Pan Cars Are Nice But

[RC51]

Foam tires will maintain their wear and performance characteristics much longer than will rubber tires. JACO and Corally foam tires are priced at roughly $16-$17 dollars and up for a pair mounted - so roughly the same if not cheaper than TC tires mounted. As an example of the wear, I used the same set of tires for the Speed Weekend and for the Saanich Days, and for the Vancouver race and I still have them on the pan car. I raced different compounds on carpet at the Big Chill and I still have the same tires on the car. They wore 1mm. With rubber, after approx 3 runs, they degrade in terms of performance significantly. They'll work, but nowhere near the first three runs. Different story for pan car.

P.

[RC51]

Foam tires will maintain their wear and performance characteristics much longer than will rubber tires. JACO and Corally foam tires are priced at roughly $16-$17 dollars and up for a pair mounted - so roughly the same if not cheaper than TC tires mounted. As an example of the wear, I used the same set of tires for the Speed Weekend and for the Saanich Days, and for the Vancouver race and I still have them on the pan car. I raced different compounds on carpet at the Big Chill and I still have the same tires on the car. They wore 1mm. With rubber, after approx 3 runs, they degrade in terms of performance significantly. They'll work, but nowhere near the first three runs. Different story for pan car.

P.

For carpet, that is ... they're on the proto-type whereas the others are on the C10X.

[Tom]

What about tires Tom?  I'm pretty sure its cheaper to buy rubber than foam ($7.50 a pair for rubber) and rubber last way longer or do the asphalt foam tires on Pan cars wear differently?

Yikes!  I've never seen rubber available that cheap.  Rember too that for touring cars, the cost per wheel includes the rim, tire and insert, since genrally none of the components are considered re-usable.

So, do your prices compare apples to apples or apples to oranges?

Although it is unusual to buy un-mounted foam donuts nowadays, it is quite practical to re-use the rims if you can find new donuts to mount on them.

And, yes, foam does retain its performance on asphalt far longer than rubber.

[RC51]

$7.50 = 2 x Rubber tires unmounted, no inserts.

P.

[Grinder]

Oh yea I know foam (basically) maintains its properties - I was just wondering about wear - eg how often do you need to replace.  I know with the Nitro car you factor in tires for your expense because you go through them so often - of course its heavier, more power, 4x4, etc which would increase tire wear....

[SgRddY]

The way I see it any one who runs stock TC would be able to run 19t TC with only dropping in a motor. But if we go to a pan car class it means buying a 2nd car and the guys who do not have deep pockets would not be able to race a 2nd class, last year I ran my stock motor in 19t just to get more race time.

Given someone already owns a stock touring car, I would expect it would be CHEAPER to buy a pan car for 19 turn class than to run a 19 turn touring car.

Pan cars are SO INEXPENSIVE to buy AND to operate compaired to touring cars.  The savings in tires, motors, wear and tear to the chassis will go a long way to funding a pan car.

I haven't worked out the numbers so I could be wrong about pan car paying for itself, but I do know for a fact that pan cars are both cheaper to purchase and operate than a touring car.  Thus, pan cars should be encouraged, rather than discouraged like your post indicates.

CHEAPER Tom?  I don't think so.  If I have TC car already, all I need to buy a 19 turn motor to be able to race.  With Pan car, I would have to buy the car, body, electronics, tires, traction compound, bodies, on and on....

[Tom]

CHEAPER Tom?  I don't think so.  If I have TC car already, all I need to buy a 19 turn motor to be able to race.  With Pan car, I would have to buy the car, body, electronics, tires, traction compound, bodies, on and on....

Ahah.  Again, I haven't worked out the numbers so I could be full of it, but a 19 turn touring car will wear out tires, belts, driveshafts, motors, batteries, etc. far faster than one in stock, and these are all expenses that would not be incurred to the same degree with a pan car.

My point relies exclusively on the vastly increased operating costs of touring cars over pan cars, especially with 19 turn and even more so with modified motors.

Besides, the fast guys use suntan lotion for both sun protection during the summer AND for traction compound, and why would you need more bodies in pan car than 19 turn?

Also, as mentioned above, you would be SAVING on tires, not spending more on tires.

If you hadn't already invested heavily in Touring Car, the argument would be quite simple -- pan cars are fare cheaper.  A pan car will pay off in time since it has lower operating costs than a touring car.  The remaining question is just how long it would take for the pan car to pay off.

Many racers go through a touring car every couple seasons.  Pan cars have a much longer racing life, and are a lesser financial investment to boot!

[Falcon]

Batteries have been an issue, for the club, to the point that some racers haven't shown up. Wouldn't it be a better idea to just change the batteries this year and then look at the motors at a later date. Finding a battery that works is a solution.

[jarrodH]

its true that the rubber tc tires do last a lot longer than foam, most can go a full season, but if your not buyin a new set every couple weeks, if not every week, you wont have much of a chance when playin with the guys with the deep pockets, with new tires every week..

with  foam, they handle almost the same until theirs nothing left, speakin from experience..lol

pan cars lookin tempting to me..

[haddow]

if we run pan car and allow lipos, I will only use one trakpower battery. A 5 min heat in 19 turn will eat about 2000 mAh from the 4900 mAh battrey and I can go start charging it the second I am back in the pits and it will be ready to go 30-60 minutes before I need it again.

J

[Gorden]

what are the rules on the type of bodies would the pan cars use?

[Tom]

what are the rules on the type of bodies would the pan cars use?

Pan cars normally use GTP style bodies (like what we run for 1/12 scale).

I would expect the same for 1/10 scale racing outdoors this summer -- that's what was used last year.

[Shawn68z]

if we run pan car and allow lipos, I will only use one trakpower battery. A 5 min heat in 19 turn will eat about 2000 mAh from the 4900 mAh battrey and I can go start charging it the second I am back in the pits and it will be ready to go 30-60 minutes before I need it again.

J

TrakPower eh?  Gee, who would have guessed you would only run trakpower? :wink:

No matter what you would still need 2 LiPo packs just in case you bump. Of course I am assuming their will be enough cars to have more then one heat.

Shawn.

PS. (I am still working on the wife, she just doesnt understand how I
need 4 cars, a rock crawler, and an airplane).

[Matt S]

shawn

dont forget a nice boat


and you can use a lipo pack for a main and a bump, hell you could keep running laps while everyone is fumbleing about with NIMH

M.

[Shawn68z]

Batteries have been an issue, for the club, to the point that some racers haven't shown up. Wouldn't it be a better idea to just change the batteries this year and then look at the motors at a later date. Finding a battery that works is a solution.

The same can be said that by switching to LiPo you could be preventing people from coming out that can not afford to switch from NiMh. The NiMH will  have to be grandfathered.

I can t speak for anyone else here, but I bought some of the cheapest cells around (non-matched), and they were great all year except 1 cell I lost at the end of season.   If we dont switch to lipo this year, then I am planning to buy 3 more packs of the Elite batteries (4000 - $5/cell or 4500/$6 per cell). They performed really well for me. I have broken up th e packs and I have been using them (3600's) in door right now, and they are working almost as good as my brand new 4200's.

Shawn.