Originally Posted by
Horatio
I raced a Tenth Tech Predator for a season. It was shaft driven and was very fast in a straight line. Acceleration and top speed were higher than it's rivals. The lay down, cantilever shocks were very F1 style (watch out - Traxass is watching you!).
On smooth, high traction tracks, the car was very quick. On bumpy, inconsistent tracks, the car was not as plush suspension-wise as its rivals. And it was fragile - land a jump off-square, or get hit by another racer - gears and suspension arms would break.
It's main advantage was super low C of g. The car needed further development, then it could have been un-assailable.
Just thought I'd add that perhaps the biggest issue with the pred was crumbly composite, where the screws held the gear cases together. They had to be accessed frequently if you were racing, thus tended to strip.
On a 1/8th Nitro Buggy, I'm not sure how you'd be able to move the shocks inboard without either shifting other (heavier) items back - such as the engine - without significantly changing the wheel base to accommodate. Especially if you have the added complication of moving the rear shocks forward. Compromising the size of the shocks to mitigate it wouldn't suit the supercross style tracks we see today with massive jumps.
It's a shame, because a 1/8th Buggy in that configuration would be super cool looking.
I suspect the Predator's reliability issues could've been largely solved by having more conventional (or monocoque) suspension arms and chassis/gearbox/suspension as all separate (modular) components; more like today's cars. The problem with that 1-piece composite tub was that any damage to, or stripping of any one of those three integrated components meant having to replace the whole chassis. I suspect they could've achieved the same geometry by more conventional means: not as cool looking, but more reliable.
Mounting of the shocks on 1/8: I think it can still be done. On the front, you can actually fit them longitudinally in that space between the steering servo and the fuel tank, right over the front brace, and possibly connect them to the center diff top plate. You'd have to re-shape the fuel tank slightly and put the lid further outboard, but it could be done. For the rear, the shocks might have to be mounted transverse (just like the Pred) to avoid too much heat transfer from the header, but there's definitely room.