beemerfan

iTrader: (39)

If you can find an effective way to deal with the bumpers, then yes. They are integrated into your outer pin blocks. I suppose you could just eliminate the rear bumper but I wouldn't eliminate the front.

pbr

iTrader: (3)

My son started with a HPI Sprint went to an Xray What a differance He on roads and oval races Carpet and asphalt with same car very little changes to be made now . The Xray has more adjustment that you may never need or( just don't know what they do ) we have 3 of them now and that would be my car of choice .

Tommy R

iTrader: (21)

Hey folks,

We race on asphalt tracks that typically always have at least one very fast sweeper (parking lot track that varies location). Below is a picture of the tire wear I'm experiencing. This is after one race at the "smooth" track and two races at the "rougher" track. As you can see, the fronts look to be wearing about 2-3x the rate of the rears. It's looking like I'll be seeing maybe 4-5 race days from a set of fronts. FYI, I rotate tires between each heat.

My question to the VTA experts is if this is pretty typical. I believe that it is, but was looking for some confirmation since VTA is new for us locally so we don't have a lot of experience here.....yet.

Front:


Rear:

trytowin

Looks about right, might be pushing a little tho.

Tommy R

iTrader: (21)

Thanks! Surprisingly, the car really doesn't push....certainly not as much as the tire wear would suggest. In fact, I'm really happy with the way the car handles. I've read that fronts wear faster than the rears, but I just wasn't sure how much faster.

snoopyrc

iTrader: (2)

I never said you wouldnt notice the difference, and a Sprint 2 is a lot closer to the bottom when it comes to performance. There are a lot of racers out there that buy the best gear they can and get spanked by someone with mediocre stuff(including Sprint2's) There are also guys that win with great gear, but probably could with less.

I get rusty real easily and if I dont race often then I will place in the back of the pack. That doesn't keep me from buying nice gear. I buy nice gear because I like it. I like shiny machined bits and clean carbon fiber. Even if it comes in last.

trytowin

I've found that the fronts wear out twice as fast as the rears. Yours looks to be a little more than that. Tho not bad considering your racing in parking lots.

IndyHobbies.com

When I first started in VTA, one of the experienced guys told me to buy six tire/wheels at the same time. Two sets of Fronts and one set of Rears. He was right.

nubie-wan

iTrader: (4)

Without a doubt a Sprint 2 requires a lot more work to make it competitive than an Xray. I have an Xray T3R and it is hands down much better out of the box than my Sprint 2. I have rebuilt my Sprint 2 in order to get it up to snuff with an Exotek chassis and numerous hop-ups and modifications. That said, it's been fun building it. It became a challenge after trying to race it and having it break constantly and be a beast to tune. I am running an Associated TC4 for VTA now and my Xray is for 17.5 spec TC class. The Sprint 2? I'm running it in USGT.

I'm still slow regardless of what I run but I have a good time!

nubie-wan

iTrader: (4)

True, the fronts wear faster on 4WD TCs. Two good reasons are they turn under power and the front end usually has a stiffer diff or uses a spool. Much more slippage/scrubbing causing wear. It is probably different in F1, 2WD CORR or other rear wheel drive situations.

Tommy R

iTrader: (21)

That's what I was thinking, too. So does the 2:1 ratio hold true for carpet wear, as well?

I need to ask around locally to see how other folks' tires are wearing....

LOL! I just did the same exact thing! But it looks like I may need 3 sets of fronts to one set of rears.


Okay, here's another tire wear question for y'all... Obviously, as a tire wears, it becomes just a bit shorter. In a more severe example (like my tires), the fronts are noticeably shorter than the rears. Is that tire difference enough to cause adverse handling characteristics? I mean, effectively the front tires are spinning slightly slower than the rears due to the difference in overall circumference. Or am I just overthinking this?

.crispy

I like how we're alternating topics right now!

There are cheap options without going with the cheapo Ready-to-runs. You don't need an XRay to be competitive.

The problem with those RTRs is that there are so many parts on them that you have to take off and replace anyway. Might as well start with a $150 kit and put the VTA required bits on.

The AE Club kit is one option. But I'm racing the new Spec-R S1. At $129 it is a helluva deal. I guarantee that in the right hands it is an A-Main contender at our track. Maybe this week I'll have IndyRC_Racer run it instead of his!

.crispy

Yes.


I've found that just barely legal tires (some tread showing) are faster because they have better grip (on carpet).

Tommy R

iTrader: (21)

Exactly! It's part of the reason I want to try a gear diff in the front (with heavy oil) to replace my slipper spool. I think it may help my slight high speed push and also help alleviate some front tire wear.

F N CUDA

iTrader: (34)

I now practice on slicks mainly. Yeh they're faster but that's not the goal. Longevity is key in order to bust out lots of laps but save the treads for racing. Most of us So Cal Outlaw TA guys have slicks now so it might not be long before we're done with the "for looks" tread thing at least on asphalt? Hoping but not stressing