The clutch is a vital component of your rc car’s system. In this article we will help you find out how a clutch system works, how you can tune it or troubleshoot it whenever it happens to malfunction. Most importantly, you should know how it operates in order to figure out what the best driving style or strategy you might need on a specific racing track, because the clutch is extremely helpful in this matter.
First of all, you should check out the clutch on your own engine and, in order to do that, you should start by removing the clutch bell from the engine. There’s a small screw holding it in place. Once you’ve removed it, you will have to remove the bearings. After that, you might be faced to the clutch shoes and the pilot bushing with the rearmost bearing still attached to it. In the tuning operation you can work with this bearing still attached, but it’s generally a good idea if you work it out a little at a time, so you won’t damage it or the system.
So, how does a clutch system operate? Rc car engines rotate in a counterclockwise movement and as they increase revolutions, the leading edge of the clutch catches on the clutch bell and transmits power to it, which will distribute it through the drive train and then to the tires. The basics behind clutch tuning are not difficult to take into consideration. The first one implies changing the stiffness of the clutch spring. Basically, the stiffer the spring, the more force the clutch shoes will have to exert on the spring before they can engage the clutch bell.
The second one is by making the clutch shoes lighter. It is simple physics: if you decrease their mass, the rpm should be higher in order to equal the same force as before. But how do you reduce their mass? They easiest way to do so is by removing material at the opposite end of the pivot point, namely the fly wheel. You can drill 1/8 holes on the swinging end of the shoe.
There are two main important clutch setups. First, the stock clutch setup loads the engine with the power of handling your rc car, while it attempts to accelerate to reach its higher power band. For example, if you have a two-stroke engine and you want to use more power when the car needs it most, you should let the engine engage at a later time when the revolutions are higher, so the engine has more power to accelerate the vehicle.
Another clutch setup is based on the removal of the clutch shoes and flipping them around. The power system will be basically changes, because now you will accelerate, the trailing edges of the shoes engage the clutch bell, and not the leading ledge. The clutch will slip a bit and will jump start the torque when accelerating in corners. When you do this setup, make sure that you don’t pinch the clutch spring with the flywheel pins.
Which setup is the best for you? Clutch tuning is affected by traction, hearing, motor horse power and driving style. For instance, if you need your car to improve its acceleration, you should have one or more extra holes on your clutch shoes. But if you need more punch and acceleration out of corners, you should lighten the clutch, if it’s slipping. Tuning the clutch will help increase your acceleration dramatically. All you need to do is experiment and see which setting is best for your car.
