pan car question

[primuswoostinkinhoo]

i know that they are differnt from tc'c in that they are direct drive and the suspension is differnt but what about performance and stuff like that

[Nairb]

Pan cars use foam tires most of the time. Pan cars are 2wd and TCs are 4wd. Pan cars are very simple looking designs, but can be very tough to get dialed...

[mavrick0611]

and with pan cars unless you hit a way at like 50 mph or something you'll probibly never break a part!
aj

[ammoace]

The simple design can be deceiving. Nairb and Mavrick0611 are both correct in what they wrote. It is simple in design, no denying that, but setting up a pan car can be involved to say the least. As a new owner of two of these myself I can that "tweak" makes a HUGE difference in how well the car can perform. Do you have one or are you thinking about getting one? I would say that the biggest difference is in the suspension. 98% of the pan cars don't use shocks in the front. The rear usually has two or three shocks and also uses chassis tweaking to absorb bumps. As far a performance a correctly set-up pan car can be very competitive against the TCs. You can take this how you want but I have chatted with people on this BB that say they have seen pan cars beat TCs.
Pan cars are fast and corner well with a disciplined driver behind the "wheel". I unfortunately am not one of these drivers, yet. http://www.rccaraction.com/ubb/biggrin.gif Oh, did I mention they are usually a lot cheaper to purchase and maintain than TCs?
Don't get me wrong I will someday own a TC3 or RS4 but I am still a very happy RC10LS and RC10L3 oval owner.
AMMOACE

[TCorzett]

I have a pan car (RC12L3) and a TC3. Both cars are great to drive, but there is a HUGE difference between them. The main difference is the power to weight ratio. A TC and pan car run on the same basic power (6 cells and a motor), but the weight of the pan car is far less. Due to this a pan car will be faster than a TC, if driven well. Pan cars, being 2wd and with foam tires, are much harder to drive. If you ever drive one you’ll know what I’m talking about. TCs are much more forgiving, because of the lower power/weight and the 4wd. The suspension system also helps the TC to be easier to drive. They are also cheaper, there are fewer parts to break, but they still aren’t cheap.

The one thing I can say is that starting with the pan car then moving to the TC has made driving much easier. Learning to drive in the unforgiving world of pan cars makes a TC seem so easy to drive.

- Todd…

[ammoace]

Cosmo you said a mouthful there. Pan cars barely clear a pencil. http://www.rccaraction.com/ubb/smile.gif Actually they run well on a textured surface as long as there aren't any pebbles and stuff in the way. They were designed to run low and fast with as little weight as possible. They look fragile but since most of them are made of graphite they are real strong. I ran mine today with the new 84T spur gear and a 18T pinion gear. It is a lot more controlable now that I am no longer running the 72T spur. Plus I think I gained about 5 mph in the top end. Just a guess but I think I am running about 25 mph now. My street has a 20 mph speed limit on it and I am passing cars real well. I also tried a 20T pinion but it seemed to slow the car down again. My T-maxx is still faster though.
AMMOACE

[Cosmo]

A pan car usually sits lower to the ground and that limits where you can run it. You need somewhere pretty smooth to run it.

[12th Scaler]

I race a CRC 12th scale car & they are way faster than sedans. As far as the money involved, you buy the car and replace tires, that's it. You can go to any carpet track and be competative without changing the setup. Of course you end up fine tuning but there is actually no maintenance involved but cleaning the diff every once in while. They definately hone your driving skills. And with the CRC car you dont need to tape in the cells or replace t-bars.

[This message has been edited by 12th Scaler (edited 03-31-2001).]

[69bradley]

one word, fast

[ammoace]

One of the guys in the general info forum in the worst crash thread said he had his RC10L3 oval going 65 to 70 Mph when he crashed it. I think his entry was on the second page of that thread. I emailed him hoping he would tell me what he was using for gears, motor, and body. My neighbor wants to race my cars and trucks with his ATV. Wouldn't it blow his mind to get passed at 65mph by a 1/10th scale pan car? In case you are woundering we would be racing on the street out front of my house.
AMMOACE

[Nairb]

LOL! Now, THERE'S a matchup!

[FastDad]

If anyone is intrested, the June 1999 issue of RCCA has a Pan Car special dealing with ten different cars and set up and trouble shooting. The best issue yet.

[ammoace]

FastDad,
I am very interested. http://www.rccaraction.com/ubb/smile.gif Thanks for the information, again. You have been a great help lately.
Nairb,
The T-Maxx will be a close call but I think with the right gearing the RC10LS should be able to triumph. Just need to figure out how to make it a drag car for a day. http://www.rccaraction.com/ubb/biggrin.gif My cars still like to burn foam off the line. I just bought a pair of Duratrax yellow compound rears, Part # DTXC9625 PRO SERIES 1.5", that Duratrax says is good for drag racing. I have not tried them yet because I want to get the gearing correct before I scrub the tires.
AMMOACE

[This message has been edited by ammoace (edited 04-03-2001).]