Originally Posted by fulcrum2
Hi there!
Could someone pls give me his thoughts on this:
I got a Futaba 9402 servo for throttle/brake.
When I brake from high speed to medium speed (after the straight into a fast sweeper) the cars slows down very well, with no lock up.
But if I brake from slower speeds, or even when I come in for refueling, it is almost impossible to haul the car down to standstill without locking the brakes.
Fulcrum:
You can try the Futaba 9451 for max torque and speed. It definitely is stronger.
The other posts have the right idea. Test the car on a straight braking hard. If the car takes too long to stop, tighten the brake. Eventually the car will start to spin out. This is bad
Loosen the brake a bit so it does not do this.
Assuming for a minute you are using an unlocked one-way, keep in mind that while this is the fastest configuration for a lot of tracks the driving style is different. So much so that you don't use the brake much. In other words, you're fast on fast off the throttle and you coast into turns. If you lock the one-way or use a front diff (Julius' favorite!), braking is a lot more effective so you can brake a lot later. So much, in fact, you have to change your driving style to take advantage of it.
Also, don't forget engine braking. The effect is very limited on an RC car but it still works. A lot of new racers hit the gas 100 percent, the 2-speed kicks in, the car barrels down the straight, now it's time to control and brake as a turn comes up, so they fumble, grunt, groan, and make weird body movements hoping their car will magically turn. And when it hits the barrier they blame the car, the brake, whatever.
Next time, hit the gas, let'er rip, get off the 100 percent throttle a little earlier, start turning, and then blip or ease into the throttle again (it depends on the curve). Suddenly the car is more controllable and you're making the turn. Coming into the pit? off throttle a little earlier, a little blip just as you enter, and brake hard.
Also, don't forget to check for tweak. You should always do this but it is pretty critical if you're going to use the unlocked one-way. If the car is tweaked it will spin out to one side but at much softer brake/lower speed than if not.
Good luck.