BlackKat

LOL

I've had to do that several times....I liked my XRay Evo2 MUCH better than my FK04....I had a better time with my TC4 than my JRX-S...and the FK05 wasn't any better than the TC4 I ditched it for......

Eventually I bought an RDX kit: Problem solved

CarbonWorks

Last summer I bought a new Pro 4 because I liked the design and looks of the car. I drove the car about 5 races and struggled the whole time. It had been a long time since I had raced, but I knew I was still capable of running with the fast crowd. After trying about every thing conceivable, I was still not able to consistantly get within .5 second of the leaders. I am very methodical about setup changes, and never tune by anything other than a stopwatch. Because of my arrogance (lol) I was unable to believe that it was my driving that was causing the problem and not the car. I finally gave up on the car and bought a new FT TC4. Much to everyones astonishment, I was now turning faster laps than anyone-sometimes up to .5 seconds. I wish I could tell you what the difference was, but I can't. I know lots of people love that Pro 4, but I just plain stunk with it. I still wonder what I could have done to make it like my TC4. I can't even tell you how many times I heard. "wow, what did you do?"after I got the associated car. Who knows? I guess there was something about my driving style that clicked with that particular car.

AdrianM

iTrader: (4)

At races I help everyone no matter what they drive. A guy will come up to me and say my XYZ car is loose, pushes and has no traction. I ask him if he is running a factory setup. When I look at the car I usually see at least 2 of the following: rickety worn out arms, bent hinge pins, air in the shocks, chassis is tweaked like a potato chip and the factory setup is way off because he didn't have the right shocks oil, spring or was too lazy to change roll centers.

Most guys are faster with any new car compared to their old car. Mainly because its new and everything is straight, tight and set up right.

If they took their old car apart so no two parts were together and replaced everything that was worn or bent as they reassembled the car it would be just as fast as a new car.

Jon Kerr

iTrader: (17)

Brand new cars are usually going to be quicker. Just like everyone has already said. Things are new, straight, tight, and you do have a little more confidence in the new stuff. I do build up a new car for major races most of the time. If not a new car, most everything gets replaced. But believe it or not, there's times when a car just isn't right. Everything can built perfectly but there may be a minor flaw in one part that effects one thing and that will effect another and it's pretty much impossible to find. I ran into this a few years ago when I was driving Losi cars. I had been running a XXXS G+ and was very happy with it. At the time I would usually go through 1-2 cars a year. I built up a new XXXS and the car just sucked. Nothing I did to it would work. Ran that for about a month and decided to build another car. This one was fine. No difference in the way all three cars were built. Setup was the setup I'd liked at the same track with the first car. But the second car sucked, the third one was perfect. That's why when I do build a new car for a big race, I make sure to run it at least once or twice before the big race to make sure nothing is wrong and then just freshen it up.

casper7

who has biggest wallet WINS!

AdrianM

iTrader: (4)

Not true...you could get a new car or spend ~$50 on new plastic for you old car and get the same new car feel.

THE DARKSIDE

iTrader: (2)

Adrian,

You have the right idea.

-Eric

stuey

iTrader: (1)

hey

I had a simular situation with diffrent cars not because i struggled to set them up it was a case of my driving style being way to agressive i found when i ran any of the shaft drive cars i tended to strugle i ran a barrcuder for a wile and a tc4 for a year i lost my 19t track record in this period witch i set with an xray and i never got it back not for trying tho then i changed back to belt drive to a yokomo bd and within a month a got the record back i think this is down to a could drive that car like i stole it and get a way with it ive recently changed again to a tamiya 415msx this car is truly awsome i missed my record by 2 secs on its second time out you may ask why i changed from a yokomo to a tamiya cos they are pretty much the same the main reason is the yokomo was rubbish on carpet it would hook to much never had a realy good balance with it except when i raced on tarmac.

Jon Kerr

iTrader: (17)

Wow. All in one breath. Punctuation is a wonderful thing. j/k

Got Xray?

iTrader: (-1)

The owner of our track races an old evo2 in stock and mod and beats a guy with a jrxs who has all th best equiptment,batteres etc.

Din Viesel

In the 20yrs I have been racing, I have seen drivers go from D mains to A mains with a new car. Yes I agree with replacing wornout parts and rebuilding diffs and shocks on a regular schedule. But the fact remains that some cars have better designs, thats why companies spend so much $$$$ on R&D! So why are some of you unable to believe that a driver with a ( for example only) Pro 4 switchs to a RDX can not improve drastically. What some of you are saying is that all you need to do is keep replacing worn parts and your car will still be the best.....if that were true then we would all still be driving Streetweapons with new parts and there would be no point in new designs to improve a cars handling

Jon Kerr

iTrader: (17)

I think what most people are talking about on here are people claiming they've gone from, say for instance, an FK05 to a T2 and gone from the D to the A. A 415MSX to a HB Cyclone. Etc... There are improvements in the car. No doubt about that. And some drivers and driving styles just "fit" with certain cars better. But the difference from one of those cars to another is probably not enough to take someone from the D to the A instantly. Now I do agree that someone jumping from, using your example, a Street Weapon to a T2, an Mi2EC, a Cyclone, or something much more advanced than what they were running, could very easily make that big of a jump.

casper7

No is true, man with biggest wallet wins

That is the race to have the latest car

I never said wins on the track as good driver with an old car set up well will win over a poor driver with the latest car with an average set up

Mike

scoobydo

iTrader: (1)

We talked about this in the beginning of the thread.
I also talked about shafts to belts.
Eventually......yes, technology does advance. However, I was talking about CURRENT High End to High End. 415 to 415MS, FK05 to T2, RDX to RDX??, MI2 to MI2??? etc....(I don't know them all!)
We are obviously not talking about Street Weapons to a T2.
Funny thing though, I would bet my wallet that Atsushi Hara could still kick our a$$ with a Street Weapon!

Din Viesel

If you actually stop and read my post you will see that I did make a comparison to CURRENT high end cars!!! The point is, it is being done. Guys have gone from RDX to Cyclones or whatever CURRENT car floats your boat and have jumped up to higher mains. Your driving style and the cars design are going to play the most important factors in were you are in the mains. Having the best equipment does not always = fast, you could have the best of everything, but if you are hitting shit what good is it do you? I know we all have drivers at our tracks like that

Long point short, replace worn parts, rebuild diffs and shocks,stay off the walls and be consistent will always be fast.

And I agree Hara and a Streetweapon would be hard to beat.