2010 January | RC Drift Cars

How to Convert Your RC Car Into Drift Spec

by Gregory Alexander

Remote Control Drifting is taking off in a big way, in this article I show you step by step how to convert that old 1/10 touring car into a drifters dream machine. It’s very simple and generally only takes a couple of hours, using this practical guide I’ll have you sideways before you know it.
What exactly is drifting?

In a nut shell drifting is the art of changing the angle of attack of your car, while still maintaining full control, so in a typical drift driver X approaches the corner and turns in hard too early, this will bring the rear of the car around, Driver X will then turn back into the slide and keep the car going around the corner while maintaining as much angle and speed as possible, then he will over correct and throw the car into another slide right after the first one, with as little straight lining as possible.

Where do I start?
The first thing you need is a RC car, I’ll use two examples, both of which I’ve had personal experience with, the Tamiya TT01 and the Tamiya TA05. The first step to drifting is to break that traction, due to the power to weight ratio of RC Cars we need a little help, Drift Tires are all you need to get sideways, but there is a little more you can do if you want to compete. If you can’t find RC Drift tires you can use insulation tape, be sure to wrap it in the same direction that the wheel will be turning, a good trick is to lay it down and roll you RC Car over it, this is the right way, Taped tires tend to work best on surfaces that already have a little to no traction, i.e. an underground parking lot, but they don’t last long. Drift tires all have different tractions, more traction = bigger drifts, but this is useless if you need to compete on a tight track as the amount of torque used to break traction will also generate a lot of speed, in the end it’s down to personal preference.

What next?
Okay so you taped your tires and played around a bit, not we need to get the car to be more predictable, all the standard racing setting apply, shocks, ride height and wheel angles are up to you, but if there is a must have it’s the rear differential, you need to lock it, this is also know as a spool diff, basically it means that both wheels must turn at the same time. The result is a car that will break and regain traction on command, the drifts will also be much easier to control, more throttle = more angle, less throttle = less angle.

TT01
The Tamiya TT01 uses a planetary gear setup for the rear diff, which is easy to convert (and convert back should you change your mind later) the two most command ways to lock this diff are 1. Open the Diff and fill it with glue from a glue gun, or 2. Take a small piece of fuel tubing ,cut it open along it’s length, and roll this around one of the planetary gears. Once done close the diff and check if it give the desired result before you put it back. The other option is to buy a hop-up spool diff.

TA05
The TA05 uses a ball diff at the back and the front, this is not as easy to modify, but it can be done. The way I modified mine was to use pop rivets. I opened the diff and removed the ball bearings and metal plates that the balls run along. I then drilled three small holes in the side, getting both halves of the diff. I then pop riveted them together and filed down the rivets. This worked, but be careful. 1. It’s not reversible and if you make a mistake the diff will be destroyed. 2. It doesn’t last long, eventually the forces that go through the diff will destroy this because it’s been weakened by holes. A Spool diff is available for the TA05 and this is the preferred options.

What about the front diff?
Now that we have a solid platform we can experiment with slightly different setups to find the one that suites us best, this varies from car to car, but the principle is the same. I personally love using a front one-way diff, or a center one-way diff for more control. The downside is that using brakes at any time is the same as using you e-brake (hand-brake) in a real car, the tail will slide around in a 180, while this can be useful to initiate a drift and transition to a second drift from the first it’s very easy to spin out, so most people prefer not to use the one-ways. Once again this is down to personal preference.

Why drifting is much better than racing.
Well I love both, but from the drifting side it takes a lot more skill and a lot less car, what I mean is that while racing takes skill, you can compensate with an awesome car, there is no way a TT01 will consistently win in a race against a carbon fibre racing machine. But with drifting you can, a TT01 can out perform any car out there, yes it will be difficult, but so much of drifting is down to driver skill that anything can happen. This being the case it’s also possible to get into drifting with very little financial backing (unlike racing)

I hope this article has given you some idea’s about drifting, please feel free to contact me if you have any suggestions or need any advice, advice is always free, like the rest of my site.

About the Author
Gregory Alexander was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He spent most of his younger days travelling the world, but eventually settled back home. He first got interested in Remote Control several years ago, since then it has grown into an obsession, now a successful RC Racer and Drifter he shares his knowledge with the world. More free articles and information can be found on his website : Free

Choosing your radio

Your rc drift radio shouldn’t be taken for granted. It is, after all, your only link to your rc drift car, and the only means for you to control where it goes – and where it doesn’t. If you’re relatively new to RC, you might have started out with an inexpensive AM radio (or it came with your RTR kit.) If you’re looking to upgrade, here’s some stuff we’ll suggest to you that you’ll need to know or look for before you walk into your LHS or jump online to drop some bucks on a new setup. You can also use these tips if you’re already running an FM crystal-based system, or are looking to replace a radio system that’s broken.

PICK A STYLE
There are 2 main types of transmitter style to choose from:

Wheel Transmitters – Also known as ‘pistol grip’ transmitters these are now the norm in most drift kits and are easier to get to grips with as a novice. The wheel is use to control the steering and the finger for acceleration/braking. Favoured in the U.S and with new, upcoming drivers.
Stick Transmitters – A Simple dual stick control transmitter. Once the only type of tranny available these are slowly being replaced in popularity by the later wheel versions. Favoured by old skool drivers and RC plane pilots.

PICK A SIGNAL TYPE
AM systems are the least expensive of the 4 types. Widely available, “amplitude modulation” is cheap but doesn’t give you the clearest signal to and from your radio and chassis. There’s nothing below AM systems, so the only way to change setups is to upgrade. In RC surface applications, there’s basically 3 steps to upgrade from a current AM radio system (in order):

FM Crystal-based system – An FM “frequency modulation” system gives you a better signal than AM, but still uses crystals to specify channels, so if you want an alternative channel, you’ll have to buy extra pairs of crystals (anywhere from $10-30 a pair). Like AM, FM systems transmit in either 27mHz or 75mHz, and are limited to 6 channels in 27mHz band and about 30 channels in 75mHz band. (Brands: JR Racing, Futaba, KO Propo, Airtronics) Many RTR kits come with an FM based system as standard.
FM Synthesized – FM Synthesized systems give the same advantages as a regular FM system, with the added benefit of not using crystals. Also, you get all available channels for the particular band, i.e. if you buy a 75mHz synthesized system, you can choose any of the 30 available 75mHz channels to use. Selecting channels is done by manually setting the receiver (using a dial or pot) and then matching the transmitter (somewhere in settings). (Brands: JR Racing, Futaba, KO Propo, Airtronics)
Digital Spread Spectrum – Digital Spread Spectrum (aka DSM) systems take the synthesized idea one step further. No more manual selection of channels – spread spectrum radio systems automatically select a free channel (frequency), so there’s no channel conflicts, and no crystals to deal with. They work on the 2.4gHz band, and select free/clear channels the same way as bluetooth technology. (Brands: Spektrum Futaba, Nomadio, Airtronics)

LOOK FOR SOME RADIO FEATURES
When you upgrade radios, you’ll no doubt run into another dilemma – all these extra features! But which ones do you need, which ones are just fluff, and which ones can be used for future ideas? Here’s a quicky list of only those features that you should look for or consider:

D/R (Dual Rate): with the turn of a dial, you can set how far your steering wheels turn equally both left and right.
Steering EPA (End-Point Adjustment): EPA lets you specify how far your steering servo will go when you turn, so that it won’t go too far (stressing your steering linkages and steering servo.) Similar to D/R, but you set left and right throw individually.
Steering Curve (aka Steering Exponential): Changes the rate of steering from straight to full lock. A high curve makes the steering quicker initially, and a low curve makes steering less responsive until you reach full lock.
Throttle Curve (aka Throttle Exponential): Same as steeringexpo, but for the throttle. Let’s you dial in how aggressive the throttle output will be, similar to the difference between easing onto the gas pedal or smashing it to the floor.
3rd Channel: Drift cars only need 2 channels to drive. The extra channel is for adding some tricks, i.e. flip-up headlights, opening doors, and whatever else you can rig up.
Model Memory: If you have more than one vehicle, having multiple model memory means that you just need to get extra receivers for each extra vehicle, instead of complete radio systems for each vehicle.

GET THE FEEL FOR IT
The last but probably most important thing to look for in an upgraded radio system is the feel. Is the steering wheel tension too light or too heavy? How does the radio sit in your hand? Is it front-heavy? Are the controls and adjustments easy to find or do? Don’t just go by feature list when looking for a new radio setup. make sure that you’ll be comfortable using the radio, your going to be holding it for a long time!

Hopefully these tips will help you when it’s time to upgrade your radio setup.

Big thanks to RC Drift Club for this report.