R/C Tech Forums

R/C Tech Forums (https://www.rctech.net/forum/)
-   Electric On-Road (https://www.rctech.net/forum/electric-road-2/)
-   -   Onroad Setup Tools (https://www.rctech.net/forum/electric-road/988537-onroad-setup-tools.html)

Drift_Buggy 05-27-2017 04:25 AM

Onroad Setup Tools
 
Have decided on getting into onroad racing and reading through tips and setups/manuals etc. there seems to be a long list of setup tools
* usual tools - camber gauge, turnbuckle wrench, droop gauge, height gauge etc.
* setup board
* setup wheels
* tweak plate
* tweak board/station
* setup blocks
* setup station
etc. etc.

Do you own all these tools and constantly use all these tools?

Set 05-27-2017 04:59 AM

Personally I use

setup station
setup block
droop gauge
height gauge
piece of flat whatever you can find

that's about it

GrandeGixxer 05-27-2017 05:03 AM

There are ways to get away with not using all of them. I didn't buy an expensive board. I have a piece of countertop(corian) from a sink cutout that I have had for about 20 years. It has a HUDY sticker on it that would usually be put on their setup board. A piece of thick glass could be used as well. It just needs to be flat. I don't use setup wheels at all. I use droop blocks/gauges, these are important. I don't use a camber gauge, I use the setup station. I have an arrowmax tweak station but I usually use an allen driver, put centered at the front or rear of the chassis and then lift that end of the car with it. The wheels should lift off of the surface at the same time.

If I were buying everything again, the order I would get it would be droop blocks, setup station and then tweak station.

I hope this helps.

fdjizm 05-27-2017 06:29 AM

When I used to race I never used tools and did great with "a little bit of camber" and a "little bit of droop" I literally never measured anything.
Not saying it's a good idea but my car handle great lol.
I sometimes think these TINY adjustments, one degree here, half a degree there... don't mean too much on these little cars, especially some cars with more play between parts than others. Just because I've seen the prices on all these tools and setup stations etc... like whoah...

GrandeGixxer 05-27-2017 07:41 AM

I have a lot of the arrowmax tools. They are quite a bit cheaper than the Hudy stuff, but not much difference in quality. I have quite a bit of Hudy stuff to, so the comparison is legit. with the setup station, the only part I dont like about the arrowmax is that it requires an extra screw/bearing in each corner to take away some of the play that the Hudy doesn't. So they take about 2 minutes longer to put together than the Hudy.

perzeus 05-27-2017 12:16 PM

Setup board + droop gauge/blocks is a must and is pretty cheap as well. Setup station is very usefull when you rebuild the car or make certain changes that affect camber and toe. Using it between rides is not really necessary.

The rest of the tools is rarely used. Unless you are in the A main of the ETS or a similar top level race.

imprsme 05-27-2017 12:20 PM


Originally Posted by perzeus (Post 14938177)
The rest of the tools is rarely used. Unless you are in the A main of the ETS or a similar top level race.

I would be willing to bet that the guys in the lower mains could benefit from the rest of the set up tools.

If you want to be better/ consistent you should check car every rd. If you are a racer that taps boards or other cars a lot. You are prob the guy that needs a set up station and tweak station more so than the guy that is not hitting things.

Drift_Buggy 05-27-2017 03:00 PM

Some setup boards have 'setup marks' where others including Hudy are just plain board. Any reason for this?

Slo_E4 05-27-2017 03:35 PM

Hudy makes stickers for their boards. You buy them separately and place it on the board. Here's where I got mine from a few years ago. You have to email Brandon for orders.

Genesis R/C Raceway Home Page

Drift_Buggy 05-27-2017 03:45 PM


Originally Posted by Slo_E4 (Post 14938261)
Hudy makes stickers for their boards. You buy them separately and place it on the board. Here's where I got mine from a few years ago. You have to email Brandon for orders.

Genesis R/C Raceway Home Page

Sent him an email about 1 hour ago chassing freight charges etc. since im in Australia.

Does using a setup board with setup marks and tweak board eliminate the need for a tweak station?

Sorry about all the questions, never used these setup tools in offroad although probably could of benefit from them. Onroad just seems like a whole new ball park.

RotorTruck 05-27-2017 05:24 PM

I didn't want to fork out big bucks for a setup station. I use:

setup board from Jconcepts or something.
droop blocks and droop gauge from EDS
camber gauges from Muchmore
rideheight gauge from AE (came with car I got)
wrench for turnbuckles
Ball end allen wrench for droop screws - helps get in there at a funny angle.
Quick Tweak Killer from Trackstar/Hobbyking. $13! This is all I use for tweak.

niznai 05-28-2017 09:24 AM


Originally Posted by fdjizm (Post 14938027)
When I used to race I never used tools and did great with "a little bit of camber" and a "little bit of droop" I literally never measured anything.
Not saying it's a good idea but my car handle great lol.
I sometimes think these TINY adjustments, one degree here, half a degree there... don't mean too much on these little cars, especially some cars with more play between parts than others. Just because I've seen the prices on all these tools and setup stations etc... like whoah...


I sort of agree. Some jobs are fine, you don't need a setup station (I wouldn't have one if I were racing off-road for instance).

But there are some things that can be done in no time flat using a setup board yet could potentially take a lot of time (and lead you on wild goose chase exercises) without.

For instance front toe. A setup station makes short work of it. Without, you'll have to adjust, test the car, adjust, test the car and so on. A good setup station will help you do it and you don't need to test to know your car will go straight as an arrow. Camber, likewise. By the way, camber and toe are some of those adjustments that make a difference even when very small changes are made.

There are also problems which can mess your head if you don't have a setup station.

I have found a manufacturing defect in a TRF 418. I went on the internets and found others they had noticed the same problem without knowing what was causing it. I have spent a lot of time and eventually I found the holes for the rear suspension holders were not properly spaced. I am still not sure which set of holes was in the wrong place, or maybe they all were a little bit misplaced - perhaps all within manufacturing tolerance - but the end result was that you could not get equal rear toe, unless using different suspension blocks (front-rear) left to right. The difference was half a degree, and I could tell my car was crabbing because of it (very annoying after being used to my cars going like an arrow).

The funny thing is the Samix chassis I bought had the same problem. Maybe it was simply a manufacturing tolerance problem, but it still messed my head trying to find where the problem was.

The setup station however did not lie. It was consistently showing the .5 degree difference, no matter how I swapped around the suspension mounts, arms, hubs, bearings, and so on. I even checked the screws for trueness on my lathe. Proper insanity.

Like I said, proper head fuck.

I used to trust manufacturers before that.

I no longer make that mistake. I trust my setup station.

Once you get to know your cars and setup station you can even get hints of what could be wrong with the car if you have a more subtle problem (say a seized bearing or something like that).

And yes, I have used tools I bought separately here and there. Nah. It's false economy. A properly machined gauge does not compare with a cheap plastic injected one. I think in the end you'd spend more money than if you bought a proper setup station (and good tools) to begin with.

Not to mention for a 1/8 car the station is brilliant (and crucial).

iliveonnitro 05-28-2017 11:43 AM

Most of those tools you'll use once or twice and never touch again. Stick with the setup board and droop/camber gauges. If you really need something else, see if someone at the track will let you borrow it once before you decide how useful it would be.

I'd say niznai's experience is a rare occurrence and is often documented by other users.

niznai 05-28-2017 11:58 AM


Originally Posted by iliveonnitro (Post 14938753)
Most of those tools you'll use once or twice and never touch again. Stick with the setup board and droop/camber gauges. If you really need something else, see if someone at the track will let you borrow it once before you decide how useful it would be.

I'd say niznai's experience is a rare occurrence and is often documented by other users.

What tool is that you'd only use once?

Maybe I am just inefficient or wasteful but I don't have a tool I have only used once (and I have a decent collection). And why would you buy a tool you only used once?

A Hudy setup kit comes with droop gauges, setup plates, ride height gauge. You use these all the time. It might cost a few bucks, but if you want to buy everything separately you will end up paying more or you will have useless tools.

belewis01 05-28-2017 02:18 PM

Yeah Racing set up station is cheap and well worth if for on-road. Stand alone camber gauges don't work, tried it and found every corner was off 1/4 - 1/2 degree compared to a set up station. Takes 5 minutes to put your car on the set up station and verify camber, toe in front and rear and steering throw. Then get flat set up board, droop gauge set and a ride height tool, it's all worth not having to chase your set up


All times are GMT -7. It is currently 05:17 AM.

Powered By: vBulletin v3.9.3.8
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.