straight runs out of the box, leaking dampers) - I wonder if it's a question of most of them being lemons, that they're fundametally cr4p, and you'd be lucky to get a half-decent one.
I see Maverick-branded petrol RC trucks at about £600+ - anyone know if these are any good/better?
And many opinions seem to say that you'd need to pay at least a Grand to get a decent RC petrol-powered car - and so go for HPI or suchlike.
Any real-world opinions would be appreciated. I'm happy to spend £400 on an RC car - but not if it's fundamentally scheid.
Arif!
I'm looking at getting a half-decent vehicle as per above description. I am definitely after petrol-powered (not nitro, etc), and these would mainly seem to be a decent 1:5 scale.
Google seems to bring Nitrotek up as basically No.1 supplier for such things, and then they have some fantastically-priced models that fit my bill, made by ShengQi (about £400, ready-made). I did really want kit-form - but then the other criteria aren't fulfilled.
Now - £400 seems to be almost too-good-to-be-true territory for what you seem to get - and there seem to be extremely mixed reviews of said cheap Chinese-built cars. Obviously, the Internet will only dredge up stories of those few lemons that broke, or of owners who were incompetent in some regard.
However - given the types of faults occurring with these £400-mark cars (e.g. wheels falling off after normal straight runs out of the box, leaking dampers) - I wonder if it's a question of most of them being lemons, that they're fundametally cr4p, and you'd be lucky to get a half-decent one.
I see Maverick-branded petrol RC trucks at about £600+ - anyone know if these are any good/better?
And many opinions seem to say that you'd need to pay at least a Grand to get a decent RC petrol-powered car - and so go for HPI or suchlike.
Any real-world opinions would be appreciated. I'm happy to spend £400 on an RC car - but not if it's fundamentally scheid.
Arif!
Matt buddy - fantastic input, exactly the sort I was after!
I will now steer clear of the cheaper Chinese stuff (not always bad to be made in China (iPhone, Fenix torches, Hunter fans), hence the question!).
Amazing to hear that the Maverick is thus-related to HPI - it would seem to be the equivalent of buying a VW cos you know VAG Group are good?
Any advice over good dealers to use (beyond Modelsport, of course)? And I'm assuming that they still have to be bought ready-made?
(The thing that gave me the bug is two Lego Technics projects recently - the bulldozer (done), and the excavator (doing))
Arif
I will now steer clear of the cheaper Chinese stuff (not always bad to be made in China (iPhone, Fenix torches, Hunter fans), hence the question!).
Amazing to hear that the Maverick is thus-related to HPI - it would seem to be the equivalent of buying a VW cos you know VAG Group are good?
Any advice over good dealers to use (beyond Modelsport, of course)? And I'm assuming that they still have to be bought ready-made?
(The thing that gave me the bug is two Lego Technics projects recently - the bulldozer (done), and the excavator (doing))
Arif
Edited by Arif110 on Thursday 19th April 23:14
Not a problem 
I knew somebody who bought a cheap Chinese 5th scale buggy (I had an 8th scale HPI Savage and 6th scale GV Rambo at the time) he thought (as he does being a bit of a 'black cat' type) that this particular one would be good despite several of us telling him otherwise (at the time it was £250, the equivalent HPI or FG kit was £700+). The punishment a decent model can take aside from the breakages of sacrificial components that are designed to break saving the more expensive bits is unreal the number of times my Savage cartwheeled at full throttle and remained undamaged was just silly, anyway I digress this cheap Chinese thing literally tapped a curb and the wheel hub was broken. The radio was utter crap it glitched like hell and he nearly took somebody out with it because he lost control (no failsafe which is an absolute must on big heavy models). Again he replaced it with a 2.4ghz system which again was cheap junk.
Another thing to beware of on the cheap Chinese ones is availability of spares - if you drive it properly the aforementioned sacrificial components will break and you will need replacements - get something mainstream that has a good spares and repairs backup service. You also find that the material quality and as mentioned the radios are often is not as good on the cheap kits either.
I have only used my local model shop (they don’t do online sales sadly) and Model Sport so I can’t help you with who is the best with these sorts of things – you can’t go wrong with Model Sport though, they know their stuff.
Yeah sadly these days the vast majority of these things are ready built they come with everything pre-installed and painted – ready to run.
I knew somebody who bought a cheap Chinese 5th scale buggy (I had an 8th scale HPI Savage and 6th scale GV Rambo at the time) he thought (as he does being a bit of a 'black cat' type) that this particular one would be good despite several of us telling him otherwise (at the time it was £250, the equivalent HPI or FG kit was £700+). The punishment a decent model can take aside from the breakages of sacrificial components that are designed to break saving the more expensive bits is unreal the number of times my Savage cartwheeled at full throttle and remained undamaged was just silly, anyway I digress this cheap Chinese thing literally tapped a curb and the wheel hub was broken. The radio was utter crap it glitched like hell and he nearly took somebody out with it because he lost control (no failsafe which is an absolute must on big heavy models). Again he replaced it with a 2.4ghz system which again was cheap junk.
Another thing to beware of on the cheap Chinese ones is availability of spares - if you drive it properly the aforementioned sacrificial components will break and you will need replacements - get something mainstream that has a good spares and repairs backup service. You also find that the material quality and as mentioned the radios are often is not as good on the cheap kits either.
I have only used my local model shop (they don’t do online sales sadly) and Model Sport so I can’t help you with who is the best with these sorts of things – you can’t go wrong with Model Sport though, they know their stuff.
Yeah sadly these days the vast majority of these things are ready built they come with everything pre-installed and painted – ready to run.
Digress away buddy - right up my street, that kind of real-world info! It's good to know that the threshold for 'cheap' Chinese gear lies at about £600 then (for the Maverick). Parts availability - indeed, I gather Nitrotek can make getting hold of the correct spares hard work, shall we say.
Radios - is there a material jump in radio technology used between Maverick and HPI, to your knowledge? I will of course direct a lot of the more annoying questions to Modelsport - but just wanting at least to have decided between Maverick and HPI, all other things being equal (which they are not, on account of price for a start).
I thought the entire point of this field was to build from scratch - and just to give you a handle on my 'era' - when I was approaching my teens, my more spoilt friends had the Tamiya Bigwig - which seemed to be their flagship at the time.
I have Phil Greeno models near me - so may well give them a shout. Would rather support a small business, if can.
Thanks for your fantastic and thoroughly pertinent input on this buddy! I will be sure to use this thread to report back to you on what I did in the end.
Arif
Radios - is there a material jump in radio technology used between Maverick and HPI, to your knowledge? I will of course direct a lot of the more annoying questions to Modelsport - but just wanting at least to have decided between Maverick and HPI, all other things being equal (which they are not, on account of price for a start).
I thought the entire point of this field was to build from scratch - and just to give you a handle on my 'era' - when I was approaching my teens, my more spoilt friends had the Tamiya Bigwig - which seemed to be their flagship at the time.
I have Phil Greeno models near me - so may well give them a shout. Would rather support a small business, if can.
Thanks for your fantastic and thoroughly pertinent input on this buddy! I will be sure to use this thread to report back to you on what I did in the end.
Arif
I would imagine that most RC RTR cars these days come with a 2.4 GHz radio system, this is the one you want, that or a 40MHz system (35MHz is illegal to use on surface models) for larger scale models as HAM/CB radio etc has been known to interfere with the 27MHz systems.
I cannot comment on the actual quality of the radio with the Maverick as I didn’t buy it in the end (I bought a Traxxas Slash 4x4 electric), though I never had any issues with the ‘cheap’ system that came with my HPI Savage 25.
The Cheap Chinese kit bought by the guy that I mentioned had a 27MHz kit in it with no failsafe – not something you want for a large scale model or something very fast.
These days according to the owner of the model shop that I use in Hull very few people like to build from scratch these days (I enjoy it myself – I loved building my Tamiya Tiger II tank) and the kit manufacturers have had issues with people not building them correctly and claiming “manufacturing fault – can I have a new one please” so to stop this they provide them ready built.
There are a few manufacturers who still make kits (Tamiya as I have mentioned) and a few often have a special run of kits, but as I say most are RTR just needing batteries and fuel/drive batteries.
I cannot comment on the actual quality of the radio with the Maverick as I didn’t buy it in the end (I bought a Traxxas Slash 4x4 electric), though I never had any issues with the ‘cheap’ system that came with my HPI Savage 25.
The Cheap Chinese kit bought by the guy that I mentioned had a 27MHz kit in it with no failsafe – not something you want for a large scale model or something very fast.
These days according to the owner of the model shop that I use in Hull very few people like to build from scratch these days (I enjoy it myself – I loved building my Tamiya Tiger II tank) and the kit manufacturers have had issues with people not building them correctly and claiming “manufacturing fault – can I have a new one please” so to stop this they provide them ready built.
There are a few manufacturers who still make kits (Tamiya as I have mentioned) and a few often have a special run of kits, but as I say most are RTR just needing batteries and fuel/drive batteries.
I have delt with Nitrotech getting spares for someone on for a 1/8th model and it wasn't the easiest transaction.
I don't really know much about the large scale stuff as I race 1/10th but where are you planning on running the car? These will be very heavy and very fast, from a public safety point of view I wouldn't want to be running them at a local park. One of these things could do some serious damage to someone. Private land or even better at a track would be the best.
As mentioned modelsport do a fair bit of large scale stuff or there are these guys that I remember seeing an advert somewhere for. I've never used them but they have been going a while. http://www.kingcobradistribution.co.uk
I don't really know much about the large scale stuff as I race 1/10th but where are you planning on running the car? These will be very heavy and very fast, from a public safety point of view I wouldn't want to be running them at a local park. One of these things could do some serious damage to someone. Private land or even better at a track would be the best.
As mentioned modelsport do a fair bit of large scale stuff or there are these guys that I remember seeing an advert somewhere for. I've never used them but they have been going a while. http://www.kingcobradistribution.co.uk
Dont worry about a model being ready built. Before you use it for the first time you SHOULD check all the bolts and screws are done up properly. Then after it is covered in mud the first time, dismantle it and clean it properly. This will show you how every bit fits together and make any future upgrades easier and quicker to fix/replace.
Oh and I would definitely go with 2.4Ghz radio. Its not worth waiting for the moment you first see an RC car/truck run out of control due to FM radio interference, especially a heavy 1/5 petrol!
Oh and I would definitely go with 2.4Ghz radio. Its not worth waiting for the moment you first see an RC car/truck run out of control due to FM radio interference, especially a heavy 1/5 petrol!
You lot are fantastic!
The open-space advisory certainly taken on-board, but I do have access to quite large tracts of fully-visible land with next to no people or dogs there - and actually, it's more the lower-speed antics that I'm planning on having more fun with - hence the interest in a fat-tyred monster truck, rather than the sports/racing buggies. I gather the real-world speeds of the monster trucks can be in the region of 50mph+?
I love the idea of overhauling them, and indeed getting to know it that way - just like with a real car.
I'll do anything to get properly close to a real engine* (much of this fix provided by my 'Husky' lawnmower, and Stihl garden tools) - and really I have a 'Gru-esque' (Despicable Me main character) dastardly ambition to convert such a buggy into a genuine jet-powered one (either Wren or Jetcat model turbine) - with the obvious escalation in the importance of the above-mentioned open-space advisory.
Let's just get my head round a proper petrol-powered one though first, eh?
(* short of getting a motorbike)
The open-space advisory certainly taken on-board, but I do have access to quite large tracts of fully-visible land with next to no people or dogs there - and actually, it's more the lower-speed antics that I'm planning on having more fun with - hence the interest in a fat-tyred monster truck, rather than the sports/racing buggies. I gather the real-world speeds of the monster trucks can be in the region of 50mph+?
I love the idea of overhauling them, and indeed getting to know it that way - just like with a real car.
I'll do anything to get properly close to a real engine* (much of this fix provided by my 'Husky' lawnmower, and Stihl garden tools) - and really I have a 'Gru-esque' (Despicable Me main character) dastardly ambition to convert such a buggy into a genuine jet-powered one (either Wren or Jetcat model turbine) - with the obvious escalation in the importance of the above-mentioned open-space advisory.
Let's just get my head round a proper petrol-powered one though first, eh?
(* short of getting a motorbike)
I would go for the petrol one first yes as adding a turbine would considerably complicate things.
Would the turbine be used to drive the wheels (through a helicopter style gas generator system) or direct exhaust thrust like a regular aircraft. If the latter is the case a second model built to resemble a jet funny car might be a better idea, like this one:
Would the turbine be used to drive the wheels (through a helicopter style gas generator system) or direct exhaust thrust like a regular aircraft. If the latter is the case a second model built to resemble a jet funny car might be a better idea, like this one:
Yup indeedy - the helicopter-ready turbine would come with a turboshaft set-up - and when done 'properly', a car would run off this. However - I wouldn't have the nous to find the right type of gearbox/clutch to handle the high RPM, even if brought down a bit by the turboshaft arrangement.
So direct thrust would be the way to go - and then the idea of 'it only goes forward and brakes' would make even more sense.
So direct thrust would be the way to go - and then the idea of 'it only goes forward and brakes' would make even more sense.
I'd go with a HPI Baja or if you have the budget an FG Modellsport. If on a lower budget and you want to install the radio yourself you may aswell buy a Carson. They are still made in Germany and are a clone of FG, so you can still readily get parts, their only weakpoint is the radio gear, they tend to use the same engine as the HPI Baja (CY) which won't win any awards but it's a reliable old lump.
The most important thing with these cars is part availability, if you're like me and don't mind waiting a few weeks to get something from Germany then fine but otherwise it's best to see what brands your local hobby stores support and go for those. Back when I got my Carson modelsport.co.uk had huge parts support for it although that has all dried up now so best to find something your hobby shop has.
Edit:
List of suppliers (I've bought from the following myself and they're all good)
http://www.wheelspinmodels.co.uk/
http://www.apexmodels.com/
http://www.wonderlandmodels.com/
as well as modelsport.
The most important thing with these cars is part availability, if you're like me and don't mind waiting a few weeks to get something from Germany then fine but otherwise it's best to see what brands your local hobby stores support and go for those. Back when I got my Carson modelsport.co.uk had huge parts support for it although that has all dried up now so best to find something your hobby shop has.
Edit:
List of suppliers (I've bought from the following myself and they're all good)
http://www.wheelspinmodels.co.uk/
http://www.apexmodels.com/
http://www.wonderlandmodels.com/
as well as modelsport.
Edited by Cat Face on Tuesday 24th April 17:12
Okay - thanks all.
So, I went to my local model shop (who's been there since I was a kid, more than 30 years!) - and it's now created a dilemma - but I will pose the question:
"What's the difference/what are the considerations when choosing between 'nitro' and 'petrol'?"
1) I thought it was just about 'speed', for the racing nuts - whereas I'm not interested in speed per se.
2) I know nitro uses special fuel - so is more expensive in this regard
3) However - model-shop intimations are that 'petrol' engines in this sector are just glorified strimmer engines (i.e. a bit crude) - whereas nitro engines are better machines, more fuel-efficient (moot point - petrol is cheap anyway, so don't care if a petrol engine is fuel-hungry) - and just the real deal.
4) More bhp-per cc (of TDC - not fuel!)
5) They are both two-stroke
6) You can't get four-stroke model engines, can you?!
Input please! I now also gather that going nitro doesn't necessarily mean going small - I like 1/5 scale as a minimum.
He also mentioned another brand - something like 'Lossi'??
He concurred with much of the above in terms of HPI and FG.
So, I went to my local model shop (who's been there since I was a kid, more than 30 years!) - and it's now created a dilemma - but I will pose the question:
"What's the difference/what are the considerations when choosing between 'nitro' and 'petrol'?"
1) I thought it was just about 'speed', for the racing nuts - whereas I'm not interested in speed per se.
2) I know nitro uses special fuel - so is more expensive in this regard
3) However - model-shop intimations are that 'petrol' engines in this sector are just glorified strimmer engines (i.e. a bit crude) - whereas nitro engines are better machines, more fuel-efficient (moot point - petrol is cheap anyway, so don't care if a petrol engine is fuel-hungry) - and just the real deal.
4) More bhp-per cc (of TDC - not fuel!)
5) They are both two-stroke
6) You can't get four-stroke model engines, can you?!
Input please! I now also gather that going nitro doesn't necessarily mean going small - I like 1/5 scale as a minimum.
He also mentioned another brand - something like 'Lossi'??
He concurred with much of the above in terms of HPI and FG.
Nitro are faster, they have a much higher power to weight ratio but the more expensive gassers aren't that much slower.
I have both nitro and petrol cars, my petrol cars have lower running costs simply because a tankful of petrol (750ml plus some 2 stroke oil) costs about £1.50 and lasts 50 mins or so whereas a nitro truck will go through about the same amount of nitromethanol which costs much more. IME the gassers seem to be built tougher too as they break less.
The petrol engines are really just modified chainsaw/weedwacker engines which have been tuned up a bit so they don't sound too special whereas the nitro engines are little things of art which rev to 40,000 RPM and can be about as reliable as F1 engine in the 90's
They sound amazing but need quite a bit of work with tuning, maintenance and you will notice that the engines wear out quicker.If you want nitro I think the biggest you can get are 1/8th scale trucks like HPI Savage, Thunder Tiger MTA4 etc. Losi is also a top brand.
Whatever you buy be sure to install failsafes and throttle return springs, it's usually a question of when rather than if your RC car will go beserk.
I run an off-road FG and my mate runs the HPI Baja. Both good fun but with very different handling characteristics. To be honest the model you choose will be decided by the type, in your case ssems like a monster, and then how deep your pockets are. Please do not budget for the model and think that's the end, it won't be. I have had nitro before and learned quickly that if you don't know what you are doing they can be a real pain. They need a lot of fiddling with to get the best from them, changes in the weather can mean re tuning the engine. They were just too fiddly for me, petrol is much simpler, Charge the batteries fill the tank and off you go. You will get approx 40/45 mins run time from a tank on a 1/5 petrol as opposed to 10/15 mins with a nitro.
You won't see a 50mph real world speed from any of them out of the box, that's just smoke blowing by manufacturers and willy waving by owners (much the same as pub BHP figures).
My FG has a stock 26cc Zenoah motor with a Samba tuned pipe and a nice best of all worlds gearing, that gives me around 40ish mph on the football field if the grass is not too long. Don't worry too much about the numbers you will be surprised how quick 30mph is when trying to control an off road model, paritcularly a monster.
Research is your friend, with that in mind I would direct you to the Modelsport forum, lots of info from owners on most of the models available. Think PH in miniature lol.
Modelsport Petrol Forum
One last thing I would say is don't discount buying second hand, can be a very economical way into the big stuff but is obviously best if you can view in person and see it run before buying.
Hope that's of some help,
Ceejay73
You won't see a 50mph real world speed from any of them out of the box, that's just smoke blowing by manufacturers and willy waving by owners (much the same as pub BHP figures).
My FG has a stock 26cc Zenoah motor with a Samba tuned pipe and a nice best of all worlds gearing, that gives me around 40ish mph on the football field if the grass is not too long. Don't worry too much about the numbers you will be surprised how quick 30mph is when trying to control an off road model, paritcularly a monster.
Research is your friend, with that in mind I would direct you to the Modelsport forum, lots of info from owners on most of the models available. Think PH in miniature lol.
Modelsport Petrol Forum
One last thing I would say is don't discount buying second hand, can be a very economical way into the big stuff but is obviously best if you can view in person and see it run before buying.
Hope that's of some help,
Ceejay73
(Name change formerly mattmoxon!)
Petrol vs Nitro
1) No petrols can be just as fast as nitro engine models and above a certain scale it becomes more economical to run a petrol engine for the size of engine they are more fuel efficient (a 25cc nitro engine will drink more than a 25cc petrol engine)
2) Yes Nitro engines run on a methanol nitro-methane blend, I used to use 25% nitro methane and it cost between £20 and £30 per gallon.
3) Yes the petrol models are glorified strimmer engines but they have many advantages. They are as easy as a strimmer to start. They do not need re-tuning to take into account for weather conditions (especially important when using high nitro methane content fuel), in fact if you get a 1/5 petrol LEAVE THE CARB ALONE!!!!
4) Yes they do but you will be hard pressed to find a nitro motor as big as a petrol one (OS used to make a 50cc “glow” motor for aircraft and helicopters (BGX I think) which was very expensive and was not suitable for cars really
5) Yes they are
6) You can get four stroke “nitro” engines but they tend to be aircraft engines, OS even makes .46ci wankel engines (or did)
I had a big block nitro car (.46ci or 7.5cc) in the GV Models 1/6 Rambo and it was a total pig to get running it was fine once running but it was a mare! It was incredibly thirsty – that said it was faster than a mates cheapo Chinese 25cc petrol car (but then it was a really rubbish thing tbh). But It was a pain and I wished I had bought a petrol instead of it. I don’t think anybody makes a 1/5 nitro car because the petrol cars are just better (if you get a decent one).
Lossi are great for nitro but it will be 1/8 scale and if you decide to go the 1/8 scale route I strongly recommend that you go brushless electric. The performance is far better, they handle better (lower CoG, they are generally lighter and require very little maintenance.
Petrol vs Nitro
1) No petrols can be just as fast as nitro engine models and above a certain scale it becomes more economical to run a petrol engine for the size of engine they are more fuel efficient (a 25cc nitro engine will drink more than a 25cc petrol engine)
2) Yes Nitro engines run on a methanol nitro-methane blend, I used to use 25% nitro methane and it cost between £20 and £30 per gallon.
3) Yes the petrol models are glorified strimmer engines but they have many advantages. They are as easy as a strimmer to start. They do not need re-tuning to take into account for weather conditions (especially important when using high nitro methane content fuel), in fact if you get a 1/5 petrol LEAVE THE CARB ALONE!!!!
4) Yes they do but you will be hard pressed to find a nitro motor as big as a petrol one (OS used to make a 50cc “glow” motor for aircraft and helicopters (BGX I think) which was very expensive and was not suitable for cars really
5) Yes they are
6) You can get four stroke “nitro” engines but they tend to be aircraft engines, OS even makes .46ci wankel engines (or did)
I had a big block nitro car (.46ci or 7.5cc) in the GV Models 1/6 Rambo and it was a total pig to get running it was fine once running but it was a mare! It was incredibly thirsty – that said it was faster than a mates cheapo Chinese 25cc petrol car (but then it was a really rubbish thing tbh). But It was a pain and I wished I had bought a petrol instead of it. I don’t think anybody makes a 1/5 nitro car because the petrol cars are just better (if you get a decent one).
Lossi are great for nitro but it will be 1/8 scale and if you decide to go the 1/8 scale route I strongly recommend that you go brushless electric. The performance is far better, they handle better (lower CoG, they are generally lighter and require very little maintenance.
Fantastic, fast input dudes. So - it's not at all that the tech in petrol is 'crap'. I'd much rather a more reliable, trouble-free starting (and arguably running) experience, than a nicer engine, as it were. From my experience of modern two-strokes (Stihls) I'm not wary any more of spending ages trying to get them to start. I have no problem a model truck having anything like a two-stroke of that sort inside.
I gather that you can also get these things to go very slowly too - but are they real clutches, or auto boxes? If the former - then it's almost a bit of BMW-style SMG going on, and also inadvisable to go slow if it's slipping the clutch.
I gather that you can also get these things to go very slowly too - but are they real clutches, or auto boxes? If the former - then it's almost a bit of BMW-style SMG going on, and also inadvisable to go slow if it's slipping the clutch.
You will certainly have a more trouble free “playtime” for want of a better word with a petrol motor.
The nitro models do have gearboxes yes, but that is because they are high revving engines (30,000rpm or more in some cases) so they produce lots of power at the top so require a gearbox to allow them to reach high speeds (larger models mainly) petrol motors are much lower revving but have much more torque, so consequently are generally single speed. Both types generally have the same type of clutch.
The mutli speed transmissions in RC cars are an odd combination of clutches. The main clutch on the engine is a centrifugal type of clutch (two to four clutch shoes move outwards under their own weight (against springs) make contact with a clutch bell (which has the drive pinion on it) the friction between the two causes the drive to the spur gear and into transmission).
Inside the gearbox there will be an input shaft (sometimes this will be a number of stacked gears on the pinion with no spur gear) that runs all the time. The output shaft (though on a Savage 25 there gears are carried on a lay shaft and transmitted to the output shaft via another gear) first gear is always engaged until second takes over. It is a similar arrangement to the clutch, centrifugal force pushes the mechanism outwards, releasing its hold on first and engaging second, rinse and repeat for third (if it has one not sure if others outside of HPI have three speeds).
You cannot (as far as I know) shift the transmission manually from the radio, shifting is a function of output shaft RPM and the spring tension in the gear shifter mechanism. Adjusting the spring tension sets the shift point, for instance if you want it out of first quickly the tension is set soft so that the mechanism moves outwards quicker, for longer in gear times more spring tension is required (that is my understanding of how it works anyway) . Some allow you to select a forward and reverse gear but not all.
Nitro models cost less than petrol for a decent one but I would re-iterate my previous statement, if you want a 1/8 Nitro, buy a 1/10 or 1/8 brushless electric, faster, easier to use, clean (in terms of stinking of oil, fuel and burnt nitro), they also require far less stuff to take out with you (less tools, spares and no starting equipment).
The nitro models do have gearboxes yes, but that is because they are high revving engines (30,000rpm or more in some cases) so they produce lots of power at the top so require a gearbox to allow them to reach high speeds (larger models mainly) petrol motors are much lower revving but have much more torque, so consequently are generally single speed. Both types generally have the same type of clutch.
The mutli speed transmissions in RC cars are an odd combination of clutches. The main clutch on the engine is a centrifugal type of clutch (two to four clutch shoes move outwards under their own weight (against springs) make contact with a clutch bell (which has the drive pinion on it) the friction between the two causes the drive to the spur gear and into transmission).
Inside the gearbox there will be an input shaft (sometimes this will be a number of stacked gears on the pinion with no spur gear) that runs all the time. The output shaft (though on a Savage 25 there gears are carried on a lay shaft and transmitted to the output shaft via another gear) first gear is always engaged until second takes over. It is a similar arrangement to the clutch, centrifugal force pushes the mechanism outwards, releasing its hold on first and engaging second, rinse and repeat for third (if it has one not sure if others outside of HPI have three speeds).
You cannot (as far as I know) shift the transmission manually from the radio, shifting is a function of output shaft RPM and the spring tension in the gear shifter mechanism. Adjusting the spring tension sets the shift point, for instance if you want it out of first quickly the tension is set soft so that the mechanism moves outwards quicker, for longer in gear times more spring tension is required (that is my understanding of how it works anyway) . Some allow you to select a forward and reverse gear but not all.
Nitro models cost less than petrol for a decent one but I would re-iterate my previous statement, if you want a 1/8 Nitro, buy a 1/10 or 1/8 brushless electric, faster, easier to use, clean (in terms of stinking of oil, fuel and burnt nitro), they also require far less stuff to take out with you (less tools, spares and no starting equipment).
As said Nitro powered cars have multispeed gearboxes which tend to work on centrifugal force, you can set the gear change point using an allen key so you can be doing just 15mph and be in second. You can only change to reverse gear using the controller if the car has a reverse gear but it's a bit hit and miss as to whether it engages or not.
With both petrol and nitro you can change the clutch springs to get the car moving at a higher engine rpm or lower. Driving slowly and staying stationary too long is generally not advised though since since the fuel is quite oily and then the car will bog down as you have unburnt fuel/oil so you will need to blip it quite a bit to keep it in its optimum power range.
Nitro trucks are sadly a dying breed though now that brushless and lipo's are pretty affordable and I believe that Traxxas are making a car which will do 100mph out of the box which really shows how dominant the technology is. For me nothing will replace the sweet smell of burnt methanol and the screaming noise they make so despite all of their difficulties I stick to them.
Going back to their engines you will have a slim chance of starting a nitro engine when the weather dips below 8 degrees C unless you keep it inside, use a hairdryer, keep the glowstarter on the glowplug for a while. Then if it does start and you don't rip the pullstarter/bust your knuckles on the cylinder head it will keep stalling until it warms so you will have to retune it. A gasser will still start first time with one pull so that's one thing to keep in mind.
With both petrol and nitro you can change the clutch springs to get the car moving at a higher engine rpm or lower. Driving slowly and staying stationary too long is generally not advised though since since the fuel is quite oily and then the car will bog down as you have unburnt fuel/oil so you will need to blip it quite a bit to keep it in its optimum power range.
Nitro trucks are sadly a dying breed though now that brushless and lipo's are pretty affordable and I believe that Traxxas are making a car which will do 100mph out of the box which really shows how dominant the technology is. For me nothing will replace the sweet smell of burnt methanol and the screaming noise they make so despite all of their difficulties I stick to them.
Going back to their engines you will have a slim chance of starting a nitro engine when the weather dips below 8 degrees C unless you keep it inside, use a hairdryer, keep the glowstarter on the glowplug for a while. Then if it does start and you don't rip the pullstarter/bust your knuckles on the cylinder head it will keep stalling until it warms so you will have to retune it. A gasser will still start first time with one pull so that's one thing to keep in mind.
Well cos of all your fantastic, detailed, objective and highly-relevant input - I bit the bullet on a Maverick Blackout V2 today (went to Wheelspin in Cannock).
Just seemed the best bang-for-buck, especially given that I'm still tentative about this game!
I was surprised at quite how big it was - filled the boot-floor of the Landcruiser, almost.
(Popped into John Craddock's at the same time, as they are down the road from there, and the only ones I would trust with my car tyres!)
Just charging the receiver battery right now, and being diligent about it all. One odd aspect of the instructions is that it seems to want the default position of the choke to be 'Open' (horizontal) - i.e. the starting setting seems to be the same as the running setting!? It only mentions moving (closing) the choke if having trouble starting.
More from me soon, no doubt!!!
Thanks everyone - one of the best, most informative threads I've ever had the pleasure of reading!
Just seemed the best bang-for-buck, especially given that I'm still tentative about this game!
I was surprised at quite how big it was - filled the boot-floor of the Landcruiser, almost.
(Popped into John Craddock's at the same time, as they are down the road from there, and the only ones I would trust with my car tyres!)
Just charging the receiver battery right now, and being diligent about it all. One odd aspect of the instructions is that it seems to want the default position of the choke to be 'Open' (horizontal) - i.e. the starting setting seems to be the same as the running setting!? It only mentions moving (closing) the choke if having trouble starting.
More from me soon, no doubt!!!
Thanks everyone - one of the best, most informative threads I've ever had the pleasure of reading!
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