F10 Test
I tested a new F10 last night at the West Coast RC Raceway in Socal. They have a very nice indoor asphalt track with huge traction.
I am a novice racer and this is my first F1 car so take the following from that perspective:
Differences from kit parts and setup: ball diff and alum shock upgrades, HPI 'S' compound tires, lowest ride height possible with kit parts, and geared 95/26.
The car was way hooked up on the HPI 'S' tires and MUCH easier to drive than I anticipated. Towards the end of the session it actually felt a little too planted (stable), but that worked out for the best because that made it easy enough to keep off the barriers (well, mostly). Seemed like it could use a bit more steering - not reaction, just more throw, so I'll have to play with that.
I wish I could have got a better feel for the car, but my test got cut short when I smacked the wall at the end of the straight when I hit the brakes at the wrong time. The impact shifted the motor position just enough to assist me in promptly shredding the spur gear while driving it back to the driver stand. The plastic motor mount seemed a bit flimsy, but I thought it would be fine. I'll try the alum mount and that should solve that issue. After hitting a few barriers pretty hard, nothing broke or came dislodged. The car seems pretty tough.
Other than the plastic motor mount, I have no complaints. The car is very fun to drive, has tons of grip. Now I just need to ger a feel for driving it.