RC Car Parts & Upgrades Guide: What to Upgrade and When
Every RC car owner eventually catches the upgrade bug. You see a shiny aluminum part or a higher-KV motor and think, "that would make my car so much better." Sometimes that's true. Other times you're spending $40 on a part that adds weight and does nothing for performance. After years of upgrading cars (and wasting money on parts that didn't matter), here's my honest guide to what's worth your money and what isn't.
The Upgrade Philosophy
Before you spend a dollar on upgrades, understand this principle: fix what breaks, upgrade what limits you.
If a plastic steering knuckle keeps snapping, replace it with an aluminum one. That's a smart durability upgrade. But if your stock steering knuckles are holding up fine, swapping them for aluminum just because they look cool is wasted money — and aluminum parts don't flex, so they transfer impact forces to adjacent parts, which then break instead.
Similarly, if you're new to RC and still learning to drive, a faster motor won't make you faster. It'll make your crashes faster. Get comfortable with your stock setup first, then upgrade as your skills demand more from the car.
Tier 1: High-Impact Upgrades
These upgrades make a noticeable, measurable difference in how your car performs or how long it lasts.
Tires
Tires are the single biggest performance upgrade on any RC car. The stock tires that come with most RTR vehicles are mediocre at best. Swapping to a quality tire matched to your surface (clay, carpet, dirt, asphalt) transforms how the car handles.
For off-road, brands like JConcepts, Pro-Line, and AKA make excellent tires in various compounds and tread patterns. For on-road, Sweep, Sorex, and Ride are popular choices. Learn what tires the fast guys at your local track are running and start there.
Brushless Motor & ESC
If your car came with a brushed motor, upgrading to brushless is a dramatic improvement in power, efficiency, and durability. A brushless motor paired with a compatible ESC will give you more speed, more torque, better throttle response, and longer runtime on the same battery.
Combo deals (motor + ESC together) from brands like Hobbywing, Castle Creations, and Spektrum are the easiest way to do this. Make sure the ESC can handle your battery cell count and the motor's current draw.
LiPo Battery
If you're still running a NiMH battery pack, a LiPo upgrade is one of the most cost-effective performance gains. A 2S (7.4V) LiPo delivers more consistent voltage throughout the discharge, which means your car maintains speed throughout the run instead of gradually slowing down as the NiMH pack drains.
Make sure your ESC has a LiPo cutoff feature before making this switch. Running a LiPo below 3.0V per cell can damage the pack permanently. You'll also need a balance charger — never charge a LiPo with a basic NiMH charger.
Steering Servo
The stock servo in most RTR cars is often the weakest link. A good servo upgrade gives you faster, more precise steering response and enough torque to hold the front wheels where you point them, especially under load. Look for a servo with adequate speed (measured in sec/60°) and torque (measured in kg-cm or oz-in) for your vehicle weight. Savox, Spektrum, and ProTek are reliable choices.
Tier 2: Worthwhile Upgrades
These improve your experience and durability, but the performance gain is less dramatic than Tier 1.
Ball Bearings
Some budget RTR cars come with plastic bushings instead of ball bearings. Upgrading to a full bearing kit reduces friction throughout the drivetrain, which means less wasted energy, less heat, and slightly more speed. It's a cheap upgrade that pays for itself in smoother operation. Bearing kits specific to most popular cars are readily available.
Shock Upgrades
Stock plastic shocks are functional but limited. Threaded aluminum body shocks allow you to adjust ride height precisely and hold their oil seal better. They're a big improvement in consistency, especially if you're racing. You don't need to buy the most expensive shocks on the market — even mid-range threaded shocks are a major step up from stock.
Radio System
The radio that comes with most RTR cars works, but a mid-range radio system gives you better range, more channels, adjustable endpoints, exponential curves, and model memory. Brands like Futaba, Sanwa/Airtronics, and Spektrum make excellent systems at various price points. If you plan to own multiple cars, a good transmitter with model memory is a worthwhile investment.
Spur/Pinion Gears
Changing your gear ratio is a free (or nearly free) performance mod. A larger pinion or smaller spur gear gives you more top speed at the expense of acceleration. A smaller pinion or larger spur does the opposite. Having a few different pinion sizes on hand lets you tune for different tracks and conditions.
Tier 3: Situational Upgrades
These make sense in specific situations but aren't universal recommendations.
Aluminum Chassis Parts
Aluminum A-arms, knuckles, and hubs look great and are more durable than plastic. But they're also heavier and don't absorb impacts as well — they transfer force to the next weakest part. Only upgrade the specific part that keeps breaking on you. Don't do a full aluminum conversion unless you're building a show car.
Carbon Fiber Parts
Carbon fiber shock towers, top plates, and chassis plates are lighter and stiffer than their plastic or aluminum equivalents. They're common in competition but overkill for casual bashing. They also tend to shatter on hard impacts rather than flex, so they're not inherently more durable than plastic.
Sway Bars
Sway bars (anti-roll bars) reduce body roll in corners and can significantly change how the car handles. If your car feels too "rolly" in turns, sway bars are a targeted fix. But they add complexity and are really only worth it if you're tuning for racing.
Upgrades to Skip (Usually)
- • LED light kits — Look cool, add zero performance. Fine if aesthetics are your thing, but don't expect them to help you at the track.
- • Full aluminum conversion kits — Expensive, heavy, and often create more problems than they solve. Cherry-pick only the parts you actually need.
- • Massive motor upgrades on a stock drivetrain — Dropping a high-KV motor into a car with a stock plastic spur gear, stock diffs, and stock driveshafts is a recipe for stripped gears and broken parts. Upgrade the drivetrain to match.
- • Anything purely cosmetic when your car still has stock tires — Tires first. Always tires first.
Where to Buy Parts
Your local hobby shop is the best first stop — they carry parts for popular vehicles, can order what they don't have, and offer advice. Supporting local shops keeps the RC community alive.
For online shopping, AMain Hobbies, Tower Hobbies, and Horizon Hobby have massive selections. Amazon carries many common parts but watch for counterfeit products from no-name sellers. For used and hard-to-find parts, eBay and RC-specific forums with for-sale sections are useful.
Always check that the part number matches your specific vehicle model. Many RC cars share similar-looking parts that are not interchangeable. When in doubt, reference your car's parts exploded view diagram — every manufacturer publishes these.
The Smart Upgrade Order
If you're starting with a stock RTR and want to upgrade methodically, here's the order I'd recommend:
Tires
Biggest bang for your buck. Match them to your surface.
Battery (NiMH to LiPo)
More power, more consistent, more runtime. Get a balance charger too.
Brushless Motor & ESC
If you're still on brushed, this is a transformative upgrade.
Steering Servo
Faster, stronger steering for better control.
Bearings (if needed)
Replace bushings with bearings for smoother drivetrain.
Shocks
Threaded aluminum body shocks for adjustability and consistency.
Everything Else
Durability parts as needed, radio upgrade, fine-tuning parts.
Upgrade smart, not fast. Let each upgrade settle in before moving to the next. You'll learn more about your car and spend less money in the long run.