Bashing V Racing

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Mike1970

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Hi Guys,
Before I start this isn't a dig or me trying to put bashers down!!!!!!!!!!!
I've been racing RC cars for around 8 years now and have never understood the idea behind bashing and what goes into it. Correct me if I'm wrong but (from what I've read) you buy a car - what ever make doen't matter at the mo - and drive it to death off road untill something breaks and then spend a fortune to bling it up (maybe you like the tinkering side of it which is cool).
I've read of people doing all sorts of mods using all sorts of parts from manufacturers that I've never heard of, that don't seem to do a great deal or aren't what I would say are "reliability" mod/parts. Tuned pipes/engines seem to be the first things that people change rather than learn to drive well with what they've got or just to make the car reliable so it can take the abuse of more power. Shock, gear and pull start covers seem to be another favorite along with fuel line & hydraulic brake pipe covers/protectors that all seem to defeat the object beacuse no matter what you do, stones and crap will get in - with a cover on it will just make it harder for them to get out. With shock covers, how can you see if it's leaking? fuel/brake pipes, how can you see if there are bubble that shouldn't be there? Billet/non standard wheels - why?
I can't compare racing with bashing in any way because I've never done bashing but with racing it's all about the set up, reliability and being able to use the performance you've got to finish the heat/final and to try and win.
Racing for me is about going away for the weekend and having the crack almost as much as the racing itself. In the UK we go over to Holland along with various other places and have a party over there (aside from the duty free) and it's ace fun.
I doubt I'll ever understand about bashing and probably never will but it's having fun at the end of the day and thats why we do it - racing or bashing.

Mike
(hiding from bashers in a secret location)
 
i,am a basher and would love to have a go at racing , but i think it could take the fun out of it for me, i raced bmx for many years and i no what you mean about weekends away partys etc,,it can be fun fun fun, but not for my wife and young son who,d come and watch me race in all weathers, so i ditched bike racing and took up r,c, so i don,t have to be in a certain place at certain time to sign in etc,, i wake up on sundays late meet up at deeside any time between 12, and 2pm run our buggys till whenever and just have fun , thats what bashing is all about .
 
Mike, firstly, there is no need to hide! Obviously you have found your ideal way to enjoy your R/C through formal racing. Having been down that path myself in electric offroad (eg new tyres for EVERY race, remagnetise motor, wash bearings in jewellers vibrating bath, recharge batteries in blast from air conditioner - all after EVERY race!) I can say that while the thrills of racing offer a big buzz, there is a definite attraction in just enjoying the car for what it is, a mechanised R/C toy which has impressive performance. Adding modifications, even those with dubious practical value, can enhance enjoyment. Your example of billet aluminium wheels is a perfect example. Sure they add unsprung weight, and offer zero performance gain, but gee they look good! So why not accommodate others who look to different ways of getting their jollies from their cars?

Wouldn't the world be boring if everyone liked the same things?
 
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tonystott said:
Mike, firstly, there is no need to hide! Obviously you have found your ideal way to enjoy your R/C through formal racing. Having been down that path myself in electric offroad (eg new tyres for EVERY race, remagnetise motor, wash bearings in jewellers vibrating bath, recharge batteries in blast from air conditioner - all after EVERY race!) I can say that while the thrills of racing offer a big buzz, there is a definite attraction in just enjoying the car for what it is, a mechanised R/C toy which has impressive performance. Adding modifications, even those with dubious practical value, can enhance enjoyment. Your example of billet aluminium wheels is a perfect example. Sure they add unsprung weight, and offer zero performance gain, but gee they look good! So why not accommodate others who look to different ways of getting their jollies from their cars?

Wouldn't the world be boring if everyone liked the same things?
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I know what you're saying and I'm all for having fun and honestly have nowt against the idea of bashing - just don't/didn't understand it.
 
That's why I quit racing . Just got too serious. Lost all the fun element. Bashing is ace fun. Ask Mack on here too. He will agree. Bashing is a great buzz !!!
 
HI Mike, I used to race nitro touring cars and got into Largescale and have built a MCD V4 ready for racing but having raced and bashed to me they are one in the same, it's all about the meeting up with like minded people to have some fun, yes bashing is harsh on the cars probably more so than racing as that is conducted in a controlled enviroment whereas bashing is running your cars in all directions and more often than not hitting each other.

Again, when a load of bashers get together, like we do at Deeside it's as much fun having a laugh at each other as it is driving our cars and chipping in to help a friend when his wheel has fallen off or something similar. We have often helped change blown head gaskets at the side of the bashing field put it back together and got back out there. When I was racing it was very similar just one is a little more serious than the other.

I was going to be racing in the LSOR this year but my partner in crime has just decided to sell up and get out of the hobby so I have no one to share the travel costs with etc.
 
Bash On !!!!

Hi 'Mike in the Shed'.
When I was at Salford Uni I lived in Eccles so I can help the fellow bashers locate you ... :D:D:D:D

Definitely only having a laugh.

I think all have raised valid points.

Racers can definitely be of benefit to amateur bling bashers like me, to assist with set-up compromises for terrain changes, etc., if there's a need to consider alternative compounds, oil viscosities, shock balancing, etc., but this would be on a general basis.

Similar to other 'bashers' I simply do not have either the time or patience to participate in the intense atmosphere that is racing. At 50 years old I'm also too proud to accept being hammered by a 9 year old !! :lol::lol::lol::w00t::mad:

I do however appreciate the engineering intricacies that go into the manufacture of these leviathans, and enjoy firing up and blasting up and down, whilst similarly meeting up from time-to-time with the other Deesiders for a laugh, and to discuss and share some ideas.

Each to his or her own.
You ARE perfectly entitled to your opinion, as indeed are we.

BASH ON !!
Al.
 
I'd call myself a semi-basher. I don't like having to fix it so I won't run it into the ground, but I do enjoy just driving it hard to see what it is capable of and testing to see if the changes I made have improved it.

I wouldn't call myself a racer though as I don't have the time/money/patience/attention to detail needed to do well at racing, but I do enjoy tinkering with it.

I suppose that like many in the non racing side of the hobby, I just enjoy the tinkering and driving of largescales.

as for hop ups, you can't argue that a tuned pipe isn't a worthy investment as it greatly increases the power, and regardless of how badly I drive, a tuned pipe will always make it go faster!
I'd say that pullstart covers are a must for a basher, because you get a lot of grass in the head when running on fields, so having one is a reliability improvement for a days bashing (where you want to go through 5 tanks without doing any maintainence). Adding a pre-filter to the air intake is a bonus for a basher because it means we don't have to clean the filter as often!

I do however totally agree with you on the excessive bling, where everything gets changed to alloy for the sake of it, which probably reduces performance on the whole. Then again that's what a hobby is, complete waste of money doing something you enjoy, anyway I can't afford enough alloy and polish to compete with Trebors bit of bling!

p.s. I take it your race car doesn't have under-chassis neons?
 
I enjoy "bashing" just as much as I do racing. I do however dislike the term "bashing". Even when I am out doing some fun running, I try to keep the jumps and spills within what my cars are designed for.

The 5b/t platform is a great example. When I build one for race type purposes the upgrades are: Alloy clutch carrier, alloy rear hubs, RPM arms, A one piece clutch bell and bearings & shims from Fast Eddy.

My bashers include everything listed above, along with some bling LEDs etc.

This year however, I plan to do most of my driving at the track. That doesn't mean I am not down to go do some fun running though.
 
I agree with a lot the points put across but on the seriousness side of things and I know what you're saying about electric and 1/8th rallycross, there is a web forum (not sure if I'm allowed to mention the name on here but it's the unofficial largescale section forum you could say) where p*ss taking and moking each other is almost mandatory so much so that they have a Team 5hite "5hitty driver" award.
Cost wise £3500 will buy you a brand new top of the line race ready car inc top of the line servos, a comprehensive spares kit and enough tyres to do a full season at national level and club meetings.

Mods and bling - I still feel strength and reliablity over speed

At the end of the day it's great that everyone enjoys largescale cars what ever they do with them and everyone is entitled to their own opinion - but mine being from racers point is the correct one !!:D:cup-1:;):p
 
You guys are so lucky there is a good group of you and somewhere to go,
Deeside I believe
I have 8 assorted cars all off road,and nowhere to go down here
Bashing or racing or building a bling model,surely it is just about having fun
Sad as it is I,m happy to sit at ,my workbench and fiddle ( oh that sounds wrong ) spent thousands on track days and stuff, £700 on a set of tyres that last 3 track days and all that
Even if I find nowhere to bash still love tinkering
Maybe one weekend I should drive up to you lovely lot at Deeside
 
I guess youve never been to Diggers Dungeon.....

Well Mike heres my little slice to shed light on the basher in me.....

I used to build off the wall machines like 69 Camaros on a 69 Chevy truck platform jacked 6ft in the air.Then theres my high hp hotrods,dirtbikes and quads...Wrecking and running those things a bit at the track or offroad park was getting a little expensive...

I use the r/c's as cheaper substitutes to that larger scale of destruction..And,- No I don't go and bling all my trucks and cars up...theyre all built for function,durability and practicallity..Bling Bling parts don't last on a basher unless stuck on a shelf and polished often..

Now to the logical side of it....Ever been to or watched a monster truck event on tv? Besides the circuit racing isnt there a freestyle segment? Those trucks get pretty thrashed and they cost upwards of quarter of a million a piece....The destruction is applauded with everyone standing and cheering.....

Were just trying to have fun just like the big boys.....And;- Yes Ive tried my share of racing..it became boring chasing the bigger pocketed 10yr guys with the top notch everything equipment and listening to the others female dog and argue about it...Bashers just want to have fun........Period
 
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Bashers do it for fun as much as racers and as I've said thats how it should be. I know what you mean about the "cheque book" drivers, it's a similar story to the team drivers on the racing side. I raced autograss cars for a couple of years and even at class 1 you had little chance against guys with 4k or more in their car.
 
T_MaxxxedOwt said:
I guess youve never been to Diggers Dungeon.....

Well Mike heres my little slice to shed light on the basher in me.....

I used to build off the wall machines like 69 Camaros on a 69 Chevy truck platform jacked 6ft in the air.Then theres my high hp hotrods,dirtbikes and quads...Wrecking and running those things a bit at the track or offroad park was getting a little expensive...

I use the r/c's as cheaper substitutes to that larger scale of destruction..And,- No I don't go and bling all my trucks and cars up...theyre all built for function,durability and practicallity..Bling Bling parts don't last on a basher unless stuck on a shelf and polished often..

Now to the logical side of it....Ever been to or watched a monster truck event on tv? Besides the circuit racing isnt there a freestyle segment? Those trucks get pretty thrashed and they cost upwards of quarter of a million a piece....The destruction is applauded with everyone standing and cheering.....

Were just trying to have fun just like the big boys.....And;- Yes Ive tried my share of racing..it became boring chasing the bigger pocketed 10yr guys with the top notch everything equipment and listening to the others female dog and argue about it...Bashers just want to have fun........Period
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Very nicely put !
 
Mike1970 said:
......
Cost wise £3500 will buy you a brand new top of the line race ready car inc top of the line servos, a comprehensive spares kit and enough tyres to do a full season at national level and club meetings.
Click to expand...

That is the bottom line for me - cost. You can bash on a budget but to race and be competitive you need to spend big bucks. I couldnt compete at racing with my £450 ebay Marder but it makes no difference for bashing. Also, I can imagine my wife's reaction if I asked her if she and the kids minded going without for 12 months whilst I spent £3500 on what is essentially a toy car :lol::lol::lol::lol: If you can afford it then great but the masses cant and that is where bashing comes in and why the clone market is hitting the big time.
 
its a bit of give a take. alot of it would depend on the model and its intended use, ie OnRoad Rig or Off Road rig. Alot of us guys stateside, don't have access to a track. alot of us have resorted to building tracks as a matter of fact. so here stateside, where Large Scale is concerned, its probably 80% bashers, and 20% racers. as more tracks pop up, that percentage will start to go to the racers side.


as far as adding bling/hopups, that are dependable or just for style, that is all about the person. like our real cars, us US guys like to have Form and Function. if you look at my 2 bajas, both are highly upgraded, both are power monsters, and both cost close to what i paid for my 03 GMC 1500. lol (or ouch, still not decided). BUT, with that said, My rigs are pretty durable. if i break something, its something easy to fix, like an a arm or hub, or i was being really stupid (read that as HAVING A F-ING RIOT) jumping my baja 20ish feet in the air and landing it time after time.

I think as we see more US tracks, you ll see ALOT more racing going on.
 
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