jasonx

iTrader: (1)

Hey Ray,

Was good meeting you over the weekend was good to meet some friendly members. We're new to the sport, this past weekend was our first event and first time running on a track. I was running the stock tires that came with my B44.1 and ran them bald (front tires) by the second final.

What would be the best tires to run for us beginners on the Keilor track, assuming the conditions will be like what they were like on the weekend? I've looked at your JP Concepts chart from a few years ago. Does it still apply to the new track?

Thanks
Jason

ray_munday

iTrader: (4)

Hey Jason,

great to meet you too and glad to hear you had a good time.

The tyre chart will still apply to the new track. Its a new surface but very similar to the old surface. Basically in summer you will use Bar Codes in Orange when its hot, blue if its cold in the mornings. 3ds are good if the track hasn't been swept but is dry and hard underneath (better for practice days, usually the track is swept on race days). Flip Outs are handy to have for when the track is wet and they tend to work well in winter when its very cold and dusty.

I was able to test the new JC 'Dirt Webs' yesterday after racing finished and if anything they were better than Bar Codes in the higher grip / low dust condition, however I haven't been able to test them elsewhere so I don't yet know how versatile they are. But they definitely felt very precise as a first impression.

Look forward to seeing you down the track again soon.

Ray

zzztech

iTrader: (7)

Hi Ray
Just wondering how u find the 10.2 and T4.2 gull wing front arms. Did u find the straight arms jump better?

The Fuhrer

iTrader: (12)

Hi Ray,

With the release of the B5, which wheel types are compatible?

I'm under the impression the B4 and RB6 12mm style are interchangeable.

Thoughts on 22 and Schumacher 12mm front/rear and old school B4 pin types for rear.

ray_munday

iTrader: (4)

To be honest I didn't do a lot of back-back testing with the gullwing vs flat arms, and I only tested them on the SC10/10.2. I found they gave a flatter roll feeling at the front, but I didn't notice a huge change in jumping. We didn find the gullwing arms felt a bit better if you drilled an extra hole on the tower to lean the shocks in, and then run a firmer spring.


The B5 wheels are a direct carryover from the B4.2 hex rims.
The Kyosho rims are a direct swap (as I understand). I also understand that the 22 front rims wont fit, but the 22 rear rims will (however you will need to confirm that the offset is the same).

Im not sure about the Shumacher rims, but I think they are compatible with the B4 and hence the B5.

I don't think the old school B4 pins will fit as the axle diameter has changed and the offset to the pin is different. If you try it, let me know


I received my B5 this week (customers were given priority over team drivers) and hope to run it very soon. For those of you running Novak gear, you will need to get the smaller capacitor bank (3 small caps instead of 1 very big one) as the single cap is very very difficult to fit in the B5 electronics tray!!!

The kit went together really well and I don't have any real assembly tips, other than for the turnbuckles. The rod ends are very tight and if you don't prepare them properly they will be very frustrating to adjust. My tips:
- use black grease on the thread
- wind the rod end >1mm past the point specified in the manual
- wind the rod end back to the point specified

If you don't go past and then unwind, you will be trying to adjust the alignment at the end of the thread which is very tight. Doing it this way, you will have additional thread and camber / tow adjustments should be easy.

The b5 has essentially carryover geometry from the B4.2. However the shock towers are 1 hole narrower (ie the middle holes on the B5 towers are the same as the inner holes on the B4).

Take your time when mounting the receiver to make sure that your servo wires aren't stressed. I ended up mounting my receiver vertically (no real issue for Cg as the KO receivers are very light) as this gave the best direction for the wires exiting the receiver.

To begin with, I will be starting with a similar setup to the B4.2, and will make adjustments from there. Cant wait for the challenge of a new car!

Regards

Ray

skrichter

iTrader: (13)

Ray -- In your setup chart, for the B44.2 -- you mention the front diff should always be TIGHTER than the rear.

I run on a very small track 65x45 where there are a lot of tight/180deg turns. So I need to run a very loose front diff. If I were to run an even more loose rear diff, I think that would cause a significant issue. Thoughts?

Appreciate your advice/feedback on all forums!

ray_munday

iTrader: (4)

Hi mate,

yes in that situation having the rear tighter than the front may be an advantage (or at least having the front loose). A tighter rear diff will also give less steering into hairpins, however you need to be careful they aren't so loose they are slipping under power.

You may want to consider the gear diff conversion for the car as these give fantastic rotation through 180deg turns. I don't find them as good under power through sweepers (especially if the grip is a bit low) but definitely very good into hairpins.

If you have very few jumps and no long straights, you could also look into putting a 1-way back in the front - its been a while since we used them, but as far as I know the NTC3 one-way is a direct fit and it gives awesome steering off power and on power. Downside is less braking effect and less control in the air. All depends on how much time you are losing in the 180s.

In terms of getting the b44 to rotate through hairpins via setup, its very sensitive to front oil (drop 2.5wt and you will really feel it), front spring (use blue or even grey) and seems better with added weight at the rear (such as the AE ballast weight). Add an extra degree of front toe-out and run less front camber (0.5~1 deg). If the track is very smooth and tight you can also go back to a 44.1 length chassis... these rotate really well but don't jump or ride the bumps nearly as well as the .2.

Good luck and let me know how you go.

Ray

Clive_Bixby

iTrader: (2)

Ray,

Thank you for your help and wise words on the forum.
Tossing up between the B5M and B5.
I'm a point and shoot, brake late into the corner type of driver. Intermediate driver.
Hoping to make Knox a regular fortnightly run this year.
What are your thoughts on the the pros and cons for these two chassis? Generally speaking and track specific to Knox.
Apologies if you have addressed this earlier.
Thank you.
Clive.

ray_munday

iTrader: (4)

Hi Clive,

it sounds like the B5 will be best for you.

Rear motor (RM) has better forward traction, better braking, and usually more forgiving handling on low/medium grip tracks.

Mid Motor (MM) has better corner entry speed and jumps better. It is easier to drive on higher grip tracks, especially in modified, but become difficult if the traction drops as the forward traction is much less than RM.

if you are a point and shoot type driver, generally I would recommend RM.

Ive only been past the Knox track for a very short time since the rebuild, and it was dry. The surface was quite loose, traction is not high and the layout is more point and shoot than the previous one, so I would say RM for sure around there. With a MM at Knox (even before the rebuild) I had to add a lot of weight to the back to make it driveable, and the RM was easier to drive by a long way.

Even at Keilor, which is a high grip track with a lot of corners, I would recommend the B5 to most unless you were running mod and had a high skill level.

Hope this helps

Ray

skrichter

iTrader: (13)

Ended up going with blue spring, 32.5 (already had weight in car). It was better but still not enough for our super tight track. I was able to find a B44.1 chassis at a reasonable price and will mount that up on the 44.2. Here is a vid of our track if you were curious. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152265469801742

According to your damper chart, in order to achieve close to the same pack of AE 1.6x2 32fr/30rr, you would need to use 45fr/42.5rr oil with 1.4x3 pistons -- correct? However the 1.4x3 would feel a little quicker???

Thx for the time you have spent putting together your setup and oil charts -- very helpful. Can't wait to see your B5 recommendations!

WildManDriving

iTrader: (30)

Hey Ray, I've brought a B5 and pulled out all my old electronics but in hunt of tyres. Local knowledge here for SA say PL Holeshots or AKA Impacts and with the right conditions Rebar's but I'd still like to try the old faithful Losi X2000's. With JC's latest range what compares closest to the old go to tyre?

Thanks
Mick Ellis

ray_munday

iTrader: (4)

ok let me know how you go. The 44.1 is definitely more responsive in the really tight stuff. Another option we may need to look at is raising the roll centres front and rear (either lowering the inner ball stud and/or shortening the links front and rear). This will help make the car more responsive.

Unfortunately I couldn't see the facebook link (must not be a public video).

The 3hx1.4 pistons use a similar oil to the 2hx1.6 from the chart (in my experience, you run them about 2.5wt heavier for a similar feel). The 2hx1.7 need about 7.5wt heavier than the 2hx1.6. The 1.7 and 4hx1.3 will have similar pack for a given static damping, but both have much less pack than the 1.6s and will usually make the car ride the bumps better and be a little more responsive.

No problems re: the charts. My B5 testing starts this weekend - will keep you guys posted with what I find.


Hey Mick, good to hear from you! Hope Adelaide is treating you well. Glad to hear you got yourself a B5!

Basically the equivalent tyre for the X-2000 condition is the 3D, which works well if the base is abrasive and hard but there is a dust layer on top. Alternatively there is the Hybrid, which is more suitable if the base is hard but not abrasive. This gives excellent forward traction in 2wd. I would go blue compound in both cases.

Ray

skrichter

iTrader: (13)

Ray,

With the new V2 shocks, the pack has been reported by users to have changed quite a bit for all pistons (1.6, 1.7, etc.) The 1.7s seem to have quite a bit more pack with the V2 shocks compared to the original Big Bores. Some of the team guys have mentioned its b/c of the shock internals and the diameter of the bottom (where the internals are found) has been decreased a bit (see link below).

Curious if you ran your dampening tests (PDF file) with the new V2 shocks, where they would come out????

http://www.rctech.net/forum/13042323-post3197.html

ray_munday

iTrader: (4)

The model I have written does not include the effects of blow by and tolerances, so it would not show any difference. But the new shocks definitely feel nicer.

Another point is that the B5 is lighter than the B4, so an equivalent piston will feel to have more pack. During my first drive of the B5 on the weekend, I dropped to a 1.7 piston and it was much better through the bumps and still landed perfectly.

Ray

The Fuhrer

iTrader: (12)

Hi Ray,

Did you drop to 1.7 mm in the front with a viscosity change, or still 30Wt all round?
Would you consider re-drilling the rear piston to 1.8mm?