just bought rc18mt!

[Nitro_Freak]

I just bought an rc18mt from my lhs... it's awesome. I got an additional reedy 1400mah pack with it. I already ran both packs (both came charged out of the box) and this thing rips! are there any upgrades I should do immediately? I noticed the wheels (esp the front) have a ton of play...

thanks

 

[redhatman]

Only one nessacery thing I can think of: SHIM THE DIFFS!! The RC18 Series is known for bad diffs and how soft they are. I had a mamba in mine and it kills them, but you can just buy the BRP RC18 Shim kit here: http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXJVD0&P=7 and then just shim it up and that helps tons.

You will find other things like, the screws strip out fairly easy, the gears are exposed so little rocks and all can get jammed in their easy. The stock RC18 steering sucks, it has lots of play.

Most people will buy this: http://cgi.ebay.com/RC18T-RC-18T-Bl...ryZ44028QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem and it supposedly works pretty good.

 

[Nitro_Freak]

is there a difference between the brp shim kit and associated's? I use associated's and it worked really well. as for the steering assembly, I'm just gonna pick up an integy one since it's cheaper for me.

one other question. I just got the lrp high-speed motor.. what temp is it supposed to be running at? with my duratrax temp gun (probably inaccurate) I've been getting temps 160-190. is that too warm? my lhs was out of motor heatsinks when I got it, but I did get a heatsink for the esc, and it's been helping a lot.

thanks

 

[redhatman]

I believe that the BRP shims are slightly thicker, making it possible to use only one, because 2 associated ones may be to much.

As for the motor, you should be able to hold your finger on it for a second or 2 is what i go by. Otherwise its to hot. Just mess with your gearing a bit.

 

[Nitro_Freak]

hmm, I think I may be running a bit too hot then... I'll have to wait until we get some integy motor heatsinks in then.

thanks for your help.

 

[Nitro_Freak]

ermmm... just a slight problem I had today... I was jumping in my backyard, and there was a glitch, the car swerved to the right on the jump, and *somehow* jumped into the pool...

I'm pretty sure the esc is fried... when I plugged in a battery I don't have any throttle. I'm not sure about the reciever though.. when plugged in the steering twiches a LOT, so the servo is ok, but my reciever? it didn't do that before... I assume the motor is ok as to break in brushes it's actually recomended to dunk it into water....

few questions... should I do anything to help all the electronics dry faster? also, what esc should I get? I was thinking the novak spy since it's the same speed as the stock esc. does lrp make any decent ones (I have an lrp motor...)?

thanks

 

[redhatman]

onder2: Heres a good excuse to go brushless

 

[Nitro_Freak]

omg... I just tried it a minute ago... and IT WORKED!! I'm crossing my fingers for now, but wow, that's amazing. I'll leave it upside down to dry overnight...

 

[Nitro_Freak]

ok.. I left it to dry overnight, and this morning took it out for a spin. it seemed to work fine for a few minutes, and then I noticed a nasty burnt smell. I picked up the car and sure enough, the esc smelled completely burnt out. bummer..

what esc should I get now? the novak spy, stock xps, or the lrp quantum micro reverse?

thanks

 

[jon2]

forthe money you will spend on the ESC, I would look into getting a brushless system. you can still run the stock batts but I would also suggest a deccent Lipo pack.

IMO

 

[Nitro_Freak]

I already spent $25 on a motor, and am about to spend another ~$40 on an esc. I can get a mamba competition package for $90, but that's still a bit too much than I want to spend currently.

lipos are out of the question, they are far too temperamental still for my liking, plus I'd need a charger for them, which also costs a lot of money.

 

[Nitro_Freak]

ok well I just went to my lhs and picked up a novak spy. it seems to work perfectly (knock on wood). one wierd thing: the motor in the rc18 is a 370 right? well the novak spy says that it's for 280 sized motors, though my lhs said that it would work fine (and it seems to be thus far). is 280 and 370 used interchangeably or something??

 

[redhatman]

well, the stock rc18 motor is 370, I know that. Not sure on the Novak Spy. Most 1/18 motors are 370 anyway...

 

[Nitro_Freak]

it even says on towerhobbies that it works with the rc18... this is wierd, I may send an email to novak asking what's up...

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&P=WR&I=LXCNR7

 

[RatzoRC]

Good luck.
I lost all respect for Novak and their customer support the last time I had an issue.
It cost me big $$.
It was bad enough that I never bought another Novak product.
I hope that your luck is better.