RHCranked

I'm kinda new to the hobby and find myself getting smoother every time out and only hit the walls when trying too hard to go fast. I found this Thread that helped me tune my car for faster corner speed, but how should I drive to get even more corner speed.

Is there different techniques for foam and rubber tires and for 1/12 scale and 1/10 scale touring car?

My current technique is to ease off the throttle as I turn into a corner, break a bit if I'm too wide and want to tighten my line. Then ease back on the throttle just before the apex, and use the throttle to adjust the exit point. I also found that when I screw up, it's usually because I wasn't looking ahead of the car enough.

Is there any fast guys out there that can describe there techniques? or offer any tips.


RHC

R/C Anonymous

iTrader: (1)

i dont use brakes

ffiB

You should never use your brakes in onroad. If you have a section that has a tight turn like after a long straight, you my wanna adjust your radio and add some brake untill your skills improve. But thats a bad habbit. The trick is to carry as much momentum THROUGH the turn as you can. Slow in, fast out. If you have to give up straight-a-way speed so you can set yourself up for the next turn, do so.

mafiaracers

iTrader: (22)

I'm a fan of late apex....but, not always the best thing when you got a guy tailing you. The fastest way around any turn is through it's largest radious....AKA, furthest outside, closest inside, furthest outside....Good to practice, but in qualifying and racing, you may have to be a bit more aggressive.

Try not to be so afraid of pushing the car, if you enter the turn a little hot, just see what it can handle. A big part of driving fast is knowing what your car can and cannot do. another part is going as fast as humanly possible at all times. I don't like to think of the track as a whole....I drive turn to turn. Maybe try to practice focusing on your hands while you drive....

...being figety will get you nowhere! Really focus if you can on being ultra smoothe on the throttle and wheel. The good ol on/off switch is good for when you make mistakes and have to get out of them quick, but not so good for going fast. The more jerky you are on the radio, the more jittery and less balanced your car will feel. and vise versa, I've found that when I really focus on being uber smoothe on the radio, I drive my fastest. From a dead stop, it should take you a shade under a second to pull that trigger wide open..."thousand one" and you're there. Also, see if you can try to never be at complete zero in throttle position. Always keep your finger on the gas....you can slow down by lettin the gas out a little, but try not to zero out the position. this way, the power is always there.

latly, try to hook up with someone a shade fast than you. I've found that when I have to chase someone, I drive faster also....and make less mistakes, because I get in this "zone."

There's million things you can do, just be patient....it'll come with time...

RHCranked

Thanks Mafia, some really good tips there. I've always concentrated on the car to make it look smooth, didn't think about what my hands were doing to control the car.

Anyone else with some advise?

CristianTabush

iTrader: (13)

Biff I disagree on the no brakes thing. BRAKES are of utmost importance especially on large tracks like the one you are going to start racing at soon. Make sure that if you do brake, you are going in a straight line and that you apply them lightly. A lot of newer speed controls also include a drag brake feature that is especially useful for modified.

TC_Tuner

iTrader: (34)

understanding the concepts is helpful, but nothing makes up for track time. By that, you can know what you need to do, but pulling it off in every turn for 5 min is something different. I'm not an expert here, but I think others will agree with me here.

Something that I feel is important, stay in the groove. By that, experiment with different lines, but as soon as you leave the racing line, for example, push high on a sweeper, you will pickup debris on your soft and tacky tires.

In rubber, this will typically only affect the handle for a lap, but in foam, it can ruin the rest of the run. I really notice this running 1:12.

I have a friend that has been stuck in the beginner class for years. Basically, he'll arrive at the track and spend most of his time wrenching on his setup instead of putting in laps.

I forget who is was (Ryan Cavelieri (SP?)), but he typically sets up his car and then runs it. If it's off a bit, he spends the time driving, not wrenching.

I wouldn't suggest necessarily going to this extreme, but you get the idea.

TC_Tuner

iTrader: (34)

also, experiment with both drag brake and the opposite (a bit of 'on throttle).

With a stock motor, as soon as you let off the throttle, the motor acts like a brake. Enough to upset the car if your in a corner.

A few clicks of trim to feed a bit of juice to the motor is all it takes. I have mine set just before the point where it will roll with the throttle at idle, but is enough to reduce the braking effect when running.

For what it's worth, I never find myself using brake for indoor carpet (unless I'm really going into a turn wrong). I run stock and 19t TC and 19t 1:12. Outdoors, different story. Way higher back straight speeds require some braking to setup for the infield...

my $.02
TC_Tuner

mafiaracers

iTrader: (22)

More eyes is never a bad thing. see if you can't get your buddy or the local fast guy to watch you run.

TC_Tuner

iTrader: (34)

great suggestion.

Don't know about you guys, but after a 5min run, I can't seem to remember what happened in the last two turns, let alone the first 4 minutes.

This can be a huge help in both driving and setup assistance. usually, it's very hard to hear what your car is doing with 9 others running. If the car is lifting a wheel, for example, way easier to see this from a 'spotters' perspective.

ffiB

I didnt think about that Christian. That new track is so big, that makes sence. I know at PerFormance Raceway I never used brakes.

Jerry23

Biff- At mikes you may not need brakes in stock, but in mod i use a ton of brakes to setup for the corners. Tol on the other hand i think just coasts through them.(BTW hes way faster than I)


Jerry

Derek K

being a beginer(racing since august)as well i thought i would give my input.as stated above,being smooth on the steering and throttle inputs is where i really started to notice a big difference.slow into the corner,power through the corner and a fast exit will follow.

nothing can take the place of running laps,i get out to the track as often as i can.my club races on fri nights and i always get up early to get on the track sat morning while the track is still good from fri nights prep.over the past few months my driving has really improved.

ffiB

I guess it depends alot on how the car is set up also. If the car has alot of turn in steering, you can allways scrub a little speed that way. But the trick is to allways be smooth especially on the throttle. Im having to think back 5 years ago since thats how long ago I ran TCs. LOL

I think I used to set my car up with drag brake just in case I came in too hot. Then drove the car most of the time without letting off the throttle all the way. Thats most likely not the way the fastest guys drive, but hey, not many of us are the best.

ChadCapece

For anyone running a spool:

For me, it helps greatly to have 100% braking dialed in. I don't use all that brake when running w/o traffic, but when I'm either in traffic or in a close race, I can always reach for extra brake to dive in a corner and cut off the cars I'm racing with.