There is a discussion on the mini micro forum about setting up 1/18th off road vehicles to race on-road courses (mainly carpet 1/10 tracks).

They claim that by adjusting the suspensions and using 1/10 scale foam tires that the 1/18th buggys and trucks will out corner regular 1/18th scale TC like the X-ray M18. I checked the dimensions and these 1/18th off road vehicles have the same length and wheelbase as 1/18 on road but they are as wide and have the same track as a 1/10 TC.

If indeed these mini trucks corner better because of they are twice as wide as the mini TC then I wonder what would happen if you took a standard 12 scale car(or a 1/10 pan car) and dramtically reduced its wheelbase down to something like 6 inchs.

Would you then have a even better cornering car?
Is the only reason RC cars try to maintian the basic dimensions of a car which is twice as long as it is wide because thats what the full size cars do?

I was once told that a square doesn't know which way is forward, meaning that if the track width and the wheelbase are the same. Many people also like the idea that we are scale auto racing. Its the same reason why people are resisting our bodies taking on the same flattened wedge shape the slotcar bodies have taken on. ROAR rules, which everyone pretty much follows, dictate maximum/minimum dimensions for these features.

Too late...take a look at the bodies we use in 1/12 and show me how they even come CLOSE to resembling anything in 1/1. While I was gone we've managed to bastardize "scale" here too. We've followed the EXACT same slippery slope slot cars plunged off of into the land of "thingies".

When I raced 1/12 and 1/10 pan in the late 80's and early 90's the cars looked like real cars (Nissan GTP, Jag XJ10/12, Porsche 962, etc. Now they look like charicatures. When I saw a Speed 12 body on display when I was checking out getting back into the hobby I had to ask about it--no way I figured that was a ROAR-legal body. Surprise.

Scottrik

As far as Black, Yellow, etc. compounds....They are what I consider goofy tires . Goofy tires work once in a while under goofy conditions. Running goofy tires at club races is usually a great way to slow yourself down. The reason you can't buy goofy tires is that they are only made for and brought to huge races like Cleveland, the Snowbrids, etc....just in case goofy conditions pop up.

If you run 1/12th on carpet you run should Purple fronts and Gray Rears or Double Pink Jaco Wraps/TRC Wraps/CRC Pro Cuts front and rear. These are normal tires and work best 99.99% of the time.

So where is going to be the place to race this weekend? Superior? Arts track???

If your down with 1/12 now, i'm going to have to dust of my yrx12

stricklands

Something like this???
Raced with this last month people were like "what shell is that?"

I like that "Strohs Beer" sticker in the front!! are you racing 1/12th sunday?

Hey Adrian,

What do you think about Jaco Greens all the way around for a very small tight track. I currently run the CRC pro cuts and I'm good going into the corner but the back end gets crazy loose coming out. When I first got into 1/12 the L3 I was driving came with Greens all the way around and the car seemed good but that was some time a ago and I may have not known good handling from poor. Amazing how age kills the memory cells.

Ahh...the Protoform P35. That was THE body until the Parma Speed 8 came out.

Yeah too bad it is as rare as that body. I think I need to retire it before it's all hammered up. (unless I get lucky and find another nissan gtp)

Where are you planning? Strickland? I'm itching to go race again....

Here's my old favorite

I want to try the PS8 it looks cool. Trying a CEFX open cockpit to see if it handles good (I really like the way it looks) . I know the protoform is supposed to be agressive but I just dont dig on it very much

We have moved on to longer lasting highter traction tires. If you have them run them. But they will not be ideal. They have little traction and wear out really fast. Be careful though. If you start out with a 1.80" front tire you may be down to the rim after 8 min on asphalt. Back in the Day we had to drive really smooth to conserve tires so they would not wear out. This was back when we ran 6 cell 1200SCR's and 45deg timing 27T stock motors in our 1/12 cars.

You can still use Green rears in stock on carpet or on asphalt if the traction is super high...like if your track had VHT poured on to it...lol! Ripon R/C Speedway and SoCal are placed where you can run green rears. They reduce rear traction making you car efficient when the traction is crazy high.

Green front tires....are like bad memories of wearing parachute pants in 1984. You really cant run them anywere. They have little traction and wear out REALLY fast.

hey all,

im new to 1/12 but ive just bought a second had rc12L3 its a 6 cell with a rc12L4 front end and has the crc "t" bar rear i only paid $55 would this car be ok for 1/12 racing?