Newb Guide

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Like all RC disciplines, RC drifting can be as cheap and easy, or expensive and technical as you want it to be. You'll get what you put into it; either in time and/or money. Either approach and you'll always rely on basic trigger control and sense of momentum. Scale RC drifting is like real 1:1 drifting in that way. At a pro level, it's also easily 1/10th the price.  

There's no best car, no best tune. But some cars are limited in what they can do. Electric cars can be belt, or shaft driven. Each feels different. Pick the drive train you like best.
  • Belt Drive power train -  No torque steer effect from the long shaft/motor/diff gear forces. Smoother rubber band/turbo spool. Easier to tune CS settings. Quieter than shaft.

  • Shaft Drive power train - More direct and powerful feeling, no lag or rubber band spool feeling. Prone to torque steer from the rotating masses. Some tuning can be done to overcome this - some swear the XXX-D has none.
For CS, most people prefer a front/mid mounted motor and belt drive. But the key is always steering angle potential. It's for this reason only drift chassis are listed in the newb guide; there's enough to learn without having to re-engineer the steering geometry.

Newb Chassis Guide;

$100 +electronics

  • Sakura D3 CS 
    • limited steering angle out of the box, so plan for CVD and steering bridge upgrades
  • teh-r31 
    • get name brand front cvd, pulley shafts and pulley pins and you'll have a good cheap clone of the real thing
  • drift devil 
    • fm16 plastic clone for the most part
$200 +electronics
  • street jam ota-r31
    • huge aftermarket support
  • yokomo dib rs 
    • plastic dib! huge upgrade path available at a low starting price
  • yokomo drift package 
    • solid starter, can be pricier for comparable upgrades
  • tamiya ta-05 variants 
    • solid starter, huge aftermarket support, sometimes LHS support
  • eagle racing fm16 
    • front motor, huge aftermarket support through 90% OTA-R31 parts
  • eagle racing ota chassis variants
    • CF chassis and aluminum bulk heads - good quality
  • MST ms-01d
    • mid motor, good upgrades for steering angle, Phillips head screws

+$$ you get what you pay for
  • Yokomo DIB
  • Kazama gpx (OTA-R31 cousin)
  • MST xxx-d
  • MST fs-01d
  • MST ms-01d
  • alex racing cer ard
  • team magic e4d
  • wrap up next fr-d (RWD conversion kit for drift package)
  • ???

 Electronics
  • ESC $40-100+
    • Get one that matches your type of motor. Novak is manufactured in California USA!
  • Motor $40-60+
    • Brushless
      • Preferred because of better battery life and less maintenance. Also quieter. Novak services your gear in Irvine CA
    • Brushed
      • Cheaper and user rebuildable. Novak or nothing!
  • Servo $30-70+
    • Speed matters - shoot for <0.15 transit time for high CS ratios. 
    • Coreless are smoother
    • Digital is theoretically smoother still
  • Radio $45+
    • 2.4ghz - almost all kits come with this newer format. better distance, better control and no frequency chips. All brands sell these. Get the one you like best; Spektrum is a US run company.
    • Radio/FM/AM - has a frequency chip, and is the old school long antennae way
The Extras

  • Batteries $20+ (4000mAh should last 40-60 minutes, brushless sensored motor)
    • 2s lipo - chance of fire, read up on correct handling. power lasts through the entire pack, lighter than other types. ROAR approved hard case battery packs are safer, highly recommended!
    • ni-mh - no chance of fire, no battery "memory", easy to find locally
  • Charger $45+
    • Thunder AC6 - cheap, fast enough, reliable, charges all battery types, built in AC power and includes clips for charging off a car battery
  •  Tires $7-20/set
    • Huge selection, and it does make a big difference in available grip.
    • Polished concrete - hpi branded t-drifts
    • asphalt/concrete/parking lots etc... - cheap clone tires or abs pipe works well here
  • Consumables $4-20+
    • spur/pinion gears - these wear out over time, and having a selection is useful for changing your final drive ratio (you can effectively change top end and torque)
    • Grease/oils - oil shocks take oil, useful to have multiple types for tuning. or just 30wt.  get some good cvd grease at your lhs - rebuild your cvds when they chatter or get too dirty.
    • tools - you LHS should have a plastic Dynamite set for $14. 1.5mm-5mm. If you want fancy tools, start with the 1.5mm and 2.0mm. You'll rarely need the other sizes.



Glossary;
  • 50:50 
    • All four tires turn at the same speed, box stock, this is pretty much your standard out of the box setting for all RC cars. It's not "true drifting" but it is easier for learning and more forgiving on crap surfaces. Most drivers use this to start because it's cheap and lets you focus on trigger control
  • CS / Countersteer
    •  Rear tires spin faster, relative to the front wheels. Forces the rear end to constantly overstep the front. Gives more opportunity for stylish driving and is closer to RWD in look, feel and technique. 140% is good for learning, 160% starts to look stylish and more is always better.
  • RWD 
    •  Still ultra new in the US, they said it couldn't be done. This is what all the cool kids are doing in Japan, but they have perfectly manicured professional tracks for $2-5hr.
  • LHS
    • Local Hobby Shop - This is the retail store closest to you. Support them, they deserve your business. They'll get you out of jams before a meet, you might be able to get them to order Tamiya parts for you.

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links in order of classiness- realistically you're going to order most parts from Japan;

http://modelgarage.bigcartel.com (US based shipper)
http://rc-art.net/index_eng.php
https://www.facebook.com/TEAMTETSUJIN
www.banzainhobby.com
www.race-and-drift-japan.com
http://www.broadtech.hk/eagleshop/shop/ShopTop.aspx
---www.r2hobbies.com---CLONES, but good cheap tires for asphalt

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