Originally Posted by
Fastforward
Now you are making me think. In the past I have always used and integy lazer tweak board, there is no question that it gets the cross weights equal, which is what I always assumed that is what we were after. IF the rear pod is not equal weights on the rear tires then setting the front tires to equal weights would be setting the car up with unequal cross weights, which I have assumed for 15 years meant "tweaked".
That leads to the next question: would the ideal 12th scale car have the mass of the motor centered in the rear pod?
To me, the whole key is that the rear tires are absolutely fixed relative to each other so I'm not entirely convinced the whole "cross weights" thing exactly fits in it's entirety. Pseudo cross weights certainly, but changing at the front. In a stock car (or similar) the rear axle fixes the rear camber relative to each other, but it doesn't have the substantial mass of the car (motor/axle/gearing/hubs/pod) fixed on it and moving on a single pivot.
Would the "ideal" 1/12 have the motor mass perfectly centered? I would argue that the ENTIRE mass of the pod assembly would ideally be balanced side-to-side. I need to check into this, but I'd wager that our brushed motors are now more different in mass from different winds within the same manufacturers lineup. If that's the case, the centering and effect on balance would change with each different wind. Then you run into differences between manufacturers and different lines of motors and you're into a whole 'nuther realm of question. In the end, I honestly don't spend any time trying to balance the rear pod. I balance everything on the front chassis plate when I build the car and (effectively) tweak from the front with the rear sitting across the fixed bar.