Racing by post - Round 45 takes us to Anderstorp!

[TurnipJF 9181]

4 hours ago, Carmine A said:

...... I tried it, for a hoot. 😉

My TT-02S SM RRRR only managed 7:44 laps. 😖 I'm out of practice!!! It's amazing how much you weeks can take out of you.

Indeed - I know the feeling. Hopefully our skills will return after a few solid driving sessions!

[Fabia130vRS 2098]

Where ate the track layouts I wanna run something  

 

 

[Carmine A 2046]

1 hour ago, TurnipJF said:

Indeed - I know the feeling. Hopefully our skills will return after a few solid driving sessions!

..... I feel I've gotten quite cold during my hiatus! I WILL need practice. I may even try some Foam Tyres. They're hard to get in the U.S. (with the 12mm Hex type Wheel), believe it or not!! 😖

I'm going to see if Tony's or some other UK Shops have them.... Royal Mail is far more efficient than China Post!!! Besides, whenever I can help U.S. or UK Sellers - I always will. 😊

[mud4fun 1696]

Here is a suggestion for a track plan that is 6m x 2m, actually just a slightly revised version of El Geckos track with an extra long leg added. It looks more complicated than it actually is! 

[mud4fun 1696]

3 hours ago, Fabia130vRS said:

Where ate the track layouts I wanna run something  

Nice track design @Fabia130vRS but sadly a little too large to fit into the average UK back garden during lockdown I suspect? I'd like to try my Cougar round that! 

[Fabia130vRS 2098]

9 minutes ago, mud4fun said:

Nice track design @Fabia130vRS but sadly a little too large to fit into the average UK back garden during lockdown I suspect? I'd like to try my Cougar round that! 

Could be resized  

omg the track layout you posted seems very complicated with so much overlapping. Could take days for me to get used to. But sure.

[mud4fun 1696]

It is actually up to @ryback to choose the design because he won round 7 so we'll have to wait and see what he has planned. 

edit: actually it was joint top with @jupitertwo so they will need to do a joint track design decision LOL

[jupitertwo 1484]

20 minutes ago, mud4fun said:

It is actually up to @ryback to choose the design because he won round 7 so we'll have to wait and see what he has planned. 

edit: actually it was joint top with @jupitertwo so they will need to do a joint track design decision LOL

we have the get out of just having to pick 

I think @ryback should have the honour, he was top of the table

 

@mud4fun have you tried that circuit out? I like the idea of a longer lap time, but yeah, remembering where to go might be challenging!

[mud4fun 1696]

5 minutes ago, jupitertwo said:

we have the get out of just having to pick 

I think @ryback should have the honour, he was top of the table

 

@mud4fun have you tried that circuit out? I like the idea of a longer lap time, but yeah, remembering where to go might be challenging!

I will set it out at lunchtime and run the Cougar around it. I would estimate it being at least a second longer than round 7, maybe even 2 seconds so probable laptimes of 8-10 seconds across all our buggies?

[jupitertwo 1484]

@mud4fun I’m hopefully getting a Fire Dragon soon, which I’m intending do these runs on grass. Would you recommend sticking with the stock tires, or switch them up for some Schumacher’s?

any other immediate changes I should make?

[mud4fun 1696]

31 minutes ago, jupitertwo said:

@mud4fun I’m hopefully getting a Fire Dragon soon, which I’m intending do these runs on grass. Would you recommend sticking with the stock tires, or switch them up for some Schumacher’s?

any other immediate changes I should make?

Congrats!

Stock setup and tyres should be fine for grass.  All thundershot based cars are pretty decent straight out of the box.

Stig Eater was running Schumacher yellow full spikes front and rear for round 7 on grass for virtually all attempts, so pretty similar to stock kit tyres other than dimensions.

Just do your own toe in (and where applicable camber, if you fit adjustable links as I have on Stig Eater) because Tamiya recommendations or default settings are not ideal.

We prefer the Schumacher tyres simply because of the range of compounds and patterns so we can tailor to different surfaces and they have a lower profile so they don't look stupidly large even on 2.2" rims. Oh and of course, they are relatively cheap and normally always in stock at Modelsport 

You'll notice from pictures of all our 4WD buggies that they are all converted to hex drive and 2.2" tyres. It makes it easier for swapping tyres between cars. They also run narrow fronts. That helps reduce understeer and in fact on round 7 we went as far as fitting 2WD slim front spikes tyres to some of the 4WD's to get them to turn righter under power. Not sure why that worked but it did, especially on the Egress. That was on very wet/muddy grass though.

LiPo makes a hugely beneficial difference to balance and handling on the Thundershots because of the transverse battery position. I actually squared off my battery tunnel so I can fit just about any battery we have, from 7.2v NiMh, 8.4v NiCd, 2S hard cases and even the HV shorty. The battery retainers can be moved to two different positions each side giving you stacks of battery options.  I generally use square section LiPos and even shorties. 

If you choose to race on tarmac (with a hotter motor) then you'll need to lower the car unless you like rolling alot.... Stig Eater sits very low (12mm front, 16mm rear) with bespoke shocks. Oddly enough I left the tarmac setup as was for round 7 and just changed the tyres! Shows how good the Thundershots are. In comparison the Cougar was dire until I had perfected a specific wet grass setup.

[mud4fun 1696]

Oh PS @jupitertwo, we are running Dyna Run super touring motors in Stig Eater, the Cougar, Egress and Avante2001. On 7.6v HV LiPo or 8.4v NiCd that is a 38K+ rpm motor. We had them all geared around 8.5 - 10 FDR's (Cougar was at 9.89). I have run Stig Eater for 30 years on 8.4v (and recently on 2S) and for the last 20 years with the Dyna run or a Reedy 19T spec. Still on my original diffs, bevels and wire coat hanger prop!!! So the transmission is pretty damned good for a vintage buggy.

[ThunderDragonCy 7873]

How are you guys counting / timing laps? I think I will try and get involved in round 8.

[Fabia130vRS 2098]

I film it and count afterwards. A relief ...

[El Gecko 1343]

Yep that's the easiest way. Just get a little tripod for the phone to sit on and record the whole 5 minute race, then review the videos and count laps once you get home.

I use the LapTrax app (free on Google Play) and it works well. Easy to set up and use. Many of the racers are using LapMonitor hardware.

[mud4fun 1696]

@jupitertwo I went out to do some testing on my suggested layout using Stig Eater and a 2S LiPo. Yes, initially I kept going the wrong way but that was because I was so used to the round 7 layout after K's of laps around it that I instinctively went the round 7 route a few times... LOL

However after about 50 laps I'd 'reconditioned' myself and was fine after that. 

It is a bit trickier than the round 7 track, especially for me because I have a loads of flower pots sat quite close to two turns now and ended up sliding into them a few times and I also managed to run over my tablet too 

It was raining while I did my attempts and the grass was saturated from both heavy snow showers earlier this morning followed by heavy rain.

My best lap was 10.27 seconds. Obviously that will come down a fair bit with practise and better conditions so I think it would indeed be about 2 seconds longer lap times than round 7.

Here is Stig Eater looking a bit naked without his wing (still waiting to be painted in the new team colours) before and after the testing.....

 

NOTE: The 'stonehenge' around the LapMonitor is only temporary until I finish making my new armoured pill box for it.

 

[mud4fun 1696]

and @jupitertwo this shows the modifications I have on Stig Eater (Thundershot), some specifically for the relatively flat (and often on tarmac) postal racing:

• 13T Dyna Run Super Touring(13t pinion for round 7, 14t for round 2)
• TL01 alloy motor cooling fins
• full bearings
• Rear diff filled with automotive lithium grease (and has been for 30 years)
• Squared off battery tunnel to run square section LiPos
• modified A5 (lower half bolted to bumper and upper half removed and a B8 used instead
• rear B8 flipped for more rear toe-in
• front and rear anti-roll bars
• turnbuckle steering rods
• adjustable upper camber links
• bespoke shocks using new black CVA bodies and caps plus various pistons to give supple but lowered suspension
• UJ Front driveshafts
• Axial narrow alloy hex adaptors
• DF03 2.2" wheels with schumacher full spikes (for grass) or Schumacher race wheels with Cactus and Cactus fusion tyres for tarmac
• 2.4Ghz radio and HW1060 ESC
• Bespoke wing mount for a Schumacher wing

 

[jupitertwo 1484]

@mud4fun thanks for the comprehensive list! 
 

ive a BZ, bearings to hand. I’ve got what I think are original UJ hop ups, just need to dig them out. Hexes, wheels, tyres and a spare body on the shopping list. Roll bars and turnbuckles I need to work out what I have and what I need.

so I’ll start with the minimum to hand, see how well it does against the optima. Which could be comical if the snow forecast for the weekend arrives!

[mud4fun 1696]

@jupitertwo you know the funny thing here, I always loved the Kyosho Optima back in the day, some of my friends had them. They are not just a great performing (in the dirt) buggy but they look good too! I was sorely tempted to get an Optima Mid last year but in the end I went with a new Cougar laydown. At the end of the day, I have some of the finest 4WD buggies Tamiya made and I use them daily so I took the decision that buying yet another vintage buggy was a mistake - I needed to see what a modern buggy is like. How can I critique or compare my cars to modern buggies unless I own one and have driven one in anger?? Sadly I'm now hooked on Schumacher too...... so now I want a CAT L1 Evo....... my RC car addiction runs deep.....  

EDIT: The mudlets just roll their eyes...... hoping to have the L1 Evo for my Birthday in April 

[jupitertwo 1484]

@mud4fun heh, yeah, all your Schumacher talk had made the L1 Evo catch my eye. However I seem to be more into touring cars these days ( the bodies I think is what I like the most), so I've not veered into buggies too much. I had wondered if the L1 Evo was due a refresh soon, no idea how long Schumacher keep their buggies around for?

 

I was doodling some track ideas, but then started to wonder about dimensions. What sort of boundary box are we sticking to these days?

I dragged the boxes around a lot, so I figured I might be subconsciously drawing an previous track!

[mud4fun 1696]

@jupitertwo and they complained my track designs were complex..... Hahahaha

Only kidding, don't think there is usually any limit (round 2 was massive!) but as we (in the UK) are still confined to home/garden a smaller track will attract more entries?

Eg. We can't use the rec ground at the moment (as strictly speaking RC cars is not a viable excuse if the old biddies complain) so anything bigger than say 6m x 4m is out for us so we'd have to sit out that round unless we bulldoze all the veg beds, flower borders and cut down a few trees...yes, OK I'm tempted but... 

I assume it will be similar for others in UK?

 

 

[TurnipJF 9181]

Indeed. Under normal conditions we would try to alternate between large and compact layouts, but while we are in full lockdown, compact is good I think. 

[mud4fun 1696]

PS. @jupitertwo I have quite a few 'as new' HPI Super Touring (now known as Super RS4) shells in the attic. They are touring car shells that are 230-235mm wide and have wheelbases of 280-300mm. So basically ideal for a modern buggy chassis such as Schumacher Cougar or CAT Evo L1. I'm sorely tempted to get one down and fit it to the Cougar. I got them 20 years ago and was planning to put on to extended thundershot chassis. The track of the buggies means they fit perfectly inside the arches and look more realistic AND you gain the awesome off road/all terrain ability of a buggy chassis on a scale looking shell. 

The fluorescent wheel in the picture are laid out on a buggy track width and a 290mm wheelbase eg. Exaclty matching the 2WD Cougar or the 4WD CAT L1 Evo. 

and this is a fellow TC Members super touring sized shell on a buggy chassis,  Avante class chassis from memory ( @Wez-li ), not sure if he ever got this finished?

 

[Wez-li 1790]

45 minutes ago, mud4fun said:

this is a fellow TC Members super touring sized shell on a buggy chassis,  Avante class chassis from memory ( @Wez-li ), not sure if he ever got this finished?

 

That's a blast from the past.

Yes I think it was an avante 2001 that I converted back to stock, but I'm not sure. Long gone now unfortunately. 

[mud4fun 1696]

55 minutes ago, Wez-li said:

That's a blast from the past.

Yes I think it was an avante 2001 that I converted back to stock, but I'm not sure. Long gone now unfortunately. 

Hehe, yeah, roughly 15 yrs ago? That was an awesome looking shell (and naturally an awesome chassis, I love my Avante2001's!)

I've just dug one of my HPI Super Touring Shells (300mm wheelbase) out of the attic and sat it over the Schumacher Cougar, it is a close fit, just needs a +10-13mm longer chassis plate which is easily done as I have a fellow TC member that lives locally that could produce that I think in carbon. Track width is perfect, wheels sit just level with arches so don't look too silly, (rears are actually inboard, just fronts that sit proud) and I dare say I can fit narrower hexes or modified wheels to get them fully inside arches. Seems a doable project. Scale looks and buggy versatility and off road performance!