rccars4scott

iTrader: (55)

I am in the market for a 1/12th scale and would like to know the difference in handling, durability, etc between a T-plate car and a link style rear end (like gen x or a 3.2r)? What are the inherent pros and cons of each? I will be running either 13.5 or 4300 brushless on a smaller (approx 70x40) indoor carpet track. Thanks for your help.
Scott

Marcos.J

iTrader: (239)

one car BMI DB12R and you will get the best of both worlds!!



check it out!! http://www.rctech.net/forum/showthread.php?t=173251

rccars4scott

iTrader: (55)

Thanks Marcos...i had not seen the db12r. again though, what are the benefits of each car, t-plate versus link given the type of racing i have described? any help would be appreciated.

xtreameracer

iTrader: (11)

i would say the link car would be better, it will not tweek as easy as a tplate car. also easer to work on adjustments . just change springs instead of taking almost the whole car apart to to change the t plate.

the bmi car looks to be alittle of both.

SlowerOne

A T-plate car is generally accepted to be easier to set up than a link car, and to be much better on asphalt. About the only thing people can find to say about the advantage of a link car is that you don't have a T-piece to break! Set-ups posted here are very, very similar for T-piece cars, and vary more for link cars.

Link cars do well on high-grip tracks - just take a look at the results from Cleveland, IIC, Roar Nats, etc, over the years. However, there is too little attention paid to cars like the Speedmerchant, Diggity Designs and other non-CRC cars. They seem to have a quiet, but very dedicated following. T-piece cars do well on both asphalt and carpet, and a link car has never won the IFMAR Worlds on either surface.

Have to agree with Marcos, the DB 12R is the best of both Worlds, but yet to be proven in big races. I'm gambling on one, and don't think it is too much of a gamble!! As I don't want you to be disappointed at all with your first experience of 12th Scale, it would be an T-piece car, with either a 12L4 or CRC T-Fource top of the list. HTH

SteveL

iTrader: (23)

I would say that it depends on your driving style. I ran for Calandra for a few years and was always faster with his t-bar car. Then ran for Speedmerchant and again, was faster with a t-bar car, but Bruce refuses to make one. (long standing joke with him.) Last car I ran was the IRS t-bar conversion. I always felt as if the rear bite would go away at the 6-7 minute mark in a race with a link car. Probably just me, but I always ended up running t-bars. Nothing against Frank or Bruce as they both worked very hard with me and are both top notch guys! Maybe because I'm old, I was always fastest with an old school Assoc. frt. end and a t-bar.

I would look at the DB12r before you buy anything. Very interesting design and it comes with just about everything that you would normally add anyway. A lot of guys are speaking very highly of it.

darnold

iTrader: (2)

Both types (t-bar, link) have their advantages/disadvantages which is why the BMI DB 12R looks so good, it's the best of both worlds.

If you check out the bottom of the 1st page on the BMI 12th scale thread Jason (TC3) gives a summary of the pros and cons of T-bar vs. Link cars. I'm sure others will chime in with more info. Both types are fast and the preliminary reports are that the DB 12R is really fast.

BTW, Speedmerchant had a Rev. 4.5 link car in the show at the last World's (carpet in Italy I believe) and CRC had 2-3 of their Carpet Knife's in the show as well if I'm not mistaken with one of them being 2nd on the grid so link cars are every bit as fast a t-bar cars.

Johnny Carey

iTrader: (10)

If im not mistaken, I think the only SpeedMerchant driver there was Mike Dumas.

darnold

iTrader: (2)

It looks like Adrew Gray was there also with his Speed Merchant but I could be wrong.

rccars4scott

iTrader: (55)

Thanks for all of the input guys and keep it coming.

Scott

vafactor

iTrader: (6)

tbar cars tend to work pretty good on most surfaces so long as they are assembled correctly and with great attention to detail. the adjustments and the setup changes on them tend to be pretty subtle since their basic package is balanced well and it's just a matter of tiny fine adjustments to hit the sweetspot just right for each driving style. It's comparatively easy for someone new to 1/12th scale to get his tbar car driving decent. The link cars by contrast can be way out of bounds and driving pretty badly if not adjusted properly. But the good news is that they are very responsive to the many setup adjustments that are available as compared to the tbars, and they drive sweet when the right setup combo is achieved. In the hands of an experienced mechanic or driver....there's alot of ways to influence the link car's balance and to get the desired effect on the track. My suggestion, if you want to get on pace without a long learning curve, then perhaps a tbar would be a good first car. But if you have the interest and the will to tinker and to try a bunch of different combinations and to learn what they all do to the car's behavior, then a link car may be your cup of tea. With any of the top level cars, there's plenty of available posted setups made available by the best drivers. You can hardly go wrong with any of the major cars if you build it carefully and start with one of the team driver's setups to get you in the ballpark. Probably even a bigger determining factor is the parts availability in your area and the type of car your local fast guys use. Generally the experience guys are really happy to help new guys, and it's even more helpful if you choose the same car that they run, so their advice can be more directly applied to your car.