mini 4wd Tips       

Overall Setup

For high speed tracks the lighter your car the better.  Some racers even sand off extra weight from their cars just to make them lighter.  For tracks that have jumps the heavier the car is in front the better.  It's also best if you equip your car with brakes just to make sure your car will not fly off the track.  An overly setup car tend to be heavier than its ideal weight.  One point of consideration is the length of the track.  I usually survey the tracks first.  Some tracks even allow some practice time before the race proper.  That allows you to change the setup of your car in case it cannot handle some jumps and turns.  You can even spy around your friendly competition.  Take advantage of the free practice time.  Though they may change some parts of the track come race time, it usually is very minor.  For tracks that doesn't allow practice time, try to watch some races first before signing up for the race.  It allows you to identify the problem areas of the track so you can change the setup of your car.  It also saves you money for re-entry.  Invest on high quality parts specially original Tamiya.  It makes a lot of difference in performance and durability.  It may cost a little more but it gives you more satisfaction when you win a race or even a few rounds.  The stores that sell the lowest priced Tamiya parts are Lil's Futaba at Park Square Makati (they don't sell motors unless you get a car and some parts are controlled so you can't get the quantity you want) and JMN's Hobby Square at Harrison Plaza Manila (where they also sell Auldey and other budget-priced parts).  For those who are tight on the budget and does not require the best performance you can try the stores at Plaza Miranda near Quiapo church.  It offers tons of tune-up parts for those on a tight budget.  Bearing and screw/spacer vendors also flock the sidewalks.  Some stores even offer original Tamiya cars and parts that are reasonably priced.

 

Motors

For maximum speed, Plasma-Dash, Ultra-Dash or Jet-Dash.   For technical tracks, then use the least a Torque Tuned or at the most a Hyper-Dash 2.  Try to invest on the higher performance motors first because the competition already has.  Just remember if your car can not stay on the track with the higher performance motors  its not because the motor is too fast. It's because your car isn't set up to handle the speed!

 

Description

Power Consumed

(With Load)
RPM

(Without Load)
RPM

Torque

Stock FA-130 Motor

1100mA

9900

13800

10

Torque Tuned Motor

1200mA

12000

13600

10

Atomic-Tuned Motor

1300mA

15700

N/A

10

Rev Tuned Motor

1500mA

14300

17600

10

Hyper-Dash Motor

1600mA

17200

19300

10

Mach-Dash Motor

1900mA

20800

23400

10

Jet Dash Motor

4000mA

23000

28000

22

Ultra-Dash Motor

4000mA

24000

29000

20

Plasma-Dash Motor

4100mA

25000

29000

20
 


Gears

I use at least a 4:1 or at the most a 3.5:1 specially on very fast tracks.  On technical tracks I use 4.2:1 or 5:1.  The length of the track is also very important in choosing the right gear ratio.  

 
Gear Battery Life Acceleration Top Speed
3.5:1 Bad Bad Best
4:1 Good Good Better
4.2:1 Better Better Good
5:1 Best Best Bad
 


Tires/Wheels

I use one-way wheels as much as possible.  This offers the best cornering performance since the wheels are not dragged.  Original Tamiya one-way wheels are the best.  You may need to do some modifications specially on the fully-cowled cars. There are at least a dozen tire/wheel combinations with each offering their own set of pro's and con's. The table below has a lot of information and may seem confusing at the beginning, but its a lot of information, so...

 
Dia/Width/Tire Top Speed Acce. Cornering Shock Absorp. Drag Stability Weight Grip
Small/Nar/Sponge Bad Good Good Bad Good Bad Good Bad
Small/Nar/Reston Bad Good Good Bad Good Bad Average Average
Small/Nar/Rubber Bad Good Good Bad Good Bad Bad Good
Small/Wid/Sponge Bad Good Good Bad Bad Good Good Bad
Small/Wid/Reston Bad Good Good Bad Bad Good Average Average
Small/Wid/Rubber Bad Good Good Bad Bad Good Bad Good
Lar/Nar/Sponge Good Bad Bad Good Good Bad Good Bad
Lar/Nar/Reston Good Bad Bad Good Good Bad Average Average
Lar/Nar/Rubber Good Bad Bad Good Good Bad Bad Good
Lar/Wid/Sponge Good Bad Bad Good Bad Good Good Bad
Lar/Wid/Reston Good Bad Bad Good Bad Good Average Average
Lar/Wid/Rubber Good Bad Bad Good Bad Good Bad Good
 


Rollers

The best rollers are the ones that doesn't have any horizontal/vertical play.  These are the ball-bearing type rollers.  Try using the bushing type rollers as an alternative as long as the bushings fit snugly on the rollers to minimize horizontal/vertical play.  During practice time try not using any rubber on the front rollers as much as possible so as not to sacrifice speed specially during turns. The sharp edges of the rollers will handle the gripping on the tracks just fine.  But if your car keeps on flying off the tracks, put the rubber back.  Bending the side extension roller mounts forward also helps the car stay on the tracks.  But overly bending them also makes the car fly off the tracks so make sure to make the adjustments very little at a time.  Putting rubber on the rear rollers makes the car slower during turns and waves.  You may also consider this a point of adjustment for your car.  Here are two tables to recap the information mentioned above. For those who learn in a more visual manner, this may make it easier to decide which is best for your situation.

 
Overall Dimension Stability Cornering   Front/Back Dimension Stability Cornering
Narrow Bad Good   Wider in Front Bad Good
Wide Good Bad   Wider in Back Good Bad
 


Batteries

I have used the NiCd and NiMh batteries and its really a toss up to which I prefer. I don't have a NiCd discharger and have to drain them with a flash light. NiCd's are lighter and have a slightly higher voltage than the NiMh. Since your objective in racing is to finish first you will want a battery that has the highest charge capacity.  I see some cars at their top speed in the qualifying rounds but lose power during the finals because their battery is already drained.  Invest on at least a 1000 MaH battery.  I usually race more than one car and have the NiMh in one and the NiCd in the other.  When drag racing I advise you use Alkaline batteries since these have the highest voltage thus making your car a lot faster.

 
Type Memory Weight Voltage
Alkaline No Average 1.5
Ni-Cad Yes Average 1.25
Ni-Mh No Bad 1.2
Li-On No Good 1.5

 

 

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