🏎️ Pan Car
An on-road racing car built on a flat plate chassis with very little suspension, used mostly in 1/12 and 1/10 classes.
They are extremely light and efficient, which makes them fast on carpet and smooth asphalt but useless anywhere rough.
What it actually does
A pan car is an on-road racer built around a flat, flexible chassis plate with minimal suspension — the chassis flex itself does much of the springing. They are extremely light and extremely fast on smooth, high-grip surfaces.
In practice
Most are rear-wheel drive with a solid rear axle and independent front suspension, running foam tires on carpet or asphalt. Because there is so little suspension, setup happens through chassis flex, side springs, ride height and tire choice.
Worth knowing
Pan cars are surface-specific to an extreme degree. On anything less than a smooth, prepared track they are unusable, which is why they live almost entirely at dedicated venues.
Related terms
What a free account actually does
RC Crash Crew remembers your RC so you don't have to. Every run, every battery cycle, every breakage and every fix — kept with the rig it happened to, for as long as you own it. No cost, no advert, no catch.
🏎️ Your garage — the part that works on day one
Build each rig properly: what motor, what ESC, what gearing, what tires. Then keep its whole history in one place.
- Run log — where, how long, how it went
- Battery health — cycles, puffing, when to retire it
- Component hours — what is worn out before it fails
- Setup sheets you can copy between rigs
- Radios and model memory
- Photos, kept with the rig
🔧 When it breaks — and it will
The bit people actually search for at 9pm with a broken car on the bench.
- Crash Bay — log the damage, see what other people broke
- Repair Desk — what you did, and whether it held
- Tune — symptom in, fix out, by chassis type
- RC AI that can see your own rigs and answer about them
📍 Where to run, and what is near you
Tracks, bash spots and hobby shops, on a map, across 28 countries.
- 505 run spots
- 370 hobby shops
- Race nights and events
- Add the ones we are missing — most towns are still blank
📚 Learn it properly, free, no sign-up needed
523 things explained — and none of it is a two-line stub.
- 25 full guides, averaging 1.450 words each
- 447 glossary terms
- A wiki any trusted member can correct
- 195 models and 142 parts on file
Straight with you: the site is new and the crew is small. The tools, the guides, the map and the 505 run spots are all here and working today — the people are what is still missing. If you want a garage that remembers everything, it works from your first run. If you want a busy forum, come back later, or be one of the reasons it gets busy.