April 2023 Results
 

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We had 8 racers posting in 5 classes this month, with some very close racing in Box Stock with less than 2 seconds separating 1st and 2nd and 0.2 seconds between 3rd and 4th and in Stock with 4 seconds between 1st and 2nd and less than 2 seconds between 2nd and 3rd. Congrats to PoorBoy who won all five classes he ran for the Quintuple Crown!

Box Stock
1st - PoorBoy/David Krinard - 246.7/3.07s
2nd - Traveler2/Marwan Zabaneh - 248.4/3.03s
3rd - LuckyLou/Louis Leano - 253.4/3.11s
4th - None/Carmine Lanza - 253.8/3.24s
5th - None/Kevin Soukoroff - 276.9/3.29s
6th - LlamaRC/Doug Waite - 394.7/3.98s

Stock Class
1st - PoorBoy/David Krinard - 228.6/2.86s
2nd -Traveler2/Marwan Zabaneh - 232.8/2.84s
3rd - None/Carmine Lanza - 234.7/2.99s

Pro Stock Class
1st - PoorBoy/David Krinard - 228.2/2.73s
2nd -Traveler2/Marwan Zabaneh - 234.9/2.92s


Open 2WD
1st - PoorBoy/David Krinard - 220.3/2.69s
2nd - TAMAK/Mitchel Kauppila 272.0/3.07s
3rd - danjoy25/Dan Dylen Garcia - 299.6/3.36s

Open AWD
1st - PoorBoy/David Krinard - 232.4/2.78s

FTM goes to PoorBoy/David Krinard in his Open 2WD car with a 2.69 fast lap!

If anyone was late, please post up and I will update the results. Because I have some posting on RCTech and others on Facebook, I'm listing handle/name to more easily identify racers across the platforms. If anyone objects, please let me know. Also please check my tabulations and let me know if I made any mistakes or missed anyone.

Cheers,
Traveler2

May 2024 Layout
 

New layout for May, running clockwise. Drive fast!

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rct...248920a12a.jpg

Thanks for the info Traveler2! I'm placing an order today and I'll get some 19mm wheels to try out. I tried to run some laps last night, but I'm still getting over the flu, and half way through my first set of laps I started getting dizzy so I had to stop! :( Hopefully in a few days I can get some laps in!
Take Care and Drive Fast! Drew

If you are ordering from Kenon, you want two pairs of PN MR2079F0.

Traveler2 I got them ordered along with some other dish wheels to try out as you have said you have had good luck with them. I have been running on Kyosho wheels that come in a large set of 10+ wheels for $25, and while it was great to be able to try the different offsets they didn't hold up very well! They are pretty true, but they are cracking where the inside bearing pushes into! So I ordered as many white dish wheels I need for the different bodies, but Kenon was out of stock in a few, so I had to get a few in either black, and the BBS style. I'm hoping they are as strong as the Nexx wheels, but are more true. I really like the Nexx Floro Green dish wheels, but of the 3 pairs I have, 1 wheel of each pair has a significant wobble!
I got the MX-5 body coming along with a few RM Carbon T plates as the stock plastic one is super stiff! And If I really like the MX-5 I'll find an Aluminum 90/94mm RM mount, and disk damper as the RM is very fun to drive, but I get A LOT of tire chattering in the TIGHT corners of this new layout! This months layout has some really tight turns and wears my steering arm out!:blush: I was just getting used to the fast sweeping turns of last months track, and now I feel soo slow! my best lap so far is with the 94mm RM Skyline at 4.9 seconds!!! I am going to play with the springs to get it handling better in the corners.
Anyway Thanks for all the help and guidance! These Mini-z's and the Mini06 is a total blast!
Yall Take Care and Drive Fast! Drew

With the consecutive tight turns in the new layout I was needing more turn with my Stock chassis with the McLaren 12C. I had the widest offset wheels that cleared which are +2N on the front and +3W Rears. So I went down 1mm all the way around, and it helped A LOT! my avg time went from 5.1 seconds per lap to 4.7 seconds! I'm going to keep playing with wheels, then springs, etc. to keep improving my times and consistency lap to lap!
MX-5 white body, wheels and other ordered parts will be here tomorrow, and I'm excited to try out the Mini-Z at 90mm! I've been looking at Aluminum Motor Pods for 90mm, and basically I have found 2 in stock and they are the Nexx Racing RM and MM 90/94mm round motor pods. Does anyone have any experience with either one or both? I have a PN 70T and a PN Ball Diff already, and I am assuming the PN 70T's motor holes for mounting is the same as the "round motor" its advertised for? What about a disk damper plate for the 90mm?
Thanks for any and all help!

You can also try keeping your +2mm in the front and going to +1mm in the rear.

I recently picked these up...the RWD set, as well as the AWD set...but not with any intent on running/racing them. I picked them up purely to be used to determine the best offsets to use when running different bodies on different chassis (especially non-Kyosho chassis). Although I haven't started entering anything into the M96WC (I'm notb yet "good enough"...lol), running with our local group, one thing I've come to understand is that 3D-printed wheels seem to be the 'worst', machined the 'best', and molded somewhere in-between.

I received my Kenon order, and installed a #3 PN carbon T plate, and the 90mm MX-5 body with the same wheel/tire combo I had on the Skyline +1N front, 0N rear, and ran a set of laps. The 90mmRM is very quick and nimble, and the +1mm on the front work but stick out enough to climb the track walls and flip the car if you brush it while turning at all. 4.8 seconds was my fast lap but with 4 roll overs and a few needs for reverse my 75 lap time was just over 7 minutes.
Now to tape up some new wheels and practice, practice, and more practice! I have been using PN tire tape, and it seems to work pretty good, but do Yall like a different brand better?
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rct...5fe7e652e.jpeg
setup with PN 20mmN 0mm offset dish wheels, Kyosho low height medium fronts and PN KS soft narrow rears.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rct...5aa6959dd.jpeg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rct...6d1bbfed8.jpeg
I installed a PN Ball Diff and found a pinion that fits well with the motor shimmed to the farthest rear position in the factory RM pod. With the 0 offset wheels all the way around I traction roll when coming off the straight through the first corner! It's going to take some learning to drive the narrow setup. It's FUN THOUGH!!!
Take Care and Drive Fast!
Drew

Update: 5/5 Been running laps with the 90mm Narrow, and I'm starting to get it down where I can turn fast laps without traction rolling. I turned my fastest lap of 4.370 on this layout, but with at least 4 rolls where it landed on the roof my total time was 7+ minutes!:(

Been running laps with my Stock McLaren 98mm, and the MX-5 90mm Narrow. This layout is really growing on me! The McLaren is really running great! I put 19mm +1N PN dish wheels on the front, and 20mm +2mmW PN BBS rears as Kenon was out of dish +2mm W. The MX-5 is running ok, but I get tons of tire chattering when powering through the corners! I didn't get a full set of lap times with the MX-5 as the batteries died 15 laps in, and the McLaren's batteries were starting to run low around half way, but only cost me about half a second during the last 10 laps or so.
I'm going to start painting up the bodies, just waiting on a few new colors of Cretex to come in! Just about decided on a Gulf Livery on the MX-5, and bright orange, black, and white for the McLaren. I'm going to try to mix up a true Tangello for the orange. It's bright orange/tangerine with yellow pearl. I just am worried my Iwata Neo CN airbrush with it's .35mm needle will have trouble with the pearl. Cretex really recommends a .5mm needle with the pearls unless you thin them.
Anyway here's my times for my Stock Class McLaren.
Class- Stock
Date-05/08/2023
Location- Central Texas
Race Time- 6:09 minutes / 369.361 seconds
Fastest Lap- 4.342 seconds
Chassis- MR-03
Body- McLaren 12C
Wheelbase- 98mm
Tires- F- N19mm +1mm PN Dish-Kyosho low height medium / R- W20mm +2mm BBS PN- PN KS Radial soft
Motor- PN70
Batteries- Eneloop 800hv
Front Springs- red
T-Plate- #4 Carbon
Motor Mount- PN V3 94-98MM
Dampener (If applicable)- PN MR2061 Graphite Disk Damper- both disks with green springs
Dampener Fluid (If applicable)- Dry
Gearing- 64pitch 9t pinion/53t spur PN Gear diff
Notes- Really driving well! Handling better than I thought a Mini-Z could. I'll have to raise the body clips since going to the 19mm wheels the body is VERY CLOSE to touching the track! ALSO LOVING the PN GEAR DIFF!!! QUIET, SMOOTH and it just works!
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rct...a7e7f0f35e.png
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rct...8e043aed7.jpeg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rct...0d9e56952.jpeg
Take Care and Drive Fast! Drew

I have been driving the 90mm MX-5 with the factory plastic RM pod, and I couldn't get the wheel chatter controllable or stop traction rolling. SO I went back and reread this and the mini-z threads and Jim had posted some great info on how he got his 90mm cars to handle, so I need to order, if I can find them in stock, a RM aluminum motor pod 86/90mm to go to a disk damper, some light front springs, and 19mm wheels.
So I switched the car back to 94mm with an V3 94/98mm PN motor pod, PN 70T motor, PN #4 carbon T plate, PN Disk Damper with polished disks and damper plate (3,000 grit wet/dry) and Green springs, PN Ball Diff 53T/10T, +1N PN BBS wheels/Kyosho low height slicks on the Front, 0N PN Dish wheels/PN KS Soft slicks on the rear, with the 94mm Skyline R33 white body.
After the switch chatter and traction rolling is gone! Even the Skyline with the same wheel/tire combo, but with the factory plastic RM pod and top spring, had almost the same wheel chatter/hop as the MX-5. Also it traction rolled almost just as bad. So I'm curious to see how different it will drive with a RM pod with a disk damper. Now to find a 86/90mm RM motor pod! So for now I have 2 Stock Class cars, so I will run them both and post the better of the two for the month.
Take Care and Drive Fast! Drew

Drew, did you try 19mm 0N wheels all around on the MX-5? That's why I suggested ordering them. As far as RM pods, there's not a great one available. I have the Nexx RM round on my brushless 911 GT3 with a PN damper (when Nexx says round motor they mean brushless and square means brushed) and the older R246-1203 on one of my 911 GT1s without a disc damper. The newer R246 RM pod is the R246-1353 and the RM disk damper is R246-1354, both available on eBay. I'll try to find some pics to add.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rct...893a9467b.jpeg

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rct...d2c6937fa.jpeg

Yes I tried the 19mm wheels and it helped, but there was still a lot of chattering of the tires and traction rolling. I need to do another Kenon order, but I blew my mad money this month so it will have to wait till month. I found the Nexx 90/94mm RM pod, and it looks like its the best option out there. I was hoping to find a 86/90mm RM pod, but as I can't find any 86mm bodies that aren't $100+! I can't spend that on a body!

Anyway THANKS for the info and Pics you are a HUGE HELP as ALWAYS!!!
Take Care and Drive Fast!
Drew

Hey Guys, I have a question for you guys who know/understand the mini-z's better than I do. I tried going down to 19mm rims on my 90/94mm chassis, and I had problems with the chassis bottoming out on the track is turns. I have the rear axel in the lowest position, but I have the front knuckles at their "highest" position with the 2 plastic shims under the knuckle on the flipped kingpins.
So I am assuming that going to 19mm rims all the way around is to get the CG as low as possible to help with tire chatter/traction rolling, and not changing rollout as you would with 19mm fronts/20mm rears or change steering characteristics. SO my question is will I gain anything by lowering the knuckle/ raising the chassis (CG) to use the 19mm rims or stay with the lower chassis and 20mm wheels?
Also on the Kyosho R246 RM motor pod, I am wondering if it will accept a PN 70T, or do they require a Kyosho motor?
Thanks for any and all Help!
Drew

There are guys that understand and can explain the physics and dynamics better than me, but what I can tell you is going to 19mm fronts does reduce traction rolling. Been using them since 2010 for this purpose effectively. Chassis bottoming out on track is bad, so you need to raise the chassis front ride height by moving shims from below to above the knuckle. I never run all shims below, even on 20mm fronts with full height tires, I always have some shimming above. Either equal shimming above and below, or more above than below depending on diameter of wheel/tire, body, etc to get the right ride height. On a stock front end, I'd recommend keeping the 19mm fronts and starting with 1mm or 1.3mm shimming above and 0.5mm below (The ReadySet comes with extra shims, there should be four 0.5mm shims and two 0.8mm shims total in each kit). I like 2.0-2.5mm clearance between the front of the main chassis the ground and 2.5-3.0mm at the back of the chassis. It sounds like you don't have enough ground clearance for the suspension to work effectively and for the chassis and body not to rub on the track which will slow you down and cause other undesirable effects.

The 246 mods are designed for Kyosho motors. It usually takes a little modification to get a PN70T to fit, but then Kyosho motors don't fit was well. On an RM, I would think you'd be better off with the stock Kyosho motor, because they are smoother and not as torquey as the PN70T, which should make the RM easier to drive.