Breaking in Your Electric RC Cars and Trucks the Right Way


Defined Tag: RC Electric Cars.

There are many ways to enjoy electric RC cars, from running them around your own driveway or backyard to playing with family members and friends. Few things are as exciting, however, as racing those cars and trucks against other radio controlled vehicle enthusiasts, and the many RC car and truck racing clubs around the country are testament to this fact.

Before you can take your car or truck out on the racetrack, however, you will need to be sure your electric radio controlled car or truck has been properly broken in.  The electric motors on radio controlled vehicles can usually be easily tuned up for additional power and speed, but they do require a proper break-in period in order to get peak performance and maximize the life of the engine.  If the break-in procedure is not followed properly, the heat and premature wear could prematurely break down the engine components and shorten the useful life of the vehicle.

There are a number of exotic ways to break in the motor on an electric radio controlled car or truck, but in general all that is needed is to run the vehicle with the motor running but with the wheels off the ground.  During this break-in period the radio control should be pulled about a quarter of the way down for a period of approximately five minutes.  Those five minutes should be sufficient to allow the brushes to become fully seated with the communicator, allowing for less wear and tear on the motor, and allowing the electric motor to reach its full power and output potential.