Racing by post - Round 45 takes us to Anderstorp!

[TurnipJF 9185]

Today's runs showed my Manta Ray to be a bit quicker than my Thundershot, but not by much. I suspect that the difference was purely down to power - TZ vs. GT Tuned. Both are on the same tyres, and both handled just as sweetly.

The running surface I use hasn't dried out fully in weeks, and I suspect that my TT-02 Type S might not be the best car for the conditions. Perhaps I will let it sit this round out, and run another buggy or a rally car in its stead. DF-02 perhaps? See if it is any quicker than the DF-01? (I suspect it will be, but again not by much. Same tyres, same suspension settings, hotter motor.)

[Bash 356]

Thanks for letting me know. I'm going to be running the rest of my fleet tomorrow and will make sure to include it.  

[El Gecko 1343]

4 hours ago, mud4fun said:

Edit: could probably have done with a gyro to help stop me losing control so easily when drifting... 

A big +1 same here!

Maybe I should fit the race tires for a few runs instead of just trying to drift the whole time, at this rate I'm not going to have any results this round

[Carmine A 2046]

16 hours ago, Bash said:

Is using a gyro/stability control permitted? I got a new radio system that has gyro receivers and I'd like to know if I can use that driver assist.

I for one can't see how that would hurt anything.... Many of the less expensive Gyros out there help offset lack of Steering control on less than ideal Traction conditions. It can Help the Driver, without creating an unfair advantage. Particularly this time of year, where some of you are forced to run on Snow.

SOME Systems, like the "Spektrum AVS", I believe go too far! You'll find it on 6S and 8S Aarma BEASTS. Traxxas 8S XMAXX has the same - which could Injure or even KILL a small Child if they lost control at 80+MPH!!! 

Some IDIOTS buy them for their 12yr old Kids! I feel like that's WRONG and irresponsible.... But who am I to say. 

Point is - those sort of Systems control Steering, Throttle and Brakes, and are starting to trickle down into more "Normal" RC Vehicles.... 

Problem is - taking total control of a Vehicle makes the Driver Numb and Dumb!! It goes too far and takes the Skill out of the Hobby....

If One starts out with it - you'll NEVER get good at Driving. Like everything in Life, taking the Challenge and Difficulty out of something does not help you in the long run.

Sorry if that got long and philosophical. Point is that something that Helps you a bit can be good... But if it does everything - it does nothing for you. 😉

[Bash 356]

It's not the world's greatest system, so I honestly don't think it will do much for me. I tested it on my Traxxas Bandit, which is a car that I've owned for over 4 years now, and I preferred it with the gyro off since I could no longer punch the throttle to get the back of the car to slide. I think it will make a huge difference in my 1/10 pan car, which is the first direct drive car I've owned, and I find it very hard to control even with just a torque-tuned motor. I need to get a digital servo for it though, the old Hitec unit that is in it currently just can't keep up and makes the car impossible to drive. 

[mud4fun 1696]

I have no doubt that a good gyro system can really aid in quicker lap times, especially for a novice or semi-skilled driver like myself. However I suspect, like all things, a really skilled driver probably wouldn't notice much difference and if anything may find it counter productive?

All I can say with absolute certainty is this,  I have a 1:1 Land Rover Series 3 LWB that is essentially a design dating back to the mid 50's, it has zero electronics on it, no traction control, no ABS, no centre diff etc. The engine is roughly 50hp and only 30hp gets to the actual tyres, the transmission is archaic too and it is using solid axles and leaf springs all round. To engage 4WD I have to get out and turn a big dial on each front hub. In comparison my 2016 modern Nissan Navara pickup has every conceivable modern electronic gadget fitted from traction control, ABS and shift on the fly transmission and has close to 200hp and uses independent/coil suspension all round.

In snow, ice, wet grass, mud or torrential rain the old Land Rover annihilates the Nissan and I can hand on heart say that given the choice between the two vehicles I would always choose the old Land Rover if conditions were poor.

I have driven 4x4's for 40 years. I used to race and trial them off road in competitions for decades and have probably done more miles on slippery surfaces than some people have driven on dry tarmac. The modern electronics on the Nissan simply do not work and are no match to a skilled driver at the wheel of an old Land Rover. This is not just me saying this, I have proved it time and again. My old Land Rovers have beaten far more modern electronics laden state of the art and very expensive machinery in deep snow, mud or ice so many times now that it is a joke.

I carry loads of chains, straps and shackles with me over winter - not to recover myself but to recover all the modern 4x4's that end up in ditches on our country lanes..... 

So back to topic, I will continue to drive my old buggies with no electronic aids because it improves my driving skill on different surfaces and it is more fun. I am more than happy to compete against people using the aids as it just helps me improve, gives me something else to aim to beat rather than just TurnipJF which is proving nigh on impossible..... 

[jupitertwo 1484]

A few more laps in today, in some rather unexpected damp conditions for covered multi-storey car park. I don’t remember it raining sideways overnight, but there were certainly puddles around the bays. So, no improvement on times for the TB05 or TA07, but some more practice for those, including plenty drifting. TT02R got it’s maiden run out, and did help with my understanding a little. 

 

After running my TB05 for a warm up and getting my eye in, I rolled out the TT02R with the BMW body and same spec tyres as the TB05. Immediately I was struck by the vagueness of the steering, lack of lock and poor centering. So first impressions were disappointing, which weren’t helping me bond with the car. Neither was me skittling the Lap Monitor a handful of times with it (something I’ve not done with the other two), where I misjudged my entry or exit to the hairpin. However, with some perseverance and observation of what it was trying to do, things got better. Still about 20% off the lap count of the TB05 or TA07 though, which is quite a way in my eyes. So I’ve some thinking to do, whether it’s worth spending some upgrades, or just driving round the foibles and challenging myself with the limitations.

TB05 and TA07 continued to delight though. The TA07 was running the TT02R stock slicks and 24mm wheels, which seemed much more suited to the conditions, so perhaps a softer compound? It’s certainly made me want to figure out a better tyre to use. The Semi-Racing slicks on the TB05 and TT02 were a bit to slippy, which perhaps exposed the TT02R a little too much. The TB05 was just fun with them, sliding nicely but easy to control. 

Does anyone have any suggestions of a suitable touring car tyre for cold concrete? I figure the stock TT02R tyres are 51049, the other tyres being 50810

[TurnipJF 9185]

I find Sorex tyres work rather well. 32Rs are good all-rounders that seem to work over a fair temperature range including colder conditions. 

Trying to get a TT-02R to preform at a level comparable to that of a TB-05 or TA-07 is asking a lot of it. Still, it will be quite an achievement if you succeed. Best of luck to you sir!

[jupitertwo 1484]

24 minutes ago, TurnipJF said:

I find Sorex tyres work rather well. 32Rs are good all-rounders that seem to work over a fair temperature range including colder conditions. 

Trying to get a TT-02R to preform at a level comparable to that of a TB-05 or TA-07 is asking a lot of it. Still, it will be quite an achievement if you succeed. Best of luck to you sir!

Thanks, I’ll have a look in to those. Pre glued options are always handy
 

Yeah, paper says there should be a step up, what I want to do is increase my understanding of the differences. I doubt I’m pushing any boundaries of the ta/tb, and I certainly do minimal setup or tailoring. I guess it’s slop etc I need to target, so as to get the best out of the design without changing the character. The steering behaviour was what I feel I need to sort, it added an unpleasant unpredictability to the run. 

[El Gecko 1343]

Today I set up the course in our backyard, using one of our trees as a marker, and running over some REALLY bumpy wet grass. It was my first time trying to actually compete on a different surface than dry tarmac, so needless to say the results were less than stellar (although not quite "crawler" bad ) but I did actually record a result.

Remember when one of the timed motor brushes was installed backwards? I suspect this time they were BOTH wrong... I didn't even make it through a whole 5 minute run before it stopped dead in its tracks. The motor was actually smoking when I picked the car up

I might have to try with the old crusty, trusty Grasshopper before the round is up. It's the most reliable! (although I finally snapped the front bumper clean off earlier)

[Ferruz 11701]

I've been silent on this thread lately as I didn't get a chance to try out the new track yet: when I had time the weather was horrible, when it got better I didn't have time, and now it's all icy and clumpy, past the possibility of running on tarmac but not snowy enough yet to take the time to build a proper track in the snow. This is what it looks like

Might have to let this one slide, unless it snows more soon or I get to try it out in the shared garage (not doable at the moment).

I'll see, for now good luck to everybody ✌

[El Gecko 1343]

@Ferruz After having run this course on a few different surfaces, all with pretty poor results, I would say just set up some cones on your driveway, with the ice and everything. Then fit the toughest, most aggressively spiky knobbies you can find, and even if you don't record a result, you can still go have some fun! (After all, isn't that what this is all about?)

The only difference is that you'll have the "Icy/snowy" marker next to your run--same as you would with wet tarmac or grass or dirt, etc. so it's just a different challenge to try to overcome. And anyway more of us will be joining you in that category soon, we're supposed to get a bit of the white stuff down this way in the next week or so, and Jan-Feb is usually a winter wonderland, so you won't be alone!

[mud4fun 1696]

Yes @Ferruz, as @El Gecko said, you'd potentially win your class (buggy/snow) so go for it!

I'm quite jealous, would love to run on snow as my trucks would all have a chance at beating the buggies. 

To be honest, my lap counts were not as good as they should be because we haven't seen dry tarmac here for weeks! We had to do our runs on cold (near freezing), wet, slimey, algae covered tarmac (very little sunlight in winter so the tarmac in the shade gets very green).  We had great fun though, was hysterical wheelspinning and drifting around the track.  

Snow is forecast here for the week between xmas and new year so Round 7 will potentially be a snowy one, or at the least on ice 

[mud4fun 1696]

The weather is still dismal here. Haven't been able to get any more runs in since early last week. 

As suggested earlier in the thread, I decided to concentrate my efforts on just two cars. We'll see if that makes any difference. I'm pretty happy with the Avante2001, its best performance since round 2 and beat our other buggies by a wide margin on this round. There is no real room for improvement there though as I was on the edge on every race and fluffed most of them by spinning out. Managed just one good run out of nine attempts!!! Some were so bad that Middle Mudlet was in fits of laughter after I fluffed turns and decided to simply do a few donuts instead of finish the race attempt LOL.  I also managed to crash into her while she was filming. 

Worth noting too that the Avante2001 achieved its best run on a near flat 2S LiPo on large pin spikes on very cold (nearly ice) wet tarmac. I think the fact the battery was nearly dead meant the voltage had dropped right down and I managed to maintain slightly more control when sliding around bends than I did with it fully charged. Not sure but that is my assumption. However the most smiles per lap were had on the fully charged 8.4v NiCd which resulted in 5 minutes of madness.....

I still haven't managed to edit the video and upload it. It just takes so much time and I have precious little of it at the moment. Will try and get the video done over xmas when I have a few days off.

So far this round I've done 9 runs with the Avante2001 and 5 runs with the Thundershot. Middle Mudlet has managed just 2 runs each with her Terra Scorcher and my Avante2001.

Poor youngest mudlet has not done a single attempt this round and her hopes lay on this weekend being dry. 

 

[TurnipJF 9185]

This is the last weekend to get runs in for Round 6! So far, I have only managed to have two attempts at this round. The weather has not been playing ball.

I am guessing I am not the only one that's affected, as I have not received anywhere near as many entries as usual. I guess things will quieten down over winter, as with any primarily outdoor pursuit.

[Re-Bugged 10100]

Your winter is summer here 🙃

Its not the weather that’s the problem, just can’t  find the time at the mo unfortunately 😬

I’m hoping that some sticky M chassis tyres will turn up soon too. 

[DayRider 311]

So this is the last weekend for round 6? and are we having a break over Xmas? personally I wouldn't mind if we kept going.

[El Gecko 1343]

26 minutes ago, DayRider said:

So this is the last weekend for round 6? and are we having a break over Xmas? personally I wouldn't mind if we kept going.

I'll throw in a vote for that, this track has been a ton of fun so far, but I've been having a lot of mechanical issues with the cars, hopefully got them somewhat sorted now but still set back by slow shipping (where the heck are my diff gears, USPS??) and I'd really like to give this course a run with properly tuned equipment for once. But also, I'm ok with the consensus too. Whatever's clever!

[mud4fun 1696]

14 hours ago, TurnipJF said:

This is the last weekend to get runs in for Round 6! So far, I have only managed to have two attempts at this round. The weather has not been playing ball.

I am guessing I am not the only one that's affected, as I have not received anywhere near as many entries as usual. I guess things will quieten down over winter, as with any primarily outdoor pursuit.

Weather is still awful here, we've had non stop rain and strong winds for last few days. 

I even took a day off work yesterday which was first day of kids xmas holidays. We hoped to be able to get a few more attempts in. Youngest mudlet needed to get at least one set of laps counted for this round but sadly it was way too wet and windy.  We ended up playing a long game of monopoly instead. 

Fingers crossed we get a dry spell at some point this weekend!

Long range weather forecasts suggest drier, brighter (albeit alot colder) weather to arrive here between xmas and new year so may get a few good days of racing in then. 

 

[mud4fun 1696]

Youngest Mudlet finally got her attempts in for Round 6 today using her Vanquish (brand new shell, only painted just an hour before this attempt), competing against Middle Mudlet with her Avante2001/Egress hybrid.

Youngest Mudlet managed to match Middle Mudlet's best lap count on her very first attempt! The Vanquish was running mini spikes whereas the Egress was running the high traction carpet tyres. Surface looked dry but was still greasy from overnight rain and algae covering over most of track.

Due to the extremely cold wind and everybody feeling bitterly cold we decided to call it a day after just one serious attempt each today plus a few practise runs. 

[EvilSpike 294]

I'm currently on a ship in the middle of the North Sea, no attempts at the track from me this time I'm afraid. Hopefully I'll be back home mid January and I'll have a try at whatever track is up then.

Good luck everyone and have fun :)

[TurnipJF 9185]

5 hours ago, mud4fun said:

Youngest Mudlet finally got her attempts in for Round 6 today using her Vanquish (brand new shell, only painted just an hour before this attempt), competing against Middle Mudlet with her Avante2001/Egress hybrid.

That Vanquish looks very smart in its new paint! Is that gunmetal?

[mud4fun 1696]

11 minutes ago, TurnipJF said:

That Vanquish looks very smart in its new paint! Is that gunmetal?

Youngest Mudlet says thank you, yes, it is PS23 backed with black and a hint of smoke to the cockpit window. Just need to get some decals fitted next.

However she is complaining because my photo doesn't show the colour off properly apparently........  (Middle mudlets Egress shell would dominate any photo in that bright yellow though)

[Aerobert 2125]

Just submitted my results for this round. As I didn't wanted to disassemble the complete car again, I left the Dirt Thrasher on the shelf and took the Bullhead. Maybe I should re-assemble the Blitzer Beetle for the next round as the Bullhead is definitely not a race car / truck.

[TurnipJF 9185]

I have been giving some thought to the requests for a round extension. On one hand, some people have submitted results before the deadline, and I am sure they would like to see them posted sooner rather than later. On the other, this is a nice track layout, and it would be a pity to deny anyone the opportunity to run it. So I propose a compromise:

I will post the results table tonight as soon after Midnight  as I can, so that we can all see and appreciate the results submitted by those who were able to make the deadline.

However Round 7 can begin at some point after Christmas, possibly in early January. Between now and then, people can submit more results using the current track, and I will publish another results table before the start of the next round, on Sunday 3 January. Consider this a round of two halves if you will. Those who have submitted results already can have another go if they wish, or re-use their existing Round 6 results, while those who have wanted to enter but not had the opportunity for a run on this track will have two more weeks to try.

How does that sound?