unknown

I just installed all four threaded TC3 shocks on my car. Something doesn't seem right though. Shouldn't the car be lowered all the way to the ground when the shoc collar is all the way at the top? When I had my composite shocks and I took out those plastic spacers...the car would be lowered all the way to the ground. Another thing...If I put the shock collars like half way in between the shock body, the car doesn't even look like it was raised up any!? Is this right? Is there something that I did wrong? I don't see what I could have done wrong.

Dave305

check to see if you need to back out your droop screws. You also may need to unscrew the eyelet on the shock shaft to lengthen your shocks.

unknown

My droop is set to 7 in the front and 5 in the rear. Any more will be too much. What do you mean by unscrew the eyelet on the shoch shaft? If I do that then that will let the shock oil leak.

popsracer

I think you already have WAY too much droop in the front. 5mm Droop should be the Maximum in the Rear that you'll ever need and 2-3mm in the Front of the Car.

AGAIN, you Should visit the Associated website for some of the more basic set-up information.

unknown

POPSRACER -

The way I measure the droop is with the droop gauge that came with the kit? Is that actually measured in millimeters? If it is...that is something I didn't know. I have checked out the AE site and I have everything set the way they suggest for racing on carpet. It just doesn't seem right that when I have the collars set all the way up to the top that the car isn't lowered all the way to the ground (touching the ground) like it was when I had my composite shocks with no spacers. Do I need to buy different shock caps or can I still use the ones from the composite shocks?

unknown

I think I figured out the problem...

I drastically need to tru my tires. Everyone at the track has their tires trued almost all the way down to the plastic of the wheel. This is why my car doesn't go all the way to the ground. Tomorrow is practice day. I'm gonna go to the track and test out the new shocks with the new shock out...and I'm gonna buy some purple and white springs and do some tests with those.

popsracer

Unknown;

I never thought about the shock caps. If you bought the threaded shocks as a kit, then they should have come with new caps to match. You'll have to ask the TC3 boys about them being different or not.
AND your Car does NOT necessarily need to hit bottom with the collars fully loosed. As long as you are getting the correct ride height and Droop, there should be nothing wrong. Set your shock length to the Associated recommended length. This should put everything into the ballpark.
The Gauges supplied with the car should be fine. I would still limit Front Droop to 2-3mm unless someone can tell me an advantage to running more than that. (someone?)

unknown

POPSRACER -

I have a simple question about tuning my suspension. Simply put, what order do you tune each part in?

Ride Height, Droop, Chamber...

I have been trying to get to competitionx.com, but they seem to be having problems.

popsracer

You got it!

Ride Height is 1st, Normally Droop 2nd, Then Camber, then toe.
If you have a Car with pillowball suspension in the Rear, a change in Rear Toe will effect Camber. Front toe changes don't normally effect Camber.
You always set Ride Height 1st, as the other settings are effected by changes in the RH.

I saw something about truing down your Foams, this is an old "Trick" that racers use to improve handling response. Just don't get carried away. See what the other racers are doing and ask someone to help you at the track. Make your enemies (the competition) your best friend.

If you can afford the XXX Main set-up guide, it is really helpful in explaining How and what different set-up changes effect your cars handling.
Once you find a decent Baseline set-up, get to know your Car. Drive it for a while without any changes. Then when you DO make a change, one small change at a time. Keep notes of your set-up and changes.

unknown

Right now, with my collars set all the way to the top of the shock...my droop screws aren't even touching. Is that good or bad? I would think this is bad.

popsracer

unknown;

Ignor the Droop screws until you have the ride height set correctly.
For Carpet this is usually 4.0-4.5mm. Then adjust your Droop with the downstop (Droop) screws. Use a Ride Height Gauge under the chassis to measure and set Droop. This is by far the easiest method. The Droop screws should NOT touch when sitting at Ride Height.
Shoot for 1.0-2.0mm in the Front and about 3.0mm in the Rear. For Asphalt you would have to increase everything by 1.0-2.0mm.

unknown

Just got back from the track...and I am happy to say that I finally have my car setup the way it should be. The car whips around the track flawlessly. Here is the setup I am running:

FRONT SUSPENSION:
CAMBER: -1 DEGREE
ANTI-ROL BAR
RIDE HEIGHT: 4MM
SPRINGS: PURPLE
SHOCK OIL: 70 WT.
PISTON: 2
TIRES: DOUBLE PURPLE

REAR SUSPENSION:
CAMBER: -1 DEGREE
ANTI-ROLL BAR
RID HEIGHT: 4MM
SPRINGS: COPPER
SHOCK OIL: 50 WT.
PISTON: 2
TIRES: PURPLE

BATTERY PLACEMENT: FRONT

Here are some new pics of the setup:
FRONT
REAR
SIDE

I can't thank you all enough for your help. I am so happy that I have my car running the way it should be. This Friday there is a free race at the local track and I am happy to say that I am gonna try it out for the first time.

gotpez

I think it is almost mandatory to true foam tires before running them.

Most manufacturers ship their tires with a diameter of 2.5 inches or more. This is a VERY tall tire for foam. It is nearly impossible to get the ride height down to the 4 to 5 mm necessary for good handling on a high bite carpet track. Also, a foam tire this tall will have a lot of sidewall flex on high speed corners.

As a bare minimum I true my tires down to no more than a 2.4 inch diameter. This would be for normal weekend club racing. I have found that the tires really start working at between 2.28 and 2.25 inches. This diameter seems to keep all of the suspension parts in correct alignment for optimum handling.

Another factor is that with taller tires, a bump on a board will easily cause the body to cut into the foam. This sort of chunking of the tires will severely shorten their life. This happens even on shorter tires, but taller tires seem to be more apt to get cut.

unknown

Yeah, I learned that the hard way. I went thru two sets of front tires because they were chunked. Now I will make sure to tru them down.

popsracer

All RIGHT!, Don't forget to right down EVERYTHING on this set-up. That way you'll have something to go back to if you ever get lost again.

Good luck racing.