All The Ways to Stop RC Car Wheelies [+BONUS Tip]

Wheelies occur when you lift the front wheel(s) of your RC vehicle off the ground on a high-speed run. 

Today, wheelies are spectacular racing tricks performed by many RC hobbyists around the world. Even movies like Fast and Furious that incorporate muscle cars, monster trucks and high-speed RC cars makes a great deal about wheelies.
But, as much as wheelies are spectacular race maneuvers that shows skilled expertise on the race track, they are dangerous race tricks. 

To stop your RC car from wheelies, you’ll have to consider various means like stiffening the rear suspension, throttle control and many other techniques. 

What Are the Ways to Stop an RC Car Wheelie?

There are various means to keep your RC car from wheeling. However, halting an RC car wheelie takes knowing the right technique.
You can either use a wheelie bar, ensure proper weight placement, use suspension set up and good throttle control to stop an RC car wheelie. 

Stopping an RC Car Wheelie With a Wheelie Bar

Wheelie bars are those uniquely designed pipes located at the back of RC cars. Wheelie bars helps to protect the car from tipping over while also acting as a tuning aid to prevent the rear end of your RC’s from squatting so much, which helps minimize weight transfer to the rear so that the front wheels can keep as much traction as possible. To use a wheelie bar:

• run medium rate springs so that you still have control of the car,
• then, launch with a really stiff spring effect.

Stop RC Car Wheelie With Weight Distribution

Did you know that the way weight is distributed between the front and rear axles can prompt a wheelie? However, the front axle bears more of the trigger. 

When your RC car has little to no weight at the front, it can prompt a wheelie easily. For this reason, it’s essential you determine how much weight is on the dominant front wheel. You’ll also want to determine the height of the CG above axles as a driving on a rough and high terrain will also affect weight placement on your RC vehicles.

Understand that if the CG is above the axle plane, then lifting the front decreases the weight of the front wheels. The effects will be bumps on the track which magnifies the possibilities of a wheelie. On the other hand, if the CG is below the axle plane, then lifting the front increases the weight born by the front wheels. This makes the car more stable.

What your RC car needs is a 75% rear weight distribution, on the track to avoid a wheelie. 

To ensure proper weight placement:

• Try moving anything you can towards the front of the car,
• Add weight to the front of the car, especially when bashing or during speed runs

• You can also run a harder compound tire to ensure good center weight placement

How to Stop Wheelie With Suspension Setup

Another way to stop RC car wheelie is to carryout suspension tuning procedures.
This setup modifies the springs, struts and shock absorbers to ensure your RC car accelerates, brakes and corners smoothly without instigating a wheelie. Suspension setup will also help you lower the center of gravity on you RC car which will help keep the wheels down.

To do this:

• Open up the shocks and put a ¼ to 3/8-inch piece of fuel tubing on the shock shaft inside the shock body and put it back together. This way, you effectively lower your suspension so the chassis is about 3/4-an inch off the ground.
• Put softer rear springs on the RC car to absorb some of the torque that raises the front rear while accelerating. 
• Alternatively, increase you gearing a bit. This method gives you more top end speed and less bottom end power. 

Use Throttle Control to Stop RC Wheelies

Yes, throttle control stops wheelie when bashing or during a race. The throttle control helps to regulate power through the RC car. It also ensures stability no matter the weight placement on the RC car. All you need do is properly setup the throttle control sensor and pull the throttle back. 

This way, you’ll enjoy greater acceleration and speed when driving on rough terrains. However, you want to make sure not to pull the throttle all the way back as this may damage the car functions. Instead, make sure to try a smooth throttle than a big jerk. 

Other Settings in Your RC Car to Stop Wheelies

While we’ve listed some functional procedures above to help you stop wheelies, there are other methods you can try to stop RC car wheelies. Some of them include:

• Try changing center diff fluid to lower truck and loosen slipper. 
• Use the spur gear with less teeth. 
• Try running on the B mode  

• Stiffen the preload on your rear shock 

BONUS: Stop Wheelies by Models

So, we’ve established that everyone loves a good wheelie. However, they can be dangerous especially for beginners. No matter the RC model you use, it’s important to learn how to stop wheelies.
It’s not just powering up and driving speedily on track. There’s more physics to car wheelies than you know. 

Here are some ways to help you stop wheelies by model. 

How to Stop Arrma Kraton Wheelie

For the Arrma Kraton RC’s when the front wheels lose traction and offer less resistance, the center diff puts more power to the front wheels. To avoid this, make sure to:

• Thicken the center diff fluid, or lower your punch control on esc.
• Go super soft in the rear

How to Keep Traxxas Rustler Front End Down

The fun of driving a Traxxas Rustler is in its dynamic power and high-speed functions that promotes wheelies. However, wheelies on a Traxxas Rustler can also be dangerous, especially as this Traxxas model is mostly used for rugged fun racing.
To avoid wheelies on your Traxxas Rustler, try this:

• Lower the rear as much as possible and use soft springs to stop wheelies
• Loosen the slipper clutch
• Reduce your torque. Try using a smaller spur or larger pinion. However, doing this will increase top speed and increase motor temperature
• Control your throttle finger

How to Use Arrma Senton Wheelie Bar to Stop Wheelie

Like the Arrma Senton, you can also avoid wheelies by using a larger pinon; However, some other methods to try includes:

• Control the throttle properly
• Stiffen the rear shocks a bit.
• Check your temps to ensure it is quite stable. Temperature levels up to 140F will demand you turn the punch down. 

Stop Traxxas Stampede Wheelie

Traxxas Stampede is a wheelie monster. Howver, you can stop wheelies using:

• Wheelie bar to ensure weight placement on the front end
• Add some stick-on weights to the front of the Stampede to make it harder for the front end to lift up. However, this may trigger some erratic steering depending on how much weight placed on the front end. 
• You could install stiffer springs on the rear shocks. But this might cause the stampede to spring and cause crashes
• Lower the truck a little bit. Remove the pre-load spacers above the shock springs until you reach the desired ride height. This method will mean you’ll have less ground clearance and this can be dangerous on rough terrains.

Conclusion

Wheelies are fun and a favorite acrobatic maneuver practiced by advanced RC hobbyists. However, they can cause severe damages even for experienced racers. To avoid wheelies, know your model type and how they function. This way, you easily deflect them when they occur. However, some of the most common methods to avoid wheelies is by using throttle control, wheelie bars, proper suspension settings and appropriate weight placement.