No prep RC drag racing has steadily been growing in popularity over the last several years. RC drag racing drivers are tuning their RC drag cars to perform as best as possible. Tuning the ESC and motor is the best way to get the fastest run times out of your RC drag car. So what is the best ESC for no prep drag racing? In this post, we will look at popular programmable ESCs to help you tune and optimize your RC drag car for better handling and faster run times.
What is a No Prep Drag Racing ESC?
No-prep ESCs used in RC drag cars help the RC car accelerate as fast as possible while staying in control and driving in a straight line. The best ESCs for no prep drag racing are programmable and log metrics about motor temperatures, voltage, throttle rates, RPMs and more. Check out or picks for the best no prep drag RC cars if you are new to the hobby and don’t yet have a drag car.
How Does A No Prep Drag Racing ESC differ from regular Non-sensored ESC?
Most ESCs on bashers and monster trucks are not programmable. They have set linear throttle curve and throttle control rate. A no prep drag racing ESC is a sensored and programmable ESC. These ESCs comes with many advanced features such as:
- Multiple throttle and drive profiles
- Data logging
- High amperage rating
- Settings for boost and turbo
A high-quality ESC used for no prep RC drag racing can be tuned to help the car reach the fastest speeds possible while keeping the car under control.
Why Tune Your ESC For No Prep Drag Racing?
A programmable ESC in your no prep drag RC car can be customized to work with different turn motors (3.5T, 4.0T, 4.5T), adjust launch power controls, change throttle settings, and customize turbo settings.
If you are having trouble keeping your car under control when you launch, you may want to adjust how much power is sent to your motor when you hit the throttle. When no prep RC drag racing, you may want to smash the throttle all the way down on your transmitter, but let the ESC control how much power is transferred to the motor. That is where the throttle rate control and throttle curve comes into play.
Throttle Rate Control
Adjusting the throttle rate can limit how much power is sent to your motor when you immediately smash the throttle to 100%. In other words, you can hit 100% throttle on your transmitter, but the ESC will help control the timing and ramp up to 100% throttle based on the throttle curve you set.
According to Hobby Wing:
Throttle rate control is used to control the throttle response. It can be adjustable from 1 to 30, the lower the throttle rate, the more the limit will be on the throttle response. A suitable rate can help driver to control his vehicle properly at the starting-up process. Generally, you can set it to a high value to have a quick throttle response if you are proficient at throttle control.
Hobbywing
Throttle Curve
The throttle curve is another adjustable feature most programmable ESCs have. Throttle curve adjustments affect the position of the throttle on your transmitter versus the actual amount of power the ESC sends to the motor. Think of throttle curve as how fast your motor responds to any throttle input. For example, you could set your throttle curve where you barely touch the throttle and it tells the ESC to send 100% power to the motor. Most throttle curves are linear. That means if you give 50% throttle on your transmitter, your motor will get 50% power from the ESC.
The throttle curve can help tune your no prep drag RC car’s throttle response to help with launching so you keep complete control of the car when jumping of the starting line.
Preset Modes
If tuning your ESC sounds overly complicated, many popular programmable ESCs will have different profiles you can choose from. There are even ESCs specifically made for no prep RC drag racing. So when you are looking for the best ESC for no prep drag racing, make sure to research the different presets to see if there are any specifically for RC drag racing.
Our Picks For The Best ESC For No Prep Drag Racing
1. The Hobby Wing EZ Run MAX10
is a very popular ESC for no prep RC drag racing. This ESC is programmable with over 25 adjustable items! You can program this ESC by using the following two methods:
- A multifunction LCD program box
- A WiFi module and HobbyWing WiFi Link app on your phone
I like this ESC because it is affordable and highly customizable. When pushing your drag RC car to its limits, you can damage the ESC by pushing too much voltage through the system. While other ESCs may have more programmable features, the affordable price makes this a clear winner for me. I don’t want to drop 250+ dollars on an ESC for it to burn up after only a few runs.
EZ Run Max10 Specifications
Specification | Value |
---|---|
Scale Vehicles | 1/10 Scale |
Continuous Current | 60 Amps |
Max Current | 450 Amps |
Battery Types | LiPo and NiMH |
Motor Limit 3S LiPo | KV≤4000 (3652 motor) |
Motor Limit 2S LiPo | KV≤6000 |
Power Connector | XT60 |
ESC Programming | Yes Prorgammable |
Size in mm | 39.4/32.8/23 |
#2 Tekin RX8 Gen3 BL Sensored ESC
The Tekin RX8 Gen3 is a step up from the Hobbywing ESC. It can handle more amps with a max current of 300amps and a burst current of 1000amps.
Tekin has also introduced a no prep drag racing firmware that can be installed using their HotWire device. You can download the HotWire app on your Apple or Android phone or connect the ESC to your computer using a USB cable.
The drag firmware will include the following settings:
- full sensored motor drive
- timing boost
- turbo features
- throttle management settings
Please note – this ESC is designed for 2S drag racing motors and are intended for 2-pole, 540 size electric motors.
ESC For No Prep Drag Racing Video
Check out the Tekin RX8 in action on the Team Associated DR10 Chassis!
Are no-prep drag RC cars 2S or 3S?
Almost all no-prep RC drag cars and ESCs are set up to run on 2S systems. If you are no-prep drag racing in a league, you will likely run 2S LiPos. Make sure to double-check the league rules before setting up your car to race.
How do no-prep RC drag racing ESCs cost?
You can expect to spend between $100 and $250 on a programmable ESC for no prep drag racing. If you are serious about RC drag racing, spend the extra money and get a Tekin or Hobbywing ESC.
Conclusion For The Best ESC For No Prep Drag Racing
If you are serious about no-prep RC drag racing, then you need a high performance ESC. A good ESC will be programmable and have data logging features. It is very important to log the temperatures, RPMs, and voltage when you are tuning your car to make sure you don’t burn up your ESC and motor. RC drag racing is a fun and competitive sport. If you need helping setting up your car, head over to your local hobby shop and ask if there are any drag racing groups in your local area. Happy no prep drag racing!