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cjm_wales

Getting closer...

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My shorty lipo conversion found me 2 seconds per lap!

But I'm still 2 seconds off the pace. And I drove my thumbs off yesterday.

I'm car 5, Craig Macdonald.

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I'm considering my next step... as it stands, the chassis is 100g overweight and I'm having trouble with the gearing - I've spent a small fortune on spurs and pinions over the last few weeks chasing the right gear ratio. I finished the day on 83 / 43 (48dp) which worked out at 4.12. The motor felt like it could take more and wasn't too hot to touch by the end of a 5 minute run.

Do I stick with it and try shedding some weight (could cost lots more!) or do I just bite the bullet and buy a modern machine?

I almost cried when that full carbon TA04 on ebay sold for 36 quid. I missed out on it by a matter of minutes.

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Do you want to think with your heart or your head?

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I'd keep tweaking the settings of the car before replacing.

Given the temps you were feeling I'd look at bringing the spur down in steps until you find that sweet spot of speed, efficiency, and temp

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There are 2 good threads on rctech under electric on road.

One is about some guy building a super light car.

The other is about guys racing old cars and staying competitive.

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I've ordered 2 turnigy 2600 90c super shorty lipos - that should easily get me down to the minimum weight. I'll need to design new battery clamps but that's no big deal. This will mean that all the weight is concentrated around the middle of the chassis :)

If all else fails, I could use the Schumacher MI5 I just won on Ebay for 100 quid....

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It doesn't look like your placement is too far off. You're what, 4th? So how do you pick up a couple of seconds time? When I asked myself that question the biggest place for improvement was my piloting skills. Since I'm racing a TRF 201, like your rig mine is also "dated" by current design standards. So I asked one of the competitive drivers from the A main to take my car for a few laps. He confirmed that while my car does present some performance hurdles that a new chassis wouldn't have, it's more than capable of being competitive. I'm still in the tuning phase with my rig so maybe that's where you're at as well? I don't know what motor and timing you're using or what the rules are at your track but what I'm learning is that 1/2 the fun of racing is tuning your car for maximum performance then tuning your driving skill to match. I personally wouldn't change chassis until I have reached the ceiling of both.

I hope that helps you out some.

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There are 2 good threads on rctech under electric on road.

One is about some guy building a super light car.

The other is about guys racing old cars and staying competitive.

I read both of them!

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I read both of them!

I was trying to read them on RCTECH, but that forum software is awful. It crashed my browser several times & I gave up, which is a shame as they were fascinating!

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I don't suppose you'd mind sharing a bit of info about how you fitted the shorty pack in your TA04? Have you had to grind out the reinforcing webs in the battery compartment? I'm looking at buying batteries at the minute, shortys would be good for this and hopefully my DF03 too.

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I don't suppose you'd mind sharing a bit of info about how you fitted the shorty pack in your TA04? Have you had to grind out the reinforcing webs in the battery compartment? I'm looking at buying batteries at the minute, shortys would be good for this and hopefully my DF03 too.

Firstly I bought the carbon reinforced chassis (that doesn't have rounded moulds to secure stick pack nimhs). no grinding needed. I also bought the SSG carbon battery straps. Then I designed some retaining blocks as pictured, got them 3d printed, and job done.

I need to design another pair of blocks (or a once piece retaining strap) for the super shorty lipo cells I've just bought.

If I'd stuck with the original TA04 chassis I would have had to do a lot of dremelling!

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Aha, thanks very much! I might have to go have a look for a carbon reinforced chassis then!

Do you notice a weight difference with a shorty, or is it just the better weight distribution?

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Aha, thanks very much! I might have to go have a look for a carbon reinforced chassis then!

Do you notice a weight difference with a shorty, or is it just the better weight distribution?

I think modelsport still have one or two in stock at the RRP.

The shorty pack is probably 50g lighter than the core rc packs I was running previously, but the biggest gain is the C rating of the turnigy packs - 90c instead of 30c, which does make a huge difference in punch and top end with the 17.5 motors we run in the stock class.

The super shorties are even smaller, which will get the chassis down to the minimum weight.

The core-rc stick pack lipos are great, but they really aren't designed for racing, especially in blinky classes where the battery output makes such a difference.

Edit: They do have the chassis in stock!

http://www.modelsport.co.uk/tamiya-ta04-lightweight-carbon-lower-deck/rc-car-products/23711

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