Pinion and Spur Gear Meshing
The pinion is the gear that is attached to the motor and the spur gear is attached to the drive train of the car. These
work together to make the transmission turn and drive the car. These parts will need to be correctly spaced together
(meshed) to make sure excessive wear does not occur. Once the motor is installed and the pinion gear is tight check
the mesh by trying to gently rock the spur gear with your finger (make sure no battery is connected). If you can rock
the spur gear a lot then it is too loose, alternatively if the spur gear does not rock then it is too tight. The easiest way
is to insert a thin piece of plastic (like a shopping carrier bag) between the pinion and motor before you tighten the
motor. Once tight remove the plastic carrier bag and check the mesh again. A small amount of rock should be there
on the spur gear.
Adjusting the ride height
The ride height of the chassis will greatly influence how the vehicle handles the surface it is being used on. For off
road it is recommended to have around 10-20mm of ride height.
Adjusting the body height
You can alter the height of your vehicles body shell. This is done by either pins/clips or screws depending on your
vehicle on the body posts. The body shells come in the optimum position as standard.
Upgrading your performance
There are many things you could choose to upgrade on an R/C vehicle to make it faster, stronger and more reliable.
Maverick cars have been designed to give you a very strong platform that is very reliable and fast enough to learn
about R/C cars in general.
You can upgrade the motor up to the speed controls limit. The HPI MSC-21 is a brushed motor speed control. Op-
tional speed controls are available which have lower motor limits. The HPI 1100 mAh Ni-MH battery pack can be up-
graded which will give you more run time, faster acceleration and more top speed from your vehicle.
Tyres can also be changed like real road cars. Many aftermarket options are available for different conditions but the
standard Maverick tyres have been specially chosen to meet the users needs.
There are many aspects of tuning that are too complex to describe in detail in this basic guide. You can adjust your
shock absorber oil, pistons, springs and shock position to alter how your vehicle takes the bumps. You can adjust
your roll centres to change how much grip the chassis generates in roll. You can adjust rear toe in, steering
ackerman, droop, diff tensions and types of diff to find extra performance.
Getting into racing
There is a wide network of R/C racing clubs around the world and if you feel the need for some competitive racing
then they may be the thing for you. Try doing an internet search for ‘remote controlled car racing’ and this will get you
on your way.
You should find your local model shop will be able to give you invaluable advice and support. The easiest way to find
one is by buying a specialist R/C car magazine or via looking in the telephone directory.
You can adjust the ride height on your vehicle by using the supplied black
composite spacers on the shock absorber body. The more spacers you add
the higher the chassis will sit of the ground. Make sure you add the same
amount of spacers on each side as unequal left to right ride height will result
in inconsistent performance.
You can adjust the front and rear ride height independently which will also
alter the handling characteristics. It is best to have equal front and rear ride
height.
11
