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I recently picked up a couple of Ninco belt drive transmissions, primarily to install one into an SCX rally car which is no longer 4wd because I installed a standard motor with no forward drive shaft. I didn't really expect to return any advantage to the car, it just seemed like it should be 4wd.
Well, it wouldn't fit easily because the rear magnet mount was in the way. I didn't feel like cutting the car up just to make it 4wd again, so I installed it into a Ninco Seat that I had. I figured it should work since they make the same model with 4wd. Pretty easy install, just had to remove a couple plastic nubs from the chassis and press on the pulleys. Being an NC-1 car, I really didn't expect any improvement in lap times, in fact I kind of expected the opposite due to increased drag. It dropped .2 seconds!?! Hmmmmm??? It also seemed easier to drive, not as likely to fishtail badly.
I had to explore this further. I looked at some of my other Nincos to see if the wheelbases were right for the belt length. The older Porsche 911 GT1 was just slightly longer than the Seat. Install was no problem. This car has an NC-2 motor now and had always seemed a little looser than the McLaren GTR or Mercedes. I assumed this was due to older, harder tires and shorter wheelbase. Result, .2 seconds quicker than before. And once again, seemingly easier to drive, less likely to get loose. By the way, all of these are with no magnets on a fairly twisty Sport layout. At this point, I have to assume the 4wd helps hook up acceleration just a bit. The belt drive doesn't transfer very much torque, it slips easily, but maybe just enough to help? Anybody else ever try this?
Well, it wouldn't fit easily because the rear magnet mount was in the way. I didn't feel like cutting the car up just to make it 4wd again, so I installed it into a Ninco Seat that I had. I figured it should work since they make the same model with 4wd. Pretty easy install, just had to remove a couple plastic nubs from the chassis and press on the pulleys. Being an NC-1 car, I really didn't expect any improvement in lap times, in fact I kind of expected the opposite due to increased drag. It dropped .2 seconds!?! Hmmmmm??? It also seemed easier to drive, not as likely to fishtail badly.
I had to explore this further. I looked at some of my other Nincos to see if the wheelbases were right for the belt length. The older Porsche 911 GT1 was just slightly longer than the Seat. Install was no problem. This car has an NC-2 motor now and had always seemed a little looser than the McLaren GTR or Mercedes. I assumed this was due to older, harder tires and shorter wheelbase. Result, .2 seconds quicker than before. And once again, seemingly easier to drive, less likely to get loose. By the way, all of these are with no magnets on a fairly twisty Sport layout. At this point, I have to assume the 4wd helps hook up acceleration just a bit. The belt drive doesn't transfer very much torque, it slips easily, but maybe just enough to help? Anybody else ever try this?
