How to build an R/C drift car

Has racing remote controlled (R/C) cars gotten boring? Give your old hobby a jumpstart by transforming your standard 1/10 scale electric R/C car into a drifting vehicle.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 1/10 scale electric R/C car & controller
• ABS plastic piping
• pipe cutter
• masking tape
• R/C car wheel socket wrench
• ruler

1. Take your 1/10 scale, electric, 4-wheel-drive R/C car and remove the wheels from the chassis with the socket wrench.

2. Take one wheel and remove the rubber tire from the wheel.

3. Measure the width of the wheel with a ruler.

4. Purchase a 1 foot length of black, 2" diameter ABS piping from a home & garden store. See if they can cut the piping for you into sections as wide as your R/C car's wheels. Cut 4 ABS plastic "tires" from the piping.

5. Slide the ABS plastic "tire" over your car's wheel. If the tire does not fit snug, remove the tire and add a single layer of masking tape to your wheel's diameter. The tape will slightly increase the diameter of the wheel and will cause the tire to fit snugly. Use only as much tape as will allow the tire to be snug, but not immovable. You may need to remove your tires at a later time.

6. Once you've fitted your 4 ABS plastic tires to your wheels, mount the wheels back onto your R/C car.

7. The ABS plastic tires will cause your vehicle to slip and slide across the roadway to simulate very realistic looking drifts. Practice hard and you will learn to control your car even with the increased slippage.

Tips & Warnings

• To add a more realistic look to your new ABS tires, pull the tires about 1/4 inch off the wheel, slightly outwards, so they hang over the edge of the wheel. Flip your car upside down and hold a file to the edge of your tires at a 45 degree angle. Run your car's wheels at high speed and use the file to grind down the edge of your tires to simulate a stretched tire or radial tire look.
• Place your car over a piece of sandpaper large enough so that all 4 wheels are touching the paper. Tape the sandpaper down. While holding the car in place with your hand or foot, run the car's wheels at high speed to gently sand down your new ABS tires. Sanding down your ABS tires reduces the amount of slip experienced when drifting so that your car is more controlable.
• Use proper safety equipment and procedures when using any tools.