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R/C stands for remote controlled as in R/C Car Racing. There
are two main types of cars: electric or gas powered. Then two main applications:
on-road or off-road. Then there are scales to consider and types of drive
trains/ categories to consider. The most popular scales for on-road are 1/10 and
1/8th scale; for off-road, it's 1/8th. Scale refers to how big the R/C car is
relative to it's real life counterpart.
MC3 loves Mini-Z and dNaNo cars, which are 1/28th and 1/43rd
scale respectively since they can fit in your pocket, are very fast, tuneable
and super fun to drive.
As these cars are electric, that's what we'll talk about.
R/C cars are driven using a controller. Most are pistol type
controllers, whereby a wheel is used to control the steering and a trigger is
used to control forward, stop and reverse based on it's position.
There are several types of controller technologies being used
in the marketplace, however one should strive to use a 2.4Ghz system. If you use
a cordless phone at home, it's very similar technologies. Basically, the
transmitter and receiver work together to find a frequency (called a channel)
within the 2.4 band that is not used, then they lock unto it to allow you to
control your car without interference. Some 2.4 systems also modulate (like
Spectrum) among channels, meaning they switch so as to make sure nothing
interferes.
There are many components to a R/C car like a real car. There
are tires and rims (which make wheels), suspension systems, drive train systems,
etc...
Bodies
One of the cool things about the way the cars are designed is
that you can change the body easily. For Mini-Z, just change the front body clip
(used to fix the front of the body to the chassis), mount the appropriate tires
on the rims, install those on the steering knuckles and put the body on the car.
Voila! You now have a brand new body. Most racers choose bodies based not only
on looks but how they handle. There are noticeable differences in terms of
handling characteristics between bodies.
Talking about bodies, there are a few configurations, which
correspond to chassis types and widths. Some bodies are "narrow" which mean that
will use a 8.5mm rim (also known as a narrow rim) all the way around. Whereas a
wide body will mean it will use narrow rims for the front and wide rims (11mm)
for the rear.
Wheels
As noted, there are various wheel widths (8.5mm and 11mm).
Additionally, there are different size diameter rims too. Stock rims are 20mm,
front and rear, and for LM cars, fronts are 17mm. This is due to the fact that
the tires Kyosho created for this class of car have larger sidewalls than normal
to give it a look consistent with real LM cars. Additional sizes are available
from aftermarket manufacturers such as 18, 19 and 21mm for front and 21mm for
rear. Non-standard rims are used as a tuning tool.
There are also many choices of tire compounds and degrees to
chose from. For the most part, the tires that come stock with the kits are
useless; you'll want to upgrade immediately as they are too hard, resulting in
poor and unpredictable handling. Tire compound refers to the material the tire
is made of. Some tires have more rubber than others and some have more silicon
than others. There are even foam tires available. Compound choice is based on
what surface you intend to race on. Tire degree refers to how sticky or soft a
tire is. A softer tire is always used in the rear and a harder degree in the
front.
Chassis Configurations
There are 4 main chassis configurations for 2WD touring cars:
MM (Mid-mount), RM (Rear-mount), LM (Low-mount) and HM (High-mount). For Kyosho
to make the bodies look like their scale counterparts, they match them to the
applicable chassis configuration. For example, MM is typically for 98mm chassis
length; RM is for 94mm; LM is for 102mm and HM for 90mm.
Suspension Systems
Most cars in stock form come with just plastic parts. There
are some kits that are offered from the factory (Kyosho) with upgrades or what
some people refer to as "hop-ups". Upgrade refers to the fact that either the
material or design is an improvement on the original part/ design.
There are several companies that make aftermarket parts for
Mini-Z and only a couple for dNaNo. Aftermarket means companies other than
Kyosho, who are the originators or manufacturer of these types of cars. The most
innovative aftermarket companies include PN Racing, Atomic R/C and Reflex
Racing, which MC3 are authorized dealers for. We also carry Route 246 (aka R246)
who are wholly owned by Kyosho.
Front
Most of the Mini-Z cars use a fixed suspension arm (i.e.
kingpin) system for the front. The only exception is the MR03 which uses
articulating upper arms which Kyosho calls “Variable Camber Suspension”.
Basically, since the upper arm is linked as opposed to fixed, as the car leans
into a turn, the contact with the track remains constant.
Tuning
There are components of the suspension which can be changed
in order to change the handling characteristics of the car to better suit your
driving style, track layout &/or race surface. Options for tuning include
different springs, toe-bars, arms and knuckles. There are also offerings from
aftermarket manufacturers for completely re-engineered suspension systems.
Rear
Every 2wd drive rear suspension setup is the same for the
Mini-Z touring cars. The latest offering of the AWD model, comes with what
Kyosho call DWS (double wishbone suspension). This allows much easier tuning
adjustments compared to the standard (older) offering which was similar to the
fixed suspension arm.
For the standard rear-end suspension system, Kyosho includes
a plastic motor pod and spring shock. The spring shock is supposed to keep the
rear end planted when hitting bumps etc… Most guys upgrade to alloy rear pods
and oil filled/adjustable spring shocks. PN also offer a dual spring rear shock
allowing for adjustable of both dampening and rebounding.
A disc damper, sometimes called friction shock kit is an
available upgrade that lets you fine tune the side to side movement of the rear
pod in combination with different T-plates. T-plates look like a ‘T” and connect
the main chassis to the rear motor pod. T-plates allow tuning for side-to-side
movement. A harder T-plate means it is stiffer, which results in more steering
and less rear grip. The opposite is true for a soft T-plate. It is thinner than
the hard T-plate which results in less steering and more rear grip. To tune a
disc damper setup, you use differential grease on the discs, which slows down
the movement of the rear pod. This is used in combination with different
top/bottom springs which result in less or more pressure on the discs
sandwiching the central carbon fibre plate attached to the main chassis.
An alloy rear pod usually allows for infinite gear mesh
adjustment as well as the ability to run different upgrade motors (usually with
larger end-bell sizes) which attach using screws (i.e. there are holes in the
end of the motor) whereas a stock configuration uses plastic motor spacers. An
additional and probably the most important feature of most alloy motor pods is
that it positions the motor lower and more inboard (towards the center of the
car) than the stock plastic mounts resulting in much improved handling. Stock
plastic mounts come in a few varieties: MM, LM, RM and HM. RM and HM versions
put the motor to the rear of the rear axle and on top of the rear axles
resulting in less-than then best handling compared to MM or LM configurations.
Drivetrain Systems
Differentials
All stock mini-z cars come with a gear differential. A worthy
upgrade is an adjustable ball differential. This allows one wheel to slip until
there is sufficient traction, then it locks with the other spinning wheel. This
results in maximum acceleration out of a turn. The amount of slip is adjustable.
More slip means more traction to a point. Too much slip and the car doesn’t
accelerate as quickly and wears out parts more quickly. Too tight (not even
slip) and the car can oversteer (a condition where the rear end of the car
slides out) and the car wipes out.
Gearing
Stock gear pitch for motor and differential gears is 48 pitch
from Kyosho. PN , Atomic and Reflex Racing offer 64 pitch gears and for PN and
Atomic, matching pinion offerings. 64 pitch offers better mesh between gears,
meaning less loss of power and quieter operation. PN Racing also offer an even
finer mesh with 128 pitch gears and pinions. The risk with any such fine gears
is that if debris gets stuck in the gear, it could get ruined.
Ball Bearings
Ball Bearings are an important upgrade to the stock plastic
bushings as they allow for less rolling resistance resulting in greater speed.
Bearings are used within the rims of the wheels (2 per wheel; one outside and
one on inside), motor pod differential axle holes and outside portion of the
right rear wheel (when an adjustable ball differential is used). There are
different versions available based on materials and manufacturing
specifications. Offerings range from standard steel balls to ceramic and to
higher grade ABEC-5 specification.
Closing Comments
This is just a taste of what Mini-Z and dNaNo can offer in
terms of fun, value, learning and excitement.
Nothing beats getting out there and experiencing a Mini-Z
&/or dNaNo for yourself.
Search our site for Technical Tips and Guides along with the
latest product offerings from all the Manufacturers (we carry them all!).
Better yet, check our Race Results/ Schedule page for hours
of operations and drop too see the action first hand.
Sincerely,
Shawn Yerxa
Owner, Mini-Car Club of Canada
www.minicarclubofcanada.com
No part of this paper may be copied without written consent
of MC3, Mini-Car Club of Canada or Shawn Yerxa. Material remains the
intellectual property of MC3. Kyosho, Route 246, R246, Atomic R/C, Reflex
Racing, PN Racing remain trademarks of their respective owners.
Copyright 2012 MC3 Mini-Car Club of Canada
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