Running On Sand

[Groomi]

Hi All,
I've never run an RC car on sand before, but quite fancy taking something down to the beach with the kids during the summer. I've got the following cars (in pieces) to choose from which I'd be prepared to use for this:

Tamiya Hornet/Grasshopper
Schumacher Cougar 1,2 and Storm
Schumacher Cougar SV

and if 4wd is absolutely necessary then I could use a Schumacher Bosscat sport.

So what do I need to do to a car to prepare it for running on sand?

Protect against water (electrics, bearings, motor)?
Protect against sand (motor, transmission)?
Tyres?
Gearing? - will just be using a standard Tamiya kit motor.

Any tips, advice and pics would be greatly appreciated.

[THEYTOOKMYTHUMB]

Paddle tires and dark sunglasses so your wife doesn't catch you checking out all the babes in bikinis.

[Groomi]

Haha
Unfortunately, for all but two days of the year anybody venturing out onto a British beach does so with full wet weather and windproof clothing!

[kaiser]

the hornet/hopper will have less issues with sand. those cars are pretty tough and sealed up tight.

[Sixtysixdeuce]

Any tips, advice and pics would be greatly appreciated.

Sell off a couple of those to fund one of these:

[shodog]

when I run my 5b, I stand way back. damn thing just scares me and it would sacre everyone else on the beach.

I agree with Kaiser, a Hornet would be your best choice. I would epoxy the diff together so you have a solid spool where both tires with spit sand.



Keep in mind everything gets thrashed. The sand turns to gidning paste on any exposed greasy item and all the screws will rust from the salty air. I found out the hard way when I didn't clean my Rough rider enough from running it at the beach.

[Groomi]

OK, thanks Guys. So it looks like the Hornet is the way to go then. I've seen some paddle tyres on Ebay, so that's easy. As mentioned, the electrics are all fairly well concealed and high up, so water shouldn't be an issue, but what about sand getting into the motor - it's fairly exposed. Any thoughts?

[Sixtysixdeuce]

what about sand getting into the motor - it's fairly exposed. Any thoughts?

A brushed motor? Most brushless cans are pretty well sealed up, but definitely an area of concern with most any brushed motor. Not much you can do to seal it up without sacrificing cooling, either.

My thoughts are, if you're running brushed, upgrade. The Hornet is lightweight, so you can get away with a system like the Leopard combos for ~$65. They're 380 cored motors, but that's not a problem in a 2-3 pound kit. I wouldn't put one in an SCT, but a Hornet? You bet!

[ca-rj]

You really want a sealed up motor. I've run brushed and brushless motors and several of them have locked up due to sand getting into them. The only motor that never has an issue is my Castle 3800. The can is fully sealed.

[jeekelemental]

Hi all, back on this board after many years

IMO, on the beach less is more. Go with the Hornet/GH and save the Schumscher for the track

[RC104ever]

I ran my Sand Scorcher on the beach (Myrtle) and it ran great with a Castle 3800. Only thing that I would have done different is used the stock paddle tires on the back instead of the Rough Rider ones

[Lizardking]

Running on the beach is awesome. I have a blast when I bring my TRX4 and put it in high gear lock the rear diff. Also my Radio Shack Golden Arrow with Tamiya Sand Scorcher wheels is super fun as well.