Krusty

Here'e a photo of a turbine (jet) powered 1/8 scale R/C car. It is actually jet propelled as there isn't a drive connection with the wheels. It uses kerosene as fuel.

987982

how fast does it go?

packfan88

My Feedback: (2)

awesome
can you get some video? i want to hear what it sounds like

Krusty

Sorry, don't have a video. The turbine engine is originally used on model R/C jets. There are several manufactures that produce them (OS isn't one of them at least not yet). The model jets with these engines are capable of flying up to 200 MPH (no misprint!).
They require an extensive starting method that includes compressed air and propane. Once the engine is "warmed-up" it's transferred over to the kerosene. I feel this "jet" car is just a design exercise as turbines do not throttle very well and as the turbine is not connected to the drive wheels, acceleration probably suffers. I've seen model jets take off and they need a long runway to achieve flight speed. I guess if you install an afterburner things would be different (lol).

caseyddr

My Feedback: (13)

Hmm, I wonder how much those run, specially those jet RC's that can go 200mph, NOW THAT Would make RC Planes fun, other than that there is no point to fly :-/ Those must run in the 1000's though... How long does fuel run on these things, I wouldnt think very long... specially with how they burn the stuff. How big are the fuel tanks in the jets?

trey3670

My Feedback: (10)

buddy of mine just bought one like that for his jet,they do take extensive suport gear as krusty said,and he paid 1700 for a kit to build it! i was on my way over to his house when i heard it from a block away and started looking up for the jet,it was very loud! but cool!! puts out 12 pounds of thrust,not sure how thats computed or how to compare it but it sounds powerfull

caseyddr

My Feedback: (13)

I bet the neighborhood is going to hate him!!!

joelacrane

Geez! Thats just plain weird!

Turn&Burn

I saw a Hirobo Lama heli with a turbine fly at our latest fly in, and the guy flying it said it would go through a 1/2 gallon of kerosene in 8 minutes!!! Sounds sooooo cool.....

JohnVH

My Feedback: (38)

Id like to see vid of it too.

If you guys have never seen/heard a turbine go, goto my jet website below and check out my jets movie..

caseyddr

My Feedback: (13)

that is beautiful, amazing, and graceful all in one.

Mopzilla

Wow.. where did you get that pic? I saw that pic pop up at least 3 years ago, pretty cool, no? yeah, i wonder if it is faster than the rc10l used to set the electric speed record!

coooool!
but just think, that car costs maybe 2-3 k as it is! a crash would set you back far! even a tiny pebble that a tire hits might send that car cartwheeling to hell. pretty cool...

KyleSch

I doubt it accelerates very fast though, since turbines need time to spool up and have very little actual torque because all it does is have to spin the blades...I'm sure if you have enough space it would hit 100mph!

mullenc525

I dont know much about rc cars, but i think that thing would still acellerate pretty damn fast. Lets say it weighs 10 lbs??? thats a guess... it would accelerate at 12 m/s/s. 0-60 mph in about 2.5 s, from a fully spooled start. maybe not as much accleration as a nitro car ( i dunno know) until about 40m/s, but the thrust of a turbine increases dramatically with velocity. It probably has better acceleration in the 40 m/s range than at a standstill even with drag involved

Krusty

Don't think so. Based on a model jet installation, even though the brakes are applied and the turbine is "spooled" to full speed, the plane starts moving slowly and requires a long smooth paved runway to achieve flight speed. Therefore, a jet powered model car, just like the full sized Bonneville record setters (Spirit of America and Green Monster) required a very long stretch to reach their speed potential.

KyleSch

Its just the fact all its doing it taking in air, combusting it and pushing it out the back at high speed (of course its 1000x more complicated but thats in simple terms) and since air doesn't weigh very much it takes alot to get it moving.

Unstable

well jet engines work on the same principle that piston engines do.

suck squeeze bang blow

not complicated at all.

1fstxnt

I'll tell you what unsable that's pretty damn funny!!!!! I've never heard it put like that....good one. Jon

BUGGIES_R_US

the only difference is that reciprocating engines do those steps in determined, quantum steps.

JEts do them all AT THE SAME TIME in relation to time.

You need algebra to work with one and advanced Multvariate Integral Calculus to work with the other!

Add in thermodynamics and the concept of time space coordination and you got one hell of a math model!!

Still jets are COOL AS HELL!! The sound alone is to die for!

ram

Unstable

I guess you never saw the junkyard wars where they built a jet powered trike out of a old turbo unit and some pipes

maath? wee don need no skeekin' maath
(acually I am suprised the thing didnt blow up....)

Ramjet

Just a few points from a RC Jet flyer;

1. My jet doesn't hasve ball bearings in the wheels, I want them, but it didnt start that way, upgrades are spread over time due to cost... So I have much more rolling resistance/drag.
2. We worry more about the brakes than the bearings in the wheels!
3. I have a 10 lb thrust Ducted Fan, Not true Turbine, In a 14 lb plane <fueled>. It accels well enough to take off in about 200 feet running on GRASS. Turbines are more powerful but weigh more...
4. Our jets weigh a lot more than that car. It will accel faster.
5. Our jets have more air drag than the car, It will accell faster yet once moving.
And Yes Turbines are damn expensive to my standards.
A good modern Turbine runs around $3000 US
BUT, These will self start at the flip of a switch on your transmitter! <You need some extra goodies in the plane too>
And they self cool when you shut them off, No more leaf blower in the intake...
BUT, older compressed air/propane start and Leaf blower cooldown engines are now cheaper to buy...

Bottom line, Many $$ buys cool toys !!!

Ramjet

WhiskyVR-4

well, now I've heard, but still haven't seen. Every time I try to open it, it tells me that it was unable to download an appropriate decompressor.

Anyone else get the jet video to work?

mullenc525

i still agree with ramjet about the acceleration. Thrust is usually measured statically with a turbine, so at a fully spooled standstill, divide thrust by weight, multiply by 9.8 and you have A in m/s/s. its newtons law, f=ma, no arguments. Drag? turbine thrust increases dramatically with ram air, so this would more than account for drag. The rolling friction of the car would also be minimal, with no drivetrain. Nitro cars can go 100mph, i think this could go considerably faster.