RC car upgrades worth doing

Upgrades are a big part of the fun, but it's easy to spend a lot on parts that make little difference. These are worth doing, in the order that gives the most benefit.

1. Ball bearings

Many kits and some ready-to-run cars come with plastic or metal bushings in the wheels and drivetrain. Replacing them with ball bearings reduces friction, adds speed and run time, and stops parts wearing out. It's cheap and usually the best first upgrade. Tamiya kits are classic candidates; see Tamiya.

2. Tyres

Tyres make the biggest difference to how a car drives. Choose a tread for your main surface: pins for grass and dirt, slicks or fine treads for tarmac, softer compounds for grip. Make sure they're glued to the rims.

3. Steering servo

Stock servos on ready-to-run cars are often slow and weak, which makes steering vague and leads to stripped gears. A faster, stronger, metal-gear servo transforms the handling. See RC servos explained.

4. Batteries and charger

A second battery doubles your driving time. A LiPo (if your ESC supports it) gives more punch than NiMH; see NiMH vs LiPo. A balance charger charges faster and better than most included chargers; see best LiPo chargers.

5. Strengthen what keeps breaking

Every car has weak spots. Look at what you replace most often (suspension arms, driveshafts, spur gears, wheel hexes) and buy the manufacturer's tougher option. Upgrading the part that breaks is better than upgrading the part that looks good.

6. Power

Once the car is reliable and you drive confidently, a brushless motor and ESC is the biggest performance upgrade. Upgrade the drivetrain at the same time and gear down at first. See brushed vs brushless RC cars.

7. Suspension tuning

Different shock oils, springs and diff fluids tune handling for your surface. Cheap to try, and you learn a lot about how the car works.

Upgrades to skip (at first)

• Aluminium everything. It can bend and pass crash forces into more expensive parts.
• Bigger batteries than the ESC is rated for.
• Lights and cosmetic parts before the car is reliable.
• Expensive brushless systems on a car with a weak drivetrain.

Keep the car in good shape with RC car maintenance, and use RC car troubleshooting if an upgrade causes problems. Back to the RC cars hub.