Things I Wish I Knew BEFORE Starting the R/C Hobby
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 พ.ค. 2024
- RC cars and the overall R/C hobby is amazing, but it can also be challenging, intimidating and a money pit. Here's some of the things I wish I knew when I started driving rc cars.
Some good gear:
Hex Drivers: www.amainhobbies.com/protek-r...
Nut Drivers: www.amainhobbies.com/protek-r...
Car Stand: www.amainhobbies.com/ecopower...
Steering Servo: www.amainhobbies.com/ecopower...
Speed Meter: www.amainhobbies.com/skyrc-gp...
Rock Crawler: www.amainhobbies.com/vanquish...
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The most important lesson, as far as I'm concerned, is adjacent to the "driving fast is hard" point: learn to drive your car at the limit BEFORE upgrading anything. Practice until you know every strength and weakness of your car by heart, and before you buy upgrade parts, understand what changes you're trying to make and how to achieve them, and remember that not all aftermarket "upgrade" parts are actually better than stock. A good driver with a bare-bones car is far better than an inexperienced driver with a top-end car.
"A good driver with a bare-bones car is far better than an inexperienced driver with a top-end car." Well said.
-Brett
this way you also lern what you have to change on your car, most of the time is the steering servo
I used to do some carpet racing years ago at a local track and I thought I was pretty good until they had a big race one weekend and a bunch of people from all over came and I found out that compared to them I had alot to learn and most of it was tuning they came by me like I was running a crawler motor.
i love my nitros run a MP10 TKI2 with a reds 721 and i love it been into nitro 30 years now I also have a 6s Kraton its fun too
Keeping a log book or spreadsheet of changes is the best advice for your more expensive or race oriented rigs. This video is full of great advice! Thanks for producing this video love the content
💯
Agree with part's list, on hand part's, and log book's which is one of my faults in the Hobby LMBO 🤪😜
"errors" I did as a newbie:
-drive into the mud and let it dry on the car(its really hard to clean afterwards)
-drive into deep water (most rc are water resistant, not totally waterproof, i had to replace both ecu and motor)
-glue tires with superattak (damaged all rims)
-force on screws (i damaged some of them)
Btw my first rc was a bandit xl5
The only RCs that should be ran in water are crawlers. Speed cars seize bearings up much more easily and it causes much more issues in those faster cars
I personally love getting used cars and refreshing them. I'm more of a tinkering kind of person. I do love to run them as well. But I'm a fan of giving new life to used riggs. I'm currently in the process of building a custom sand rail with traxxas running gear and castle electronics. Should be a blast in the dunes. Great video 😊
Sand Rail sounds fun! You're on a good, fun path dude.
-Brett
Knowing when to be frugal goes a long way for any hobby. I'm a born-again virgin in this hobby and the only extra money I dropped on my first buggy back on the scene, is ceramic bearings ($100., of course at Amain). I felt a little silly not having used the kit bearings.
Definitely agree on the tools. When I 1st got in the hobby, I bought a cheap allen head set and thought the expensive tools were a rip off. Can’t tell ya how many bolts I’ve stripped over the past couple years with them because they rounded off over time. Recently bit the bullet and bought a few MIP hex drivers. Haven’t looked back since. Very high quality metal that won’t round off and lifetime warranty. To anyone whose thinking about getting some new tools, get MIP. They’re high but they really are worth it. Saves a lot of headache dealing with stripping bolts
I did nitro a long time ago for the same reasons and quit for exactly that reason. Got back into the hobby about a year ago and with the advancements in battery tech I'm super happy with my electric models
Happy you're back! Thanks for giving it another go.
-Brett
Crawlers got me back into the hobby. I stopped when the rc10t3 was no longer the top truck from associated. Bought a trx4 and now I've got like 30 cars again haha
Another thing I'd really recommend to people is to think about how your car is designed when upgrading parts. Aluminium shock caps are a great upgrade for Traxxas Ultra Shocks, as the standard plastic caps can pop off while landing big jumps, but I wouldn't recommend them on something like a Sledge.
The reason being that on crash impact, that energy needs to be distributed through the car. The Sledge has a few metal parts that are expensive to replace. The shock bodies and shafts and the shock towers, for example. By keeping plastic shock caps, that cap will just snap, saving your shock tower and more expensive shock parts. They're quick and easy to replace-they're plastic for a reason.
I see so many people with bent shock towers or damaged shocks on Sledges, and when I look at the pictures, I pretty much always see aluminium shock caps. Those won't break, allowing the crash's energy to bend and damage more parts than it should.
Traxxas gets some flak for using so much plastic in their cars. But that design saves a ton of money. They use different plastic compounds for different parts. Suspension arms are a little flexible where shock caps are harder and more brittle, for example. It's all to distribute impact energy in the best way, sacrificing small cheap parts when it's just too hard of an impact.
So don't just replace everything with aluminium because it looks super premium and amazing. It does, but those parts won't bounce back when they bend. Think about a part's purpose in the design of the car when considering an upgrade.
Started the hobby with a Radio Shack Nikko rc. It's cool how far the hobbies gone!
I just started off in this hobby this year. Totally brand new.
I was gifted a non-running Kyosho Inferno MP7.5 and I fell into the trap of pretty colored parts and all of that stuff without getting the car even running.
I got the car running now but when I first brought it into a local shop, the dude told me to take off everything I had replaced and put it all back to stock. It was off-putting at first to hear but I get it now.
Nitro is no joke, a ton of work. Happy to be new into the hobby running a "vintage" car. This channel (specifically the guy) has helped me understand a lot of things I didn't before.
Cool car you've got! Happy to hear you're enjoying it.
-Brett
Took me 2yrs to see everything you’re saying , great advice Bro, 4yrs later 10rc trucks ,cars,drag & crawlers I still love this hobby !! All Battery Powered !!👀😂
Been watching a lot of your videos lately as I slowly succumb to the world of r/c drifting and the way you present information on various r/c topics is some of the best i've come across on TH-cam. Very well done and keep up the great work!
I appreciate that. Thank you, and thank you for watching.
-Brett
read forums on the model you plan on purchasing to know what you're getting into, & which "upgrades" (if required) are worthwhile. the advice in said forums will save you a lot of time, effort, & resources in setting up, maintaining, & improving your model.
Thanks a lot..you really encouraged me to continue practicing and keep running my 2wd munster truck instead of just buy and buy different cars...I need to keep on going.
I just got into RC cars last summer after flying RC planes for years. Nitro plane engines are the same concerning maintenance minus the differentials, slipper clutches and all the bearings and high wear items. I have already found out upgrades REALLY do not add to the value of the vehicle, especially the fancy colored metal parts. I agree so much on pretty much everything you mentioned here. The first thing I did was invest in quality tools specifically for working on RC vehicles. Those dumb little screw drivers designed and made for gnomes had to go first. A rechargable screw driver is a must have when servicing an RC vehicle. The biggest thing I noticed with RC vehicles is how quickly dirt and dust eat up parts and wear them out. I thought off road vehicles like snowmobiles, quads and sise by sides wore out quickly. This was a very well done video. Thankyou for the tips.
Haha! Bro, I feel ya on the nitro!! 18+ years ago, it seemed like the way to go, but being in college it was just too much time and expensive. Brushless and Lipo was a game changer!
Dude, you’re getting fit. Congratulations on all the work you’re putting in.
I love Nitro and will always have a Tmaxx and Savage.
I rarely buy upgrades.
I did finally buy a great set of tools.
Thank you
Wow thanks for the advice on a good set of hex drivers, that's exactly what I need! 👍
Damn, Brett, you're looking much more FIT these days. Looking really healthy. Keep doing what you're doing! Also, a very wholesome video. I went through so many stages of RC. The amount of money I spent on upgrades is ridiculous. I wish I would have invested it in more RC platforms rather than upgrades.
My take away is the documentation. Having a log book would go a long way, 100% agree. And its something I need to do going forward. Good video man. Have a good weekend.
One of the best videos I've seen in a while. Great refresh. Great job. I KNOW all of us rc hobbyists have done one or more of those I know I have !!!! These simplified videos are perfect to show the younger generation because of the simplicity of your "verbal" ways!!!
I enjoy racing 1/10 scale off road on carpet, turf and clay tracks. Tires are definitely the most critical piece to the cars handling. We keep count of the number of runs on tires since they perform differently as they wear down. I try and keep at least 5 sets of wheels per car and to save a little $ reuse wheels and foams by cutting tires off and soaking wheels in acetone. Thank you for creating this video it’s good information.
As someone who’s less then a year into this hobby with still only one car, the one thing I’ve never considered was how temps will effect RC components. I’ve put a lot of money into this and questioned if I really needed to follow the manufactures maintenance guidelines. Well I now know that answer.
You are seriously the best ambassador for the RC car hobby that has ever come along in the 50 years I have been in it. Stay well and keep the faith. 😎
I have a file cabinet with all the receipts and part number of every upgrade I do.....I'm a dork!
Great video. I myself as a renowned decades old RC enthusiast watched this looking back and had a good chuckle at the likeness to myself as a young dreamer in the hobby.
Great Video, you nailed a lot of the talking points
I got the best tools i could when i started racing and trying to be competitive that was 15 years ago and i still have them. Getting the best equipment for you at the time is important
wow that was an impressive video , wise words of wisdom Brett, keep up the good work as always 😊
Some great advice. I have about 25 RC vehicles. Infraction, Fireteam, Maxx, crazy modded Emaxx, nitros and everything in between. Still one of the most enjoyable and best driving RC's I have is an early 2000's Duratrax Evader ST that I spent lots of time setting up.Super light graphite chassis and great geometry with the correct motor and tires made for a wicked package. Quick and very controllable. It doesn't get used any more but it's a keeper. Sometimes less is more.
Would love to own a duratrax evader dt. They looked so cool, and the chassis beneath was proven.
@@AsurasWrath164 it was kind of a hidden gem of an RC. Super predictable driving dynamics. Underrated for sure.
I bought that for my son as first rc , it basically shot stripped
Buggy though it was only hobby grade I could afford at the time
A Beautifully put together symphony of useful information for the masses.
Hit it right about the first new car. Aluminum, aluminum, aluminum. Wow. What a mistake. Coming from an EX-MX racer. Aluminum was the only way. Not for remoted cars. Lol. Thanks Bret, You-Da-Man.
Have fun
One thing for me is I bought cheap knockoff lipos for years and they worked ok, finally got a nice protek lipo and omg the difference was amazing, name brand Lipos is key too
Thank's Brett for sharing this informed video with the Hobby Community 💯 Racing in any form takes a great effort and understanding of you're equipment 🏁🏁 and Yes Sir Tire's are the key to helping get the handle on all land RC's from Crawling, Drifting, Racing, Drag, and even in low rider hopping... I have to say that most RTR come with pretty descent rubber, not competition grade but a good start to get a feel for tuning the suspension and gearing... The Nitro was the Best thing back in the NiCad era and the one's with the 2 speed transmission was King of Fun listening to the "SONG" as it shifted and blasted down and around the yard, track, or parking lot 😃😁😃😁
But now day's the Lipo and Brushless ESC and Motor is the Best thing to keep going with and I do believe that Burn Out can happen with anything that a person gets into..😢😮 as other interest develop in life it's good to take a break...
I've been very fortunate to build a collection of various RC's but will admit that the majority of them are Trail Truck's because I really like to get out on hiking Trail's and My Explorer Carley Dog is so Addicted that she'll lay beside me in my Hobby Room as I'm tinkering and goes pouting when I tell her we're not going today LMBO 🤪😂😁
The main thing is, was and always will be ... 🎉 RCF4L=RC Friends for Life
✌🤠👍 HFLPRCing =Having Fun Laughing Playing and RCing
👍😎👍 AOAH =Association of Addicted Hobbiest
🙏 SSPH =Stay Safe and Play Healthy My Friend 🏁💯🏁
I love it when our Uncle Brett is in a knowledge and experience sharing mood.
Great knowledge and dead on!😊
I learned quickly about upgrades and nitro. I bought my slash raptor back in February. It was my first hobby grade rc. The ultra shocks that came on it made it sag. So i immediately went and bought the big bore shock kit. And then it spiraled. I bought everything RPM for it, but i wanted alot of aluminum stuff. I bought a set of integy aluminum turnbuckles and it made it so heavy, which i did research on and found out that using all aluminum parts make it very heavy and more useless. So i hunted down the right traxxas brand blue aluminum turnbuckles and only used the traxxas aluminum parts for the slash.
And i got my TMAXX when it was two weeks old. It wasn't broken in properly, and it was shredding spur gears. And it took me about a month to learn how to tune and set the carb abd get the spur gear installed right and its been flawless since. Put an OS glow plug in it and it's using the same glow plug today, over 6 months later. Nitro is the best, but it does come with maintenance.
Always learn and research before getting into the hobby FOR SURE.
That was great Brett, and I've done most of it too! Especially stretching myself too thin when I was racing, total burn out!!
I've ran mugen for 2 years and now Serpent for 3 years in 1/8 scale. I am a little burned out going hard at it for 5 years and I'm not a horrible racer, I have a few plaqes, but don't have enough time to practice much and it gets frustrating. Great video love you video man! Thanks
I got an MBX4 roller for $10. Converted it to brushless and made it a short course truck. Looks much better. Those Mugens scream quality even the old ones.
Great advice Brett! I totally agree with the tools and how much they impact your enjoyment of the hobby. Also, making notes is a great tool as well! The one thing i would add is to talk to the guys and gals that have been doing it a long time and get their advice in whatever aspect of RC you’re into. Also, on a side note, it looks like you’ve lost some weight there, looking good!
This is one of the best vids yet!!! Thanks for putting this out there. Man can I relate 😆. After a few nitro run aways I left and went over to controlline flying for years. Then found my way back and kept going and used my dumb mistakes as an opportunity to do better. Wish some of the hobby shops could lay that out in some seminars or something to help folks have the best experience. Being over stretched financially or by volume sucks the fun out of it.
Good advice, Brett
I been in the hobby five yrs now and just sold all my stuff. I guess BBQing for my friends is my calling right now. Thanks again, see you all around
Potter's pitstop
the weather temperature also seems to affect battery performance in some instances, thanks for all your thoughts
Fun facts. Just days ago. One of your Blood Feud ran under a unseen righthand turning Chevy Impala , complete pass thru 61 mph , not a scratch . Live & learn.
Great points! I always tell people that want to go with nitro what they’re getting into. A great question is “do you have a place to run it?” Nitro cars need a large area to run and if you have close neighbours that don’t like noise it’s going to cause problems.
Well said…. I am just starting out. I will do everything I can to avoid the mistakes… Thank you.
Started with nitro ✔️
Got burned out racing ✔️
Took a break for 20 years ✔️
Got back into RC with crawlers✔️
Sounds similar to me, except I started racing with Electric when I finally got back into Gound Based RC's it was with Crawlers.
Thanks. Saved me 12.5 minutes.
I really like nitro because it's more realistic to me and my first nitro was a Revo and it was a lot of work but I enjoyed it. Electric is so much easier but I miss the tweaking.
Same thing happened with me, got a fcx24 last week after a 20 year hiatus. Now I have a mjx 16209 on the way 😅
I'm also 20 years now from racing 1/8 nitro buggy and this month just got and ran my 1st 1/8 ebuggy typhon v5 on a rc raceway.
One of your best videos, Great info and advice.
Super well said, I always stress the one car rule. Get an Ebuggy, have fun shredding and go from there. Great video guys!. Keep ‘em coming👍🏻
As always a very informative video! Love all your videos & "great work Brett"
What I learnt is breaking A arms are better than breaking transmission case when I "upgraded" the arms to alloy. Arms are cheaper and easier to replace. Oh, and don't play near sea water. My rusted Savage Flux is still sitting in a box. Ha ha!
ANOTHER well said video. Excellent points brought out as I've always believed in EXACTLY THIS. Upgrades aren't always a single purchase upgrade as you're normally asking MORE from something it TAKES away from something else . . . . normally your bank account 🤣😂👍💯👊
Super video, thank you for sharing your RC journey. Really helpful as I've just got into it myself.
Awesome advice!!! Some of us seasoned guys probably needed to be reminded of this!!! Thank you!!!
Excellent video. Very helpful advise, especially on burn out. Brett is awesome as always!
Great information as always!!!! Thanks!!!
The music makes me think I knew all this but I lost this knowledge over time and to have it come back to me is as if it never left me. This seems like common sense stuff. haha thanks nice music. great advice.
Thanks Reph. I agree with everything you say.
Definitely one of your best videos. Thanks!
That metal TMAXX though!!! Still got my OG! ;)
I’ve been in the hobby off and on for 30 years and my biggest problem is the ability to get parts the closest shop to me is over a hour drive away so when things break I have to order a it takes a week or more to get. I also don’t dump a ton of money into a basher like I did in the past. I just sold a 2wd slash I bought it used in excellent shape with a nice brushless setup for 200.00 and I beat on it for awhile put a cheaper brushless setup and sold it to a friend for 90.00. I have found it’s alot cheaper to just buy a new one. Just buying wheels, body, bearings etc for a little bit more you can buy a new brushed one sell the brushed setup.
Love this video ❤ , I've recently come back to RC after the dreaded crash and burn , I raced for many years and it wore me out .
Now I'm back in to the hobby and running my own channel and this is the best advice video I've seen in a long time . Very inspired to do my own version for my viewers .
Some amazing tips there buddy for fellow enthusiasts .
Keep up the good work
Stay safe there
Chris 🤙😎🚀
Such a great video. I'm definitely guilty of a lot of those. I have a 4wheel drive buggy that's 4/5 years old and I don't think I even checked to see if there was enough oil in the shocks let alone replace the oil in them. I never would have thought of the log book,such a great idea. I need to start doing that moving forward. Thank you for such a great video and great ideas. Keep up the great work,awesome as always
I’ve been in the same situation! 25 years ago I had 4 nitro vehicles …specifically a 4 etc and a T-max…..constantly tuning and maintaining nitro to keep them running…very temp sensitive depending on the day! Electric was archaic back then….nicad batteries , mechanical speed controls etc….with a modified motor you’d be lucky to get 4 minutes!
I had $1200 into my t-max over a 4 year period..it was fast and fun but went through at least 2 piston/sleeves a year!
The 4 tech was fast also…used it around. 1/4 scale asphalt track and would hit around 70 mph….but same thing…burn up engines a couple times a year! ….life happened and sold everything at one point. Maybe got half of what I had into them.
Jump to 5 years ago and got to reading what lipos were all about and current technology! Figured I’d give it a try again with a redcat wendigo kit! Was a blast and 25 minutes of run time! Next kit was a TRX4 and after that I was sold! 35+ rigs later still going strong!
Hobby burnout is real. For me, it was RC Helis. You're on the path to hobby burnout when you spend almost all your free time and spare money on it. My advice is to choose one disaplin and master it. You'll enjoy the hobby more and you won't suffer burnout.
Well said.
-Brett
great upload and information
Enjoy rc since 1986. Tried nitro 4 trucks and cars. Failed at all 4. Nitro was terrible experience. Will never go back. Back in 86 batteries only ran 4 to 5 minutes.
Hey Brett, I can totally relate about the early days of RC'ing my very first RC was a Tamiya Grasshopper that mostly sat on a shelf because of the crappy batteries and motors then came nitro by means of a Traxxas stadium buggy with a .15 and pull start it was great when it ran great but was just as difficult to keep running and to not break pull starts
Yes really enjoyed this vid bro... Some great tips.... Pushing forward is the big one for me... As you say there might just be something on the sunset ❤. Great vid as usual.
Hello, I enjoyed your video and I found it very emotional how you explained all this. I've already gone through some of your explanations myself. Be it in the FPV area or airplanes and currently at RC Crawler. I'm currently stuck with RC Crawler for a similar reason you mentioned. Excursions into nature with the crawler also give me a great opportunity to recover from my office job.
Happy to hear that. Crawlers are a great way to get away from it all.
-Brett
Stellar video! A lot of people will benefit from all the well spoken points.
Preach brother. Amazing video, as always 🙂
thanks for sharing your experience
superb video very good as always
keep doing them it is very useful and fun to watch
Enjoyed it.
Great job.
Really great video. Thanks so much!
When i got in to the hobby, I would ask lots of questions.. check out the kind of r/c i wanted to drive. it is great to buy cool parts. but i also at the time of buying the cool parts, i would buy the parts that may break. When i get an r/c i would look things up what parts break most. what parts lasted. buy bearings instead of bushings. so it would always be a balance. I had what i wanted, as well as had what i needed. Know i have some of every thing. boats trucks quad copters buggies, crawlers from all the way from 1/5 down to 1/24 scale. so i have a vast collation. but always look for something else keeps the hobby fun. want to really look cool learn to paint. then you have all the cool you need. get tired switch to a new custom body you painted. enjoy that is why it is called a hobby. but even hobbies can turn into making money. painted bodies. if they are really good make you money
Great advice Brett!
Great advice! Great video!
Yes great advice. As for racing having one car at bigger races can be a bummer too tho because you're there all day and get 30-40min of total run time. But I only run Etruggy and buggy because of the cost.
OMG! The all aluminum T/E-Maxx image @1:50 is exactly what im trying to do rn for my Emaxx and im half way there lol!
Lots of great advice for the beginner!
A good maintenance check and a dedicated lubrication habit, is a good way to keep your RC vehicle lasting long. Yes parts can be expensive. Just enjoy your RC and don’t be a dunce!
Agreed, great habits to develop.
-Brett
Definitely awesome stuff to know. I love your videos thanx a bunch
Yip.. Spot on Brett.!
Good advice.!!
Such good advice, Bret.
Great vid dude!
I remember my first RC, which was Arrma Outcast 6S BLX. Ukraine has a tiny RC market. It means you either buy a new car for $$$ or gamble with pre-owned models with an unknown service history.
My Outcast served me well for a couple of newbie rides, so my four-year-old son was happy along with me.
Suddenly the rear differential broke. I had no previous experience with RC-grade cars. TH-cam saved me after a guy who did a temporary fix that didn't last long. That was a good justification not to rely on some random person and master your repair skills.
Don't buy multiple different cars and tons of upgrades. Master one car and understand all about it.
As a Ukranian soldier, I miss the hobby a lot.
All valid and good points!
What a great video man!
those are good tips,.....and put my own perspective on the hobby..last month i bought a 30n truck and last week the BLT from rovan,...maybe i'm over doing it to...not maybe i am..thanks for the great tips !
I did the same for a revo 3.3 when they first came out i Bought Aluminum Integy parts like arms bumpers shocks components and after 2 crashes or rolls the chasi bent and every part that was Aluminum ALL CRACKED! Tires are Huge a good shock is huge and Better servos power plants etc! Cheap would be better batteries and changing shock oils and diff oils!
super great advice!
Great video and reflections. I could tell similar stories and wisdom.
Number three is so true. I can put hoons on my Typhon and go from dirt to Street just by changing the tires.
I mostly skipped the nitro thing in the early 2000s because I was tinkering on my actual car way too much and the gas mileage did not afford much beyond clothes and food. Live and learn!
Feel one with RC now after watching this video, namaste.
Talking about the upgraded parts section, Reminds me on full size cars, how they put carbon fiber on stuff and jack the price up- when plastic works fine and has great properties, like being lightweight, flexible, and just durable. Plastic parts are fine, and easy to replace. Also about heat, I think most vehicles ready to run, are geared too high so they can put out a high top speed number on the box. I gear down those vehicles to the smallest pinion, too boost torque and keep temps down. When u do that tho u have more torque through your drivetrain, so are prone to breaking stuff there, all about doing research.
Good stuff guys