Shaft Drive vs. Belt Drive! Q&A #3 - June 20th 2008 Q: What’s a better drive system, a belt drive or a shaft driven chassis? Why? Hello Cyndi & Dave, that’s a great question! A:Shaft drive cars are more efficient while belt driven cars are generally smoother. In the past you would choose a shaft drive or a belt drive because of battery life. Being more efficient, a shaft drive car will use less power then a belt driven car. But with advances in battery technology, run time is not as much of a concern. Lipo battery packs can last up to ½ hour in a belt driven car. With races only being 5 min, making the full run is not a problem. Shaft drive cars generate a ton of torque which makes them faster out of the hole. They also have very free drive trains which make them more efficient. The problem with shaft drive cars is “Torque Steer”. This is when you pull the trigger the car will leap to one side. The spinning shaft will pull the car to one side or another. This can be difficult to control with your faster motors. Torque steer is not as noticeable with lower turn motors such as Silver Cans, brushed Stock motors and Brushless motors up to 17.5. Shaft driven cars use a crown gear to deliver the power from the shaft to the diff. They will strip out easily if you hit a track barrier or another car. Shaft drive cars are usually better for oval racing because the batteries are positioned on the driver side of the car putting the weight on the inside during the cornering. Belt drive cars are not as free due to the friction of the belt but you will get a smooth all around power. They will not carry as much natural corner speed but with the more stable power, that can be over come with throttle. The chassis are more open and easier to work on. They use pulleys to deliver the power to the diff which will not strip out. A few chassis I would recommend would be for the shaft drive : Tamiya TBO2 or the Tamiya EVO3, 4 or 5 series. The HPI Pro4 is a good car but local part and driver support will be limited. All great cars to begin with. For the shaft drive, take your pick. Most are all around good cars but for a beginner, The Tamiya TAO5 is probably the best. Or the Associated TC5. Both cars are easy to work on and have decent local part and driver support & parts are reasonable. You can always come to me at the track and pick my brain for more pros and cons. I’m always happy to help...............................See you at the track! The Dark side of the Moon! Q&A #2 - June 19th 2008 Q: Why does the hungry chipmunk only bark at the dark side of the moon? - Ken Owen A: Because the dark side of the moon reminds him of a bad night with this guy named Ken. You see, they were camping on this mountain and........... well you know the rest! Have no fear, Lipos are here! Q&A #1 - June 19th 2008 Q: Which battery is better, Nimh or Lipo? A: Nimh batteries are more powerful and come with more maintenance. If you do not follow strict directions your batteries will fade very fast. Even following the recommended maintenance, you will only get 30 or so runs on a battery pack before wear takes its toll, either a loss of power or damage from being banged around in the car. Lipo batteries are nearly maintenance free and can last 4 times as long (or longer) than a Nimh battery and if you buy the right ones they come in hard plastic cases that stand up to allot of abuse. Q: How do I go about getting into Lipo? A: If you do chose to use Lipo batteries there are a few things to look at: First make sure you have a charger that can charge Lipo batteries. Lipo chargers reduce the amperage during charging. Nimh chargers hold the same amps throughout the charge. This will over charge the pack and could cause failure. Second you will need to have a balancer. Lipo cells need to be balanced before or during charging. Some chargers have balancers built in. Also some tracks may require you to use a lipo charging sack while charging although you should never have a problem with a pack if you follow the recommended charging methods. I recommend you do a little investigation into Lipo batteries before jumping in. ask some of the racers using them at your track or your favorite local hobby shop should be able to help you on your way. I will say that I have been using Nimh batteries since I started racing and will be going to Lipo batteries soon for club racing. Come see me at the track and I’ll be more than happy to show you anything I’m using. See you all at the track!  17624 15th Ave SE, #107B Bothell, WA 98012 425.806.5335 (office) 425.482.1021 (fax) www.highpointflooring.com |
