Yet another "I'm new, can an rct4 be a basher?" thread?

[Karpouzian]

This is what I am starting with...

FT aluminum front strap
FT battery strap
FT gear cover
FT titanium turnbuckles
Complete FT tranny with balldiff
Complete T4.1 tranny gear diff
STRC aluminum bellcrank
Aluminum rear hubs
T-bone front bumber

I'm looking to bash mostly, as there are no real rc racing opportunities until May, and I am still very new to the hobby...

1. What else should I add to make this a more effective basher, and eventually racer.
2. With no track to practice on, how does one get better at racing?
3. Is there any way to make it more snow/ice proof for some nice January racing?

[kaiser]

t4's are pretty tough, sure you'll rip off an arm if you clip a curb @ 30mph but it's a tough truck.

stay away from alloy arms.

practice on a track is going to be the only way to get better at racing.

one thing i always tell bashers that want to get into racing is don't stand in the street when you are bashing. stand to the side on the curb, you'll get a better sense of what it's like on a drivers stand. you can always tell who the newbs are at the track because they are standing on the track trying to practice.

[Karpouzian]

And what would you suggest doing to make it more weather resistant so that I can get an early start on my bashing? I've heard about wrapping te chassis, but what are there any other ideas?

[kaiser]

waterproofing is a tough one. on one hand sure it's nice to be able to bash in the rain/snow but on the other hand you can damage the esc if it gets hot and there's no air flow to cool it.

traxxas' velineon bl sytems claim to be water proof.

[Lonestar]

waterproofing is just an illusion... the electronics *might* be waterproof, but the rest isn't, and corrosion will soon be everywhere.

Just don't play in the wet...

Paul

[klavy69]

the traxxas stuff does actually work good for the waterproof part. But like the others stated the rest of the truck isn't waterproof. bearings and screws and hingepins,etc. will start showing the wear by having to replace often. I've got a slash 4x4 that is as waterproof as it can be. VXL, stainless screw set, titanium hingpins, alumin. goodies, waterproof rx box but I end up replacing bearings more than I like to.

It would be fine to run it in the wet...just realize its gonna be a nickel and dimer sooner than later....

Todd

[Karpouzian]

Thanks for the feedback all, I think I am just going to stick to running my slash in the water...

[Karpouzian]

This is the car so far. Can anyone else suggest anything to make it a little more bulletproof? Brushless motor/esc...
I'll be using Nihms because I'm scared of LIPOs, but any other thoughts?

[klavy69]

your picture isn't showing up for me.

Don't be afraid of Lipo. Lipo mishaps are more intentional from misuse, trying to beat the charger or just from idiots who make youtube videos for a hobby...not intended to mean any disrespect to anyone who does though .

Todd

[romulus22]

Switching to a lipos I think was the most intimidating jump for me. But once I did I didn't understand why I didn't do it sooner.

Just buy a good charger and you won't have any issues. You'll never catch me using a NiMH battery again.

[Karpouzian]

Well, I'm paranoid about things like charging... Nw I've bought an onyx 230, and the idea of "set it and forget it" for charging nimh batteries appeals to me.

The low voltage cutoff thing worries me, too. I don't want to have a fried esc if the cutoff forgets to cut off, or if I buy the wrong esc model, and think I have a lw voltage cutoff...

Also, I've fixed the picture. This is the chassis sans electronics.

Switching to a lipos I think was the most intimidating jump for me. But once I did I didn't understand why I didn't do it sooner.

Just buy a good charger and you won't have any issues. You'll never catch me using a NiMH battery again.

[klavy69]

if you run your battery too low it won't hurt your esc...just your battery. But I understand your reluctantness to try it if you think that much on these . These are a way for me to relax and have some fun but if you are having that much thought and worry it wouldn't help you any I guess in my terms. Mostly what I dislike the most is those people who worry about something cuz they 'heard they were unsafe'. Just like those people who automatically think a pitbull will eat their children because of the things they 'heard' type thing. Until you actually do some homework on the subject and feel comfortable with it is the best thing to make your worries go away though and I can understand that. Once you do and you switch to lipo you'll be very happy with your choice.

As far as bulletproof though I would think learning to drive it would be your best bet. I thought the b4 was the most fragile thing I ever owned til I learned to drive it...and I still break parts so that might say something about my driving

Todd

[Karpouzian]

Maybe I'll buy a cheap lipo and give it a try.... If I'm not risking my esc, just the battery, it may be a worthy experiment of just the cost of 1 battery to try it... Now what s, how many cs, and what mah would you suggest for such an experiment?

[klavy69]

a 7.4v (2cell) with around 4000-5000mah and a 30C is the most typical and versital(?) and you can get them from here:
http://www.hobbypartz.com/hardcase.html
pretty affordable.

I was a die hard nitro guy with guys pushing me towards electric. I had a b3 but never ran it. To shut the guys up locally I ran with I ordered a $35 7.4v 4000mah 30c lipo off ebay to compare it to a relatively nice expensive 4200mah 30c NiMH I had to compare apples to apples. I got it and one of the local guys charged it for me and I did a comparison on a mild cheap brushed system I had in it. The difference was amazing. Night and day difference for power and speed. Had the local guy check my NiMH to make sure it wasn't faulty and charged and did it again. Just awesome power and speed again. Haven't gone back.

Todd

[delsami]

for bashing, buy rpm front arms & rpm bulkhead.