mx836

iTrader: (15)

Who cares if they are though? Point is that you don't need an $800 car to be competitive with an $800 car.

Davidka

iTrader: (86)

You're getting lost in the weeds. Nobody said this hobby was cheap, but it's cheaper than it's ever been, by a LOT! Most of the key items cost the same as they did in 1991, which against inflation means they're gotten a lot cheaper. Motors and batteries last 10x as long and far fewer are needed.

That's mostly because a kart is underpowered. Even a 17.5 car is very powerful. With all of the variables, 100g disappears in the performance equation unless you're a very skilled driver.

jslider

iTrader: (10)

No not lost, little off course maybe. I think the best reasoning for a spec class is cost, I completely agree that at the end of the day you are going to have close to the same running order at the end of a race whether or not certain drivers have every hop up available or not. in fact I think at some of the big 17.5 stock races, AE and losi ask the team drivers to run a box stock car. and guess what still the top guys finishing at the top.

Another thing that many have not discussed on this is in true spec racing the motors and batteries are spec as well. With just a battery change you can improve lap times whether it be to lighter or higher c rated batteries. I think the true vision of spec racing can be found in the bolink legends spec class motors, batteries, cars, tires, all spec no upgrades from the kit and you got really tight racing and it is fun.

I think that when running a spec class, when you get beat by another driver you don't sit and wonder if there was something you could have bought to be more competitive instead you wonder how to improve your driving or tuning on the car because the cars are the same other than tuning adjustments.

BTW I think spec classes don't work well in the long run just because it gets tried every couple years. Typically the class will start out medium strong and than 6 months later fades into the wind. The way I see it we like the idea of buying speed, we all now dang good and well that it wont work and that buying that upgrade wont make us any faster or change the finishing order but we still buy them anyways, we like to tinker and improve and if we cant do that than we get bored with the car and shelve it to race once in a while and than it gets sold cause no one runs the class anymore.

I am done

fivepointnine

iTrader: (15)

100 grams will gain you time, no doubt. I had the VBC Firebolt when it first came out. I went from the alloy chassis to the carbon chassis, cleaned up my wiring and changed out my 1257 servo for a 1251. Lost about 70g and gained .4 second in my fast lap on the same setup, same tires, same sauce and same track layout. BUT I was not as consistent, a lighter car is not always better, tends to be a bit more unstable. That is why I love mod, I have added weight to all my buggies and if I am slower on the straight than everyone else, all I have to do is add boost, problem solved.

Randy_Pike

iTrader: (6)

Yes, 19T motors had a groove that was visible outside the can. Again ROAR could suggest this modification to the manufacturers and give them/us time to implement it.

Davidka

iTrader: (86)

If your result wasn't repeatable then you didn't gain anything. You may have if you could've optimized your setup to take advantage of the lost weight. We went through this when LiPo became popular. Guys added weight to their cars to make their old setups work until the pro's figured out setup changes that made the cars work at the lower weight (it sure didn't happen at the club level..).

Look, I'm not saying that reducing weight has no value, just that it's vastly over emphasized, creating this myth that a racer can't be competitive in stock/17.5 without it and by extension, stock/17.5 is more expensive. It's not needed, therefore it's not more expensive. We shouldn't scare people away from a racing class that's working better than it ever has before.

The current speed is a different discussion, but there's growth in stock racing so by and large, the performance level is accepted by a participating majority.