Popular Mechanics - USA (2019-12)

// BY DA N ROE //

3

NUMBER

OF PARTS:

284

NOTES: If you were five years old, you’d be pretty

stoked to see this under the Christmas tree. Its

12-volt drive system whisks you up to 5 mph.

A power lift-and-lower tailgate can carry your

toys. There’s even a speaker with a 3.5mm aux

jack to bump “Baby Shark.” But eventually,

you’d get bored of it, and so might your parents.

That’s how stock Power Wheels become juiced-up

miniature race cars. Bigger batteries, motors

pulled from cordless drills, custom-fabricated

axles, slick tires—Power Wheels upgrades are

only limited by your ambition. Thanks to online

communities in Facebook groups and on forums

like modifiedpowerwheels.com, there’s plenty of

knowledge to go around.

PRODUCED:
MEXICO

TIME TO DISASSEMBLE:
3 HOURS, 4 MINUTES

Power

Wheels Ride-

On F-

To navigate the world

of modified mini-cars,

we spoke with Rob

Fusi, a New Jersey–

based mechanical

engineer. His You-

Tube video where he

swapped the battery

in his son’s Power

Wheels Porsche 911

GT3 has about 5 mil-

lion views. He says

that whether you’re

after a modest power

upgrade or a high-

performance rebuild,

these are the four

stages of modification.

STAGE 1:

BATTERY

/ The

easiest

go-fast modification is

boosting your battery

voltage. Most ride-on

cars use 12-volt bat-

teries, so upgrading

to 18 volts increases

speed without putting

too much strain on the

motor or gears, Fusi

says. You could drop in

a Power Wheels brand

6-volt battery, or opt

for a cheaper aftermar-

ket model; the latter

option doesn’t come

with an inline fuse,

so you’ll want to add

one to protect against

power surges. Start by

chopping off the exist-

ing battery connector

and use F2 connec-

tors, sold at auto parts

stores, to wire it all

together.

STAGE 2 :

ELEC-

TRONIC

SPEED

CONTROLLER /

The electronic speed

controller (ESC) tells

the battery how much

power to send to the

wheels. The stock

ESC is just an on/off

switch, full throttle or

no gas (and no coast-

ing, either). An ESC kit

delivers a more realis-

tic driving experience.

You can build your own

from a Razor scooter

variable speed control-

ler and the rest of its

parts (pedals, wires,

connectors, and more),

or buy a complete kit. A

universal ESC kit from

Eastcoast PowerUp

will run you $150.

Fusi’s bonus tip: Now

that you’ve got more

power and control,

improve handling by

duct-taping the plastic

tires for better grip.

STAGE 3 :

CUSTOM

FABRICA-

TION /

Advanced tinkerers

swap gearboxes for

powerful direct-drive

electric motors, or

even motocross bike

engines. ATV-style

suspension makes

heavily modified Power

Wheels legit off-road

vehicles, and at this

point, your Franken-

steinian creation is

probably only safe for

adult use—turn over

the keys when your kid

turns 16.

STAGE 4 :

TRICK IT

OUT / It’s

not just

about speed: A ride-on

car is the perfect canvas

for the Pimp My Ride

makeover you’ve always

wanted to do on your

Civic. With an after-

market ESC installed,

you’re primed to wire

in the accessories like

a reverse buzzer or a

virtual engine sound

simulator (for custom

ignition noises and

engine notes—how’s

a screaming Ferrari

V-12?). Finish it off with

underbody LED lights,

and drop a pair of LED-

lined subwoofers in the

truck bed for maximum

style points.

HOT-ROD YOUR

POWER WHEELS

FL

AT

AR

T^ (

BA

TT

ER

Y,^

GE

AR

);^ T

IMO

FE

Y^ R

OS

TIL

OV

(C

IRC

UIT

);^ W

IRA

W

IAN

DA

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PE

AK

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)

10 December 2019