Soldering Dean Plugs

Intriqued by the more efficient power transfer offered by dean plugs, the team does a massive change of plug heads to the coverted equipment...results? Well, car feels alot more responsive, batteries drain out alot faster too hahaha!

The soldering iron!

Rockstar clipping the rubber housing to expose the wires

Dean connectors!

Holding the wires and dean plug in place while soldering...

Tyre Maintanence

Want that set of HPI T-Drift tyres or any other brand of tyres to last alot longer and also perform alot better the moment you use them? Well I found the perfect solution. Gleamed this off the internet though, alot of people swear by this; after every drift session, remove all four tyres and soak them in warm water, at the same time scrub off all excess dirt, dust on the tyres & rims to keep them clean.

Do this for all four tyres, after that, take them out and dry them immediately with a dry cloth or tissue. You should notice your tyres looking alot newer again, this also translates to the next time you drift again, as your tyre surface is now cleaned up, tyre performance should be nearly 100% from the first time you bought the tyres!

Hop Up Parts 1

Well, I (Jecht) finally got down to buying a couple of vital hop-up options for my TT-01 that actually did enhance the car's performance overall, not to mention aesthetics. First up was the Steering Link as seen below that goes above my blue aluminium propellor shaft. Made from brushed aluminium, the steering link is the center-piece that ensures your front wheels are aligned while u are going straight or turning, needless to say the stronger this link is, the more accurate your car steering will be.
Next comes the carbon upper deck, another essential bit of hop up that any good RC drifter should have. This piece isn't just for show, what is does is act like a car's actual strut bar, linking the top front and back ends together and preventing the body from flexing while drifting, the result is an extremely rigid chassis and very little bodyroll while going sideways = precision.

Of course I couldn't resist the temptation any longer either and got my self the Tamiya accessories set which included this awesome looking brake rotors that function as wheel hubs as well. Inside the pack is also a huge-assed bazooka muffler, wipers, side mirrors and also a LED holder for the muffler tip. Doesn't do anything to performance, but who cares hahaha!

Car Cam Trial

Fitting HPI T-Drifts onto your HPI rims

Having trouble fitting those impossibly tight T-Drift tyres onto the rims? Well, me and my friend were trying to fit 26mm T-Drifts onto his Worx XSC rims and we found it tough!

We put the tyres in boiling water for 3mins, took the tyres out and tried fitting them onto the rims. Didn't work.

We used hair dryer to blow the tyres for 30secs and tried fitting them in again. Didn't work.

But today, I managed to fit in 4 T-Drifts into my my rims with ease, although I must warn you guys, its HOT. Plus, you most probably will get slightly burnt.

Here's how to do it (without pictures! Sorry!)
First, feel a new tyre. Try squeezing it. Its rather stiff and hard ain't it? Once you know how it feels like after squeezing the tyre, you will know how it feels like when its ready to be fitted onto the rims.

1) Take a small box, your battery charger box to prevent tyre from running while blow-drying.

2) Put a tyre in, and using a hair dryer with max heat, blow-dry the tyre.

3) Blow dry at close range on the outside of the tyre for about 15secs, turn the tyre 90degs and blow dry. At the same time, take a cloth (to prevent burning yourself) and occasionally squeeze the tyre. It should be easy to squeeze once your are halfway through the tyre. If you squeeze and feel that plastic-ky, then its not ready.

4) Once the tyre has been blown all round, and the tyre feels softer than usual, its most likely ready. Blow dry the centre of the tyre for about 10 secs before switching off the hairdryer.

5) Now taking the towel, reach in and grab the tyre, immediately placing them on the rim. With the towel on your palm, push down on the tyre over the rim on a hard surface, like a table. Rather than hearing the loud snap, the tyre should fit with a soft click-feel.

6) Now comes the crucial part. Flip the tyre around and if you notice that the tyre has not fitted on the last beam, quickly push the tyre into the beam with abit of force. I did this holding onto the towel as well and with abit of force, the tyre fitted onto the beam. Quickly work around the tyres! Careful its hot and could burn you! You should still have time to make adjustments if needed.

What happens if the tyre still can't go in even if you applied much force? Then it means the tyre is not hot enough. The tyre should be near scalding, like a hot potato fresh from the pot or oven when you take out from the box. Remember to squeeze. The difference between a hot tyre and a new tyre out of the box should be obvious. If it feels hard and plastic-ky, even if the tyre is warm, then its not ready. Don't forget to use a towel!

Vertex Ridge Toyota Soarer

wooot!