7 Ways to Go Faster (Nitro Edition)

7 Ways to Go Faster (Nitro Edition)

We recently showed you how to get the most speed out of your electric vehicle with our “7 Ways to go Faster (Electric Edition)” Online Exclusive article. Now, we’ve shifted gears and moved onto nitro power. When bashing with your buddies, speed is king and I am here to show you how to get the most speed possible out of your nitro-powered ride. The best part is that these are things that your friends are unlikely to figure out unless you give up the info. Grab a notepad and get ready for today’s speed lesson.

Change the clutch bell and spur gear

By installing a larger clutch bell you’ll gain top speed on your favorite nitro vehicle. You can also swap out your stock spur gear for a smaller one to get the same effect. Keep in mind that when you do increase the size of the clutch bell or decrease the size of the spur gear, it will decrease the vehicle’s low end response and it will take longer to get your it up to top speed. If you go too far with your gear changes, you may need to lighten up the springs on your clutch shoes or go with a heavier clutch shoe to keep them from slipping while trying to propel a heavy monster truck or off-road buggy/truggy.

Open the carb

A lot of today’s engines come with carb restrictors which allow you to tweak your engine’s horsepower and fuel efficiency. Use the largest insert possible to get the most horsepower and RPM out of your engine and therefore more top speed.

Increase nitro percentage

If you are running 20% nitro in your engine you can easily increase top speed by increasing the nitro content of your fuel. As you increase fuel percentage, you may have to adjust the head shims under your heat sink head accordingly. The higher the nitro content the more shims you need to install. Remember that the higher the nitro content, the more money you’re going to spend for speed.

Tune your tuned pipe

Yes, tuned pipes can be tuned to change how your engine performs. For increased speed you can change the length of your exhaust system and make the distance between the header and tuned pipe longer. That’s only a possibility when you have a tuned pipe with a silicone coupler because there’s no fixed length to deal with. You can also increase engine RPM by using a tuned pipe with a gently tapered shape.

Go big

A .21 engine will get your vehicle up to some serious speeds but a .30 will increase that speed and get your vehicle there faster. Before purchasing a new engine, make sure that your vehicle can accommodate a bigger one. You can also look into big block conversion kits from aftermarket companies; one might be available for your vehicle. Another way to increase speed is by going from an off-road engine to a high revving on-road engine. These engines also have a lot of horse power but the higher RPM that they produce will increase wheel speed.

Reduce rolling resistance

Before making any speed runs, take the time to check the rolling resistance of your vehicle. Spin the tires by hand to make sure that you don’t have any damaged bearings that can slow things down.  Most RTR and kit bearings are inexpensive and have some rolling resistance and that will slow you down. Switching to high quality bearings that spin more freely and that will increase acceleration and top speed. Take a look at your brakes and make sure that the brake pad isn’t rubbing on the brake discs in any way. Using a small spring or o-ring on the mounting screws in-between the pads will make sure that they don’t rub.

Increase the size of the tires

It doesn’t matter what power source you have, you can always increase top speed by using taller tires on your vehicle. Changing the size of the tires is basically like making a gearing change. The taller the tires are the faster your vehicle will go but will take longer to get there. If you can’t increase the size of the tire, switch over to a softer rubber compound. As speed increases, the tire diameter will grow and make your vehicle faster in the end.

You can see the electric version here

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Updated: June 17, 2015 — 9:28 AM
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