asr524

iTrader: (12)

Which $100 Spektrum radio do you have? The $60 DX2E has a dual rate control....they just call it Steering Rate in the manual.

greener74

iTrader: (12)

More adjustments wont help if you are letting go of the wheel. Sure dual rate, and expo are good to have. But I'm pretty sure your Spektrum already has them. One time I went to a race 150 miles from home and I forgot my 4PL transmitter. So I bought the cheapest of the cheap Futaba controllers to race. It didn't even have a digital screen on it. just a red light or a green light and only dual rate, no end point adjustments, no expo or anything. And I was running touring cars on carpet with foam tires. Those things are twitchy enough. And I actually did pretty well. It all comes back to good form. If you don't have good form, the extra settings wont be much good. I go so fast I don't have time to let go of the wheel.

Don't let it go to your head, a lot of things feel weird when you are first trying them out. It took me a long time to get the hang of using my brakes in a racing situation, I always used to coast or rely on drag brake. For a long time it felt strange for me to tap the brake approaching a corner, now I don't even think about it.

And when people say do what works for you, or drive how you want to drive. Think about Tim Tebow. People always make comments on his form and his "throwing mechanics" but he throws a ball a lot better than I ever could. So it works for him, but not really. If you know what I mean.

One thing I love about practice days is I go there with a plan to practice. I don't just bash like a mad man. Its not track bash time, its practice time and I have a plan. One day I'll try different tires and traction compounds. One day I'll just drive different race lines. another day I'll work on braking and jump rhythm. One day I'll experiment with radio and esc settings. I just started helping a new racer. He is 10 and just drove an RC for the first time about a month ago. He is holding the controller wrong and says the other way feels funny and he is better his way. He throttles with his right hand and holds the wheel in his left hand like a door knob and cranks on it. And he is not left handed, but he is a bit stubborn and I'm not sure he will change.

johnny44

DX4C. I'll have to read on how Dual Rate works.


This is all great advice and insight.

I'm planning on practicing tonight and tomorrow morning for Saturday night club races. I also have the April Fools Classic coming up the end of March & beginning of April. So I want to be comfortable before then.

My goals like you mentioned are to practice not taking my fingers off the wheel and finding that comfort zone for me.

I really do want a new radio though, and if the wife thinks it will help then... Win for me!!

MaX-D

iTrader: (2)

I have the dx4c, and a Futaba 4pls. The Futaba has a little heavier trigger pull but the steering wheels feel the same to me. The dx4c has all the settings that you need for a radio. I actually use the dx4c to race with. I've since designated the Futaba to my Axial Wraith.

JsK

iTrader: (10)

You should not have death grip on the wheel either. Drive with your finger tips. Relaxing
finger pressure and allowing the wheel to unwind in a controlled fashion is completly
differnt than letting it snap back.

waffleNchicken

iTrader: (3)

Just a thought.... Maybe you're releasing the wheel to let it snap back, because returning as you should is uncomfortable?

You mentioned the possibility of another radio.... Maybe one with a different feel or more adjustability will help?

Radios like the KO ex-1 have gobs of adjustability to the trigger, and wheel. From tension to placement w the 3d drop down.

johnny44

I'm going to practice right after I get off work in a few minutes. My thought was to try 3 fingers to start with and see how that feels and or works for me. I know people use all kinds of different fingers to hold with.

I'm definitely letting it go to let it snap back to center quicker, but that isn't working very well for control.

I'm hoping that having an adjustable wheel tension and position will help with the feel.

waffleNchicken

iTrader: (3)

Are you trying to achieve a quicker return time by quickly letting it go?

Why not try a faster servo?

1/4milecrazy

iTrader: (5)

As I said, it may not be optimal. First and foremost you have to be comfortable and everybody does things differently. Ever see a left handed driver drive with a right hand drive controller but have their left hand on the steering and right hand on the throttle? How about anybody with a couple missing fingers? Some drive with their radio up very high near their face, some with it real low. While it may not be "right" or "correct" or "What the pros do" it is what is comfortable for you. Can you be faster or more controlled by not doing it? Probably. But that change is not gonna come over night. You have to learn it.

All the adjustments in the world is not gonna fix a bad habit. It is not the radio holding you back. Anybody who tells you you need a new radio to win is lying to you. I Am guessing you have a DX4C? Its totally capable of winning especially at the club level. I do it all the time, except I have a DX4Rpro. Its what I like. One of the guys on my team keeps telling me I will be so much faster if I switched to Airtronics or Futaba. I just laugh at him.

I actually find that I have much more control of my cars as I turn the servo speed down. I am not sure if the DX4C has servo speed setting but the DX4S and DX4R definitely do. Its one thing you might want to try, it may help giving you a little more feel when trying to learn how to adjust to a new style of driving.


A lot of people on the internet love to give advice and tell you you have to do this one particular thing, with no reason behind it. Or you have to run this part. You have to have this ride height or this toe or this anti-squat. Its all BS. You have to find what works for you. Try their suggestions out, but never take anything that anyone tells you as gospel. There are no cardinal rules in R/C. If someone suggests you make a change to anything in your race program your only response should be "Why?". and if they say "that's what the pros do" then they dont know shit.

johnny44

Update:

Well went to Practice Friday night and got to the track early yesterday to practice before race night.

The new technique is paying off. Almost got a 16 second lap in which is right where my class fast guys are running. Some other minor adjustments helped a ton with my car and driving.

Loosen slipper a little, take some travel out of the brake, and put on a smaller wheel on my radio, besides "NOT LETTING GO OF THE WHEEL!"

Thanks for all your guys input, it has really helped and hopefully this thread will help other in the future.

E1 Diablo

iTrader: (10)

+1

Be smooth with steering (and brake ) in, through and out of turns.

jimmer411

Flip your car upside down and turn the wheel full lock, let go and watch what happens. The steering bounces quite a bit.

greener74

iTrader: (12)

Smaller wheel was a good idea.

johnny44

My buddy that works at the track came up and said let me drive your car. He said the car felt great, but ~!@# that wheel is huge and makes it hard to drive.

He said I may be able to order you one and have it here by next week. I remembered that I had an old wheel from when I race some years back from a Spektrum I had.

I found that wheel and it was quite a bit smaller but had not foam around it. I took the foam off my current wheel which was obviously bigger in circumference, I cut a section out of it carefully and used some tire glue to match the ends and glue it to the new wheel.

I'm a perfectionist and it came out great! Besides, I found my comfort with holding the wheel with three fingers, thumb, index and middle finger. Index just left of center. I never touch 6 o'clock on the wheel which is where I put the seem.

I honestly think that might have been half of it.

vwduud

iTrader: (48)

I suffer from the same problem. I've been working on changing that over the past few months. Very challenging as I've had this bad habit since the late 80's. Didn't seem to be so detrimental back then in 1/10 2WD stock buggy. The speed and correction needed in 1/8th eBuggy really exposes the flaw in this driving style.

Progress has been good. It has started to become more clear, the performance gains when I do not let go of the wheel. It is/was awkward to try a different style. Is slowly becoming second nature to hang on to the wheel.