things have moved on...

[cjm_2008]

first off, awesome forum

this is a sort of 'you don't know how good you've got it today' type post

I had my first race meet today, the first for about 6 years. I decided to go nuts and buy myself an associated b44, a 10.5 brushless motor, and 2 packs of trakpower 3200 saddles (after riding down to apex models because they sent me sticks in error.....). when I first got into the hobby, it was with a tamiya madcap and 1400s - in 93'

when I left the hobby last time round, people were running sanyo 3000s - and a lot of racers were still runing 2400 nicads. I was running a 27t touring car, and 2000s were the best I could afford. dumping would always be in the back of your mind during races.

I had to get my comm skimmed every other race meet, and change the brushes to maintain performance on the stock motor... after each run, you could fry an egg on the cells and motor.

today I was honestly blown away - the lipo cells give relentless power, the motor barely gets warm to touch, and the most hilarious thing of all is that after each heat, when re-charging the lipo cells, they never needed more than 1200 miliamps. bonkers.

I don't view the past with rose tinted glasses - with conventional sub-c cells and brushed motors, the past was pretty crap!

[markwilliamson2001]

Know exactly what you mean!! I think the RTR kits that you can get nowadays now come with a lot of brushless and lipo kit, especially in the 1/18th scale cars. This has now filtered down into our cars with performance and reliability in abundance. I am now trying to get hold of a spektrum module for my transmitter to go with my brushless system, lipo packs and PT. This makes racing on my own very easy!

[cjm_2008]

Originally Posted by markwilliamson2001

Know exactly what you mean!! I think the RTR kits that you can get nowadays now come with a lot of brushless and lipo kit, especially in the 1/18th scale cars. This has now filtered down into our cars with performance and reliability in abundance. I am now trying to get hold of a spektrum module for my transmitter to go with my brushless system, lipo packs and PT. This makes racing on my own very easy!

LOL! I forgot to mention that I also bought a used spektrum 2.4 ghz set.... no more crystal board, pegs, or shouting 'anyone on yellow?!'

what I'm waiting for is a spec / controlled racing class, where all the motors are 100% equal and set by race control or something. that'd be amazing.

[Bungleaio]

Lipos are the reason I'm back in the hobby, I last ran electric using 1700 scrc's. Its fantastic not to have to discharge, equalise etc, it's also a lot cheaper too. I used to have 6 packs whereas I now have two lipo's. I bet in 2 years time there will hardly anyone using sub c's.

[frogger]

Can't agree more. Happy days

[cjm_2008]

Originally Posted by Bungleaio

Lipos are the reason I'm back in the hobby, I last ran electric using 1700 scrc's. Its fantastic not to have to discharge, equalise etc, it's also a lot cheaper too. I used to have 6 packs whereas I now have two lipo's. I bet in 2 years time there will hardly anyone using sub c's.

that is what swung it for me in favour of lipo. to compete seriously, you need at least 6 packs, as you've pointed out. when getting my gear together to get back into the sport, i'd be looking at £300 for cells. stuff that!

2 sets of saddles = £90.

lipo definately evens out the playing field

of course, if a pack blows up and sets fire to my van, I might not be so pleased

[Alfonzo]

I couldn't agree more. I started racing in '89, and have continued to do so on and off since. The kit today is loads better (and in real terms, cheaper). That's not to say I don't have some fantastic memories from years past of course.

[CraigM2610]

Originally Posted by cjm_2008

what I'm waiting for is a spec / controlled racing class, where all the motors are 100% equal and set by race control or something. that'd be amazing.

At York off road car club(), we have a class like this for 2wd. 540 motors are used. its a bit slow but a good laugh and great for newbies getting into the hobby.

[cjm_2008]

Originally Posted by Alfonzo

I couldn't agree more. I started racing in '89, and have continued to do so on and off since. The kit today is loads better (and in real terms, cheaper). That's not to say I don't have some fantastic memories from years past of course.

i wonder if lipo and brushless will herald a new 'golden age' of popularity in rc car racing, just like in the early 90's.

for me, the big thing is racing on an equal footing. I was able, with unfamiliar gear, to stay reasonably close to the front runners at the club meet yesterday, on a reasonable budget. most people didn't feel the need to run anything more than a 10.5; I felt I could have done with a bit more speed down the straight, but the punch out of corners was just right.

I stared out racing THIS back in 93', until getting a super astute for xmas that year. it took me three weeks to save up enough money from my paper round for a ballrace kit from modelsport! then i had an escort cosworth (the one based on the manta ray!), took a long break due to being skint, and in 2000 I got back into racing throught the tamiya eurocup.

I've totally got the buggy bug again now though. all the things that originally put me off buggy racing (budget for motors, batteries etc) are now irrellevant

[Chris Doughty]

unlike 10 or 15 years ago, in off-road right now its so easy to buy something that is far far far to powerful for anyone to drive.

yesterday at the national I experimented with a 4.5 in my 4WD and the car was an absolute missile. too fast to be honest, but I enjoyed driving it.

jonny new-racer can easily go to a shop and get a 3.0 turn motor, bolt that in, even 'sport' batteries will see that thing go into warp speed.

[telboy]

cjm, what your full name? I was doing eurocup around that time too, and I'm racking my brain trying to think of anyone with the initials.

[cjm_2008]

Originally Posted by telboy

cjm, what your full name? I was doing eurocup around that time too, and I'm racking my brain trying to think of anyone with the initials.

craig macdonald - I used to run a TA04 in the super touring class. I'd usually just about scrape into the A finals, only to be left for dust, as my 3000's would be very very tired by then. I hadn't learned that it was better to be on the front row of the B final with a shout of winning some vouchers, rather than on the tail end of the A!

and I spent a small fortune in tyres - the super soft belted slicks would generally only last three heats, especially with additive.

I could never be arsed to properly paint my shells, so i'd run them in gloss black

I think my last run was the finals at halifax.