Originally Posted by JamesL_71

Ive been running the 12R5.2 on the carpet for a few months now... and have tested a lot of setup configurations. My car was rarely the same at any given practice/race day up until ~2 weeks ago... and it was rarely the same during any given round/session, either.

I found a setup using the lateral shock w/ 25wt oil and the AE Black springs that was fairly easy to drive and quite consistent over the course of a run. And most of all, it was fast. The car was very competitive, keeping up with guys who I consider better drivers than myself... especially considering my relative lack of experience with the link-style 12th scales and carpet in particular.

Prior to the last race day, I installed the Speed Merchant damper tube conversion and the linear side springs. Given my previous setup with the lateral shock and progressive springs(25wt w/ black springs), I started with 15k in the tubes and the SM .018 linear springs.

One of the first things I noticed was that the car was more consistent through the corner. The steering effort felt more linear and the car didnt "pivot" as much as it did with the side shock/progressive springs. This had a two-part effect.... Firstly, it made the car quite easy to drive cleanly. I think I had only 2 board taps all day. Although, I did get into it with lapped traffic in every heat... but that was due more to inexperienced drivers as well as my impatience. With the side shock, it was slightly more difficult to keep the car clean and off the boards for the entire 8 mins.

And secondly... the damper tube conversion w/ 15k lube and the .018 springs made the car less responsive with less steering. Which, in turn, resulted in slower lap times. I tried 10k lube in the car for the last heat and I couldnt really tell a difference between the 10k and 15k. I would like to try the damper tubes with the Associated progressive springs... this way I can eliminate the other variables, and determine the effect that changing the method of lateral damping has on the car.

Overall, I will certainly continue to play with it. It didnt do anything to the car that I consider negative... but it didn't transform the car, either. It did, however, make the car easier to drive consistently. If I can find a setup that yields lap times as quick as the shock/progressive spring combo, but with the consistency of the damper tube setup, I would be thrilled. And I dont doubt that I can find a setup like that.... but with 3 months on the car with the side shock and only one day with the damper tubes, the car is definitely faster for me with the side shock setup at this point.