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new swift owner/recomendations?

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Spidey

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I'm new to nitro RC's and just got the Power Racing Swift around a week ago. Can you guys give me some recommendations on things I should purchase in the future for reliability and better performance? The documenatation for the buggy's a little weak so I'm not even sure what glow plugs I should buy. So let's start there. Anyone know what glow plug comes with it or which ones I should use, or if it even matters what I choose? I've been looking at different RC sites the last couple of days so I could get my engine tuned and such. It seems like it's ok to use 30% nitro with .21 engines, but I wanted to check here first since I'm running 20% right now. I was also wondering if I could get some tips on adjusting the brakes. When I apply the brakes, it takes a while for the buggy to slow to a stop. Where should I start with the adjustments? Yikes, sorry about all the questions. I'm just trying to get all this stuff figured out as it can be a little overwhelming at first. Thanks.
 
Well spidey,
I'm a swift owner also, I'd recommend 1. fuel filter 2. better steering servo 3. receiver battery pack(6v) 4. Loctite all cvj pins, actually you should loctitie almost all your screws, at least look over the car for loose pins or screws after every 1-2 runs. 5. Buy yourself a few backup front and rear suspension mounts (they are inexpensive). When you get around to opening the diffs, you should see how much play they have and add a washer to the side thats loose. As for the brakes you may want to tighten the screws just a little that hold the brakes (2 on each side) or adjust the servo connector to the brakes. 6. Shocks are not all that great stock, you may want to change pistons and shock oil weight.
FYI, there are two other threads dealing with the swift, you may want to post under other threads dealing with your issue next time. Have fun! I posted some pics of mine, nothing flashy.
:cheers:
 
Thanks for the info Lightfytr. I put loctite on all the CVJ pins as per the other Swift threads. So far I have a fuel filter, 6v reciever pack, and after run oil in my shopping cart at hobby people. Is there a certain glow plug I should be using with the Swift? Hot, cold, medium? One last thing, how fast should the buggy be with the engine it's supplied with? I have the engine broke in and did a couple of short full throttle bursts with it. It looks fairly quick, but I honestly expected it to be a little faster. I'm tuning it with a temp gun and have it pretty close to where it should be. Thanks again.
 
Someone else will have to answer about the glow plug, I just got the standard one that everyone uses here for 1/8th buggies. Not sure about actual mph, but once you get about 6-7 tanks thru her it should get going about 40-45??? Mine is pretty quick, I'm sure a better engine will go a lot faster, no rush for now.:tank:
 
stick to medium plugs.. and what "temp" are you running it @ ? and what % nitro?
 
Hello,

The glow plug that comes with the Swift is a medium temperature plug. It's good for 20% nitro fuel, anything higher than that may burn out the plug prematurely. The medium temp plug definitely makes it easier to start, and that's why we included it. We haven't had a single call yet with engine trouble!

The best setup for the stock engine we've found so far is to run 30% nitro (I prefer Trinity Platinum because it burns a lot cleaner, most of our drivers prefer the O'Donnell stinky stuff!) with a McCoy MC9 cold plug. With that setup, the engine likes to run hot on the track, about 270F measured with a Raytek gun. If you're on the street doing lots of straightaway runs, keep it around 250F.

Also, adding a two-chamber pipe like our 053 Midrange or 086 RPM pipe makes a pretty big difference. The stock pipe is a single chamber design that offers a ton of torque, but hurts top end a little bit. Sometimes louder isn't faster...ah well.

It looks like every other question was answered already. Thanks!

-Cameron
 
Thanks for all the answers guys. That was very helpful.
 
..the swift motor with 30 percent makes really good power!
it seems to be as fast as any other motor on the average size indoor clay track..
i"m using a 13 tooth cluthbell..
OS A-3 glowplugs work the best for me on .21 engines
80w oil in the stock swift shocks
A-arms level
add a 100 dollar steering servo of your choice
..dial out some of your front brakes and add some toe in to make the steering come alive.it comes with lottsa toe out for some reason
I am dealing with the motor moving on me now losing my gear mesh, there are no cone washers on the chassis screws like most
buggies
so I am gonna change screw type and add washers for more area against chassis hope that takes care of the problem

RACE ON!!
TURBO JOHNNY
 
Can you guys post your engine settings? I can't keep the car running. It won't even run through a full tank without cutting off and I'm dying to start taking this thing off-road. Thanks.
 
sh .21 engine settings..

hi spidey..
my engine settings are as follows:
hi-speed needle 2--2 1/4 out
low speed needle 1/2-- 3/4 in from flush

I would recomend at least 1/2 turn out on both low and hi speed
to make it a richer setting for you,cause there are alot of factors
maybee even more than 1/2 turn.. then slowly 1/10 of turn at a time to get your power .always tune your hi speed first,then your low for punch
if it bogs you are to lean and you have to richen it
make sure you have a nice smoke trail thru the whole power band
from low to high range
I use OS A-3 glow plugs
cool power 30% nitro.. but i am changing fuels, cool power smokes way to much for indoor use! makes good power but real oily stuff.. I hope that helps
first step is to change glow plugs I would think
then tune your motor and have some fun!!
make sure you read the rest of the post in the swift threads
so your buggy works best for you..

loctight stuff!! its very important RACE ON!!
TURBO JOHNNY
 
:worship: Turbo Johnny, thanks alot man. I'll give your suggestions a try tomorrow.
 
I've run into a little trouble with my Swift today. Everytime I give more than half throttle it pulls pretty strongly to the left. The steering is set pretty straight and the buggy is fine when I let it coast or drive slow. Any suggestions on why when I peg the throttle it pulls to the side?
 
spidey..it could be a few differant things..
drive cup set screws...
inner drive gears rounded out on one side..
just gotta check stuff real close first the set screws..
good luck!! RACE ON!!



TURBO JOHNNY
 
The set screws are what hold the CVJ pins in right? Those are all there and so are the pins. I've already lost a few so I constantly check on them. Which ones are the inner drive gears? I'm using the Atlas hobbies site for part numbers and descriptions so I can look them up in the assembly manual that came with the car since it only has part numbers for everything and no names. Do you think you could look at the atlas hobbies site or the assembly manual and give me the part number for the inner drive gears so I can find them in the assembly manual and inspect them? Plus maybe any other parts you think could be the problem? Thanks for all your help so far.

Here's the site with all the part numbers and descriptions.
http://www.atlashobbies.com/8th_off_road/8th_prp_swift/swift_parts.htm
 
Not only should you loctite stuff BUT put twist ties around your battery pack ( if you use AAs ) so it dont come out. My friends car got stuck at full throttle after landing from a jump. :x
 
Wow that happened to my friend when he was racing around a bmx track but nothing seemed to the frame but he stripped 2 teeth off his steel ring gear. It still runs though
 
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