comparison: Where and when to use aluminum parts
Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2004 9:13 am
I'm blown away by the # of aluminum parts coming out for all RCs now days, it's like the 80s all over again. Back in the early 90s aluminum was on it's way out, and they were doing aluminum VS plastic articles in RC Car Action. So I thought I'd share what I learned so you guys could be more informed buyers.
General
In general plastic is lighter, aluminum is much stronger and way cooler looking. Plastic is cheaper, aluminum can be a bit pricey.
Screws and fasteners
Screws are generally made of steel, aluminum is lighter than steel. If you compare one aluminum screw to one steel screw it might not seem like much, but if you take 30 screws and compare, you get an idea of the weight your cutting in your car. Because aluminum is not as strong as steel, aluminum screws should not be used in high stress situations. In high stress areas, titanium can be used as opposed to steel to cut weight, and increase strength.
Chassis
The chassis is a good chunk of the weight of the car, and an aluminum chassis will add quite a bit of weight to the car. More weight means you will be able to carry less speed through the corners. I reccomend graphite for the chassis. It's generally lighter and stiffer than plastic.
Suspension pieces
Because many suspension arms are the weak link on many cars, particularly on the XMod, aluminum suspension arms can be beneficial for durability.
Because they are heavier, they can have their advantages and disadvantages. Advantage is on road racing on smooth surfaces. In this situation the heavier arms will make you car seem more planted, but lighter arms will react to bumps faster, so for racing on rough surfaces or off road, the lighter plastic suspension pieces will react faster, makeing any adjustments you make more noticeable, and the car will react faster.
Shocks are high wear pieces, and aluminum can be beneficial for durabilty in shocks.
Wheels
Aluminum wheels are stronger and better looking, but are considerably heavier than plastic wheels. This increases rotational mass, which can wreak havok on your handling. Plus if you glue your tires, which if you're generating any kind of speed you more than likely are, it's so much easier to just dispose of the worn plastic wheel with the worn tire. Because of the expense of aluminum, you'll be trying to save your rims with every new set of tires, and that can be a bitch.
I think that just about covers it. This is not entirely from my point of view, much of this I read in RC Car Action years ago, but my experiences have confirmed these findings. Plus, obviously, this is from the point of view of the serious racer trying to shave every second off their lap times.
With that said, if your just in this to look cool, then yeah, aluminum is all advantage. Personally, I'm a sucker for shiny things.
General
In general plastic is lighter, aluminum is much stronger and way cooler looking. Plastic is cheaper, aluminum can be a bit pricey.
Screws and fasteners
Screws are generally made of steel, aluminum is lighter than steel. If you compare one aluminum screw to one steel screw it might not seem like much, but if you take 30 screws and compare, you get an idea of the weight your cutting in your car. Because aluminum is not as strong as steel, aluminum screws should not be used in high stress situations. In high stress areas, titanium can be used as opposed to steel to cut weight, and increase strength.
Chassis
The chassis is a good chunk of the weight of the car, and an aluminum chassis will add quite a bit of weight to the car. More weight means you will be able to carry less speed through the corners. I reccomend graphite for the chassis. It's generally lighter and stiffer than plastic.
Suspension pieces
Because many suspension arms are the weak link on many cars, particularly on the XMod, aluminum suspension arms can be beneficial for durability.
Because they are heavier, they can have their advantages and disadvantages. Advantage is on road racing on smooth surfaces. In this situation the heavier arms will make you car seem more planted, but lighter arms will react to bumps faster, so for racing on rough surfaces or off road, the lighter plastic suspension pieces will react faster, makeing any adjustments you make more noticeable, and the car will react faster.
Shocks are high wear pieces, and aluminum can be beneficial for durabilty in shocks.
Wheels
Aluminum wheels are stronger and better looking, but are considerably heavier than plastic wheels. This increases rotational mass, which can wreak havok on your handling. Plus if you glue your tires, which if you're generating any kind of speed you more than likely are, it's so much easier to just dispose of the worn plastic wheel with the worn tire. Because of the expense of aluminum, you'll be trying to save your rims with every new set of tires, and that can be a bitch.
I think that just about covers it. This is not entirely from my point of view, much of this I read in RC Car Action years ago, but my experiences have confirmed these findings. Plus, obviously, this is from the point of view of the serious racer trying to shave every second off their lap times.
With that said, if your just in this to look cool, then yeah, aluminum is all advantage. Personally, I'm a sucker for shiny things.