Brushless Radio Controlled Cars
News, reviews, tuning and hop-ups
RC Glossary - The A to Z of Radio Control
N
Narrow -- see width, wheel or width, chassis
Needle Valve-- An adjustment on an engine's
carburetor that regulates the amount of fuel that enters the engine.
Ni-Cad -- The
abbreviation for nickel-cadmium
Nickel-Cadmium -- The most common type of battery
in use, although it is being phased out of production because of environmental concerns.
Easily rechargeable, the Rc hobbyist must be aware that continued charging of this
type of battery when it is still partially charged will lead to cell memory and decreased
runtime and performance.
Nickel-Metal Hydride -- A type of battery that has no cell
memory, but features slightly less voltage than nickel-cadmium batteries. This means
that for racers it is slightly less desirable but for most Rc hobbyists these batteries
are better because of less concern for maintenance.
Nitro-- a general term, it could
mean many things. For most people, it refers to the type of car you have: You have
a nitro car? A car can be nitro-powered, run on nitro fuel, and the term can be used
for many other things.
Nitro Content -- A measure of the amount of nitromethane that
is included in a mixture of nitro fuel. The normal amount of nitro content for fuel
is 20% (when used in cars). Racers will use 30% or even 40%, but using a higher nitro
content will shorten the life of the engine, which makes the high content fuels more
suited for serious racers only.
Ni-MH -- The abbreviation for nickel-metal hydride.
Nylon-- A type of plastic used in many Rc kits. There are many types of nylon:
High-Impact
Nylon is able to flex with crash impacts to resist breaking. Many wheels are made
from high-impact nylon, as well as many of our suspension arms and shock towers.
Fiber
Reinforced Nylon is a plastic that is mixed with fiberglass fibers to produce a stiffer
plastic piece. The ratio of fiber to plastic will determine the stiffness of the
piece. If it is too stiff, the strength advantage is lost because the piece can break
too often.
Graphite Reinforced Nylon is another type of fiber reinforced nylon, except
that instead of fiberglass fibers, the plastic is mixed with graphite fibers, the
same type of fibers that make up the graphite mesh in woven graphite pieces. The
ratio of graphite fiber to plastic will determine the stiffness of the piece. If
it is too stiff, the strength advantage is lost because the piece can break too often.
