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Why Titanium?

Well, quite simply put, they are light, strong and do not rust!

With the advancement of R/C batteries these days, many R/C cars are finding it difficult to get to the bottom weight limit without compromising balance, and sometimes even those that are right on the limit could do with some weight shifting to give the car a better weight distribution too!

In order to give all you racers out there an idea the actual weight benefit of Titanium screws over kit steel screws, we have painstakingly (:P) created the following comparison chart (per screw):

Button HeadSteel (grams)Titanium (grams)*% Reduction

CountersunkSteel (grams)Titanium (grams)*% Reduction

Grade?
Titanium RC parts generally comes in 2 grades. Grade 2 pure titanium and Grade 5 Titanium alloy, so what is the difference?

To keep pricing to a competitive level, 90% of the titanium screws in the RC market are made from Grade 2 Titanium. Grade 2 Titanium screws are made by cold forge process so they can be mass produced forged and therefore their prices are relatively affordable. They are strong and saves you almost half the weight compared with steel. Beware some suppliers may use the terms precision made but they are not CNC made.

For premium parts like our premium hinge pins and axles, Grade 5 Titanium alloy are chosen. This stuff is too hard to be formed so each part using Grade 5 Titanium alloy will have to be individually CNC machined. They are much harder than Grade 2 titanium while offering same weight saving but with unsurpassed precision. However they are expensive!

For ultimate weight reduction go Aluminium, around 25% lighter than titanium but they are very soft and will not offer a long serviceable life no matter what grade. Recommended use in low stress areas like to decorate your radio transmitter etc. ;)

For good weight saving and strength comparable to 304 stainless steel, go titanium. Use Grade 2 for general use from low-medium- to relatively high stress applications, and Grade 5 for special machined screws (TBA) or custom parts such as axles and pins (Note: We do not account for stresses caused by over torqueing the screw or crashing!).

Tips:
Use the correct tool!
Most cars now days uses Metric screws and that is all we sell. The screws we sell uses the following drivers:
M2 - 1.2mm hex driver
M2.5 - 1.5mm hex driver
M3 - 2.0mm hex driver
M4 - 2.5mm hex driver

Tool condition:
Always use a serviceable driver with a sharp hex pattern! Titanium screws are softer than steel screws and if your hex tools tips are worn in anyway, change the tip to for new one to avoid risk of rounding off the hex head. Worn tools may be ok for steel screws but they can easily mess up titanium screws. If your tool have been used on Steel or Stainless steel screws before, we highly recommend that you change your tool tip for a new one when upgrading to Titanium screws, a small bit of investment will go a long way protecting your screws.

Tightening torque:
Do not use excessive force. I often see people over torque their steel screws thus damaging the thread of whatever they are screwing in to. With titanium screws not only the same could happen, but you can also damage the hex head too. Try holding the driver with three fingers instead of using your whole fist, turn the screw until resistance is felt, and then another quarter turn would normally suffice.

Right screw for the right job:
We do not recommend you use titanium screws for high stress areas such as mounting motors and certain types of hinge pin blocks where upon high impact they can result in bending. In these areas steel/stainless steel or carbon steel is recommended.

To thread lock or not to thread lock?
We generally do not recommend thread lock for building model cars in general except in some special places like locking of UJ pins. However, if you have to use thread lock of any kind, we recommend that you use the blue one made by Tamiya as it is probably one mild enough to allow disassembly.

Screwing into hard plastics:
When screwing into hard plastics such as gear diffs or carbon loaded plastics for the first time, we recommend that you use the supplied steel screw first to gently tap the thread into the hard plastic part, and always putting a little lubricant such as bearing oil or shock oil into the hole first. When done, remove the steel screw and replace it with the titanium screw.

How to measure a screw?
In general, the length of a screw is measured from where the assumed mounting surface is, to the end of the screw itself.

Why Titanium?