Racing by post - Rounds 1 to 60. New thread started for Round 61 onwards.

[El Gecko]

5 minutes ago, jupitertwo said:

Its a shame @mud4fun put those two posts in to flatten the eight, I spent a good period of time perfecting a drift all the way round one end  

I just finished running some laps, and those two end markers definitely add to the precision necessary to navigate this track. I could have taken the Grasshopper nearly full steam into those corners if they weren't there, but I had to really slow down on entry to make sure I was on the right line. An ESC with brakes would have helped. This track is more technical than it seems!

[jupitertwo]

11 minutes ago, El Gecko said:

I just finished running some laps, and those two end markers definitely add to the precision necessary to navigate this track. I could have taken the Grasshopper nearly full steam into those corners if they weren't there, but I had to really slow down on entry to make sure I was on the right line. An ESC with brakes would have helped. This track is more technical than it seems!

Quite, though if you have the say a few meters either side of the two end markers, you can push the apex quite a far round the corner

 

I’m a bit confused by the grip though. I’d have though asphalt would be quite grippy, it’s quite rough. Or is that what it is, there’s less consistent surface area, so it’s actually slippier? When I took the TA06 out, I thought I’d brought a drift setup with me, it wasn’t happy at all. 

I run soft rally blocks, so I guess I’m at the limit pretty much of mechanical grip for the time of year. It got slightly better as I did more laps, but that’s more likely to be me getting my eye in?

[El Gecko]

Could be that your shock oil got cold and stiffened everything up. Being a drift setup I'd think you'd have it pretty tight already, so it's possible it got too thick for the surface.

I noticed a lot more grip today than usual, since the asphalt in front of my house is very rough, with curbing in different places, so it's a crap shoot sometimes with handling. But today I took the car to an empty maintenance lot at a local park, where the tarmac is very smooth and fresh, and it gripped and slid differently and better. So I definitely think the type of asphalt has something to do with it. Also whether it's sunny or cloudy--for example today was full of sunshine, and I ran late in the afternoon, so the ground was as warm as it could get (10C).

[Carmine A]

4 hours ago, jupitertwo said:

It's a shame @mud4fun put those two posts in to flatten the eight, I spent a good period of time perfecting a drift all the way round one end  

...... The flats were my original idea. 😜  Having a plain Figure of Eight would make it too easy for some!  I was also Drifting the Loops when I tried my first Draft.

9 hours ago, Ferruz said:

Speaking of 2WD, I'm currently staring at my RC10 all shiny and pristine on the shelf. Since I finished restoring it last Spring I couldn't bring myself to running it yet. Funny as I was set on restoring it as a runner from the get go, deliberately wanting to avoid making it fancy so that I could use it like it's meant to be used, but still I ended up treating it like a jewel something that is meant to get down and dirty in the mud. ....

My RC10 Gold Pan was the same one I Raced in the early 80's. As soon as I can get the money, I'm restoring it (to the modified version I ran with the "Stealth" Transmission) 

It would be great to see one running again!

[Ferruz]

Will be wearing this while getting acquainted with Round 4 this morning.

Maybe it will help  it's original from Japan btw, kindly brought to me by a friend that used to live there, it's my only non rc related tamiya item.

I'm supposed to have a couple hours before rain or snow hits, I'll try to put them to good use. Have fun everybody doing this today

[Aerobert]

Was trying to participate the fourth round of postal racing in one of the short raining breaks we have currently. Packed everything together, I thought I would need, and went to a place which would be at least adequate enough. Put the battery into the car, hit the throttle and loose a tire 20 meters after start. Now I'm back home and glueing tires (for the first time ever).

[Jonathon Gillham]

This weekend was a bust. Got ready on saturday morning and then the rain set in just as I was putting the mower away. Yesterday the weather was good but we were busy. It seems like it should be so easy to mark out a track that fits in the backyard but stuff always comes up

[Ferruz]

Just back from this round of postal racing, a bit annoyed by the rain but definitely electrified by the fun (my wife a lil' less enthusiastic as she had to stand like a pidgeon in the rain while timing my laps, lol).

I ran two heats, which is all I can afford in one go anyway as only two of my NiMh packs are up to the task with the power hungry brushless motor.

The first heat was going to be more of a warm up than anything, to get accustomed to the track and to the tweaks I did on the car, but ended up being my best because of some heavy rain that definitely ruined the second attempt. Ruined it only in terms of performance, as for what regards fun there was plenty of it! It basically became a constant powerslide around the track...  too bad for the timing though, as I was getting more used to the track and was surely doing better than the first try.

I might be able to get another one or two attempts in before the end of Round 4 but I doubt it, with the hopeless weather forecast and orher things I have to do this is probably it.

There is plenty of improvement to do on my driving, but I'm extremely happy with how the car performed. Might be my limited experience, but I don't think I couldn't ask more from my top buggy at the moment. Every single mistake I can recall can be reconducted straight to my driving, as the car responded precisely and promply to every signal and definitely can't be blamed. It proves itself even more while driving in anger under the rain: even the powerslided were relatively easy to control.

So yeah, I may be wrong but I think that by now the car is tuned up well enough for much better driving skills than mine, so it's nice to feel that I only have to focus on myself now!! No excuses

[El Gecko]

1 hour ago, Ferruz said:

There is plenty of improvement to do on my driving, but I'm extremely happy with how the car performed. Might be my limited experience, but I don't think I couldn't ask more from my top buggy at the moment. Every single mistake I can recall can be reconducted straight to my driving, as the car responded precisely and promply to every signal and definitely can't be blamed. It proves itself even more while driving in anger under the rain: even the powerslided were relatively easy to control.

So yeah, I may be wrong but I think that by now the car is tuned up well enough for much better driving skills than mine, so it's nice to feel that I only have to focus on myself now!! No excuses

You're not alone there, I still have plenty of work to do on my driving as well... but instead of practicing more, I've decided to (announcer voice) switch cars!

So the Grasshopper is back on the shelf. It allowed me to get used to racing a circuit, got me a baseline lap total, and can go have a nice easy retirement now (with the occasional easy bash, of course).

The new challenge will be learning how to drive the Blackhawk (75% Blackfoot, 25% Traxxas Hawk) around the course without spinning out or flipping it. I predict a dozen donuts, a half dozen rolls, and some cursing of the RC gods for my lack of ESC and brakes!

[Ferruz]

2 hours ago, El Gecko said:

You're not alone there, I still have plenty of work to do on my driving as well... but instead of practicing more, I've decided to (announcer voice) switch cars!

So the Grasshopper is back on the shelf. It allowed me to get used to racing a circuit, got me a baseline lap total, and can go have a nice easy retirement now (with the occasional easy bash, of course).

The new challenge will be learning how to drive the Blackhawk (75% Blackfoot, 25% Traxxas Hawk) around the course without spinning out or flipping it. I predict a dozen donuts, a half dozen rolls, and some cursing of the RC gods for my lack of ESC and brakes!

Sounds like a perfect recipe for tons of fun! 🤪 at the end of the day, that's what we are here for.

As for the 'Hopper's retirement, I bet you will eventually get it off the shelf if anything just because you'll miss driving it. At least that's what happened to me and my Hornet! Used and abused it for one year (drove it most everyday like it was the last day), I then stripped/cleaned/refurbished it and chucked it on a shelf with a new body, with the intention of giving it a break and focus on other RC cars. One year after I got the itch, and six more months later I finally got it back on the road with its old bashed body to ran it like there's no tomorrow. Haven't looked back at the shelf ever since, and I even brough it on a road trip last Summer.

Something about those cars... No other RC that I've tried delivers such guilt-free fun so consistently, because they are pretty much bulletproof (and cheap as chips to repair if they break, anyway)

[mud4fun]

15 hours ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

This weekend was a bust. 

Same here, gales and torrential rain most of weekend. 

Got a few jobs done on cars, stripped all my rear driveshafts and hubs from my buggies and removed loads of grass that had tightly wrapped around against the bearings/hubs and was causing binding/overheating issues. Couldn't believe the amount of grass I extracted, didn't look much when tightly wound on. 

[El Gecko]

15 hours ago, Ferruz said:

Sounds like a perfect recipe for tons of fun! 🤪 at the end of the day, that's what we are here for.

As for the 'Hopper's retirement, I bet you will eventually get it off the shelf if anything just because you'll miss driving it. At least that's what happened to me and my Hornet! Used and abused it for one year (drove it most everyday like it was the last day), I then stripped/cleaned/refurbished it and chucked it on a shelf with a new body, with the intention of giving it a break and focus on other RC cars. One year after I got the itch, and six more months later I finally got it back on the road with its old bashed body to ran it like there's no tomorrow. Haven't looked back at the shelf ever since, and I even brough it on a road trip last Summer.

Something about those cars... No other RC that I've tried delivers such guilt-free fun so consistently, because they are pretty much bulletproof (and cheap as chips to repair if they break, anyway)

Yes it should be a lot of fun I don't know what possessed me last night, but I tore apart the whole front suspension, chasing better shock geometry. Now I have to drill some holes and dremel some FRP, and hope and pray that everything lines up correctly!

And you're right, the hopper won't stay on the shelf forever (none of them ever do). It's only a battery away from driving, and I plan to keep it that way. I just meant that it's getting retired from racing, to avoid any further injury to it. I'll still take it out for a light bash now and then, but the front tires are getting kinda shredded, so I don't want to completely destroy them until I can get some replacements. Plus, I added some deep new scratches to the roof the last time I rolled it, so I want to take it easier with such an old car. I'm sure I'll be even more careful with its big brother Hornet once I get that one running again too. It's the closest thing to a "shelfer" I've got.

[Jonathon Gillham]

11 hours ago, mud4fun said:

Same here, gales and torrential rain most of weekend. 

Got a few jobs done on cars, stripped all my rear driveshafts and hubs from my buggies and removed loads of grass that had tightly wrapped around against the bearings/hubs and was causing binding/overheating issues. Couldn't believe the amount of grass I extracted, didn't look much when tightly wound on. 

I've been doing the same, getting cars going.  I'm not far from having all cars working which will be a first in a long time.  About 2 months ago we had charged stick packs and the Monster Beetle ESC packed up.  It was then I realised that I only had a handful of cars that actually worked on stickpacks, and all on the same controller.  I've since been rectifying that - have bought 4 new ESC's, new arms, new servos etc.

It turns out that the Monster Beetle suffered a broken ESC and servo at the same time.  I thought it was the receiver at the time, but luckily it wasn't as a Futaba rx is worth more than the ESC and servo combined.  So extra servo ordered.

There will be one car that won't be working after this, a TT02B that became a donor and then I realised the arms were broken as well.  I should get it going but it most likely won't get used even when it is working, the other 18 cars are enough...

[mud4fun]

Hi @Jonathon Gillham yes, at the start of this year we had just three working buggies and a crawler (out of 12 cars total) but all using archaic NiCd's and 40Mhz radio gear and all had worn out tyres. We've spent this year getting all the cars stripped and rebuilt, fitted new bearings, new tyres, new batteries and 2.4Ghz radio equipment. Several of them now LiPo too. We also bought new repro shells for most to freshen the cars up. We now have eight fully operational cars. Just four more to go 

So nice to have just one transmitter needed for all our cars and no swapping crystals any more. I think that has been the biggest cost this year, new radio equipment and batteries but it was long overdue, most of our batteries were 16+ years old and the radio equipment was probably 20+ yrs old. 

I bought six new ESC's too, in part to use with the LiPo packs but also because we had such a mix of old ESC's, some unable to run anything less than 23T motors etc so I standardised and just fitted the cheap HW1060 to everything. Makes it much more convenient when all cars run the same ESC, same receivers, same servos and same tyres/wheels. 

Next year I'm going to try to get a few buggies migrated to brushless and get all the Avante class onto LiPo. Run out of budget now for this year. 

 

[Carmine A]

The two greatest advances in RC have been Lipo Batteries and 2.4GHz Radios! Brushless Motors running a close third.

Crystals and Crystal swapping AND confiscating are things I'll NEVER miss!! 

Lipos and Brushless Motors have made 4-6 minute Runtimes on performance Motors a thing of the past. 😊  And with a Lipo in a 35-45 Turn Crawler.... Runtimes are now measured in HOURS!! 

I for one am very grateful.

[El Gecko]

7 hours ago, Carmine A said:

The two greatest advances in RC have been Lipo Batteries and 2.4GHz Radios! Brushless Motors running a close third.

Crystals and Crystal swapping AND confiscating are things I'll NEVER miss!! 

Lipos and Brushless Motors have made 4-6 minute Runtimes on performance Motors a thing of the past. 😊  And with a Lipo in a 35-45 Turn Crawler.... Runtimes are now measured in HOURS!! 

I for one am very grateful.

You're right about the radio thing, I've been battling radio gremlins in the old Futaba gear I've got in the Blackhawk, and it's gonna be interesting trying to race it this weekend. I'm not sure if it's an antenna problem, or if the 72mhz Rx doesn't like the 75mhz crystal, but it glitches like crazy from time to time. It's also possible my 4 AA batteries are running out of juice, because the steering seems a little slow lately too.

Radio issues aside, the modded front suspension all worked out somehow! I even tried setting the Brat body on it, and it's at the perfect height for body posts... now I'm thinking instead of a Stadium Blitzer body, I'll try to find a lexan Brat body for this chassis... and paint it up like a Losi JRXT

It's more balanced and drives better too, which is what I was hoping for.

[Carmine A]

Nicely set up ORV Chassis!! 👌 You would do well to get even a cheap 2.4GHz Radio. World of difference! I have a FlySky GT3B Radio, that not only hasn't given me any problems, but adds a lot of fine tuning, and stores 10 different Cars, each with individual setups! Only cost me $36.00 USD!

That reminds me... I need to get a Tamiya Brat too! 😜 (just planning next year's Shopping Spree!)

[TurnipJF]

Much as I like the rubbery robustness of the stock shock towers on my TT-02B for bashing purposes, this afternoon's efforts at setting it up for track use really showed their lack of stiffness which masked all but the most extreme spring and damper changes that I made. Time for some carbon ones I think...

[El Gecko]

5 hours ago, Carmine A said:

Nicely set up ORV Chassis!! 👌 You would do well to get even a cheap 2.4GHz Radio. World of difference! I have a FlySky GT3B Radio, that not only hasn't given me any problems, but adds a lot of fine tuning, and stores 10 different Cars, each with individual setups! Only cost me $36.00 USD!

That reminds me... I need to get a Tamiya Brat too! 😜 (just planning next year's Shopping Spree!)

Thanks! I need to start looking at radios. Does anyone make a 2-stick 2-channel anymore, or are they all trigger/wheel transmitters these days?

Now that it doesn't look ridiculous, I think this one might switch between Brat and buggy setups... I have always wanted a 2nd Frog

[Ferruz]

Just wanted to share how my race track looked this morning... and probably will from now on! 

[Jonathon Gillham]

3 hours ago, El Gecko said:

Thanks! I need to start looking at radios. Does anyone make a 2-stick 2-channel anymore, or are they all trigger/wheel transmitters these days?

Now that it doesn't look ridiculous, I think this one might switch between Brat and buggy setups... I have always wanted a 2nd Frog

Futaba make the 2HR, very basic. Their midrange is the 4GRS I think which is probably the best bet. The Flysky FSi6 is worth a look, cheap, loads of functions and rx are cheap as chips. There are also the top shelf offerings from Sanwa and Futaba as well.

What is that shock tower off? Or is it made for the ORV chassis? I like the way you've used servo savers as spacers

[mud4fun]

7 hours ago, El Gecko said:

Thanks! I need to start looking at radios. Does anyone make a 2-stick 2-channel anymore, or are they all trigger/wheel transmitters these days?

Yes, we bought three Futaba T2HR 2.4Ghz (FHSS) transmitters and eight Futaba R202GF 2 channel servos this year. (Actually bought three complete systems from Modelsport then got additional receivers).

They are cheap, ergonomic and work perfectly well for both myself and my kids. We are not PRO racers and neither myself nor the kids like wheels so the cheap Futuba sets are fine for our use. I'd rather spend the money on the cars themselves than waste money on expensive radios that we simply don't need. 

[Carmine A]

 

4 hours ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

Futaba make the 2HR, very basic. Their midrange is the 4GRS I think which is probably the best bet. The Flysky FSi6 is worth a look, cheap, loads of functions and rx are cheap as chips. There are also the top shelf offerings from Sanwa and Futaba as well.

What is that shock tower off? Or is it made for the ORV chassis? I like the way you've used servo savers as spacers

@El Gecko, I agree! I used Shock Pistons as spacers, so why not? 😉  Spare Parts are only useful if you USE them. 

And besides my FlySky GT3B Radio, I've also got a FlySky FSi6. I use it for FliteTest Foam Core Board Aircraft... but if I ever get a REAL RC Aircraft, I'll STILL use it!! It's got GREAT Range, has never had a glitch, stores TWENTY RC Vehicles.... And if I had ANY ability (OR a working Computer), a Firmware update will bring it from 6 Channels to TEN!! 

I can finally see the end of the horrible nightmare that has been our past Decade... FAT Inheritance is coming by April - and I'm getting a 1/14 Tamiya Semi and Trailer!!!!! 😁😊😊😊👍👍 

Not mentioning that to brag (too much!!), but I've read and seen that by changing the Throttle Gimbal so it springs to the middle, that Radio CAN run the Rig, shift Gears in the Transmission, plus operate a complex Sound System, work Turn Signals, Reverse and Brake Lights, turn on and off the Headlights, Running Lights, Trailer Lights and Cab interior Lights SEPARATELY.... 

And still have room to expand!! 😲  For a "cheap" Radio, it's as versatile and useful as any Futaba that I used to own!! I highly recommend it! 

Of course if you really don't need ALL that, there's still cheap as Chips 2.4GHz Twin Stick Radios - including a nice FlySky 4 Channel for under $35.00 USD!! 👍👍 

If you REALLY like your Sticks, you're not forced to get a Pistol Radio to have the joys of 2.4GHz! 

..... In NON COVID times, they really are cheaper! If you look around, you're sure to find one. 😉  

[Carmine A]

11 hours ago, TurnipJF said:

Much as I like the rubbery robustness of the stock shock towers on my TT-02B for bashing purposes, this afternoon's efforts at setting it up for track use really showed their lack of stiffness which masked all but the most extreme spring and damper changes that I made. Time for some carbon ones I think...

As I'm sure you know... The worst fault of the TT-02B, NO ground clearance, actually makes it a much better On-Road Car!! 

With of course the right Tyres. I've never tried it, but it just looks like a natural to be a good Road Holding Car!! 👌👍👍  I'm very interested in seeing how yours gets on. 

[El Gecko]

18 hours ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

Futaba make the 2HR, very basic. Their midrange is the 4GRS I think which is probably the best bet. The Flysky FSi6 is worth a look, cheap, loads of functions and rx are cheap as chips. There are also the top shelf offerings from Sanwa and Futaba as well.

What is that shock tower off? Or is it made for the ORV chassis? I like the way you've used servo savers as spacers

Thanks for the radio recommendations guys, I've got lots to research now!

The shock tower is from a Traxxas Hawk, flipped upside down, with 2 extra holes drilled and a bit shaved off the inner parts of the "legs" to fit it around the plastic chassis frame snugly. The middle holes on what used to be the top shock mounts line up perfectly with the holes for the Blackfoot suspension arms, and the 2 extra holes were drilled so I can mount the plate with all 4 of the bolts instead of just 2. The top of the shock tower is now over 3cm lower than the stock Blackfoot tower (the giant clunky plastic piece that is the literal definition of shock "tower") and I believe it's even going to work with the stock Brat front body mount.

The servo savers are necessary! They're the kind with a square drive hole, so they're useless to me in their normal capacity, but they work great to space the shocks out away from the rest of the suspension bits and keep them from binding on anything (I added even more spacers since the pics). The springs are actually stock Blackfoot, and the shocks are Traxxas Sledgehammer.

This setup is great to drive now, but top end sucks in buggy config with the stock Blackfoot gears. I have a Fox spur gear I can swap in to bring it up to Frog speed, but that's a lot of work since I'm just gonna put the 2.2s back on anyway. What does everyone like for onroad and offroad stadium-style 2.2 tires? I love the Pro-Line Strikers but I've only got 1 pair and I don't think they're in production anymore.