Originally Posted by
CristianTabush
Last week I added weight to my SC10 4x4. I started with 90g (3.2oz) additional to see the results. Since I added weight, I also stiffened the suspension to make the truck handle a little flatter. My truck now has blue springs rear and yellow front. With a blue swaybar front and yellow rear (could use a stiffer rear bar- it keeps making the truck more stuck).
The truck got much easier to drive and got faster and more consistent lap time wise. So I kept adding weight until the lap times started going in the wrong direction. The number I arrived to was 4.2 total ounces.
With the extra weight the truck does not have to be "driven like a 2WD" anymore. It lands better after jumps, it rolls over obstacles better, it corners flatter. It was 1.5 seconds on average faster on a track that runs 36+ second laps.
I got really close to the track record on a night where the grip was causing everyone to go about 0.5-1 seconds slower per lap vs the last week's results. My truck was 1.5 seconds faster than the previous week. I ended up the Top Qualifier by about 35 seconds (almost a lap). I beat my best time on the track in EVERY RUN. I ran an extra lap in the 10 minute main (and these are 36+ second laps!).
While the truck is still not at Losi Weight, It comes in at 6lbs 5oz and the stability gained from the weight genuinely made my car easier to drive, much more consistent and fast. Lap in, lap out.
I know a lot of people on here think that lighter is better. That's fine. For those that are actually curious to find out what a heavier SC10 4x4 will accomplish, will actually be pleasantly surprised.
I finally got a chance to catch up on this thread today and you answered a question that has been on my mind for a while.
My biggest complaint about the SC10 is instability. We have a couple local tracks here... one is a very tight, small clay track and the other is large dirt track... both indoor. I do pretty well on the larger track where things are much more free flowing and contact with other cars is fairly rare. I've given up racing on the small one. I can make real fast laps on it, but it's hard to avoid contact with other racers and when I inevitably rub a pipe I go flipping into a wall. This is only made worse by the fact most people around here have the Losi. I recently went to a big race at an small/medium indoor track and had TQ, figuring this race was in the bag. In the first main I ended up in 6th or 7th. Every time I would try to pass someone we would rub and I ALWAYS got the worse end of the deal.
I know this has been said repeatedly but I can't get over how much more stable the Losi is. I've driven a couple of the local Losi trucks and don't really turn faster lap times with it but it's way easier to drive. You can make small mistakes or get bumped by another truck and it recovers quickly where the SC10 does somersaults.
All this to say I've been thinking about adding as much weight as I can cram in the chassis to see if it makes it more stable for a while now. Thanks for giving your feedback and prodding me to stop by the hobby shop to grab a few strips of lead.
