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Last year I performed a durability test on THECar White Edition. I built a new car for the Nitro Challenge 2014 in February in USA, and then documented each time I drove the car. I only replaced parts that broke, in order to see how the wear rate is on the car, and if anything breaks due to stress and the rigours of racing. I practiced and raced on a variety of different tracks in various different conditions, from hot South Africa, to mild Michigan, and cool Finland. Here is a list of the races I did, of the option parts I fitted my car as new. Please read the article below!

Races and Practice

Nitro Challenge, Phoenix USA

South Africa Race, and Practice, Komati and Avion.

Finnish Nats 1, Jyväskylä

 

Central RC Raceway Race and Practice, Michigan USA

 

THETrack Practice, Michigan USA

AMS Race, Alabama USA

 

AKA Race, Herts UK

 lavanko

Practice in Helsinki, Finland.

Total hours: 25 (Approximately 6 gallons)

Option Parts Fitted

JQB0349 and 350: CNC Gold Aluminium High Wingmounts

JQB0287: CNC Gold Aluminium Servo Saver Top

JQB0102: Extra set of collets used on fuel tank spring

JQB0347 and 348: Grey Medium Hard Springs

During these 25h I replaced the following parts

JQB0338: Front Arms (stretched hingepin hole in huge crash)

JQB0068: Hingepins (bent hingepin in huge crash)

JQB0100: Front dogbone (bent in crash)

JQB0101: Rear dogbone (bent in crash)

JQB0106: Brake Disks (Replaced due to wear, after 4 gallons)

JQB0183: Clutchbell bearings (Change every race)

JQB0282: Clutch Shoes (Change every race)

JQB0133: 1.1mm Clutch Spring (Change every race)

JQB0184: Clutchbell (Changed after 4 gallons)

JQB0040: Shock boots (Changed Every 42 seconds)

JQB0004: Rear Wing (Changed when it started looking too old, will depend on crashing)

Parts that I would replace in a rebuild for a big race after 6 gallons

JQB0163 Front Driveshafts

JQB0126 x 2 Gearbox bearings

JQB0125 x 4 Wheel and diff bearings

JQB0210 Chassis (This depends a lot on the tracks that you run on)

JQB062 Front and rear diff outdrives

JQB059 Centre outdrives

JQB0920, JQB0049, JQB0050 Upper links and balls

JQB0330, JQB0037 Shock o-rings and bushings

JQB0040 Shock boots

JQB0329 Shock bladder

Here you can see a video of the play the car had developed after 25 hours.

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25 hours, not bad!

A post shared by Joseph Quagraine (@thequagraine) on

Conclusion

Overall the car held up really well. If there is one area where JQRacing is amongst the very best, it is the durability of the car, specially the drivetrain parts. The gears are like new! When I first started, I actually used the same set of crown and pinion gears for two years! And they still looked like new. The gears have got to be the most durable part of the car.

Shocks also last forever it seems, I didn’t even replace shock bushings or o-rings. However, for best performance, the o-rings would need replacing as they swell.

The bearings are also very durable, and will not cause problems, or even require maintenance, unless you want to make sure you have the most free drivetrain possible. Just make sure you shim the wheel bearings properly so you eliminate slop, but do not stress the bearings.

Many people definitely over think and over work.

Many people definitely over think and over work. MY goal with the car is produce one which maximises your time spent driving and racing, and minimises the time spent maintaining it. So I want it to be easy to work on, and for it to require minimal maintenance, designing it in a way where the components last a long time.

There is no need to strip the car down at every race. Normally a well built car will last for many gallons. It will definitely last for a race meeting. At a race, it makes sense to keep the car clean, and check all hingepins and shock shafts to make sure they are straight, and of course check to make sure the critical screws are tight. There is no need to dissassemble every single nut and bolt. That actually INCREASES the risk of failure.

So my advice to you, build your cars with care one time, and do minor maintenance and checks at races.

As an example, after I have built a car, I never take apart the centre diff mount or the steering, and never remove the centre mount or engine mount from the chassis. I do it properly one time, and that lasts the car’s lifetime!

Image Galleries

Full Car

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Front End Detail

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Centre Detail

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Rear End Detail

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Maintenance Checklist

If you check the list of parts here, you will get a good idea of what parts are needed, and what parts are replaced every few gallons. You don’t HAVE to do this. You can just keep on running, but this guide shows what you need to do to keep the car in top shape! Remember that driving (crashing) style, and the tracks you run on could have a significant impact on some of the parts, such as chassis, arms, links and clutch for example. They may last a lot longer, but should not wear out any faster than this list.

Maintenance Checklist

After 2 gallons

Shock Boots

Clutch shoes

Clutch springs

Clutchbell bearings

After 4 gallons

Clutchbell (check for grooves on the inside)

Front dogbone

Shock Boots

Clutch shoes

Clutch springs

Clutchbell bearings

After 6 gallons

Rear Arms

Rear Top links

Rear Top link balls

Check front driveshafts

Shock Boots

Clutch shoes

Clutch springs

Clutchbell bearings

After 8 gallons

Front Arms

Front Top Links

Front top Link Balls

Ackermann Rebuild Set

Front centre outdrive

Front driveshafts

Clutchbell (check for grooves on the inside)

Front dogbone

Shock Boots

Clutch shoes

Clutchbell bearings

After 10 Gallons

Wheel and Diff bearings

Gearbox Bevel Gear Bearings

Shock bushings

Shock o-rings

Shock lower plastic ball end

Shock springs

Diff o-rings

All Diff outdrives

Centre outdrives

Shock Boots

Clutch shoes

Clutch springs

Clutchbell bearings

Depending on the track you run on, you may have to replace the chassis and front bumper at some stage before 10 gallons. If your track is very abrasive, you should probably consider changing the chassis after about 8-10 gallons.

Gallon service packs available here!

Please send feedback about this article so we can improve it!

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