Tamiya Super Storm Dragon

The kind of vehicle the maker sells it as. It sets what the car is built to do and which cars it is fair to compare it with.

• Buggies are low, light off-road cars built for jumps and fast corners on dirt, clay or turf tracks.

Only one axle is driven, the rear on almost every 2WD RC car.

• It is lighter and simpler, and it takes more throttle control on loose ground.

A kit you build yourself from parts.

• Most kits come without motor, ESC, servo, radio and battery, and many without tires or a painted body.
• The manual lists what to add.

The maker's nominal size compared with a full-size vehicle. It works more as a class label than a measurement.

• A 1/10 monster truck is far bigger than a 1/10 touring car, so compare length and weight for real size.
• This one is 410 mm long.

The maker's product number for this exact version.

• A V2, a new color, or a kit instead of an RTR usually has a different number, and parts can differ between them.
• Check it against your box or receipt before ordering parts.

The small gear on the motor shaft. Fewer teeth gear the car shorter: quicker acceleration, lower top speed and a cooler motor. More teeth do the opposite.

• On this car one tooth changes the gearing by about 5.6%.
• Racers change the pinion to suit the track and the class's motor rules, and often compare setups by rollout rather than tooth count.

The large gear the pinion drives. A bigger spur with the same pinion gears the car shorter.

• Pinion and spur must have the same pitch, or tooth size, to mesh.

Whether the front axle is driven by the motor.

• Unpowered wheels can have tire dimensions but have no motor-to-wheel gear reduction.

Whether the rear axle is driven by the motor.

• The calculator uses this axle's own tire size and complete recorded gear path.

This axle is unpowered and has no motor-to-wheel drive ratio.

Every reduction after the spur, multiplied together: transmission, differentials and axle gears.

• It is fixed by the design; the gearing you change is the pinion and spur.

This axle is unpowered and has no motor-to-wheel drive ratio.

How many times the motor turns for one turn of the wheels. A higher number is shorter gearing: more acceleration and pulling power, less top speed.

• Among 1/10 buggies in the catalog, the middle half run between 7.8:1 and 9.5:1 on stock gearing; this one is 8.2:1.

How the driven axles are connected.

• The coupling has not been established from a source. It is not inferred from 4WD or from the axle differentials.

The outside diameter of the mounted tire, tread to tread. A taller tire covers more ground each turn, which gears the car taller.

• Race tires wear down over a day, and a smaller tire gears the car shorter.

The outside diameter of the mounted tire, tread to tread. A taller tire covers more ground each turn, which gears the car taller.

• Race tires wear down over a day, and a smaller tire gears the car shorter.

This axle is unpowered and has no motor-to-wheel drive ratio.

Distance at the rear axle per motor turn through its recorded gear path.

• This follows the listed gear reduction and tire diameter; it does not account for tire slip or deflection.

Motor KV is the RPM a motor turns per volt with no load.

• This vehicle comes without a motor, so there is no stock KV; it depends on the one you fit.

The highest LiPo cell count the maker rates the electronics for.

• This vehicle comes without electronics, so it depends on the ESC and motor you fit.

The motor fitted at the factory, as the maker names it.

The vehicle's weight as the maker states it, without the battery.

• Add your pack's weight for running weight.
• Lighter cars accelerate and stop faster; many race classes set a minimum weight.

Overall length as the maker states it, usually with the body fitted.

• Useful for comparing real size, since scale labels are loose.

Overall width as the maker states it, usually with the body fitted.

• A wider car is more stable in corners and harder to roll over.

Overall height as the maker states it, usually with the body fitted.

• Useful when checking it fits a shelf, a bag or a car trunk.

The distance between the front and rear axle centers. A longer wheelbase is steadier at speed and over bumps; a shorter one turns more tightly.