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Aug. 14, 2012, 5:57 a.m.
8/14/2012
By Mike Garrison
LiveRC.com
When getting started in R/C, or even as veteran racers, there always seems to be those certain items that you never knew you needed. We're talking about the items that make the world of R/C and maintenance considerably easier, but are often overlooked or never thought of until it's too late. We have teamed up with our good pal at AMainHobbies.com, Shaun Klobas, to find out what the most overlooked, yet handy, accessories you need in your pits!
Fuel Line PlugLetting fuel flow into your engine and pool up while your not at the track can cause build-up and poor performance in your engines. These are the perfect fix for that while travelling or your car is sitting on the shelf. The built in plug is perfect for preventing fuel from flowing into your engine while transporting your car. Once you are ready to run, simply re-connect the fuel tubing back in-line.
Du-Bro In-Line Fuel Connector with Plug
$2.09 per pack
Fuel Line ClipsFuel line can be an absolute disaster trying to get it to neatly lay in one place without it getting tangled in flywheels, clutch bells, brake linkage, and whatever else it can find. Fuel clips such as these shown here (made by Serpent) are the perfect answer to keeping your fuel line in place and organized.
Serpent Fuel Tube Clip/Plug Set
$8.25
Battery CheckerFor electric and nitro racers alike, it is important to keep your batteries in good shape. A bad battery can cause DNF's, runaway cars, and/or even a fireball of a car on the track. Having a battery checker to keep an eye on the condition of your batteries and cells is an excellent tool to have in your pit box and ensure a successful and fire extinguisher free day at the track.
ProTek R/C "iChecker 2.0"
$24.99
FilesWhen we say files, we aren't talking about your accountant's desk drawer files, we mean actually man tools. With any R/C car there seems to always be a little "burr" of plastic that needs filed down. Especially when building a new car and savage ripping plastic parts from the kit plastic trees. A variety of size files is a sure fix to those pesky plastic "defects" that are causing problems such as a-arms binding up.
Excel Assorted Files with Pouch
$21.99
Exhaust Spring ToolHands down there is nothing more frustrating that trying to bend and distort exhaust springs with inadaquate tools to install or remove them. Most often it results in rocketship springs flying across the room, ruined springs, and/or jabbing of the fingers. An ACTUAL exhaust spring tool is a handy and safe way to easily install and remove the dreaded exhaust springs without the threat of projectiles, frustration, and blood shed.
ProTek R/C "TruTorque" Spring Tool
$14.49
Detail BrushesKeeping an R/C car clean can be quite a chore. The old method of worn out toothbrushes is a thing of the past. Actual R/C detail brushes designed to fit in the tightest spaces where dirt hides are an ideal option for keeping your car clean. Cleaning your R/C car with an old toothbrush is like washing your face with swamp water...it gets the job done, but you'll never look as fresh as the guy washing his face with crystal water from the mineral rich streams of the Appalacian mountains.
Upgrade R/C Detail Brush
$9.99
Bearing CleanerThe sound of fresh clutch bell bearings that HAVEN'T been cleaned properly is like nails on a chalk board, not to mention the severe lack in performance. After going to all of the work prepping a fresh clutch with new bearings, it would sure be nice to skip the "whining" car sounds and lack of power while you burn the grease of the bearings. A specifically designed bearing cleaner is an easy way to clean the grease out of bearings and re-oil them properly for optimum performance before ever hitting the track.
RPM Bearing Blaster
$8.25
Diff Cleaning ToolRebuilding diffs is a very dirty and time consuming job. Especially when you're trying to clean the grease and grime off of each individual gear. A diff cleaning tool allows you to easily put all the gears together and clean them all at once with just a dunk and shake in some parts cleaner or degreaser! Cleaning diff gears couldn't be any easier than with this tool.
GMK Supply "Diff Dunkers"
$6.99
Magnetic Parts TrayR/C cars are packed with tiny set screws, e-clips, screws, linkages, springs, and whatever else can possibly fall off your pit table and get lost forever. A magnetic parts tray is a simple yet genious fix for this. These R/C specific magnetic trays are strong enough to hold almost any R/C metal part that you can throw at it, and eliminates rug burn from digging through the carpet to find that one and only set screw.
Core-RC Magnetic Parts Tray
$8.75
Screw CleanerOf all the pit accessories we've mentioned here, this could be our favorite and most often used tool of them all! An R/C specific screw cleaner is the most handy tool in our toolbox. Using this tool you can easily remove the dirt and debris from inside screw heads. This means no more broken Exacto knife blades, no more stripped screws (thinking you can muscle the dirt out of the screwhead with your wrench), and no more wondering how you will get that screw out! Don't get us wrong, the items above are important, but this tool is MANDATORY in our opinion.
VP Pro Screw Cleaner
$8.99
AMainHobbies Product Link - CLICK HERE
UPDATE: We have added an 11th item to the list, for we have JUST found out the importance of this item...
Throttle Return Bands
It has occured to us that it is VERY important to equip your nitro vehicle with one of these nifty little throttle return bands. This is an item that most all of us know exists, but often overlook its importance and car saving capabilities. These little bands prevent wide open run-away cars if power or signal is lost to your receiver (meaning you have lost all throttle control). The bands close the carburetor, bringing the car to a calm and subtle stop most often.
We have discovered in the past few minutes that running a car without a throttle return band and a dead receiver pack can result in a full-blown rescue mission to find the speeding run-away car from the nearby woods...
GMK Supply "Carb-Os"
$3.19
AMainHobbies Product Link - CLICK HERE
There you have it, 10 11 things you never knew you needed in R/C. Now surely there are more than just these 10 things, what are some items you never knew you needed? Share your thoughts, comments, and overlooked R/C items below! Photos in this article are courtesy of www.AMainHobbies.com and may not be copied or used without the permission of AMainHobbies.com.
Throttle Return Bands 
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