200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car - Jalopnik Comments

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

milo_carrera--now with Corrected Politicality — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:16:04 EDT

What is the radius on that circle? I'm guessing about 30' or so, but does someone know? If it's 30', and the car is actually hitting 200mph, that's about 90 lateral g's. Yikes.

milo_carrera--now with Corrected Politicality

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

Weather and darkness will not be an issue — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 22:59:40 EDT

At the midnight NAMBLA
The tether car is the nemesis of the toddler.

For full effect should be written in Old English script.

Weather and darkness will not be an issue

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

hootjigga — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:05:17 EDT

mini nascar.

hootjigga

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

PatriotsRiot — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:04:31 EDT

@Vega: NAMBLA...hahaha!
That's as funny as South Park a few weeks ago...the World Canadian Bureau or (GBT) or whatever acronym they used...too funny...

Funny how man boy love assoc sounds like american radio controlled racing society....

PatriotsRiot

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

dolo54 — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:33:20 EDT

It's the world's coolest weedwacker.

dolo54

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

danio3834 — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:53:30 EDT

Now someone get out there and do it with a full scale car. Cable it up, and put a brick on the gas.

danio3834

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

Brian B — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:12:27 EDT

Anyone else curious about how this car would do at Bonneville?

Brian B

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

Daniel Rutter — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:08:42 EDT

@The fact that the speed changes dramatically shows that
there is some form of remote throttle control

There is not. These tiny two-stroke engines just have very highly resonant tuned pipe exhausts, which give them an immensely peaky RPM-to-power graph.

Tether cars, like the old non-RC Cox-motor model planes, just run at full throttle until their minuscule fuel tanks (built into the motor assembly) are exhausted. There isn't even a way to throttle these engines without modifying them.

Daniel Rutter

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

Skydiver — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:38:18 EDT

Nobody ever writes songs about nitro-burning tether cars.

Skydiver

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

elwood — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:26:11 EDT

@philibuster: Gotta throw that one in to keep up with the science geeks?

elwood

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

philibuster — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:13:26 EDT

I like the doppler effect going on here.

philibuster

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

LuciferV8 — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:06:08 EDT

Imagine trying to play hopscotch with that tether.

At that speed, you could become a lot shorter if you didn't keep up.

LuciferV8

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

elwood — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:59:51 EDT

@saabophile2: If I understand correctly, the fictitions centrifugal force appears when your frame of reference is rotating and you start mis-labeling things. The example on the Wikipedia page that worked for me was the car going around a turn example, where instead of a force pushing you outwards, your inertia is keeping you moving in a straight line and the car is moving in to meet you, and the force that people say pushes you out in a turn is the fictitious centrifugal force.

elwood

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

FЯeeMan is slowly cЯawling out of the new commenting system — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:54:59 EDT

So, if the wire goes 'sproing!' is that bent 2x6 enough to hold all the parts in?

FЯeeMan is slowly cЯawling out of the new commenting system

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

MarkB — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:37:33 EDT

There is a video of someone sitting on a platform above one of those central poles and he falls off into spinning cable. I saw it a few years ago right after seeing this video first time. I'm too lazy to search for it, but it's out there.

MarkB

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

JoSCh — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:31:26 EDT

I had tether cars with 049 engines and I was born in 71.

The fact that the speed changes dramatically shows that there is some form of remote throttle control, and there is nothing to indicate it's not radio.

Regardless, that is a fricking fast model car.

JoSCh

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

Turboner — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:30:42 EDT

@saabophile2: Sweet, I was thinking it was the opposite of centrifugal. I must have larnt something in college after all. Actually, it's the remembering that is hardest. The learning is easy...

@studemax: I've heard of tether balls, does that make me a ball guy?

Turboner

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

studemax — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:16:31 EDT

You call yourselves car guys?
And you never heard of tether cars?
Hell, your grandpa probably played with them back in the 50's.

studemax

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

Kuang — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:15:04 EDT

I'd love to see what would happens if the guy stepped off the pedestal while the car is running. It'd be like watching a scaled up Magimix dealing with a salami.

Anyone remember the film Runaway with Tom Selleck? Those nifty little remote controlled bombs they used on the freeway to drive under cars and swiss cheese them?

Veyron drivers watch out..

(and if anyone did ever work out how to make a moustache seeking missile, I'm sure you'll have a list of customers. Apply c/o Mr Selleck..)

Kuang

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

beercheck — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:00:25 EDT

@Vega: Thank god... Well played, then. Well played.

beercheck

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

SLR_BlowerMania — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:51:53 EDT

I hope no Tribble's find their way onto the track.

SLR_BlowerMania

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

Vega — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:50:50 EDT

@beercheck: I've been looking for a chance to use that Daily Show running gag for ages. Today's my big day!

Vega

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

NovaloadMissesPolar — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:49:23 EDT

The only drawback is that when the car reaches a certain speed at its mass, it skips through the time/space continuum and ends up unassembled, waiting to get loaded and onto the track. That's why people who start this hobby can't abandon it.

NovaloadMissesPolar

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

elwood — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:47:54 EDT

@ET had a Cartruckgasm: To end such discussions: [en.wikipedia.org]

elwood

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

Vintage Racer is out taking pictures — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:24:33 EDT

There's also competition for speed records for model airplanes - bot h radio controlled and control line. According to the FAI, the current record holder's speed is 395.64 km/hr ([records.fai.org]) . My math is kinda fuzzy, but that's damn fast. And yes, that's for control line aircraft. That means standing in the middle and turning with the airplane....

Vintage Racer is out taking pictures

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

beercheck — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:23:58 EDT

@Vega: Uh, I think you've got your membership cards mixed up.

beercheck

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

econobiker — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:14:47 EDT

Sure, why not a 200mph model car... It looked like one of the land speed record attempt cars. And probably less wind resistance as it is so small.

econobiker

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

racerx — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:13:47 EDT

Maybe I'm a bit of a pussy but I do NOT think I would be standing where that guy filming that was standing.

racerx

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

5cents — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:11:16 EDT

@smalleyxb122: Prewisely!

5cents

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:08:10 EDT

@Tiemco: apparently somebody doesn't read text too well, those are bugs friend, and watch the flag - it would wave oddly if the video was sped up.

Ben Wojdyla

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

Shprocket — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:04:28 EDT

@Vega: *rofl*

Shprocket

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

Tiemco — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:03:14 EDT

If you watch the sky in the video you will see birds fly by but they are flying much too fast, in a time lapse sort of way, so I say part of this video is bunk.

Tiemco

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

Shprocket — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:02:32 EDT

This makes so much sense... NOT!

Shprocket

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

Vega — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:59:03 EDT

That's actually a very old hobby, started in the 1930s. There even is an American Miniature Racing Car Association (or NAMBLA), founded in 1940. Apparently, there are tracks in all corners of the world... And no, not radio-controlled. Just a tether. And l thought I was weird.

Vega

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

ET had a Cartruckgasm — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:59:00 EDT

@Ben Wojdyla:

[imgs.xkcd.com]

IF that doesn't convince you of the existence of the centrifugal force, I don't know what will. If there was no centrifugal force, centripetal force would upset the equilibrium of the system.

Oh, and 200 mph? Seriously, I hope they use one hell of a load-tested wire : the skewed catenary caused by wind resistance acting on the wire would amplify the tensile forces by some magnitude ...

ET had a Cartruckgasm

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

rlj676-new job, same problems — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:46:42 EDT

@elwood:

I too found a real lack of radio controlling. Is there even a speed control, or is it just on full tilt with high gearing judging by the push start.

rlj676-new job, same problems

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

smokeydog001 — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:42:27 EDT

Centrifugal force is what your Momma threatened you with if you didn't eat your veggies.

smokeydog001

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

elwood — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:41:07 EDT

@smalleyxb122: @Ben Wojdyla: Yeah, just chiming in and agreeing, centrifugal force is the percieved force that results from a force balance with centripetal force (which is real). And there's hardly any element of radio-controlledness here, it's just an engine and some wheels tied to a string going 200mph in a circular track.

elwood

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

graverobber- My Yugo Nova! — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:40:48 EDT

@Ben Wojdyla: Kid, I've flown from one side of this galaxy to the other, and I've seen a lot of strange stuff, but I've never seen *anything* to make me believe that there's one all-powerful Force controlling everything. 'Cause no mystical energy field controls *my* destiny. It's all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense.

graverobber- My Yugo Nova!

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:35:40 EDT

Centrifugal force is not a real force, it is only a perceived force.

Ben Wojdyla

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

Elhigh — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:26:51 EDT

@BLS: Storm Trooper uniforms are way cooler.

Literally - there's room inside that shell, and you can mount CPU fans.

Hey, you want some anachronistic nerdliness? If I can find it, I'll post the Steampunk R2D2 - it's a steam-powered, radio-controlled R2 unit. He moves, turns, and billows clouds of vapor.

Elhigh

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

smalleyxb122 — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:24:44 EDT

@ash78: It's all semantics. Centripetal and centrifugal forces are one and the same. Depending on to whom you are speaking.

A Physisist will tell you that centrifugal force doesn't exist.

Practically speaking, both exist, and both rely on each other. One is reactionary to the other.

The force the tether imparts on the car is centripetal. The force the car imparts on the tether is centrifugal.

smalleyxb122

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

saabophile2 — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:23:40 EDT

@rlj676: Good thing us physicists are around to set y'all straight. An object in rotational motion (the car) does exert an equal and opposite force, the centrifugal force, to the centripetal force exerted on the object (i.e. by the wire). There is also a fictitious centrifugal force but that's not an issue here.

saabophile2

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

Elhigh — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:21:56 EDT

I've seen a couple of these - it looks hellaciously fast and you think that's all she wrote...then the little motor gets on the pipe, hits its torque range, and all the demons come out to play.

Elhigh

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

Mike the Dog — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:21:42 EDT

@ash78: I believe that centripetal is correct here, as it describes the wire pulling the car toward the center of the circle. Centrifugal force acts upon something in the car (the fuel, say) which is trying to move in a straight line but cannot because the car is being pulled away by the wire. It seems to me to be a function of inertia.

Mike the Dog

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

BLS — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:19:36 EDT

What kind of nerds build a giant track for this? I wonder how many of them are married? How many of them do you think have Star Trek uniforms?

BLS

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

rlj676-new job, same problems — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:16:08 EDT

I'm not sure I get the point of this, but that is damn fast. That tether breaks, and that is one hell of a projectile.

@ash78:
Having an engineering degree, and not being able to remember the difference has me happy to be working in finance.

rlj676-new job, same problems

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

The Name's Ash78, Housewares — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:15:35 EDT

@htrodblder: Nope. Holiday Inn Express. Or maybe it was the wayback of a Vista Cruiser.

The Name's Ash78, Housewares

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

htrodblder — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:14:21 EDT

ash78
But didnt you play an engineer on TV?

htrodblder

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

Uncle Bo, averting foreclosure — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:12:11 EDT

Love it! Its got a great beat and you can dance to it.

Just don't get your legs caught in the cable.

Uncle Bo, averting foreclosure

200 MPH Nitro Powered Radio Controlled Car

The Name's Ash78, Housewares — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:11:11 EDT

I think it's centrifugal force that elongates the string--centripetal would be the force that helps the car accelerate to higher speeds while tethered to a central point. Something like that.

I can't remember, this is why I'm not an engineer.

The Name's Ash78, Housewares