Adam?

It seems like all of a sudden, we're trying to reduce the minimum weight rules for sedans. I see ROAR plans to make changes, Snowbirds has a much lower weight, and I think Novak as well?

So what's reasoning behind this? Is it to kill of NiMH? To benefit designs like the Type-R and E4? Is this really the best move, or is it change for the sake of change? And, finally, what's the new standard weight going to be?

One really nice thing about LiPo is that it gives just about any car the opportunity to be right at the legal weight limit without all kinds of crazy concessions, like titanium screws and LW bodies. With lighter batteries, wouldn't it make more sense to increase the durability of the cars (likely making them heavier)?

mild seven

iTrader: (63)

Here in Melbourne, Australia they have changed the min weight to 1425grams. They believe this is the way rc is going so they have made the change to be effective of jan 1st 2009.

I believe 1450 grams would of been a better min weight as its easier for some one with Nimh packs to get there car to that min weight.

Gitsum

iTrader: (1)

I say its a good move....I know with the 08 I had to add like 140g of weight to meet the 1525 for rubber tire. Also another racer with a Type R had to add almost as much about 130g of weight to make 1525. Now what I think would be a better change would be short bl motors so they dont hang so far off to one side.......of course the Tamaya(sp) guys dont have to worry as much with there 90% blue car...

Drifting101

iTrader: (8)

Nope legal as of the 1st of Dec

sosidge

I think decisions to reduce weight limits in TC are a bit premature.

As it stands there is not one chassis on the market that has been designed for LiPo, everything out there has six slots in the chassis. We have just finished an IFMAR world championship where NiMH was the only cell used.

LiPo is still a very young technology in RC cars, really it is only during the course of the last year that people have started to look at it seriously, and I know a lot of people locally who either prefer the feel of their car with NiMH, or are not prepared to dump all their cells and buy new just because it is the latest trend.

To decrease weight limits now will just penalise NiMH users and only serve to split up the racing community - when what we really need now is a consensus. Electric on-road has too many classes, too many voltages, too many equivalencies already.

Andy63

Minimum weight in sweden is 1400 and we use NiMh 5 cells.
We dont use LiPo in competitions.

My Kyosho SHIN has a weight of ~1350 fully tuned and i need to add some extra weight.

Tubaboy

iTrader: (9)

In the U.S. this trend is a lot different then Europe, as most of Europe seems to be running 5 cell. (to which there is not an equivalent Lipo battery).

In the U.S., the majority of the drivers were using Lipo. I know some guys stayed with Nimh, primarily if they were going to run in Worlds since they had to run them there.

But overall, here in the U.S. at the national events it seems most of the drivers have already switched to Lipo.

I do find it amusing that you're complaining about the voltage differences, when it was the European block that introduced 5 cell.

I'm glad that ROAR was proactive and lowered the weight.

Paul

Davidka

iTrader: (86)

Lower weight stands to benefit the car's durability, when you hit things the lower mass should translate into fewer broken parts. It will also reduce tire wear, assuming your track runs a spec tire/hardness, otherwise that's a wash, people will just use the next softer tire. Lipo is better in every way so it's time to embrace it. Races like worlds/nationals are irrelevant to the racers that buy the products and use them in club racing.

SWTour

iTrader: (9)

can't you run TC's the way FullScale on-road racing had handicaps for power and performance?

For instance, if a racer were to use the super light, but less powered $35.00 Orion 2400 LIPO vs a much higher priced, higher output SMC 5000 priced at $129.95 (priced at the top of this page in a STORMER HOBBIES ad) Give that combo the weight break difference in actual weight between those 2 packs.

In the On-Road racing I grew up watching (real cars) they always ran cars of different weights, and power...and handicapped them in some way to make them perform more equal on the track. Why shouldn't SCALE racing be similar...then RUN THEM Together.

Gitsum

iTrader: (1)

Kinda falls into the KISS principal....(Keep it simple stupid)....no pun intended..

or8ital

iTrader: (38)

That is offset a little by the fact that the cars will be faster at a lighter weight. It is amazing what big a difference two identical cars at 100g difference in weight can do to the speed. A lot more then I thought it would be!

stitchy

iTrader: (13)

As a BL lipo user, I'd like to see weight limits come down. To make weight I have to add strips upon strips of lead weights to my car (TA05 w/ tub chassis) and might even look to replacing my titanium screws back to steel (haha)

But in my few months of on-road racing, I've noticed that on-roaders love to scrutinize minutiae and b*tch and complain over every little thing. Foam, rubber, nimh, lipo, brushed, brushless, this body, that body... You're penalizing this group, that group. It's too expensive, etc. etc. etc...gah!

I do applaud ROAR for this though...

revo61

iTrader: (18)

My club run lipo and brushless. 1525 is what we run and my tc5 almost 200 grams under, if I don't add lead. I wish ROAR would lower the minimum. 1525 is easier to get if you run nimh.

or8ital

iTrader: (38)

I think people are over-looking the fact that most cars as they are designed today need the extra weight to balance them (since they were designed for nimh). If you lower the weight you are penalizing people with cars of that design (most except Losi and TM). Once I balance my TC5 I need to add very little additional weight to get to 1525g.

Adam?

Yep! And since the LiPos we use take up the same physical space as NiMH, it's not exactly feasible to move electronics around for balance like the 5 cell guys do.