Ask Aaron Waldron
06-06-2007, 07:49 PM
#3646
I can understand the necessity of a setup station in on-road, especially on carpet, but I don't play into the psychology of using one for off-road, haha.
My dad's got a pretty well-trained eye for one degree using his "shiny aluminum setup gauge", so my cars are always pretty good, haha.
Jon - Bingo. You're catching on!
My dad's got a pretty well-trained eye for one degree using his "shiny aluminum setup gauge", so my cars are always pretty good, haha.
Jon - Bingo. You're catching on!
06-06-2007, 08:42 PM
#3647
Aaron I will not blow up a starter box this time...promise!!!
06-06-2007, 09:11 PM
#3648
At least with foam tires the surface is "flat". Even the flattest tires have quite a bit of "roll" to them on the surface, so the chassis doesnt have to roll side to side as much for the tire to have maximum contact. I see your point, but we'll make fun of eachothers neato "aluminum setup tools"
At least you don't care if you forget yours on the pit table!
However, I do love the setup station mainly for checking the front toe in/out. I like to make sure that the bellcrank is perfectly centered and that the tires are pointed in the right direction, because if any of those factors are off, ive felt that it can make the vehicle track wierd. IE. my bellcrank was not centered (by quite a bit), but I had +1º of toe-out on the front tires. Left to right steering was not the same, AND because the caster was different for both it caused some weird steering behavior.
I cant laugh at your soda can method, I do the same with my AD2, and instead of throwing the setup station on my 8 and fiddling for 20min, its much faster to eyeball it. It really is a pain to take the tires off, put the setup station on, check it all, drop it so the gauges stand upright to get rideheight..etc....
I use it for the day before the race, or if I am doing nothing for an hour or so.
Aaron- how do you check that you dont have any tweak, or do you at all? What about shock balance, IE that you are balanced left and right with your preload?
At least you don't care if you forget yours on the pit table!
However, I do love the setup station mainly for checking the front toe in/out. I like to make sure that the bellcrank is perfectly centered and that the tires are pointed in the right direction, because if any of those factors are off, ive felt that it can make the vehicle track wierd. IE. my bellcrank was not centered (by quite a bit), but I had +1º of toe-out on the front tires. Left to right steering was not the same, AND because the caster was different for both it caused some weird steering behavior.
I cant laugh at your soda can method, I do the same with my AD2, and instead of throwing the setup station on my 8 and fiddling for 20min, its much faster to eyeball it. It really is a pain to take the tires off, put the setup station on, check it all, drop it so the gauges stand upright to get rideheight..etc....
I use it for the day before the race, or if I am doing nothing for an hour or so.
Aaron- how do you check that you dont have any tweak, or do you at all? What about shock balance, IE that you are balanced left and right with your preload?
06-06-2007, 09:22 PM
#3649
nutfluff - Haha! I don't think I'll be there Sunday. There's a Saturday Series race this weekend also, and I think we're only going to one of them.
rezenclowd - I've never checked my cars for tweak. I suppose I should one day, but it's something that's going to change as the run goes on, especially in 1/8th scale. As long as the shocks are absolutely the same length and the chassis isn't horribly warped, the car should be fine. It seems that, with an off-road car, if your car is significantly different between left and right hand turns, it's often something mechanical (such as a warped chassis, shock length, the bellcranks being different to one direction, a bearing, etc.) rather than something being tightened down to the chassis unevenly.
An easy and rudimentary tweak test is to use an allen wrench to lift the front end of the car off the bench and make sure both tires leave the ground at the same time. Repeat with the rear end. (Make sure your work bench or table is level!)
It's another one of those things that doesn't make as much of a difference as there is less traction on dirt than asphalt or carpet.
As far as shock balance, you can use Losi's shock dyno to be really precise. Otherwise, you can hold one shock in each hand (by the body), and push the shock bottoms together. If they collapse at different rates, it's time to rebuild!
rezenclowd - I've never checked my cars for tweak. I suppose I should one day, but it's something that's going to change as the run goes on, especially in 1/8th scale. As long as the shocks are absolutely the same length and the chassis isn't horribly warped, the car should be fine. It seems that, with an off-road car, if your car is significantly different between left and right hand turns, it's often something mechanical (such as a warped chassis, shock length, the bellcranks being different to one direction, a bearing, etc.) rather than something being tightened down to the chassis unevenly.
An easy and rudimentary tweak test is to use an allen wrench to lift the front end of the car off the bench and make sure both tires leave the ground at the same time. Repeat with the rear end. (Make sure your work bench or table is level!)
It's another one of those things that doesn't make as much of a difference as there is less traction on dirt than asphalt or carpet.
As far as shock balance, you can use Losi's shock dyno to be really precise. Otherwise, you can hold one shock in each hand (by the body), and push the shock bottoms together. If they collapse at different rates, it's time to rebuild!
06-07-2007, 01:45 AM
#3650
Tech Regular
just wanted to know aaron if you have had a drive of a team magic m1b and what did you think of the buggy thanks in advance
06-07-2007, 03:50 AM
#3651
Tech Apprentice
hehe, I just started getting into offroad (I am actually waiting for the shipment to arrive, thaz how new I am) because most of my friends doesnt have an onroader
If i knew a station set for offroad would be so pointless, arg! =) lol!! Well, some more questions for you! Ive heard that many are experiencing the throttle servo issue for the 8ight rtr and I am wondering if there is a solution to it? Or is it really just people screwing up on the epa settings?
Thanks!
If i knew a station set for offroad would be so pointless, arg! =) lol!! Well, some more questions for you! Ive heard that many are experiencing the throttle servo issue for the 8ight rtr and I am wondering if there is a solution to it? Or is it really just people screwing up on the epa settings? Thanks!
06-07-2007, 09:29 AM
#3652
icemandolmite - Also, something my dad pointed out to me this morning. If your car is grinding or clacking, you'll probably need to replace the pinion, and maybe the ring gear (if it's chewed up).
pitdog - I've never driven one. To be honest, I don't think I've seen one on the track?
kmaheartless - I haven't heard much about the throttle servo problems lately. That hopefully means the problems are disappearing!
As you mentioned, I think the biggest factor in throttle servo life is the EPA. Make sure you're getting braking power without the servo tray flexing to the side when you hit the brakes. Also, I believe the RTR's are now coming built with the o-rings under the battery box. If not, I can explain to you how to do it.
pitdog - I've never driven one. To be honest, I don't think I've seen one on the track?
kmaheartless - I haven't heard much about the throttle servo problems lately. That hopefully means the problems are disappearing!
As you mentioned, I think the biggest factor in throttle servo life is the EPA. Make sure you're getting braking power without the servo tray flexing to the side when you hit the brakes. Also, I believe the RTR's are now coming built with the o-rings under the battery box. If not, I can explain to you how to do it.
06-07-2007, 12:13 PM
#3653
thanks aaron for the help the pinion gear and spur are fine
its defintely the inserts
its defintely the inserts
06-07-2007, 11:27 PM
#3654
Well, slop in the inserts often causes wear to the gears, so it was worth mentioning.
Glad to hear you figured it out.
Glad to hear you figured it out.
06-08-2007, 01:59 PM
#3655
Aaron, I can't for the life of me find ANY Losi Nitrotane in 30% in the LA area...
I only have 1/2 quart left and I'm planning on attending the JBRL this weekend. Any ideas where I can score some Nitrotane?
I've tried my LHS (out of stock), Ultimate (20% only), Nitrohouse (no fuel), Pegasus (20% only), SVS (Werks only), and the LHS near SVS (everything but Nitrotane)...
Oh and I know you're Trinity, so you most likely use the Platinum stuff, but hopefully you might be able to help me.
I only have 1/2 quart left and I'm planning on attending the JBRL this weekend. Any ideas where I can score some Nitrotane?
I've tried my LHS (out of stock), Ultimate (20% only), Nitrohouse (no fuel), Pegasus (20% only), SVS (Werks only), and the LHS near SVS (everything but Nitrotane)...
Oh and I know you're Trinity, so you most likely use the Platinum stuff, but hopefully you might be able to help me.
06-08-2007, 02:50 PM
#3656
Did you try Pacific Coast Hobbies? Hot Rod?
I'm not sure if either of those shops carry Nitrotane, but it would be worth a shot!
I'm not sure if either of those shops carry Nitrotane, but it would be worth a shot!
06-08-2007, 03:04 PM
#3658
Trinity Platinum.
06-09-2007, 01:06 AM
#3659
Tech Apprentice
Hello
I just got my 8ight B RTR today and was trying to setup the linkage to prevent servo failure. But somehow, no matter how i mess around with the setting, the servo tray still flexes. Another problem is that the servo buzzes even when I didn't apply full throttle/full brake. However, it is quiet at neutral. Is this normal?
Thanks!
I just got my 8ight B RTR today and was trying to setup the linkage to prevent servo failure. But somehow, no matter how i mess around with the setting, the servo tray still flexes. Another problem is that the servo buzzes even when I didn't apply full throttle/full brake. However, it is quiet at neutral. Is this normal?
Thanks!
06-11-2007, 11:38 AM
#3660
When you say that the tray flexes, you're talking about when you hit the brakes? A little bit is OK, but you gotta make sure your EPA's are not turned up so far that you're stalling the servo. I've heard of people using a voltmeter on the receiver pack to make sure they're not stalling the servo; the voltage of the pack will drop if the servo stalls at full travel. Sounds like a pretty good idea to me!
I've never used one of the stock RTR servos so I'm not sure if it's normal for them to be noisy. Some servos will buzz when under load, it's not necessarily a sign that it's going to blow up. Does it buzz without the servo horn attached?
When you're setting your end points for full throttle, make sure you have a little extra room to pull the throttle linkage, so the servo isn't straining against the mechanical limit of the carb. By the same token, only dial in enough brake necessary to get the car to stop easily, and don't go overboard.
I haven't heard of many (well, any) RTR servo problems lately, so I think they've gotten the bugs worked out.
I've never used one of the stock RTR servos so I'm not sure if it's normal for them to be noisy. Some servos will buzz when under load, it's not necessarily a sign that it's going to blow up. Does it buzz without the servo horn attached?
When you're setting your end points for full throttle, make sure you have a little extra room to pull the throttle linkage, so the servo isn't straining against the mechanical limit of the carb. By the same token, only dial in enough brake necessary to get the car to stop easily, and don't go overboard.
I haven't heard of many (well, any) RTR servo problems lately, so I think they've gotten the bugs worked out.