Remote Control Car Setup Tips

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Setting up a remote control car is as much a science as it is an art, the physics behind rc cars is exactly the same as the physics that governs real cars, if you know how setup changes in a race car work, you already know how to setup a remote control car.

The problem that most people have with setting up RC cars is that when you make a change in one area it always has a knock-on effect on the rest of your settings, setups are very much a balancing act

To start with I’ll concentrate on the basics of handling, over steer and under steer. The physics behind this is pretty simple, if you turn into a corner the center of gravity will move in what ever direction you were initially travelling. Your tires via friction push back with (hopefully) an equal amount of force. When your wheels lose traction and start to slide the energy that was being turned into heat in your tires gets released as inertial energy in the original direction of travel. With cars, both back and front don’t break traction equally, this creates either under steer or over steer, which is how we describe the experience the driver has under these conditions.

Under steer

Under steer is when the front of the car loses traction while the rear of the car still has grip on the tar, the effect is that the nose of the car drifts away from the direction you are turning, turning harder makes it worse, the only thing you can really do is back off the throttle and bleed off speed.

Over Steer

Over steer is the opposite of under steer, and in most cases it’s best to have a little of this. The front of the car keeps traction while the rear lets go. One of the key benefits is that you can typically corner much faster in a car that has some over steer

Over steer / Under steer Tuning tips

There are a lot of ways to tune the handling or your radio controlled car, the easiest is to adjust the front and rear shocks. While there are a lot of options with springs, different oils and all sorts we are just going to concentrate on the basics, most decent shocks have adjustments, either with spacers or bolts that let you adjust how hard or soft the shocks are.

As far as maximum and minimum stiffness goes, make sure that the bottom of your car doesn’t scrape the ground, and on the other end make sure it doesn’t bounce and leave the asphalt, apart from that you need to find the setup that matches your driving style, most people get winning setups off the internet and try to learn to drive them, mind you this is a great starting point, and most championship winners post their setup sheets

Shock Stiffness guide

Stiffen in front = increasing under steer or reducing over steer
Stiffen in rear = increasing over steer or reducing under steer

You may be wondering why one setting makes two changes, this is because it’s all about balance, you could for example setup your rc car by only every changing the rear stiffness, but you would find that when you got the perfect amount of over steer under braking the car would then be uncontrollable during the exit of the corner. It’s all about balance,

Another thing to keep in mind is that when you change the shocks you also change the roll of the car, this the the chassis of the car moving with the inertia, in effect pushing the front tires into the road during breaking and the rear during acceleration. If your shocks are too soft then the transfer might dig your front wheels in and lift the rear enough to make you car spin out, or lose steering under throttle, you have to find the right balance

More to come…

How To Remove Bird Poop Droppings & Not Damage A Cars Paint Job

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Most car owners have no idea that bird droppings cause permanent damage to car paint, until it happened to their car. Paint damage from bird poop is an expensive problem for car owners Internationally. A study from Zurich Insurance found that repairing the damage caused by bird droppings costs British motorists 57million pounds annually.

A sunny day can turn your cool car into a hot oven. So, classic car owners prefer a parking place in the shade to protect their cars paint job. If your shady spot is under a tree, its also the home of the worst enemy of your car finish birds. There is NO product on the market that can protect your finish from bird droppings for more than a few minutes. Birds poop is highly acidic, and the longer you leave it on your cars paint, the more damage it will cause. If you try to clean it the easiest and most obvious way, wipe a it off, even with a wet towel, you can scratch the paint. This is because birds use gravel to digest their food. So, wiping bird droppings off your car is like rubbing gravel into it!

Every car owner should carry the following items in their car for quick and easy access a microfiber towel & a fresh bottle of SALT FREE seltzer water. This is simply water and carbon dioxide, which will not harm your cars paint job. You can take the lid off the water, place your thumb over the top, and shake it up really well to create a blast of water to wash off bird droppings BEFORE they ruin your cars paint job!

Tools Youll Need For This Job:

Rubber Gloves
Eyes goggles that hug close to your face, without openings on the sides.
Paper face mask or respirator
Plastic garbage bags & bag ties
Misting spray bottle full of water ,or a garden hose, if cleaning a large area.
Wide wallpaper or floor scraper with a smooth flat edge
Long Sleeve Shirt, long pants, closed shoes, socks and a cap for your head
Old Broom & dust pan used ONLY for this job. Do NOT use in your home.

Use a cover to protect your car, especially when you park it outside.

The quickest, and safest, way to remove bird droppings from your cars paint job is with a microfiber towel and a quick car detailer spray. If the bird dropping is dried on the paint surface, you can use a microfiber towel soaked in a 5050 mixture of water and isopropyl alcohol. Place the wet towel over the bird poop and let the droppings soak up the liquid for a few minutes. Then gently BLOT the surface to remove the bird poop. DO NOT WIPE OR SCRUB BIRD POOP. The gravel in the bird droppings may scratch your cars paint job.

In some cases where old bird poop has been dried onto the cars surface for a long time, it may still come out with a mild polish, such as Scratch-X. Use caution with Scratch-X, as it contains abrasives. If the bird droppings damaged your cars paint job, sometimes a good paint polish can fix the damage. HINT In a pinch you can try WD40, as it will not harm paint and will dissolve the bird droppings. Be sure to wipe up residual WD40 with soapy water. Follow this up with a good coat of car wax. In only the worst cases, old, dried bird droppings can cause irreparable damage.

Some Practical Ways To Theft-proof Your Car

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Owners of Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep and FIAT vehicles and Calgary Dodge dealers might be thankful that their car models are not in the list of Top 10 Most Stolen Vehicles in Canada as reported by the Insurance Bureau of Canada but it does not imply that car owners should be lenient and confident.

What the Insurance Bureau of Canada reported were the car models that organized vehicle thieves have taken away, sold outside of the province or other countries and never to be seen again.

When you go to the police department and research the incidence of car burglaries, you will discover that no car models are spared from car thieves. Calgary Dodge owners might be thankful that they still have their vehicles but this does not mean that they are immune from break in.

With this reality, every car owner must theft-proof his or her car. Below are some practical ways that you can do to prevent thieves from ransacking or car-napping (just like kidnapping) your car.

Lock your car doors at all times. You cant control what the outside environment may do but you surely can control access to your car. With the current auto lock technology which can be done remotely or one push of the car door lock at the drivers side, there is no reason that you cannot lock your car.

So you are forgetful? I assume that your car has an auto lock and alarm system? Set your cars auto lock mode to 15 seconds. This might be cumbersome at first but you will get used to being disturbed by the auto-lock and alarm switching on after 15 sectors.

Never leave even a slight slit of opening on your windows. Roll it up fully so that no hands could gain access into your car. Do this even if you think you are on a safe place or you are just standing near your car.

Hide under the car seats or inside your trunk things like bags, jewelry box, gifts, grocery bags that might attract thieves. Make your car interior look as bare as possible to avoid getting the attention of the lurking thief.

As much as possible, park your car at a place where you can see it or there are people who can witness if there would be some kind of theft activity that might be happening. Dont park your car alone in a dimply lit corner.

There are various electronic locking mechanisms that you can install on your car, such as the auto-ignition off, gasoline supply stoppage, and gearshift locks. These locks when activated will immobilize your car. These will give your car a second line of defense.

Of course, there is no guarantee that your car, be it the latest

Modify Your Cars Exterior and Interior by Adding Decorative Car Accessories

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If you have an average-looking car and youd like to transform it into something rather attractive, you can add up interior and exterior car accessories. Be confident when driving your vehicle by decorating it with appropriate accessories. With the wide selection of automotive accessories available today, you can definitely find the right accessories that suit the makes and design of your car.

If you have a tight budget, you can go for cheap but quality accessories sold by local garages and online retailers as well. Give your car a personal touch by adding selected car accessories either on the outside or the inside, or preferably both. If you have an old and worn out vehicle, why not design it with a full body kit to make it look rather new and appealing. You can also transform your average vehicle into a monster drive using the appropriate accessories. Make your car more secure and convenient by incorporating essential items or just make it look stylish by adding decorative accessories.

Car spoilers are great accessories that you can install by yourself. They come in a variety of colors and designs. You can use spoilers to get the down force plus the fashionable look you desire. If you have plans of selling your vehicle after several years, accessorizing it would help increase the resale value. Body kits are exterior modifications that add value and style to your car, albeit it takes professional skills to install these components properly. For a more stylish look, why not add car wings which are actually cheap in price.

Both a cars interior and exterior should be accessorized. Integrate essential components such as audio and video systems and air conditioner to make your car an enjoyable place to rest in. There is a wide selection of interior car accessories that you can incorporate such as seat and steering wheel covers, lights, gauges, read outs, etc. Compared to external accessories, most interior items are rather easy to install.

For car owners who are on the road frequently, there should be user-friendly tachometer and speedometer for a more convenient driving experience. Racing pedals and shift can also improve your cars handling.

Adding up the right accessories can certainly give your car a striking appearance and make it more convenient to ride on.

Car Seat Covers And The Fabric Options Available

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Car Seat Covers and the Fabric Options Available

If you are considering buying car seat covers, you may be a bit overwhelmed at the multiple fabric options that are available. The aim of this article is to help explain the different seat cover options in order to help you make your decision.

Car seat covers can be an excellent investment when chosen carefully. Here is a brief overview of seat cover fabrics offered. Whichever you choose, make sure that they are quality OEM fabrics backed by soft foam for added comfort and durability.

Microfiber: Microfiber is an extremely comfortable fabric. Not only is it extremely UV fade resistant, but it is also highly stain resilient, too!

Leather: Genuine cowhide leather seat covers offer luxurious look and feel. Many people that buy their cars with the standard cloth opt to buy after market quality OEM seat covers, a very cost effective way to have leather. With a custom made seat cover, you won’t even notice that your car wasn’t purchased with leather seats.

Leatherette: Synthetic leather offers the same luxury as leather, but at a much lower cost. It can be hot in the summer and cold in the winter, so make sure that the seat covers offer small pinholes in the center sections of the seat covers. This allows the seat covers to breathe, making it a very pleasant material selection.

Neoprene: Neoprene is the same material used in wet suits for scuba diving. As a seat cover option, neoprene is extremely durable, UV protected and extremely water resistant.

Endura: Quality OEM Endura material is completely waterproof and very easy to clean. This is a very popular choice for pet travel, fleet vehicles, work trucks or for families with small children. Pet accidents don’t leak through and they actually resist pet hair. Lastly, this fabric option is known for maintaining an even temperature. It is a perfect way to avoid hot seats in the summer and cold ones in the winter.

Velour: Velour is the standard manufactured material that comes in new cars with cloth seats. It is also very durable and fade resistant as a seat cover option, but many people like that it is usually priced the lowest of all fabric options.

Sheepskin: Sheepskin seat covers are typically 100% choice mouton, a dense wool that is about 1 inch in length. Although these have a shorter life expectancy that other seat cover options, they offer an unmatched luxurious feel and undeniable comfort.