Aaron Waldron

Running different tires front and rear has long been taboo...I'm not sure why. Coming from a 2wd background, it makes perfect sense. The front tires are responsible for a lot more than the rear tires are. I don't know if you'll see this kind of mixing and matching any more often, but we'll see.

XMS - This is really the first time anyone has messed around with it as far as I know. For the conditions we were racing in and for what Truhe and a few others wanted their car to do, it worked fine. I don't believe any non-Losi drivers tried it. I tried it during the A-Main warm-up but I wasn't sold on it, so I didn't run that setup in the main.

The plastic shoes should last quite a while with regular maintenance. Keep the clutch clean and make sure the shoes don't mushroom out, and you'll get good life from both the carbon and aluminum shoes.

jkirkwood

iTrader: (8)

I got just over 2 gallons out of my 2 aluminum, 2 carbon clutch setup which equaled ~0.4mm of wear on each of the shoes. I honestly think I could have used them for another 30-60 min of racing but since it's the new season coming up I've replaced them. I expect better wear rates using the new blue Losi clutch shoes. I use green and black springs on the shoes. I like a very smooth and early engaging clutch setup with something that has no more than 5% deadband. The tracks around here typically don’t need mega punch to clear a series of jumps.

I've found these tips helpful in extending the life of the clutch.

• Clean the inside of the clutch bell with a scotch pad. This scratches the service a bit and removes any residue left from the factory.
• The carbon clutch shoes have some molding residue on them. Take some motor spray and put on a rag and then wipe off the shoes.
• Clean the inside clutch bell bearing to remove any excess greese. The grease will just spin out and get on the clutch. After cleaning you will need to put a drop of oil i (just enough to say you oiled it) in the bearing. You will need to re-oil regularly.
• Regularly clean the clutch shoes and bell. As the clutch wears a powdering residue forms. At the track I’ll remove the clutch bell and take a small brush and dust it out. In the pit at home I’ll totally tear it down, measure the shoes to determine wear rates, clean and reassemble.
• Use a hobby knife to remove any of the mushrooming effect.

jkirkwood

iTrader: (8)

I would guess one of the reasons why you haven't seen as much mixing is that the competition in this class has never been higher.

Aaron Waldron

Awesome post

Davidka

iTrader: (86)

I and some others have experimented with Panther K1 and K2 tires front and back thinking that the wider bars on the K1 would increase forward bite and allow more rotation in the rear. It turned out to be the oposite.

For that matter, why are buggy front and rear tires even the same width?

Aaron Waldron

I would guess it's just for the ease of being able to rotate tires front and rear.

That, and to promote a reasonable front-to-rear balance.

Turbine_au

iTrader: (6)

What are you using to clean the bearings out and what kind of oil are you using to relubricate? Do you have to remove the seal on the bearing then reseal it?

dirtracer1

i can understand not running a different diameter tire on a 4wd, but not sure why running a different compound (such as....a harder compound on the front) would be taboo. i've never heard of that or any reason why that it'd be a bad thing.....perhaps someone can elaborate please.

vr6

iTrader: (22)

my kit came with a pair of blue alum. clutch shoes, are these the new verisions from losi?

cornerspeed

Yep...

jkirkwood

iTrader: (8)

Spray it out with motor spray, let that dry for a few minutes and then a drop of Trinity bearing oil.

kyracer

Tire compound 2:

Thanks for all your input on the different tire compound. I came from 2wd buggy/truck class and it was a common thing. In fact when I ran 4wd electric we used different compound as well.

If tires are 75% setup then it seems that the compound would help the buggy. Ex. If your buggy is pushing going into corner then go with a softer compound in the front to help it grab. The 4wd/AWD is new to me.

Aaron Waldron

You're right, running different tires front and rear makes complete sense. I honestly cannot understand why it's not really common practice.

nip0380

Justinwzp,

We will be in Porter, Tx around 11:00am on Friday. and yes, their are a lot of racers coming out this weekend...... I'm looking forward to a very fun weekend.

Turbine_au

iTrader: (6)

The only possible issue I can think of is if the compounds are vastly different, it could make finding a balance an issue. Also, if they are different compounds, this could exaggerate the different wear rate front to back.