Yip rear is too stiff! Swap springs around.

I personally have been using the Plastic steering setup for over a year now and I do manage to hit and be hit sometimes. However after a bit of a bang I do notice that the steering is slightly off but I usually correct that while driving :p

The "regular" M-06 is on the way

New Alfa Giulia

I've heard people say this before. I used to fly R/C helicopters and remember asking one of the best in the world at that time, why he fussed over his heli all the time. His reply was classic. You're "fussy" to the level of your flying ability. I left chastened and found as my flying improved became more and more exacting of the equipment and the adjustments made to the equipment.

That was not intended to be a put down, but only to make you aware that compensating for "bent" stuff is not the best route to go. The Mini guys that I run with each week are a tough group. The last four TCS Mini Champs were in that group and almost all have been in the A main at the Nats or a Regional. They don't compensate for "bent" stuff with their driving. Their stuff is "spot on" and they beat your brains out with their driving.

The real fast guys tend sleep and eat with their cars:D
No amount of working on the car is too much!

Funny, I was thinking about this last night. Specifically about how much slop there is in a mini and how taking it out is either impossible or pointless. There must be a point somewhere, however where the slop could be reduced.

EG: The rear suspension on my M-06 is so sloppy that attempting to measure toe in with any degree of accuracy is futile at best. One side is toed in and has around 3 degrees of play back and forth and the other side has the same mechanical setup but is essentially at zero toe and has around 4 or 5 degrees of slop. This is a new car with less than an hour on it, btw.

So, I took some things apart and started fiddling around. I noticed there was a lot of play at the bottom of the upright where it is pinned to the lower control arm. Usually, this would be shimmed, but I thought differently this time. I took the lower control arm apart and trimmed down the areas where it the two pieces join together. I also had to open up the insides on the end where it connects to the chassis, seeing as I shortened the whole assembly a few tenths of a millimeter.

Once it was all back together, it seemed to have fixed most of the difference between the left and right sides of the car. Not bad.

What I'm wondering is just how much of this type of subtle modification do TCS champions do? Do they do this themselves? Are they supplied with already tweaked parts? Inquiring minds want to know.

Jim

Jim, they do a lot of subtle stuff and some mods are just down right devious and clever. These guys were not only spectacular drivers and great set up men, but they are all smarter than most. I'll give you some examples. None of them get special parts from Tamiya.

2007 Champ, Devon White used to cyno the suspension pins to the chassis and uprights and assemble the arms around the pins. This takes out almost all the slop in the suspension. We're talking about an M03 SWB. Also he was as good as Doc Mertes with motors and may have been better and that's no disrespect to Doc.

2008 Champ, Dillon White, glued the tires to the edge of the rims and picked up a mm or so in roll out. The kid could drive, but Devon setting up the car was a big help.

The 2009 and 2010 Champs, Micheal Monaghan and Sir SwiftaLot, are just head and shoulders above most in the driving dept. However, they are pretty anal about shock oil and springs and how the shocks are built. Believe me, their cars are really good too, "dialed" is the expression, I believe.

Being friends with and receiving their help and the "San Diego Mini Group" have made me competitive only cause the car is so good. It sure as hell isn't my driving. Doing the "little" things is a big help and having the car help you rather than the other way around is definitely the smart thing to do.

That trick with the CA glue on the suspension pins is something that crossed my mind. I thought it might be too brittle, especially with club racing and the way I drive.

Very interesting. If you can think of more, please share. It's stuff that won't make much difference for the average schmoe, but it's also really great insight.

Jim

Good reading
 

Grandpa, you should write a :nod::nod:;);)

another rookie question..

Is Hitec HS425BB servo good enough or should I upgrade to something better?

That servo should be good. The great thing about minis is that you can run a cheap servo. The $10 Futaba cheapies are popular around here.

Craig, I'll take your post as a compliment. For those who may not know or know of the Bozo from Laguna, which he calls himself and I don't out of respect, let me introduce you.

Name Craig Richter
Age Sixty something
GT3 2009 TCS National Champion
Perrennial A mainer in Mini. I think he finished 2nd a few years ago
Disposition usually sunny, but can get crotchety
Driving style Smooth and flowing. Almost snot like if you know what I mean

A mentor of mine of sorts. Let me explain the of sorts cause Craig mainly tries to help me with the driving part of the equation. I think part of it is his trying to be helpful and the other part is self preservation. My driving style, let's call it that out of kindness or generosity, is heavily influenced by the "Flyin' Hawaiiian", Danny Ongais. They did not call him Danny On the Gas for nothun. Combine that with 75 year old reflexes, not so good eyesight, and a really fast Mini and you'll figure out where the self preservation comes in.

If Craig decides to share info or an opinion, it'll usually be worthy of consideration.

I opened a thread about this but since the application is really on Tamiya plastic gears used in minis I hope you don't mind my asking.

What lube do you use on your gears?

if your talking about the planetary gears in the diff, ive used the anti wear grease, its nice and sticky and tends to stay in the housing.

and if you add 2 or 3 extra shims you can get a nice tight effect, similar to a ball diff.

:lol:
hahaha
It either will be funny or scary...I don't know which.

Isn't it great that RC racing can be for all ages. Not just to enjoy, but even compete at quite some level.
Respect guys.

I use Nulon Ezi-Glide Clear Silicon Lubricant on the gears on my mini. For the ball diff and gear diff I use the Tamiya anti-wear grease on the inside.

Later,

Calvin.