GENERIC SET UPS - ARE ALL TC'S THE SAME
 

Just a quick one to start, what I hope, would be a good discussion.

I've had various cars - like many on the forum.

I am coming to few conclusions - do you agree, disagree - why?

1. certain set up combos can transfer from car to car - regardless: 5 droop front - 4 rear; HPI Silvers outside; 35wt rear, 30 wt front oil; 2 degree rear camber, 1 degree front; 4 degree font caster

2. given that the same fine settings transfer from car to car - then the cars must simply not bbe changing despite all the hype (I accept certain changes for new technology ie LIPO; DCJ's; gear diffs);

3. Money is better invested in:
a. keeping a car for long enough to know it;
b. instead of chop and change - buy some more tyres

4. The advantage of a new car derives more from it being newer -not as a result of a minor design change.

5. Never underestimate how a bodyshell in bad condition messes up your cars handling

Transferring setups is not usually going to work depending on the design of the chassis. While many look very similar, most have varying degrees of higher/lower bulkheads, top decks, and shock towers which translate to differing inherit roll centers. Not to mention shock design and the piston hole sizes. Copying a setup may get you close but you'd be better off starting with the suggested "kit setup" for the surface you're on.

I do agree that the effects of tighter tolerances on a new car with less slop will give you a degree of automatic handling improvement.

Whether you deem it cost effective to replace old parts or start fresh with a new kit is subjective and user preferred.

I've been finding starting camber points change more based on the type of tire and responsiveness of them. The Sweep 32's have more side grip than some so they tend to feel more planted and sluggish so I start with 2f 1r. Jaco blues are much freer and so I start at 1f 2r. Then make changes based on overall setup and track conditions.

Most of the cars on the market are almost the same with some exceptions. All the settings can be easily changed are universal among most chassis but sometimes it's the inherent design features that matters at the end. The stiffness and the flex characteristics of the car, the material used, weight distribution, center of cg etc are not easily altered. Some tracks will prefer certain design and you can't really get around it. However the window of setup on the relatively new cars are pretty wide so normally you can get pretty close with just setup changes.

1. Setup can be transferred to a good effect but will still need to be adapted for the new chassis. I have yet to find two different chassis that I can just use the same setup and end up feeling the same.

2. Since I don't agree with the first, different chassis are different for me. But I agree that over hyping over a new chassis is not a good practice but it does help out the industry to survive so I have mixed feelings about it. My thought behind this is that getting a completely new car from the same company every year or two years if you race a lot makes a lot of sense since parts wear out and buying a kit will make finical sense at that point. Parts are usually interchangeable between a few generations of cars so it will make buying spares effective for a long time.

3. Tire is a always a good investment but I think what you mean is practice is always a good investment towards speed.

4. Some minor design changes makes a world of difference while others won't do anything for you. There is a lot of variables in this mostly track layout and conditions you race at. Something doesn't matter to you doesn't mean it won't make a huge difference else where in other's hands.

5. Body is absolutely 40%+ of a setup so totally agreed.

Setups are quite close, but my view is that the unmeasurables (flex, tolerances, parts quality) are what makes the difference between cars that work well and those that don't. You don't have much control over these which is why cars swiftly build good or bad reputations.