We all love driving our RC cars as fast as they can go, but for some of us driving them in reverse is faster. This could be down to a few things, none of which are particularly tricky to fix and in this article we go through diagnosing the reason why your RC car goes faster in reverse and how to fix that problem.
The Obvious Signs
The first thing we would suggest to do is to actually take the shell off your RC car and check for any obvious problems. This could be things like damaged cogs, broken or loose wires, damaged circuit boards or any other things lodged within the mechanics of the RC car.
If there is anything broken you should try ordering that part from the manufacturer or your local RC store and fit it.
Once fitted check to see if that resolves your problem.
Motor Problems?
If you have checked the obvious signs and come up with nothing the next thing to do is dive a little deeper into understanding why your RC car is going faster in reverse.
First, we will start with the motor. Check that the two wires going to the motor are both intact and soldered onto the motor. If the two wires are ok you should check your manufactures handbook and make sure that the polarity of the wires is connected to the correct terminals.
If you find that they aren’t swap the wires over and re-solder. This should stop your RC car from being quicker in reverse.
Check Your Batteries
A surprising reason why your RC car might be going faster in reverse might have something to do with the batteries. Check to make sure that you have the batteries connected in the correct way, by having the polarities reversed, on some RC cars, you can run the motor in reverse. So this would mean that reverse is accelerate and accelerate is in fact reverse.
Check the actual plugs and make sure that you haven’t got a short circuit causing the same problem, if you have then try to remove the plug and re-fit it.
You should always be extremely cautious when dealing with batteries and make sure to never break open the actual cell compartment. This should be left to an expert.
RC Receiver Problems
Next, you should take a look at your receiver and check for any visual signs of damage as this could be causing a malfunction. Check to make sure that your receiver is held in securely and that there is no loose wiring. You should also check the frequency crystal and make sure that it is firmly pushed in and doesn’t have any damage.
Using a pair of tweezers or pliers can help to remove the crystal. You should check that the same crystal is installed into your transmitter.
Transmitter
The transmitter is the next point in which you should check, again looking for any obvious damage or wear. Check that your tuning at the side of the throttle control is set correctly as a purely tuned transmitter could be causing some problems.
If you are able to try another transmitter with your RC car to see if that is why your RC car is going faster in reverse.
Tuning Your RC Car
Some RC cars have the option to tune them, especially Nitro/Gas ones. Refer to your handbook and make sure that you have your tuning set up adequately. A poorly tuned car can “top out” a lot sooner than it is meant to. This means that it hits the fastest it can go a long time before it should and would create the illusion that your RC car is faster in reverse.
Make sure that your RC car is getting enough fuel and air mixture by adjusting the idle needle, checking your air filter and making sure that there isn’t anything clogging it up also check the carburettor to make sure that the throttle is opening up to its fullest when the throttle control on the transmitter is fully pressed.
Gearing Ratios
Some RC cars are fitted with gearing allowing the RC car to go through gradual speed changes. If your gearing is set up correctly you might find that your RC car doesn’t get out of first gear, stopping your RC car from getting to its fastest.
Again, refer to the manufacturer’s handbook and make sure that you have the gearing set up to its optimum, by doing this you will see a noticeable change in your RC car’s speed.
Final Thoughts
So, as you can see there can be a lot of different reasons why your RC car could be going faster in reverse than it is accelerating. I hope we have managed to guide you to the solution of why yours might be doing this. Thanks for reading!
I am a massive fan of anything that is remote controlled. This stems from my childhood when my Grandfather would take me to a local RC flying club and I would dream about having my own RC models someday.