If speed is your thing, onroad cars are the ticket. Onroad pan cars and touring cars are by far the most popular vehicles in the radio control vehicle hobby. Lightweight construction and precision engineering against a smooth surface produce some of the fastest vehicles in production today.
A short wheelbase for tight cornering combined with the lowest possible center of gravity - most onroad cars float barely 1/4" from the road - onroad cars are usually raced on smooth concrete, asphalt, or a low-pile, high-traction ozite carpet.
The body configurations of onroad cars, which often include rear spoilers and wings, also enhance onroad vehicle handling by creating downforcefrom the air passing over the vehicle, just like their full-scale counterparts.
Tire configurations for onroad cars range from ordinary rubber to dense foam "doughnuts" that offer maximum traction on various surfaces.
Pan Cars
It's simple physics: create the lightest payload possible on four wheels, put an electric motor on it capable of 17,000-38,000 RPM's, and you'll have the fastest possible radio controlled vehicle. With a chassis that is barely more than a thin and rigid slice of fiberglas or carbon fiber, pan cars are the lightest possible configuration of an R/C production vehicle and are capable of intense high speeds and blazing fast accelleration. Pan cars come in 1/12 scale 4 cell electric or 1/10 scale 6-cell electric models.
While most R/C vehicles have a step-down transmission to move the average 3-5 lb. R/C vehicle, pan cars are so light they often only have a single large spur gear driven directly by the motor pinion gear.
To further lighten the vehicle, suspension parts are extremely simplified over their touring car counterparts and the steering setup is generally a direct servo-to-linkage connection.
Touring Cars
Touring cars can come in a variety of configurations including two or four-wheel drive, electric or nitro engine powered, and come mini (1/18,) 1/12, 1/10, 1/8, and 1/5 scale models. Although heavier than pan cars, their superior handling, advanced suspension, precision engineered drive train, and innovative transmission configurations make them the overall onroad class of choice.
Four-wheel-drive touring cars, available in belt or center shaft configurations, are also available with two-speed transmissions for many nitro-powered models. Where most R/C's have a rear differential and free-rolling front wheels, 4WD touring cars have differentials in both the front and rear of the vehicle, allowing the outer wheels to roll at a faster rate than the inner wheels in a corner.
Is Onroad for Me?
Onroad cars require large open areas of smooth asphalt, concrete, or carpet to let their ponies get up to a gallop. Pebbles and other surface obstructions are very rough on an onroad car and they are by no means capable of drivng in rough terrain, grass, or dirt. Even the minor foreign matter of most public streets and parking lots can result in broken parts or chipped gears on your onroad pan car or touring car.
If you're considering getting an onroad car:
- Be sure you have a wide open space readily available in which to run, such as a clean parking lot or your local race track. A driveway or public street is not only enough room, it is dangerous to your R/C.
- Do not expirament with your onroad car on surfaces for which it's not designed, such as dirt, grass, or public streets.
- Consider getting into your local racing circuit. Scooting around your local bashing spot is fun, but there's nothing like battling it out against eight or ten cars on a closed course! You'll also learn a lot about getting the most out of your R/C by hanging out at the track wih other racers.
If you don't have a suitable place to run an onroad car, perhaps an offroad vehicle or rally car is a better choice, covered in the next section.
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