I put a lot of time into this site, so please, help me keep this site alive by running your mouse over these ad links. They give me a little return on my time, and some will pay as much as $1.00 an hour! Please help a good cause. -Shadowbreaker

*****Latest News****** This is a far cry from the Geocities site that I used to have. Thanks to all of you who have stayed with me through it all and have kept my forum alive and well.

The Mini4wd Store should be up by the end of Febuary, but I won't guarantee anything, but it is in the works. Figure, with a Wife and a 3 year old, I don't get that much time to work on the site. Believe me, you'll know when it's up!

3 Months, 2 Harddrives, 1.2 Gig, 3 Servers and 1 Frustrated developer <me> later, here it is... The Maxspeed Mini4wd Tech Shop! Ok, ok.. For all of you who want the meat and potatoes, visit the new tips section. Can't keep your car on the track? Post a message in the forum. Need more info than what's here? Visit the links and go surfing! Speaking of links, if you want any pictures or code from this site, all I ask from you is put a link to my site on yours and vice versa. Thanks! The Links are the squares above

So you got that new kit and are just dying to break in to it... Right? Here are some things to think of though before you go putting it together.

This first thing that you will want to do is decide if you are going to paint it or not. I seriously recommend painting it. It will look better and you could win a concourse trophy! The weight that you ad is nominal, so go ahead and paint!

Now you will want to have a basic idea of how to put a model together. I recommend painting it while the parts are still attached to the "tree." When you cut the parts, use an Xacto (surgical type) knife. You want all the parts as smoothly cut away as possible. While you are removing the parts, you may want to lighten the chassis or the body by cutting away unneeded parts like the windshield. See the pictures above for some masterful cutting action!

As you are putting the kit together, you may want to replace the standard thick Tamiya grease for some light Yomega oil, or WD40 lubricant. While you are at it, you may want to think ahead. If you choose to go stock, you may want the 5:1 ratio if there are ramps, hills or a lot of curves, not including the lane changeover. If you are planning to go Modified, plan on getting a Mach dash or better, and a whole host of other hopups to even start to be competitive. You may end up spending anywhere from a week to a month's pay on this "obsession!"

Stock: This is the cheapest way to go. It can be difficult to win, especially if there are some seasoned veterans around. The secret to this class lies in the type of gear lube that you are going to use, and the total weight with the batteries. The lighter you Mini4wd is, the the better off you are. By the same token, the less friction, the better too.

Modified: In this class, the most important thing to remember is the Pirelli tire slogan, "Speed is nothing without control." by fully understanding this, you will have a much better chance at winning. The parts are numerous, but consider the track you will be racing on. Is it a speed course or a technical track? Why get the sliding damper rollers if the only time you need them are going around 2 curves? Get my drift? It is always better to have one way wheels. A plasma Dash doesn't solve everything and why did you load ALL the parts that you could buy on the car when you are just racing on a home track? I hope I have gotten you thinking why you are going through all of this.

The roller set up is one of the most important factors in getting you across the finish line first. NEVER put the rollers on the side of the Super1, Super5 and other models that come equipped with the holes on the side. Always put the rollers on the front or rear.

For more tips and hints, visit the "Tips" page.