Hi Guys;
In sanctioned/organized racing venues (ROAR/EFRA/IFMAR) the maximum width of a 190mm body is actually 195mm and in the 200mm class the bodies are allowed to be 205mm. Most body manufacturers try to be right out there as wide as possible.
In the USGT / GTSpec type classes there are no rules pertaining to width. When we did the LFA body the GT class was still kinda fresh and just starting to gell. I was kinda guessing at what would work best - thus the LFA is a true 200mm body. (guessed wrong....oops) Since then we are trying to do PROTOform GT bodies in a more optimum width, to hopefully satisfy as many USGT fans as possible.
Since the LFA body release it became apparent that a 190/195mm GT body was the way to go, so that's the direction we went. However, I've also noted a bit of a down-side to that width as explained below. So many enthusiasts of this class really dig the realism factor, so in the case of the PFM-10 we intentionally made the front 1mm wider per side and the overall rear width approx 3-4mm wider for a couple reasons.
- in order to have realistic rear fender shapes (with a proper amount of "roll-under" behind the rear wheel openings) it automatically creates a potential "body-tuck" type situation (which we all hate
) By merely adding a few mm in that area we have hopefully created a better compromise between form and function.
- Some GT enthusiasts like the staggered wheel look. Now it's tad easier to emulate the way real 1:1 supercars look with their wider rear wheels. Now 31mm rear wheels can be used if you so chose. (there are tons of them in the rc marketplace)
- From a performance standpoint, thin spacers can now be used to slightly space out the track width and possibly gain a bit of cornering stability.
I hope that helps you understand out logic here at PROTOform. We love this class and are currently hard at work on new USGT styles.
QUESTION: Do you think that we should do a 190mm version of the Lexus LFA? It would have a few updates to the aero package as seen in the real world but would essentially be 90% the same, just narrower.
Thanks for you input and comments! Much apprecuiated.
Dale Epp - PROTOform