Joe Tosh

Crap! That's crazy man! Yeah, but they're not cheap and indeed, it's just another thing to drag with you when you go driving pff. And I presume that together with the transmitter-, receiver- and glowplug-batteries it's just another battery that needs to be charged? I got into nitro just to avoid having to recharge batteries all the time... lol Funny note: HPI is kind enough to supply a manual with the spare pull starter that tells you how to assemble a broken pull starter... They do not include it in the car manual though so you have to buy one first...

Damn, why didn't I read that one first?? That's a great howto man! Unfortunately I saw it after I spent 28€ on a new one, lost my temper when it jumped out for the 87th time and after I cut all my fingers... But then again, I'm gonna keep it as a spare one...

It's IMPOSSIBLE!! Have been trying for 2 hours now!!

OK, so it IS repairable? And is it ok after that? I'm not really eager to take it apart every 2 weeks. I should claim warranty on that thing, only had it for 2 weeks and never pulled it too far really.

The pull starter of my 2 weeks old firestorm won't go in completely, so it's dragging on the ground. Anyone else ever got this problem? Can I just dismount it and have a look? Or will springs and cable pop out to be never refitted again? Or do I just spray WD40 in it?

No, it's a shell from some chinese or taiwanese (I think) 4wd electro buggy, thus completely closed, had to cut the window holes myself. The wrangler body for the savage is way too big. Same for the ford bronco, which is too bad because that's my favorite. There's really no general how-to-guide to make as every car and every shell is different. All you need is a few aluminium scrap parts, some basic tools (saw, drill, hamer) and some common sense. Of course if you can't hammer a nail into a wall don't bother... I also used an universal body post set like this one which is a real joy to make your custom mounts from. Another picture: I'm eager to drive it with this shell!

I've had the firestorm for 2 weeks but already got bored with the body, everyone that has got a stadium truck has more or less the same body, no matter the type or brand, so I picked this body up at the hobby shop and made some custom body-mounts... Quite pleased with the result!

Well thanks, that's what I needed to know!

I was at a 2 RC hobby-shops today, and told them I've used 25% in my Firestorm (3cc) till now (as recommended in the manual). I only ran it for 6-7 tanks approx. They told me that wasn't very useful. Couldn't hurt but would wear my engine out faster eventually. They said 16% would be more than enough for my engine and I could use 16% without any problems after my canister of 25% was used. Now you say you can't go back? Why?

Euh... I'd have to watch carefully to notice how much smoke is coming out just before it stalls... But good advice though, I'll leave the HSN flush and will only lean my LSN once, to see how it responds. Overall I get the impression that there's a lot of smoke in low to medium high revs, and not that much in high revs, although I presume the smoke's not that visible when you car does 40 mph... Temperatures are up (8°C today), will drive it tomorrow to see if there's any improvement when trying to lean. As for it being though, wouldn't know, I just drove it, no jumps, no bashing yet. I'd like to have it run well before I start with the bashing! Kerbs, hmm. Isn't there a front bumper available? My old Tamiya's 15 years ago all had one...

It's definitely the first thing! As if it's loaded with fuel yes!! I can only achieve high revs when applying the throttle gently and steadily. I think I'm starting to onderstand the meaning of 'bogging' But, that's my problem, If I lean it in 1/8 steps it's not gettin' better at all, on the contrary, it's starting to stall more...

Thanks for feedback. Checked the pressure line and its ok. I shortened it, it was quite long and had an unneeded twist in it, held together with plastic clamps. I then loosened and twisted the fuel nipple on the carb to the right, to the other side of the airfilter, as the factory mount stucked it between the cylinder head and the airfilter. Now it's got more space and doesn't touch the hot cylinder head anymore. I set up the linkages again, and recentered the servo and the stalling when braking is a lot better, allthough I have to keep up a tiny bit high idle, but this looks ok for now I guess. So I guess the clutch is fine, drove it this morning for 2 tanks and had just 1 stall when braking. How do you check the clutch spring anyway? Will check the manual, I know... My biggest issue is still the "drowning" when applying full throttle (hope you know what I mean with that! ) OK, sounds quite logic indeed, thanks! Maybe it's so cold this time of year I just have to forget leaning the mixture at the moment? The factory settings are very rich, and apart from responding good to full throttle it runs quite stable like that. Maybe I just have to wait for hotter weather to lean the engine? Any comments on glowplugs and fuel I use? Or is this ok? I've read a lot here on nitro percentages, but the manual says 20-25% nitro, that's what I use. Could an incorrect glowplug affect my throttle response? I've ordered a temp gun on ebay to check engine temperature.

Hi, First, if my english 's poor sometimes, sorry for that, I'm from Belgium and I speak Dutch... I'm a newbee in nitro-cars. Have read and watched all the tuning- howto's and videos but I just cannot get my brand-new RTR Firestorm to react smooth on the throttle. When I set everything to factory-settings (HSN & LSN flush), the engine runs quite well, allthough lots of smoke and nitro-spillage through the exhaust. Applying full throttle (at low and mid-speeds) mostly stalls it, or makes it (don't know the right word) sound like it's drowning (is this called "bogging"?) The only way to achieve high speeds is gradually applying throttle pressure. Even then it's often "drowning" Starting is virtually impossible without opening the throttle a bit. As for the tuning: The tiniest bit of leaning on the HSN makes everything worse, even just 1/8 clockwise and the engine stalls even quicker. Same thing with the LSN. Along these tuning-attempts I'm also trying to keep a steady idle, which isn't that simple either. Often when tuned, the engine also stalls when braking. I use the stock-glowplug, which is a HPI R5, and Tornado fuel 25% (as recommended in the manual). Have tried a few Rossi R3 medium glowplugs from my local hobby-store, but starting the engine is worse with that plug. I also 've got the idea this plus doesn't glow as hard as the stock R5 supplied in my RTR firestorm. Of course it's f*cking cold at the moment (approx 2-3 °C), but that shouldn't make tuning impossible isn't it? Any suggestions or ideas? What am I doing wrong? Thanks a lot folks!