Beginning RC Drift

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OllieS

RC Newbie
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I am getting started in RC drift. So far, I have purchased an MST RMX 2.0s chassis, Hobbywing QuicRun 10BL60 speed control, Hobbywing 10.5 turn brushless motor, Futaba 3PV radio, and Power HD servo and gyro. I got Hydra XDR 2" wheels/tires, but don't even know how to tell if they are compatible with the chassis. I also ordered a body: HSP RC Body Shell for HSP Redcat Exceed 1/10 Scale 4wd, but I also don't know if that will fit the chassis or even how to tell.

I haven't put anything together yet, but looking at the parts, I realized I need to learn how to solder. I ordered a soldering kit and will practice before tackling the motor and ESC. Is there anything else I am missing? There is a lot of information out there, but it seems like there are all of these small details that are assumed and not explicitly mentioned.

Thanks
 
Welcome in @OllieS , drifting really isn't my thing but definitely some cool cars out there.
 
I am getting started in RC drift. So far, I have purchased an MST RMX 2.0s chassis, Hobbywing QuicRun 10BL60 speed control, Hobbywing 10.5 turn brushless motor, Futaba 3PV radio, and Power HD servo and gyro. I got Hydra XDR 2" wheels/tires, but don't even know how to tell if they are compatible with the chassis. I also ordered a body: HSP RC Body Shell for HSP Redcat Exceed 1/10 Scale 4wd, but I also don't know if that will fit the chassis or even how to tell.

I haven't put anything together yet, but looking at the parts, I realized I need to learn how to solder. I ordered a soldering kit and will practice before tackling the motor and ESC. Is there anything else I am missing? There is a lot of information out there, but it seems like there are all of these small details that are assumed and not explicitly mentioned.

Thanks
The body you need to compare the wheelbase of the body to the wheelbase of the car, Ideally compare the width too but the wheelbase is the more important thing there.

Not sure what to tell you about the wheels. I've only just started looking into drift kits myself so I'm also still learning about drifting specifically but I've been in to RC for quite a while now. I did read some where that to start with its easier to learn with a 17.5T motor and then eventually move on to a 13.5 or 10.5. I'm not sure how much difference it really makes as I've bought a 17.5T but havent built my kit yet. So many projects on the table right now.

Soldering isnt terribly difficult, just takes a little practice. Main thing is make sure you're using a nice wide chisel tip for bigger items like 12AWG wire, connectors etc. Make sure you tin your wires and connectors before soldering them together and always tin the iron tip each and every time you go to solder something. Tinning the tip makes heat transfer much faster because ideally you want to be on and off of what your soldering in the shortest time possible. Ill link a video below that I just did on soldering tips. It kind of expects you to know the very basics but once you get that down you can check my video out for better insight on how to be efficient at soldering.

There are tons of other small details and stuff so feel free to ask about anything you're wondering about. Unfortunately there arent many drifters in this forum but there is a lot of knowledgeable people about RC in general.

 
Looks like I bought 3mm offset wheels, but the instructions are saying I need 5mm. Is there a spacer I can use, or do I need new wheels?
 
Looks like I bought 3mm offset wheels, but the instructions are saying I need 5mm. Is there a spacer I can use, or do I need new wheels?
The hex they go against, those should come in offsets.
 
If your only 2mm shy you could just try them and see if theres any rubbing or turning issues, or as Chewy said find some hexes with a 2mm offset
 
If your only 2mm shy you could just try them and see if theres any rubbing or turning issues, or as Chewy said find some hexes with a 2mm offset
Ok so the wheels will be 2mm too close to the body right? So I need hexes that are 2mm thicker than the ones that come with the car chassis?
 
It depends. Does the spec sheet for your kit call for positive 5mm or negative 5mm offset?
 
If it calls for +5 and you only have +3 then yes the wheels are technically 2mm to close to the chassis. Getting hexes that are +2 Will push those wheels out to where they should be although its possible they may work anyway. You can always fit them and see if the wheels hit anything throughout the turn radius.
 
Just got to the section where I have to attach the horn to the servo. I need to learn to solder before I can even power on the unit to make sure the servo is in "neutral" position. This is what I did for my Traxxas vehicles anyway. Anyone know if this is a necessary step here? The servo is a Yokomo SP-02D V2.

I am about to get to the section where I have to attach the not-included pinion gear. The manual has a list of gear ratios along with how many teeth the pinion hear should have. Any recommendations on an appropriate ratio? I just bought a set of gears matching the teeth count on the chart, but don't know which one to go with.
 

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If you dont have a servo tester or some other way to power on the servo you can always go ahead and just attach the servo horn now and then come back and readjust it later after you have the electrical system all soldered up and installed.

As for the pinion. Pick one in the middle and try that first. You can always adjust it up or down later as well.
 
Thanks for all of the help so far.

I was able to get the battery connector soldered to the ESC, so I powered up the ESC, receiver, and servo. I still have to solder the ESC to the motor, and then will test all of the electronics, including the gyro. This is much more difficult than putting together the Traxxas Slash.
 
Thanks for all of the help so far.

I was able to get the battery connector soldered to the ESC, so I powered up the ESC, receiver, and servo. I still have to solder the ESC to the motor, and then will test all of the electronics, including the gyro. This is much more difficult than putting together the Traxxas Slash.
once you get it under your belt you'll be doing it to other kits in no time :)
 
I finally got it assembled and working. I still need a body. I ordered an HSP RC body that really doesn't fit. I didn't know it wouldn't until I drilled holes for the mounts. I decided to go with an MST BMW E92 body that I hope fits. I also ordered a Traxxas magnetic body attachment kit. Not sure if it will work for this, but I figured it was worth a try.

Does anyone have body recommendations? The wheelbase is 257mm, and the car is 190mm wide.
 

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I'm not much of an on road guy but as far as I know most 190mm body should work? We'll see what soemone more familair with on roads says
 
Most on road car body shells work that are between 190-200mm you will have to check the wheelbases and also your offsets. Different cars have different offsets which will make differences. Others have been correct with 13.5 or 10.5 motors, but it depends on what surface you are running on. 10.5 has high RPM/low torque and the 13.5 is opposite. Youll also want a sensored system.

A good place for resources are supergdrift.com amd driftmission. You dont have to buy from them directly, but you can see what kind of stuff goes together. Proline and MST and Pandora make a lot of body shells that work well.

As far as a Stealth Magnetic kit, the Traxxas one may work, but a lot of people get the kits off of amazon for around $15.

If you're near Dallas I can recomment a nice track with lots of helpful people at least. If not, hope you're enjoying your drift RC!
 
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