One of the most fun and action-packed forms of RC has been electric
on-road sedans. There are a number of reasons why this has come to be,
from the realistic-looking bodies that sedans utilize, to their awesome
performance due to having exotic suspensions, or the exceptional speed
and acceleration that these cars have thanks to their efficient
drivetrains. If you’ve wanted to get into the RC hobby in the past,
there were always inexpensive RTR sedans out there, but those can often
be of a lower quality, have poor parts support, or other issues.
Running space can also be a concern, as not everyone has a huge area
available for them to drive in. Never fear, as Sportwerks has the
perfect answer for drivers who still want to enjoy electric sedans
without “keeping up with the Joneses.” Sportwerks is proud to announce
its new fun and feature-packed series of vehicles, E-Racers, and the
first vehicle available under that banner, the 1/14-scale Recoil.
Chassis Overview
The overall layout and design of the chassis that the E-Racers’
Recoil uses is simple yet effective. Unlike smaller cars that can seem
cramped for space and a pain to work on, the larger scale of the Recoil
provides more room for mounting your electronics, while also being
easier to work on and modify. The E-Racers’ chassis, brace, and upper
deck are all precision cut from fiberglass and, once bolted together,
provides the Recoil with an extremely rigid and sturdy platform. The
optimized chassis layout accepts a variety of battery configurations,
from in-line, 4x1, or 4x2 battery packs. Plastic side braces are
screwed into the left and right sides of the car to help protect the
chassis in case of an impact. The servo, motor, speed control and
receiver are all mounted to the right-hand side of the chassis, while
the battery pack is mounted along the left-hand side. The chassis has
7-battery slots along the left side, allowing you to shift your battery
pack forward or back to alter the handling characteristics. This
tunability provides for even weight distribution from the left to the
right side of the car, which aids in the neutral handling
characteristic of the Recoil.
Drivetrain
Let’s face it—driving your car is much more fun than replacing parts
or having to wrench on your ride. For this reason, the E-Racers Recoil
utilizes a simple, efficient, and durable shaft drive drivetrain. This
is a proven design and is similar to those that have won many national
and international 1/10-scale sedan races. A unique slipper clutch helps
protect the driveline’s ring and pinion gears inside the gear cases
from abuse and damage. And, if that weren’t enough, the Recoil comes
equipped with beefy front and rear gear differentials that are simple
yet effective. Each and every moving part on the Recoil’s E-Racers
chassis spins on quality shielded ball bearings. This is an expensive
and painstaking upgrade on other mini and micro chassis that, by being
an included item, saves you time and money. The included ball bearing
set helps to extend your runtime and reduces the wear and tear on parts
as well.
Suspension
Many other mini- and micro-sized cars suffer from poor handling
characteristics due to their limited or outright lack of suspension
movement. This is not so with the E-Racers chassis, as it has many of
the same tuning options found in most high-performance 1/10-scale
sedans. You’re certain to drive your Recoil on a variety of surfaces,
including driveways, parking lots, rec rooms, and more. Many of these
surfaces are less than perfectly smooth, but the Recoil feels
sure-footed, thanks to its supple suspension. The front and rear of the
Recoil feature oil-filled shocks with aluminum caps as standard
equipment. If the time comes when you want to tweak your setup to get
the competitive advantage when driving with your friends, the Recoil’s
suspension is fully and easily adjustable. While it handles
terrifically out of the box, the E-Racers chassis will allow you to
change the shock angle, wheelbase, inboard and outboard roll centers,
Ackerman, anti-squat and more.
Electronics
Many micro cars use sub-standard or lower quality electronics. Even
worse is when you discover that, once you have your car, you still need
to shell out extra cash to purchase your electronics separately. That’s
not the case with the Sportwerks’ E-Racers Recoil, as it comes out of
the box with all of the electronics included and installed for you.
Talk about simple, it doesn’t get much easier than this. The Recoil
includes a proven 27MHz transmitter that features adjustable throttle
and steering sub-trims. To keep things as simple and effective as
possible, the electronic speed controller and receiver units have been
combined into one unit that has a smaller footprint than two separate
pieces. To keep the Recoil headed in the right direction, it uses a
dual bellcrank steering system that is actuated by an industry standard
3-wire servo. Finally, you’re not going to go anywhere without a motor
or battery pack, and you can’t really have a complete package without
one. The Recoil includes a high capacity battery pack and overnight
charger, along with a stout 370-sized motor for killer acceleration and
awesome top speed. When you purchase an E-Racers Recoil, there’s truly
nothing else that you need to buy in order to start having fun.
Wheels, Body, and Tires
Who wants to drive an RC car that has a body that looks ugly and
unrealistic? We sure don’t and we’re pretty sure you don’t want to
either. For that reason, the Recoil comes with a highly detailed,
painted and decaled officially licensed Mazda 6 Body—currently one of
the most popular shells in 1/10-scale racing. The Mazda 6 is not only a
stunningly attractive body, it has excellent handling characteristics
as well. To protect the front of the body in the event of a collision,
a high-density foam front bumper is included. Along with supporting the
nose of the body, the foam bumper also adds a layer of protection to
the front suspension parts too. To get the power to the ground, the
Recoil comes with some pretty trick-looking wheels and tires. Sticky
treaded tires come pre-glued to awesome white dish wheels. These treads
hook up well on a variety of surfaces, from carpet, to asphalt, to
concrete and more.
Official Sportwerks E-Racers Hop-Ups
The E-Racers Recoil is an absolute blast to drive out of the box,
but you can unlock the hidden beast that lies underneath its
mild-mannered appearance. By using some carefully placed option parts,
the performance potential of the Recoil will become even more apparent.
If you plan on driving on carpet for example, a set of foam tires might
be a perfect upgrade. Foam tires are lighter than rubber tires, and by
making this swap your Recoil will accelerate harder, reach a higher top
speed, and have more grip. If you enjoy tuning the suspension on your
car, then a set of turnbuckles or aluminum shocks might be right up
your alley. Turnbuckles will make it possible to change your camber and
front toe-out settings at the turn of a wrench instead of having to pop
the link off. Aluminum shocks operate with less friction than their
plastic counterparts and add a bit of style to your car. Other tuning
options coming from E-Racers include CVD’s, front and rear anti-roll
bars, ball differentials, and more. The E-Racers Recoil chassis has
nearly limitless potential.
Performance
Perhaps the most remarkable feature of the E-Racers Recoil is how
well it drives out of the box. The stock rubber tires are absolutely
dialed on just about any surface, whether it’s been prepared and swept
or even if there’s some dust on the ground. The radio feels perfectly
balanced and comfortable in your hands, plus the trim knobs are easy to
adjust for fine-tuning too. The efficient shaft drive drivetrain makes
excellent use of the included motor’s power, rocketing out of corners
and reaching a respectable top speed. You also can’t say enough about
the stunning good looks and detail that has gone into the officially
licensed Mazda 6 body. Not only is it a great-looking shell, but it has
the same handling characteristics as its 1/10-scale cousin; good
initial turn-in, neutral mid-corner handling, and excellent on-power
traction. The runtime provided by the stock battery pack is also very
good, as is the punch. Overall, the E-Racers Recoil is a fun car to
drive, that handles well and is remarkably fast—all right out of the
box.
The Sportwerks E-Racers line of chassis is truly something to
behold. Starting first with the Recoil, and following later with other
upcoming E-Racers cars, there is a way for anyone who wants to get
involved with quality RC vehicles to do so. Whether you’re someone who
is looking to enter the hobby, an experienced racer who wants to try
something different, or someone in-between, the E-Racers Recoil is one
of the most unique cars to come out in some time. Its excellent
out-of-the-box performance, in combination with optional hop-ups, makes
the E-Racers Recoil huge fun in a small package.