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After receiving the following e-mail from Ray Carney, it took all of 
about ten seconds to decide that he's now the new fair-witness of the 
HPI and Linux Conferences.  If the fellows at HPI RACING want to join 
in, they'll also be co-fair-witnesses of the HPI Conference.  Thanks, 
Ray, and Welcome Aboard!!!

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Subject: Introductions and such...
   Date: Fri, 30 Jan 1998 00:37:13 -0500
   From: Raymond Carney <rayc@atlanta.com>
     To: mike@sgrid.com

Hi Mike,

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ray Carney, and I'd like to
offer my assisstance to you on the rc-racing.com conferencing system. In
particular, as fair witness to the HPI conference, and if you indeed
create it, the Linux conference. A little about myself...

I am a computer (Internet, UNIX) security consultant in the Atlanta
area. I raced 1/12 scale carpet for a number of years  with the guys who
evolved into Dixie Racers, but took a break from the sport after 1/12
died out locally. I was really only a kid then, and couldn't afford to
make the jump to gas cars, as much as I would have liked to. I'm
extremely mechanically inclined, and love to "tinker", as my first
career was as an automotive technician. After a work related accident in
1989, I chose to change careers, which landed me in the US Navy aboard a
nuclear submarine. In 1994, I reentered civilian life, started working
in the computer industry, and the rest is somewhat boring history. I've
been invoved with the Internet since '89, and Linux since the beta 0.99
kernel. The important thing, though, is that I've recently been bitten
(HARD!!) by the R/C bug again, and I'm racing Nitro RS4's with the guys
at Dixie Racing. For a (very) short period of time, my wife was
relieved. She thought thaat she had found something that would keep me
out of my basement machine shop.One of the first R/C web sites that I
found was sgrid's, and I think I read every article there before leaving
the first time! I've been trying to give something back to the sport by
helping out in the newsgroups and so on, and I'd love to help out with
your endeavour if possible. As I said, I love to tinker, so my car is
disassembled and waitng for my next prototype go-fasta part more often
than not! The benefit of this, I believe, is that I have become
intensely familiar with the idiosynchrasies and characteristics of the
Nitro RS4. I'm not claiming to be a Kent Claussen of a Frank McKinney,
but I would like to offer my assisstance.

I'm getting long winded, so I'll close for now, but drop a line and give
me your thoughts,


Thanks,

-Ray

92 responses total.

well heres my thoughts , thank god mike finally got the confrence running 

Welcome to the HPI Conference, Joe! 

Those of you interested in further HPI conferencing can join us at
Trinity's site under Tech Talk.  (www.teamtrinity.com).... see ya 
there.........

Thanks for stopping by Steve! Throw in  your nickels worth any time, 
and let's all figure out how to make HPI cars go faster and drive 
better.

-Ray

Heres a Question for anyone who might know . I run the HPI modified class , and
was wondering how do you tell when the pro slick tires are worn down and need
to be changed ?

hmmm,

don't really know on that one Joe. We've been using foams up here, and 
we seem to be getting a little better performance out of them. We've 
been using the Dynamites, or mounting serpent donuts on the dynamite 
wheels. I've ordered a set of some new 1/10 nitro sedan foams made by a 
company called express ( or maybe xpress?),  which I hear have been 
performing real well. They're supposed to be a medium compound which 
they call tarmac. I'm sure that you could use tire compound to soften 
them up if needed. Anyway, when they get here, I'll write up a review 
and post it here. In the mean time, you might try creating a new item in 
this conference, so we can really discuss tires.

-Ray

Joe - Usually they start to wear a sort of ridge on the inner edge, When you
can see canvas (from the belt) at the bottom of the ridge, it's time for new
tires!

  Hi guys,

    Its Joe DeJesus here. I dint really notice the HPI site.
But i now added it to my hotlist. Its nice to have an area
for the HPIs...


                                  Joe DeJesus

(At the initial screen, click on "list conferences" to get an up to date 
list of all the conferences here.)

Joe,

Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to join in on any of the threads we've 
got going. Tell all your friends, too. We need to get some more folks in 
here with us!

-Ray

  Well guys,  I havent noticed much tech talk going on yet,  but for the 
tire wear issue,  I think that response was accuratte according to my 
experience.  The best indicator that the tires are ready to be dumped is 
when you start to notice a loss of traction,  this will probably happen 
just before the belt becomes visible.  Dont forget to rotate the slicks, 
 because they are not directional.  Well let me offer this bit of 
advice to anyone who runs an HPI RS4,  the suspension pins are very 
inferior and they will bend at the slightest impact,  resulting in a 
badly "tweaked" car.  Replace the pins with hardened units while 
assembling the car.  The second best tip I can offer regards,  
aerodynamics.  The cars respond very well to aerodynamic changes.  The 
rear wing and vertical stabilizer (turning vanes) are critical to the 
way the car handles.  Ive notices that all body styles benefit from 
LARGE turning vanes.  I dont even paint mine anymore so they dont look 
so obvious and cumbersome!  Finally,  I think its best to run the car in 
a box stock configuration ( if youre new to the hobby ) until the stock 
motor wears out.  Since this unit is not worth repairing or replacing, 
purchase an OS 12 motor,  w/associated header and Paris tuned pipe.  
This combo performs well,  is durable,  and parts are always available. 
 Some local guys have installed OFNA 15 or other off brand 15 motors.  
They have run into trouble with reliability,  availability,  and also 
the 15 size is not legal,  and many clubs wont run ta seperate class.  
So thats what I can recomend and offer to any new guys starting out,  
and remember,   this was supposed to be an entry level cost controled 
car!  See ya guys.

Gus,

Thanks for that. I've been covering some of the cost issues as well, but 
it seems like most of tose posts have ended up being in the paris 
conference. As soon as I can get back in there, I'll link them over.

In the mean time, how much do you guys think that you should spend 
getting the NRS4 "Race Ready"? What do you think of race ready NRS4's 
versus conventional 1/10th 4wd cars like the Serpents an Picco's??

-Ray

Gus,

Thanks for that. I've been covering some of the cost issues as well, but 
it seems like most of tose posts have ended up being in the paris 
conference. As soon as I can get back in there, I'll link them over.

In the mean time, how much do you guys think that you should spend 
getting the NRS4 "Race Ready"? What do you think of race ready NRS4's 
versus conventional 1/10th 4wd cars like the Serpents an Picco's??

-Ray

Gus,

Thanks for that. I've been covering some of the cost issues as well, but 
it seems like most of tose posts have ended up being in the paris 
conference. As soon as I can get back in there, I'll link them over.

In the mean time, how much do you guys think that you should spend 
getting the NRS4 "Race Ready"? What do you think of race ready NRS4's 
versus conventional 1/10th 4wd cars like the Serpents an Picco's??

-Ray

heres my thoughts on the cost issue . I'm not sure how much we should be
spending ...but I cAN TELL YOU IT HAS BEEN WAY TOO MUCH . I'm not sure what we
can do to regulate this but it has turned into a free for all spending spree. I
should know , I'm one of them.

oh yeah , thanx ray for the tire info.

COST ISSUE:


   The hardware is out there to make a FAST and great handling car, BUT
its gonna cost alot of Benjamin's... I have had alot of Serpent drivers
tell me that i could have bought a serpent with the money i have spent
on my HPI. I would agree, I have raced 1/10 2wd and 1/8 cars for years 
in my life and i find the HPI a challenging and different car. i cant
explain it, But i find driving the car fun!?... Its also kinda cool 
keeping up to the slower serpent drivers, LAP after LAP with a toy 
.12 powered HPI car?!?! (BE CAREFULL WHEN THEY GET BEHIND YOU) those
low profile bodies are like RAMPS!

   If this RACER package is kept at a low price it will help the sedan
class alot! Making the car alot better out of the box. Also making it 
affordable for the average person. Otherwize i would agree with serpent
drivers. Id rather spent 600.00 on a serpent kit than a racer hpi Kit.


 My $.02 worth...

                                   Joe DeJesus
                                   Miami, Florida

I couldn't agree more Joe , But you do make a good point about driving the
HPI's .....they are real fun to drive.

  The cost of preparing a NRS4 for serious modified racing is quite 
expensive,  but still cheap compared to racing a Serpent or Picco.  The 
parts are about 35% cheaper, the motors are 50% cheaper,  and the rubber 
tires last much longer than foam.  The cars will run fine on 20% nitro 
and consume much less of it.  Also the cars are smaller,  lighter, and 
slower; so when they have an accident,  there is less inertia and mass, 
 so the damage is usually minor.  I would say that I could race a hopped 
up HPI for $30.00 per race ( including entry fee,  not including 
breakage) where as the average Gas On-Road State Race would cost me $150 
for 1/10 & $175-$200 for 1/8 scale.  Quite a difference,  huh?  Being 
that I am a Team Serpent driver and ex-BMT team driver,  I know what it 
costs and what is needed to compete.  I can say that I originally 
purchased my NRS4 to start an entry level,  spec class for our club.  I 
was trying to get new people involved, in a way that would take very 
little cash to get started ($400 ).  This worked very well for a while, 
our attendance figures doubled two weeks after I first ran my car on the 
track.  I was also enamored with the idea of a spec class where only 
driver skill mattered.  What I found is that this is a very hard thing 
to regulate.   Once the cars become damaged,  most people upgrade 
instead of replacing stock parts.  In two months, all the new guys are 
now running modified.  The sad part is that they didnt take the time in 
the stock class to get a good foundation and understanding of what it 
takes to prepare and race a gas rc car.  Some of them are just hitting 
the walls harder and faster overheating motors,  and breaking gears; and 
consequently,  not having as much fun,  and spending more money than 
necessary.  So my conclusion is,  you have many options in rc racing, 
and the choice you make depends on how competetive you want to be and 
how much money you can spend,  vs. having fun and enjoying the hobby at 
any level of competetion.  Me,  I like it all,  I race for Team Serpent 
locally and nationally,  I compete in the Florida State Series,  and I 
have my HPI NRS4 to go have fun and stay sharp at local club races,  
between my other races.  I guess Im just an RC nut!?

  One more item,  I really enjoy racing the NRS4 in the rain.  Has 
anyone else tried it, if you have and can offer tips on waterproofing, 
or havent tried and would like some,  please respond.  Rain racing with 
these cars has been a blast!

I think almost everyone starts out wanting to buy all the go-fast 
goodies they can, so they'll be faster.  Years later, maybe they learn 
that while they can buy all the "speed" they can afford, faster lap 
times can't be bought - they have to be earned.

New racers - read what Gus just said, then read it again.  ...and again. 
If you're bound and determined to spend more money on your car, invest 
it in really useful things (bearings, better servos, better radio) 
rather than spend it on "go-fast purple parts".  

Remember that Justin Schroeder set fast time (and most laps) in both the 
stock and modified HPI classes - and did it in a stock, but well 
prepared RS-4.

Gus & Mike,

What are your thoughts on 'regulated' racing of conventional 1/10th cars 
such as the serpent, picco, bmt, mugen, etc?? By regulated, I mean using 
the newer low cost .15's, harder compound tires, maybe limited to a 
couple of approved bodies, only 20% nitro...The list can go on and on. 
My real thought here, is the economy of getting into a car that you can 
learn to race in a limited class, and then having a car that will grow 
with you, rather than having to move from an HPI, etc to another type of 
car altogether..

I agree that the HPI is great fun, and I'd probably continue to race it 
either way. However, the real attraction of the car is the low entry 
cost. Unfortunately, as you pointed out, we have passed the point where 
a Nitro RS4 can compete out of the box; These cars are getting REALLY 
fast now. Consequently, I have to ask myself how many potential new 
racers with their shiny new stock RS4, go packing back home, never to 
return, disillusioned by their initial expeirience with "affordable gas 
racing"? Personally, I've spent about 7 or 8 hundred dollars on what I 
think is a competitive NRS4(off the top of my head). Sure, it'll run 
middle of the pack with the Impact-2's, and my biggest problem right now 
is not enough gear, but  where does that leave the new guy?? He's new, 
so obviously he doesn't really know how to tune a car yet; the only way 
he knows to make it goe faster is to pour more money into it. So maybe 
he sticks it out through the first season, becomes a pretty good driver, 
and all of a sudden he has to go out and buy (and learn) a whole new rig 
to advance. I'm starting to ramble here, but I just really wonder how 
many (potentially) great racers we're losing this way??

BTW, Gus...I agree that the NRS4 with a set of Super Radials on it is a 
BLAST in the wet!! I haven't actually raced it in the rain (though that 
could get interesting REAL quick) but I have made some high speed/skid 
pad runs in the rain. Here's a tip for those thinking of trying this at 
home: Lots o' space - No stationary solid objects!! On the waterproofing 
bit, I just slipped a baloon over the reciever and tied it up tight, and 
oiled down the air filter a little more than usual. Try it out with a 
McCoy 59 glow plug!! Man, does all that wet, heavy air make HP or 
WHAT??!!

-Ray

I think it is crucial to establish some spec rules for gas sedans and soon.

Sedan cars are the fastest growing segment of the hobby in both gas and
electric. The entry level gas sedans are a real bargain and a good way to get
new people into the hobby. There are at least five or six different brands
available with HPI owning the lions share of the market.

Unfortunately it is no problem at all to spend enough money on hop-ups to bring
these cars up to the price level of a Serpent or Picco car. They also end up
comparable in speed.

I think that ruins their attraction as an entry level car. Most beginners can't
afford that kind of money nor can they drive a car with that level of
performance. A "Limited" class and an "Open" class rule format would solve this
problem.

A local track ran a parking lot series for the NRS4 cars last summer. It was
limited to box stock with the exception of bearings, tires, and sway bars. The
class was a real success and had about twenty drivers. Good door to door racing
and a lot of fun.

The only problem was that cars other than HPI were not allowed to run. A good
set of spec rules covering all brands would solve this problem and open up the
class to a lot more people. I think that the class would then have the
potential of growing at a tremendous rate. 

Cheap, competitive, fun racing!! Just what the doctor ordered.

I agree with all that...........nuff said

It is now almost certain that the Midwest Series will run a class for 
cars like the NRS4 this season. The current thinking is that 
modifications will be limited to bearings, sway bars and tires, although 
only rubber tires with foam inserts will be allowed. The motor size will 
be limited to .12. We are currently debating whether or not to allow two 
speeds. Since most of our tracks have very long straightaways (upward of 
200"), it seems that the two speeds will be necessary unless a short 
turnoff is provided. Any input in regard to these or other rules is very 
welcome.
   The Midwest Series, by the way, consists of seven races in seven 
different midwest cities. Engraved beer mugs are awarded to 1st, 2nd and 
3rd place finishers in A through C mains. TQs get Midwest Series T-
shirts. At the end of the season, first through third place racers 
receive jackets, fourth through tenth are awarded plaques. Entry is $20 
per class. You can find a schedule in the Midwest Series forum on this 
site. 

Man this place is dead!! I thought Frank would have participated here 
more than he has lately... oh well... 

The more questions people ask, the busier the conferences stay.  I think 
most people just read, and don't enter a lot of text.  

jeez Mike... do you EVER sleep??? hahaha

Hey Mike... where is all the discussion about PB products?? I've seen 
very little here about them. I've found their web page, but it's not 
very informative at all. I just bought my first 1/8 scale car(PB), from 
Joe Sullivan. It's an older kit, but there is no information that I can 
find. The instructions are horrendous!

Sorry for the post HERE, but I was't sure where to post this, so that it 
get read.... :\

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