Sport Cars - Concept Cars - Cars Gallery: June 2015

Drift Bible - Chassis Set Up for Millennium Raceway Concrete - Countersteer

If you try the Millennium Concrete track there are some changes you might need to do to your chassis to get the best results.

Millennium COUNTER-STEER SETTING.

Knowing every track is different, At Millennium Raceway you won't be chasing grip. There is an abundance of that. So settings are based around a manageable drift at close to max speed.

My target is to emulate a faster D1 style speed on the wider flowing #3 beginner/D1 track.

Millennium Track Design and Surface

There are 3 tracks at this venue... This is the beginner / expert high speed track.
Millennium has a coated concrete surface that remains from Touring car and Pan car racing..

It is very very smooth and you can run your body shell extremely low also but be prepared for roll.

The layout is at the WIDE and OPEN end of the spectrum and requires a narrow window for setup as speeds are quite high.

Depending on your line, there can be a straight, but because of the open nature of the track, most will opt for the extremely long full to mid throttle corner. and a few small corners in the large kidney shape track.

As the track is surrounded by rope barriers, Even with higher top speeds, impacts are not a real issue unless you meet a stationary parked car.

Millennium Suggested Tyre

These are my recommendations only.

Tyre for a CS or 50:50 chassis are the following :

MST CS-R Gold Dot . A little faster grip but well balanced.
Tyre wear is low but not negligible. Nothing too dramatic. 1 set will last many nights.

or
MST GA26 HP will give a little more realistic lower speed

but the sharp edge design will need a more refined setup. Not for beginner.

Millennium Power Recommendations

With the tyre grip at a high, you still need a certain amount of power get the rear wheels spinning.
But not so much as to just wheel spin the entire track.

We select a 9.5T~10.5 motor which is just in the pocket with the tyre and CS setting.

A 7.5T is possible but unless you have an ultra-deft trigger finger or delay the exponential curve to a hard to manage setting, it will be a struggle.

Even 5800mah batteries only tend to last from 35 to 45 minutes with this power. That's a good thing because
ESC temps will be high as a large percentage of the Sweeper and infield is full throttle.
So take a few breaks during this time.

Millennium Suspension and chassis balance

Remember you will be needing slip to generate slide. So a medium to hard setting and rear biased weight will keep the tail on the wall and the angle up.

I use heavier oils in the 40 weight range and 60 up front.
Springs are in the medium rear range and hard at the front. This allows the front to skip a little more and not drag the car towards centre of the track.

I also remove any front bumper weight (still fitted in the picture above) to release the front grip and keep the ass on the wall.
A 30g weight on the rear can have a similar effect.

A rear weighted shaft drive chassis like Overdose Divall would be awesome here.

Light but rigid plastic chassis would also be good. A Yokomo drift package would also work well.

Millennium Counter-Steer Ratio.

Higher speeds usually mean lower counter-steer ratios.

What do I mean by lower ratio:

I'd go in the 1.8 ~ 2.2 range for this track. Although I run my 2.5 here, I think a slightly lower target and a more rear biased chassis would work even better.

With the need for more power you can also use a straight up CS increase in the rear spool.
A CS ratio of 3.0 is not suited. The low wheel speed of the front cannot balance an over-driven rear at these speeds effectively.

Driving style should be higher revving control in the upper throttle range. We need a balance of grip and speed and high speed drift will always have less angle around a long sweeper but you can still flick the car into the end of sweeper corners.

Millennium Counter Steer Setting Summary

Surface: Coated Concrete
Suggested Tyre: MST Hardest
Power: Higher rev motors around 9.5T
Suspension : Medium - Hard
Weight : Lighter front and Rearward weight bias.

With those things in place your chassis dynamic will allow for ripping it up at Millennium - D1 Style

Enjoy your RC.

Get the D1 look at Millennium!

http://rextremerc.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/finding-balance.html

Drift Bible - Chassis Set Up for GCRC Raceway 2015 - Countersteer

If you come to GCRC there are some changes you might need to do to your chassis to get the best results.

GCRC COUNTER-STEER SETTING.

Knowing every track is different, At GCRC you WILL be chasing grip. Drift and slide is not an issue.
The target is to keep driving speeds low and realistic on the diorama circuit.

GCRC Track Design and Surface

GCRC has a polished concrete surface.

It is very very smooth and you can run your body shell extremely low.
Even with 1-2mm ground clearance.

The layout is at the tighter end of the spectrum and requires a decent amount of control for the narrower layout.

The lack of a long straight means lower top speeds

Although the track is surrounded by fleximble barriers, due to the lower top speeds, impacts are not a real issue.

in the past couple of years, I have had no breakages from impact.

GCRC Control Tyre

Control Tyre is mandatory for a CS or 50:50 chassis are the following :

RC-Art Derive RT-01SH ( HDPE Plastic tyre for Carpet )
or
Top Line Sports Edition TDT-002PE ( HDPE Plastic for Carpet.)

Available in store at GCRC.

Acceptable others are similar such as RC926 HDPE and Kazama Premium HDPE

You will not have a problem sliding with these tyres. But you will need to try to increase the mechanical grip of a standard chassis.

Tyre wear is negligible. I have some sets lasting 6 months or more.

GCRC Power Recommendations

With the tyre grip at a minimum and the surface so smooth, it doesn't take much power to get the rear wheels spinning.

Most guys run a 17.5T motor which is more than enough with a CS setting.

Even a 21.5T

If you run a 13.5T you will end up reducing the full throttle EPA to about 70%

Honestly, Less power means more on throttle grip and not doing burnouts and wasting power.

I have tried to run a 7.5T on full throttle, it just sits there spinning everything. So it usually ends up on about 28%EPA. In other words, back to a 17.5T.

ESC temps will be very low and 5800mah batteries tend to last from 1 hour to 2 hours.

Suspension and chassis balance

Remember you will be chasing grip and reducing slip. So the softest settings and well placed weight make a big difference at GCRC,

I use light oils in the 20weight range and springs are in the softest ultra-soft range at the rear and slightly heavier oil up front but still with a super-soft range.

I also need a front bumper weight or weighted front bumper to get the front grip I need to prevent understeer.
Sometimes to counter this I use a very rear weighted bodyshell to give me slide control and length to my drift entries.

Front weighted chassis like MST MS01D also perform very well here.

Light plastic chassis also find traction difficult. So a bit of weight like a larger battery can make a big difference.

GCRC Counter-Steer Ratio.

What makes realism possible at GCRC is the ability to run higher CS ratios.

The low speeds and low grip mean that you can run a higher ratio.

What do I mean by higher ratio:

Well most high manufacturers don't make parts that increase countersteer over 2.0

This is fine for those starting out but the rear wheel speeds become higher at GCRC which isn't really desirable.

We like to under drive the front to achieve at least the same ratio and then slightly increase rear drive.

Target range is 2.5:1 ~ 3.2:1 (My personal favourite is about 2.8cs)

A setup like this is in belt drive is front 42t:10t Rear 17t:33t

With low power motor and high counter steer, you can still squeeze that throttle!

Having said that, there's nothing wrong with a lower setting like 1.9, Just make the front softer so it will kick out the rear and be prepared to trickle on the throttle so as not to overpower the grip.

GCRC Counter Steer Setting Summary

Surface: Polished Concrete
Control Tyre: HDPE for carpet
Power: Low rev motors around 17.5T
Suspension : Very Soft
Weight : Heavier and Slightly forward.

With those things in place your chassis dynamic will allow for ripping it up at GCRC

Enjoy your RC.

Especially at GCRC!

GCRC Hachi Roku Matsuri - Part #3 Twin Drift

Battle Time! Twin Drift is Team Drift.

The Driver you practice with should have a similar setup and similar style, That's the key to twin drift success.

Many a lap, spend side by side, matching speed and line.

Knowing when and where to initiate.

in chase or lead.

But when the pressure is on. sometimes you back off and play safe for nerves. But we must remember to just go for it and have fun.

Play how you practice.

Now these two drivers know each other's lines.

I could show two near identical photo's at this corner.

Door to absolute door crated some tiny taps.

that can make or break.

They certainly have their machines matched.

Father son teams starting to gel.

Won't be long until that gap closes.

last minute match ups are hard in twin drift.

deciding whether to lead or chase is always difficult.

But once that's sorted, you can concentrate on line and angle.

But with only 3 laps, you need that practice base.

Even experienced sliders find it difficult to adjust to new pairing with unmatched machines.

In this case both are usually found out in front in the lead position,

So that proximity was not quite there with different CS setting and unfamiliar boundaries.

Newcomers tried their luck too.

it's a different experience to have a battle with everyone else watching.

But a big double handbrake finish had everyone smiling.

So time to ship the 86 off to the next event. Sydney? Melbourne? Japan? Where shall it go?

Also time to prepare the FC3s and FD3s machine for July. Seven's Day is coming.

GCRC Hachi Rock Matsuri - Part #2 Body Comp Winners.

Let's check out the grinners.

This pandora TRUENO is simple and has a big impact. It caught the eye for the GCRC SPL award.

I think it's very "in budget" for a typical hachi owner just getting into drift.

My choice for body award goes to this machine. Yokomo Hayashi base.

The Replica Style is representative of a simple AE86 with that RWB touch.

With lights on, this machine pops even more.

3rd place people choice went to this goto-san style replica. Yokomo Sunrise Levin base.

Battle scarred and perfect!

4age ready to rumble.

Pipes probably oversize for a 4AGE. Swap perhaps?

This machine is one that would divide any crowd. And that usually means it's pushing boundaries.

Red and black with the battle Vixens covering the D-Like shell.

deep vents and more.

Itaisha style is all about individuality and this is just that.

low and scraping. #2 voted.

Now I've had this machine in the build for a few months. It's a very reserved build for me.

I really struggled not to add a crazy D1 style all covering livery. So Pirelli was the only addition.

There's actually a lot of detail, with Tamiya and Addiction parts, painted body lines, custom diffuser, interior, lights and more,

But I think it's just the clean style that catches the attention. Whatever the reason,

Thanks for voting #1 in the Hachi Rock Matsuri.

GCRC RE-Xtreme Hachi Rock Matsuri - Part #1 Showdown

Yes, The Hachi Rock Matsuri Rocked!

I'll have a detailed look at the winners, but what resulted was based on IMPACT!

There were clear views of what the AE86 should be and the preference for clean simple machines With one crazy exception.

When it comes to the AE86, simple is definitely among the criteria.

A great divide between the ZN6 and the AE86. But they all suited the battle arena.

D1 to Street. Check the pics and vote for your favorite.

This is a replica of one of the lightest stripped out hachi's in Japan. Goto-san's heal hachi probably weighs the same. haha.

These two guys were on track for a good showing in the twin drift. I'll be moving the twin drift earlier in the schedule to allow those to play and leave earlier if they need to.

Subtle additions making this 86 a little more special.

Wolfey's hachi is a beast also.

Military machine has real potential.

loved the rims on this machine. 3 piece adjustable offset.

Overdose fronts and street rears. Ready for a test session.

The color on this machine is painted on the outside for a different look.

N2 fenders changing the look here.

It's amazing how different the different body manufacturers are. the HPI + Stage D is a nice shape. Taka-Ono Formula D spec.

Can you pick the maker of this one?

Nojireal 86 + Watanabe.

This machine also has the makings of an awesome machine. Bombed and sushi'd up.

Sushi number plate is a nice touch. D-Like Concept is one of the more interesting of the 86 machines.

HKS Yokomo Body includes a rocket bunny fender set. But Yokomo being Yokomo, play it safe for the masses.

D-Like Rocket bunny kit is also much narrower than the Tamiya Addiction versions. But creates a smoother car in the end. This one is an OTT JDM Itaisha Akihabara SPL with Battle Vixens theme. Lots of detail.