Hello everyone. The 'Altered Ego' chassis conversion came about following some feedback I gave Frank after running the kit Xti with transverse 'wings' conversion a couple of times here in the UK. I think some of his other drivers had some input/suggestions too.
In the UK over the last 12-18 months we have seen a trend emerge towards cars that have a centre pivot that is mounted further forward on the chassis. So basically the swing arm length from the pivot to the axle centreline is longer. A couple of independent manufacturers such as V-Dezign have been running this configuration for some time now, and in fact it was when I drove for Vesa that we started doing this with earlier versions of the Carpet Ripper.
The consensus on this side of the pond is that a longer rear pivot length makes the car more stable in medium to high speed corners, making it less likely to step out or snatch in the middle of such a bend. This suits European tracks which tend to me larger and more open, whereas US tracks are much tighter and smaller.
In Europe, a transversely mounted battery also seems to be more favoured as it makes the car less twitchy and front-endy. Most of Europes top drivers now run a transverse battery if their car allows. The worlds were won by a transverse car, and both of the first two UK nationals this season have been dominated by a car with a transverse battery and forward pivot location.
From a personal point of view, I also felt that the wheelbase on the standard Xti was a little long. In fact it was much longer than anything I had previously run. I also found it frustrating that with the transverse wings bolted onto the chassis it was so difficult to mount the electrics in a neat and tidy way. For such a long car there was hardly any space on the chassis.
Lastly, the first time I ran the Xti I broke the front corner off the chassis plate where the body post mounts.
So I asked Frank whether he would make me a chassis to try which incorporated a few alterations to the standard Xti. A shorter wheelbase, longer rear pivot-axle length, one-piece construction for transverse battery, and beefier tabs at the front corners for added strength.
The 'Altered Ego' chassis conversion is the product that will go to market as a result. It has;
One-piece construction (so no bolt-on wings)
3mm shorter wheelbase than std. Xti
Centre pivot and shock arrangement moved 5mm further forward than std. Xti
Extra material around the front lugs.
The kit will comprise of 3 parts - main chassis plate, lower pod plate, upper pod/shock plate. Everything else from the standard Xti kit will mount straight onto the Altered Ego chassis. I think it is still possible to run the battery down the middle too, but space is very tight. I believe Frank has run the car like this in testing.
Running the car with this configuration should make it easier to drive and a little safer overall. Single lap pace will be unchanged, if anything very slightly slower I think, but over 8 minutes most drivers will find it is more consistent and less sensitive. As we all know - the race is 8 minutes long, not 1 lap.
So far I've been very pleased with mine.
I hope this helps. Feel free to email me or post on the CRC forum if you'd like any further info about the car. I'm not a regular user of this forum, but I do come on here for a look occasionally.
Thanks
Mark Stiles