How to Make an RC Car Faster: The Upgrades We Recommend

Speed does not come from a single magic part — it comes from six upgrades that compound on each other. Tyres, bearings, gearing, battery, motor, ESC, and aerodynamics all play distinct roles, and addressing them in sequence ensures you build a faster RC car without wasting money or frying expensive electronics. This guide steps through the upgrade path in order of cost and risk — starting with the cheapest, lowest-risk tweaks and working up to major power system conversions. Whether you bash in the backyard, chase track lap times, or want to squeeze more speed from a budget model, there is a clear stopping point here that matches your goals and budget.

Check compatibility and safety before you upgrade anything

Before buying new parts or changing gear ratios, you must evaluate your vehicle's physical and electrical limits. Pushing an RC car beyond its thermal or mechanical boundaries leads to melted motor mounts, stripped differential gears, or blown Electronic Speed Controls (ESCs). Run through this safety checklist before making any modification:

• ESC Voltage Limit: Check your ESC manual for maximum supported battery cells (e.g., 2S LiPo max vs 3S LiPo rated). Plugging a higher-voltage battery into an unsupported ESC causes immediate component failure.

• Thermal Monitoring: Electric motors lose performance and suffer permanent magnetic damage when temperatures exceed 80°C. Keep an infrared thermometer handy or use the 3-second hand test — if you cannot comfortably hold your finger on the motor for three seconds after a run, your gearing is too tall or your motor is thermal throttling.

• Drivetrain Material: Plastic transmission gears and plastic driveshafts handling stock brushed power can shear under the instant torque of brushless power or high-voltage LiPos. Check whether metal diff gears or steel driveshafts are required.

• Connector Capacity: Stock low-current battery connectors (like standard Tamiya plugs) melt under high current draw. Ensure high-amperage connectors such as EC5, XT90, or Traxxas iD are fitted across your batteries and ESC.

If you are unsure which upgrade parts physically fit your chassis, use the Hobbies Direct Part Finder tool. Simply select your brand and model to view verified compatible upgrade parts.

Upgrade 1 - tyres: match compound and tread to your surface

Power is useless without traction. Installing a high-speed motor on stock, worn, or incorrect tyres simply turns electronic power into wheelspin and rubber dust. Matching tyre compound and tread pattern to your running surface is the single most effective first step to make an RC car faster on the track or street.

When running on asphalt, concrete, or packed dirt, soft off-road knobbies flex excessively and break traction under acceleration. Switching to slick or semi-slick on-road wheels increases the contact patch and transmits motor torque straight into forward momentum.

For high-speed runs exceeding 60 km/h, tyre ballooning becomes a major issue. At high rotational RPM, standard unbelted rubber tyres expand from centrifugal force, turning into thin pizza-cutter shapes. This drastically reduces the contact patch, causes severe high-speed instability, and can tear tyre foam apart. Belted tyres feature a woven internal fibre mesh that prevents expansion at high RPM, keeping the tread flat across the ground for straight-line stability at full throttle.

Upgrade 2 - bearings: swap bushings for ball bearings

Many entry-level and budget RC vehicles ship from the factory with solid brass or plastic bushings in the wheel hubs, steering arms, and transmission boxes. Bushings create substantial rotational friction, generating drag that robs top speed, creates excess heat, and drains battery runtime quickly.

Replacing stock bushings with precision stainless steel ball bearings reduces friction across the entire drivetrain. A fully ball-bearing-equipped chassis rolls freely, allowing the motor to reach higher max RPM without pulling unnecessary current. Upgrades like the Atrek 5x10x4mm Metal Shielded Ball Bearings 8Pcs offer a direct swap for many standard 1/10 scale wheel hubs, providing an immediate speed bump for minimal expense.

For off-road vehicles running through sand, dust, or wet dirt, choose rubber-shielded ball bearings to keep grit out of the internal raceways. For pure on-road speed runs on clean tarmac, metal-shielded and ceramic bearings provide the absolute lowest rotational resistance.

Upgrade 3 - gearing: pinion and spur ratios for more top speed

Adjusting your transmission gear ratio is the most direct way to alter top speed without replacing the motor. The drivetrain speed ratio is determined by two main gears: the small pinion gear attached to the motor shaft and the larger spur gear inside the transmission.

To make your RC car faster in top-speed runs, you want a taller gear ratio (a lower numerical ratio):

• Increase Pinion Size: Installing a pinion gear with more teeth increases the number of spur revolutions per motor turn, resulting in higher top speed.

• Decrease Spur Size: Installing a spur gear with fewer teeth achieves the same result, speeding up final drive rotation.

For example, swapping from a 13-tooth pinion like the Traxxas Heavy Duty Steel 13T 32dp/0.8Mod Pinion Gear to an 18-tooth option like the Traxxas Steel 18T 1Mod Pinion Gear significantly boosts top-end velocity on compatible chassis.

However, gearing is always a tradeoff between acceleration and thermal load. A taller gear ratio forces the motor to work harder from a standing start, increasing current draw and heat. When fitting larger pinion gears or smaller spur gears, increase pinion size by only 1 to 2 teeth at a time, checking motor and ESC temperatures after 2–3 minutes of running before committing to a full battery pack.

Upgrade 4 - battery: step up your LiPo cell count

Electric motor speed is directly governed by input voltage. Brushless and brushed motors are rated with a Kv constant, which indicates how many RPM the motor turns per volt of electricity supplied (RPM = Kv X Volts). Increasing battery voltage directly increases maximum motor shaft speed.

If your vehicle currently runs on nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries (7.2V or 8.4V), upgrading to high-discharge LiPo batteries delivers an immediate surge in performance. LiPo chemistry holds higher voltage under load and delivers far higher continuous discharge rates (C-rating), eliminating voltage sag during hard acceleration.

Stepping up cell counts yields dramatic speed increases:

• 2S LiPo (7.4V nominal): Standard baseline voltage for most 1/10 scale vehicles, delivering strong acceleration and consistent power output compared to NiMH.

• 3S LiPo (11.1V nominal): Provides a 50% increase in total supply voltage over 2S. A 3300Kv motor turning ~24,420 RPM on a 2S LiPo jumps to ~36,630 RPM when powered by a 3S LiPo option such as the Gens Ace G-Tech Bashing 11.1V 6800mAh 120C 3S LiPo.

• 4S to 6S LiPo (14.8V – 22.2V nominal): Reserved for heavy 1/8 and 1/7 scale basher and speed-run platforms. Running a pack like the Gens Ace G-Tech Bashing 14.8V 6800mAh 120C 4S LiPo or high-voltage 6S LiPo setups provides raw power capable of driving heavy platforms past 100 km/h.

Always verify that your ESC features a built-in Low-Voltage Cutoff (LVC) enabled for LiPo batteries. Discharging a LiPo cell below 3.0V damages the internal chemical structure permanently.

Upgrade 5 - motor and ESC: building a brushless system for your RC car

If you have maximised gearing and battery voltage on a brushed setup and still want a faster RC car, converting to a brushless motor and ESC is the biggest performance leap available. Brushed motors rely on physical carbon brushes pressing against a rotating commutator, creating mechanical friction, electrical arcs, and significant thermal losses. They max out around 60% energy efficiency and wear out over time.

Brushless motors use electronic commutation with zero internal contact points, reaching 85–90%+ electrical efficiency. They handle higher current, rev up to 50,000+ RPM, and operate with virtually zero motor wear.

When upgrading to brushless motors and ESCs, choosing matched brushless combos ensures electronic hardware compatibility:

• For 1/10 Scale 2WD / Lightweight Buggies: A system like the Hobbywing Max10 G2 80A ESC & 3652SD 4100Kv Brushless Motor Combo provides smooth sensor-based throttle control and high top speed for lighter chassis.

• For 1/10 Scale 4WD Trucks / Short Course: Heavier 4WD trucks require larger motor stator volume and higher ESC current handling. The Hobbywing Max10 SCT G2 140A ESC & 3665SD 3200Kv Brushless Motor Combo from Hobbywing delivers high torque and thermal headroom needed to push heavy short-course bodies past 70 km/h without overheating.

Upgrade 6 - reduce weight and lower the body shell

Aerodynamic drag increases exponentially with speed. The faster you go, the harder it is to go faster. At speeds above 50 km/h, air resistance becomes the primary barrier stopping your vehicle from accelerating further. High ground clearance allows air under the chassis, creating aerodynamic lift that causes front-end instability and flip-overs.

Optimising weight and body aerodynamics provides subtle, low-cost speed improvements:

• Lower the Body Shell: Drop your body posts by 5–10 mm to seal airflow over the top of the bumper. Fitting a front air dam or splitter prevents air from catching under short-course truck fenders (the "parachute effect").

• Trim Excess Weight: Remove heavy decorative scale accessories, excess wiring length, and non-structural metal brackets. A lighter vehicle requires less motor torque to accelerate and places lower thermal strain on the ESC.

• Centre of Gravity (CG): Position your battery and heavy electronics as low and centralised in the chassis as possible to maintain stability during high-speed runs.

Got a cheap RC car? How to make a cheap RC car faster

If you own an entry-level or budget RC vehicle, you can make a cheap RC car faster using low-cost mods before buying expensive brushless electronics:

1. Clean and Lubed Drivetrain: Remove thick factory grease from open gears, clean out dirt from axle shafts, and apply light synthetic oil to wheel bushings.

2. Upgrade to Ball Bearings: Swap cheap plastic hub bushings for a $15–$25 set of sealed steel bearings. This drops rotational friction significantly.

3. Gearing Adjustments: If your motor runs cool after full runs, install a pinion gear with 1–2 more teeth for immediate top-speed gains.

4. Switch to an Entry Level 2S LiPo: If your brushed ESC supports LiPo cutoffs, switching from a heavy NiMH battery to a 2S LiPo reduces vehicle weight while holding higher voltage under load.

Keep in mind that entry-level toy-grade or lower-end hobby vehicles often feature delicate plastic differential gears that cannot tolerate high-power brushless systems. If your chassis starts breaking driveshafts regularly, it may be time to move up to a durable, fully upgradeable hobby-grade platform like the Traxxas Slash XL-5 from Traxxas or an ARRMA basher platform.

Ready to upgrade?

Making an RC car faster is all about working through the upgrade sequence logically: start with tyres for traction, bearings for free rotation, gearing for top-end speed, batteries for voltage, and brushless systems for raw electrical power. If you prefer to skip the wrenching and go straight to extreme velocity, check out our guide to the fastest RC cars in Australia, featuring ready-to-run speed machines like the 100+ km/h Traxxas Maxx Slash 6S. Explore our full range of genuine upgrade parts online or reach out to the expert team at Hobbies Direct for tailored setup advice.