Toy Car Racing.. Or Is It?

Toy Car Racing.. Or Is It?: April 2010

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Frustrated

Sunday was another fun day or R/C racing, especially because my girlfriend came to watch for a bit. It's always nice to have the people you care about sharing something that makes you happy. The car on the other hand, was less than a thrilling experience.

The track layout was different this time due to a longer straight and a more technical infield. I liked this layout much more than the old one from two weeks ago because of the greater variety. I ended up getting 350cSt shock oil and this helped tremendously in terms of steering but I lacked overall grip all day. I used a variety of different tire sauces but unfortunately none of them cured my lack of traction problems. After the third qualifier, I was becoming more and more frustrated with my situation because nothing I tried was working and to top it off, I was getting absolutely demolished in terms of power. As I've stated before, the Tekin RS is the ONLY way to go if you want to go fast. Nothing can keep up with it and I unfortunately caught the tail end of the deal with my KO esc. I knew I could drive well, even with a car that had no traction but the power of the other drivers easily made up for it.

In the main, it was again the same story. I tried a different traction compound (FXII) and lowered the rear shocks all the way down but I still didn't like it. Most people were using tire warmers which aparently helped a lot but I was not able to secure a set to try. The main started out with crashing but I pushed through (maybe too aggresively) and lead most of the race. Another driver had a good handling car but wasn't driving quite as well but again, because of his ESC, he was able to catch me at the last minute o the main. As he crept on me, we got tangled but he was a good sportsman and let me proceed for the win.

Trying not to whine (well I guess I am) I was frustrated because I didn't have the right equipment. I drives me nuts to know I could have done so much better if only I had the right stuff backing me up.

In the end, I know I need to calm down some. I was getting upset with the car thus I wasn't a fair driver in the main and pushed through drivers whereas I would have normally tried to slow down to allow all of us to run cleanly. I was not being a good friend or sportsman and I should always strive to be. I am more mad now that I acted this way and didn't take my win graciously. I learned that no matter how my day is going in the pits, I can't carry that to the track. I also think this can be applied to everyday life. You can't let some spilled milk ruin your day and impact other things in it.

Until the next race, I will focus on getting the things I need to compete. I'm just glad I have an internship this summer to help me :). 

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Thoughts Going Into Sunday

After a crummy performance at the last race, I've been thinking and preparing over the last couple of weeks in preparation for Sunday's race.

As I explained in the previous post, I found lowering from roll center and raising the rear roll center helpful in getting the car to turn as well as have more initial bite into the corner. I also remembered how thick my front shock oil is from carpet season (650cSt!) which definitely hindered the car's ability to roll into the corner. I am still unsure where to start as far as oil. However, I know that when the heat picks up into the summer, I will need to run thicker oil to compensate. Right now I'm thinking of something between 350 and 450 cSt.

In addition, I want to test combinations of tire sauces, tire warmers, and tire prep times. From observation and people telling me, tire prep is super important on a low traction surface like a parking lot. If I can find a suitable process, it would give me a huge advantage in overall traction.

This week I found a great deal on MuchMore 24A Power Supply and Integy Setup Station. After putting the car on the setup station, I found the rear toe to be unequal left to right with the exact same shims on the bulkhead. Looking at it further, I noticed a ton of play in the arm that I didn't catch when I built the car. Apparently Xray redesigned the original T2 arms when they came out with the 008. They are supposedly longer and narrower. I have yet to confirm this but due to the fact that I could not shim out the play with even a 1mm shim and the T2 008 has a total 5mm of shims in the rear arm whereas mine only has 3, I'm pretty sure this is the case. BUT, rather than spend over $30 for just arms, I squeezed the roll center holders when attaching the arm and it reduced much of the play. The toe is the same but not what it is supposed to be from factory. If the arm doesn't loosen up during the day, I will just hold on to the regular arms and make due.

We will also be running 13.5 instead of 17.5 motors on the track this weekend. I think this is a necessary change as 17.5 on a long straight and flowing track during the dead of Georgia summer can't end well.

Georgia On Road Racing Club 

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Monday, April 12, 2010

Asphalt!

Yesterday was the first on road asphalt race of the season here in Georgia. After a failed attempt (or lack thereof) last season to put together a make-shift parking lot track, yesterday was a huge success with about a dozen cars each class, 17.5 and nitro tc. It was great to change up a little bit and get outside. I always look forward to wither asphalt when it's Winter or carpet when it's Fall.

The track worked well for both nitro and electric in terms of size. The plan is to extend it for next race to let the nitro cars breath a bit more. Traction was mediocre but I think the more we race, the better the conditions will get. It will be interesting to see how the heat affects tire wear and consistency.

I brought my now T2 008 to the track without any prior asphalt knowledge with the carpet setup from my T2R. I struggled to get more steering out of the car as it pushed badly throughout the entire corner. I thought I would 'unhook' the rear by standing the rear shocks up more. This helped but the car was no where near perfect. Due to a bad crash and getting caught without a fully charged battery, I only completed one qualifying round which unfortunately landed me in the B main.

I was doing alright during the main but I was spun out by a couple other drivers which ruined my chances for the win. First place guy drove a great race so kudos to him!

In all it was a good day. Parking lot tracks have the one advantage of being able to practice nearly anywhere. Today I worked with the car after work and messed with roll centers. I found that rather than messing the rear to get the car to unhook, I made the rear links more parallel and the front more angled. Even on the super pollinated parking lot in front of my apartment, the car had more steering and especially more initial bite. It's not as much steering as I'd really like but it's a start.

In all, it was a great day, especially for the hobby. It was wonderful to see all of the spectators taking pictures, asking questions, and hearing kids beg their parents to keep watching the racing action. This is what American R/C racing needs!

For pics and results, click here