Tech Center
I saw a guy start his nitro engine with a drill and a shaft instead of a pullstarter; the drill looks way easier. Can I add that type of starter to my engine, or do I need to get an engine that has the feature?
Shaft-start remains a popular starting system and is or has been used by HPI, Losi, Team Associated, and other brands. To add shaft-start as an accessory, take a look at the Sullivan Tigerdrive system. It replaces a pull-starter with a gear-driven shaft-starter that eliminates the need to tug on a cord, and positions the shaft socket at a 90-degree angle to the engine for easy starting (an inline version is also offered for engines that are mounted in the car transversely). Tigerdrive can also be used to replace an onboard electric starter. The only type of engine it won’t work with is a bump-start with is a bump-start engine because a bump-start engine doesn't have the required rear shaft that the TigerDrive mounts onto. Installing the TigerDrive is just a matter of replacing the pull-starter with the Sullivan parts—basically, you just remove and reinstall four screws. TigerDrive kits are offered for engines with 6mm and 8mm shafts, to fit brands as diverse as CEN, Duratrax, Dynamite, and Hyper/OFNA as well as big brands including O.S. and Traxxas.