glennhl

iTrader: (16)

Thanks for posting your setup. I've got some questions...

How did the front arm sweep work?

I noticed you were running gray 15.0 springs instead of the stock blue 15.9. Did that make a difference?

Have you tried the white 13.8 springs just in the rear? Seems like associated drivers normally run the same springs front and rear?

Are the 4 mm hexes with .5 spacer a big change?

You spaced out the rear arms by using +3 dot mounts. Did the wider rear track help a lot?

Do you run the top plate screw when you run the floating steering?

Can you get the same effect of floating steering by just taking out bottom screws on steering posts?

You were running mod, do you think this would be a good setup for 17.5 on a medium size asphalt track?

Thanks for all your help.

Steve Weiss

Hi Glenn,

Front arm sweep generally results in a more aggressive feel off center, but maybe slightly less responsive in the middle and/or exit of the corner. Sometimes it seems to aid in high speed stability.

I didn't test gray vs blue springs back to back that day... I basically just ran the gray springs all day because they are supposed to be similar in rate to some other springs we had run with some success on the "prototype" cars. The car did feel a bit "soft" to me at times, so perhaps the blues would be a good test for the future.

The 4.5 mm hex spacing is not a big change: In the front it makes the car a bit more responsive, and in the rear it tends to result in a bit more on-power rear traction... better forward bite.

+3/+3 rear arm spacing is pretty standard for a lot of the team guys. It tends to result in a bit more stability than the standard 1/1 setup.

I didn't run the top spacer/screw in front with the floating setup, just the floating setup with the optional floating posts in the steering/servo brace. Generally on asphalt I've always liked having flex in the front of the car rather than try to stiffen it up.

Regarding the post's mounting point, the effect will be similar, but it will be distorted quite a bit by the fact that there will be interference from the bottom of the posts pressing against the main chassis, along with the fact that the post itself probably won't be supported at the top as well as you would like. If you are interested in trying the floating steering setup, I would opt for the optional posts. They are pretty cheap and pretty easy to install.

Regarding whether the setup will work for 17.5 at your track: I don't see why this setup wouldn't work... it's quite "standard" and similar settings have worked pretty well on the old car in a number of different situations, I see no reason why it wouldn't be similar with the new car.

That being said, your milage may vary with just about anything. Depending on grip level and driving style, you may find that some of these settings just won't work for you.

Some things to possibly try if this is the case:

Personally, I find the gear diff oil to be a very powerful tool for adjusting how the car drives. The lighter the gear diff is, the more off power rotation and steering you will generally get. It will also tend to accelerate hard and straight out of the corner with light diff oil. Heavier diff oil will result in less off power rotation and steering into the corner, and sometimes less steering overall. It will tend to induce more on power steering, sometimes leading to on power oversteer if it's too heavy for the conditions.

Camber is a simple adjustment, but it's also a very powerful tool that shouldn't be underestimated. At that particular track I used 2 degrees front and rear, but generally I start out with 1.5 front and rear and go from there. Adding more camber at one end of the car will generally add more traction at that end... to a point. If you go too out of control with it, you start compromising the contact patch of the tire and things go bad from there. I would recommend a maximum of 3 degrees of camber. Although, that being said, I'm not really sure of the last time I even ran 2.5 degrees of camber anywhere.

The front pin sweep adjustment can be useful if you feel that overall your car is working well, but you just want to change the personality of it slightly. As I mentioned earlier, positive pin sweep results in a little more steering in and generally less in the middle/exit. Straight pins are smoother going in, but tend to have more steering in the middle and going out.

Regarding the springs, if you find that the car is lazy, or tires just aren't coming up to, or staying at temperature, you might want to try the stiffer blue springs.

Good luck and let me know how it goes! ...And as always, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

-Steve

glennhl

iTrader: (16)

Steve, you are the best!! Thank you. Also have you guys ever run softer springs just un the rear to eliminate oversteer?

Steve Weiss

Sorry about missing this bit earlier:

It's not a really straightforward "yes/no" answer, because softer rear springs don't necessarily just mean "more rear traction, all day, all night, everywhere"

There are times I go to a softer rear spring to soften up the initial steering response that the car has, so in this sense, yes, it helps mitigate oversteer into the corner. HOWEVER, going to a softer spring in the rear can sometimes allow the rear to collapse and overrate, resulting in oversteer in the middle or exit of the corner.

It really depends on the track conditions, the type of corner you're talking about, and your driving style.

I would say that if you're talking about lower speed, tighter corners, a softer spring can sometimes feel as if it has more rear grip, or at least make it easier to manage the steering/traction you have. But if you're talking about high speed fast corners, a softer rear spring can feel like it has less rear grip, especially if you're transitioning from side to side at high speed.

I haven't tried the white springs on my car yet in any conditions. When we were doing some carpet testing a few weeks ago, one of the guys tried them on his car (front and rear) and thought that they felt too soft overall for those particular conditions.

If you're dead set on trying running them, there's obviously nothing stopping you, but I would consider trying a few things:

Step 1.) Just leave everything else the same, and change the spring (adjust your ride height of course)

Step 2A.) If the car seems lazy in transition or entering the corner, try standing the rear shock up a hole and see if that helps things.

and/or

Step 2B.) If the car feels ok, but just sort of washes out in the rear in the middle of the corner, you could try reducing the amount of rear droop that you are running (Assuming you're not already running a "small" amount of rear droop") I think "standard" settings for droop are between 5.0 and 5.5 on the droop gauge in the rear.

Hope the info helps!

-Steve

glennhl

iTrader: (16)

Perfect. Thank you so much for giving such a detailed answer. Associated is lucky to have you!!

Steve Weiss

Glenn,

No problem, I am glad to be a help!

Thanks for the compliment! I think so too !

MattW

Part 3 is now up, talking about building the roll bars - which I know was something mentioned in here a bit ago.

Edwin Pibal

iTrader: (1)

Thank you for the great answers there Steve!

was good to finaly have a reason to use front arm sweep

ed

Adonis_mp

iTrader: (9)

I read through this thread and I like what I'm reading but you read the same comments from just about any other thread. I'm Looking for a new car but don't know if I want to stay with AE. I have 2 TC6.2 and 1 TC6.1 and I'm pretty satisfied by them except for durability. The walls keep calling me so I tend to break C hub and carriers on a regular basis so I'm looking for something better. Is the TC7 durable enough to make a difference and how does it compare to the T4? I want to say $$$$ is not an issue but the difference between $520 and $390 is a lot and it can buy a lot of parts. Though I totally understand and admire loyalty and again, I really the ones I have I'm not looking for a fan boy answer. Should I buy this car?

glennhl

iTrader: (16)

Well, Murphy is always busy. I moved some DCV's from one of my TC6.1's over to my new TC7 when I built it and I forgot there is a rotational requirement. I had a 50/50 chance of getting it right and I didn't. Well, one of them came apart and I lost one the 1/16" diameter pins. Well, measuring the one that is still there, the pins are 1/16" (.0625") diameter by .340" long. Where do I get one of these pins without buying another full DCV kit?

The pins in the single CV joints is .060" dia by .370 long. The hex drive pins are the right diameter (.0625") but they are .030" short at only 5/16" long. I put one in there and it seems to bite, but I'm a little worried. I have spare drive pins, but I'm not happy that they are .030" shorter than the correct pin. Where can I get some spare pins?

Thanks,
Glenn

Edwin Pibal

iTrader: (1)

Id like to know that too Glenn, I did exactly the same thing!

DJH

iTrader: (2)

Hey Glen and Edwin,
This should have the parts you need
part number 31633 DCV rebuild kit, relatively inexpensive

DJH

iTrader: (2)

Hey Adonis,
I just got back into racing after about 12 years not touching anything rc. I have found the car to be extremely durable, since it has survived my very rusty driving skills. After 6 weeks, I'm now getting around again without smashing every second corner. I have hit the wall at the end of the straight on our track hard ( airborne barrel roll into the wall at top speed). Only one issue, pulled a turnbuckle out of a ball cup. I bought spares when I got the car and have yet to use anything but the one ball cup.
I think you will find the car to be just as durable as any other car, and a pleasure to setup. It is a very nice car to drive and tune, you can notice changes very easily.

Adonis_mp

iTrader: (9)

Thanks DJH, this is the kind of info I'm looking for

azeroth

iTrader: (21)

1/16 drill rod or drill bit and cut to length