Good ol' Charlie's tutorial on tricking out your Xmods Custom RC.
 

Hello,

Some people out there have been asking questions such as, "what is the best setup for my Xmods RC?" or "what should I use for maximum speed?" Well, I'm going to put up a little guide to get the most out of your Xmods Custom RC.

First off, the famous question: What motor is the best for speed or torque? Well, this can vary in some cases. See, the Stage 1 motor, as everyone knows, has more torque and strength to get your car accelerating and climbing up those hills. BUT, as known, provides less speed than that Stage 2 motor upgrade kit. The Stage 2 motor upgrade kit is for more speed, and that can make a big difference, but it has slower acceleration and when going uphill, can actually be slower than that Stage 1 upgrade kit!

If you are going down steep slopes or smooth, flat, and LONG surfaces, then you will need the Stage 2 motor upgrade for better all-around speed and fair acceleration. BUT- if you are going to climb up ramps and you need a BURST off the starting line, then get the Stage 1 motor upgrade kit. That's just my 2 cents.

What kind of grip do I need and under which circumstances?

Well, again, this can vary. There are rough, smooth, flat, bumpy, and slippery surfaces. Soft rubber grip will get you through smooth, flat, and hard surfaces. You can use higher grip tires for that. But, the rough, scratchy surfaces will rip and wear out those tires faster than that Porsche next door! You will apparently need the hard tires, as the rough surface will dig into whatever tires it can! But the hard ones will last longer, and they are hard to penetrate into, thus you can use the hard tires on rougher surfaces.

Also, for carpets and specially prepared track surfaces, you can use foam tires for gripping clothing-like grounds.

I meant the tire TREADS you blockhead!

oops, well, some tire designs have more traction than others. The soft rubber tread tires can be for maximum grip on surfaces, but some people want to drift more. You can use the slicks if you want to slide around more, or you can use the tread tires for more all around traction. If you want to turn sharper, use the tread tires in front and the slicks in back. For a sliding back, it's vice versa. The same goes for hard tires too.

I'm confused about drifting, can you explain some techiques to me?

This is a little difficult to explain, so just bear with me.

Drifting is the use of momentum, force, suspension, speeds, and traction cases to get your car across the turn sideways. In other words, your can turns sideways, and slides that way. Don't get it? Well, go back to your dad's mechanic shop and ask more. Still lost? Wait a min....are you even listening? :p

Sometimes, a wheel has to be pressed more into the ground for more traction, and that is caused by the type of suspension. Soft suspension allows the wheel to sink more into the ground, while hard suspension will let the wheels slide more.

Now, if the front has little traction, that will cause understeer, meaning the wheels turn widely! But too much, and you can expect to spin out.

For the rear, too much traction can mean the rear won't slide along with the car, and that MIGHT cause a flip out. But with no traction, it won't even push the car. So, use the hard springs in the rear, and mediums in the front.

Approaching the turn full speed is NOT required, in fact people have spun out because they have had TOO much power! Also, invest in the All-wheel-drive upgrade, that can help drifting, because then the front wheels can lock when you use the brake and may slide, not rotating to make a 180 spin. Approach the turn widely at first, then turn all the way and try to use your brake to get your car across the track sideways. If you keep the steering all the way while sliding, then you may spin out, so as soon as you slide, LET GO OF THE STEERING WHEEL! This will cause the wheels to go back to alignment, causing the car to go sideways and not giving it an oppurtunity to spin out. Take TONS of practice, and good luck!

Also, one last question.... I have more torqued-out motors, but it's not enough to smoke that Mini-Z others are bragging about....What can I do to maintain torque and gain speed??

Never fear, my answers are here! (I know, that sounds like a kindergarten teacher and not a pro racer, but heck, I'm cheap! :D ) The metal bearings can reduce friction, and heck, that can help big time! Still not satisfied? Well, try the six cell mod, or maybe even 8 cells. Do a little searching on the boards and you can find the info. And start it on low throttle for testing it, if it's not enough, hit the high throttle and see what happens!

If this is not complete, or if something in the guide is wrong, then someone correct me, but not too harshly, I'm still learning. :)

-Charlie Brown

be cautious
 

I'd be cautious of 8 cells (if you could even get it to fit). If you're running 1.2V you should be okay, but if your running IC3s or Alkalines then you may let the magic smoke escape.

Re: be cautious
 

You're absolutely right! Don't use high voltage batteries with the 8 cell mod. And what voltage do the IC-3 batteries have? If they are high, you may just want to stick with 4 cells and use the 1c3 batts. Thanks for the warning!

-Charlie Brown

awd will not hurt drift performance, I have it and can drift my car just about anywhere with almost every motor I own :)

Wrong. AWD utilizes the traction of all four wheels, so you will have a tougher time drifting. Also, with RWD, the car really pushes, and with no pulling in the front, it will drift better. But with AWD, the front wheels pull at the same time, so there is less drifting.

funny, I kinda expected a "nice tutorial charlie!" or "this helped a lot!" kind of reaction. Oh well, I asked for corrections anyways, what am I complaining for :rolleyes:

I agree with stl2ner

I have awd drift setup and it drifts nicely

but that's my opinion

Yea I have no idea what charliebrown is talking about. My ability to drift has gone way up with the AWD. Have you ever seen rally racing on TV? Well 99% of those cars are AWD and if you get a shot of them going around a 180 degree turn...guess what...they are drifting around the whole thing. I know what you going to say. "Thats because the course is dirt and it slides easier" That is also a wrong thought. The slickness of smooth hardwood floor and the slickness of a dirt track would be pretty similar. Research AWD before you make such a definite opinion:D

thanx u charlie, i think this will help out the noobs alot...

i hope you didn't spend much time on that


what a waste:(

you could have checked out the FAQS

I'm still seeing a tourqe INCREASE with stage 2. If you use different gears, then yes, it does drop. Otherwise the lower armature resistance makes for more tourqe.

Huh, only ONE person appreciates 15 minutes of my time and effort. ViperKid, I'm sorry, but I didn't put so much effort into making this guide to get a belittling remark.

From what I know, AWD increases the turning radius and makes it turn wider. And with wide turns, you can't drift too well.

Drifting Explained!

[edit] never mind, I did some research and edited my guide. I'll give in, you guys are right and I was wrong. I guess I'm more of a newb that you guys.....

Oh well, go ahead and try this out for yourself.

....
 

Good Grief!!!!

It's just some advice, no one has to beleive it or use it if they don't want to.

No need for any rude comments.

CB, i thought you left?

i didn't mean anything by my comment, i just didn't want you to mislead people:)

You mean you actually think I would try and mislead people? And as for my leaving, I doubt you even care. Read the thread where I left, you'll see that I decided to give it another shot.

I would never try to type up advice that will give people wrong answers, I just tried to help. Do you guys have any proof that AWD can help drifting? I mean, so many people jumped in here to prove me wrong, and I said not to be brutal!

I guess I just wasted my time.