I headed over to SDRC to club race on the Top Gun layout (since I don't attend bigger races anymore). My expectations were low as the only triple I could make was a little one in the whoops section in the back left corner of the track. The bigger one in front of the ramp to the drivers stand can only be made by Mod 4wd.
For Heat 1 I went with my practice tires (JC front and Pro-Line rear slicks) since I was able to get around the track ok. Maybe with a little push? So I sauced the front and rear tires the full width and called it good. The track was freshly blown off and misted so I figured it would be fine since I was in the 1st heat of the round. I finished in 3rd with a 15:05, fast lap of 18.996, and consistency of 94.63%. The video shows that I made 7 mistakes which slowed me down and crashed 3 times.
For Heat 2 I stayed on the same tires. But I think the track wasn't watered as much and dried off? I went faster overall, but that was due to better consistency, since my fast lap slowed slightly. The guys in front of me went a lot faster though, and a car behind me went a lap faster?! I finished 4th time time with a 15:00, fast lap of 19.146, and higher consistency of 96.36%. This time I made 7 mistakes again which slowed me down but at least I only crashed 2 twice?
I would end up qualifying 4th of 8 cars. I decided to switch to my Dirt Webs/Ellipse tread tires for the main, as I think the track was drying out and becoming dusty, as the dust was not blow off between races. I crash into the wall on the landing of the step down on the 2nd lap and lose touch with the top 3 cars. For the rest of the race I fight off the car behind me, but I end up making 6 driving mistakes and crash a total of 6 times! This prevents me from improving on my starting position and I finish in 4th with a 16:21, fast lap of 18.646, and consistency of 93.72%. I guess the tread on my tires helped as my fast lap improved by half a second!
I decided to try and paint my buggy wings fluorescent yellow to make my cars easier to see. Unfortunately this type of paint is meant to be used with a white backing layer, which I didn't use. So the wings are still translucent. I think I'll try a normal yellow color when I run out of this can of paint.
Slapped on some fresh chassis tape for my Tekno EB410! This chassis is prone to rubbing the surface at the leading and tail edges. It is also known to snap the kick-up at the front off when the aluminum wears too thin. Thus, I run a double layer of chassis tape here and sometimes a custom made 3D printed skid plate.
I picked up a Tekin RS Pro Black Edition on sale for Christmas! I was able to get it for a cheaper price than when I bought another one in May for my 22 5.0 SR. This one will go in my 4wd buggy along with a Protek 160T low profile servo.
I headed out to SDRC again for more club racing during Thanksgiving weekend. We would be doing heads up starts again for qualifying, which were fun, as you had to race your way to a starting position in the Main, but more risky, as you are racing everyone.
For Heat 1 I would start on the pole. I have a clean start and keep the lead for the first 7 laps. Then with a fast 2nd place car behind me I go too wide over the hump before the triple and don't carry enough speed to clear the double. I crash on my wheels, but end up pointed into the pipe. I hop over the pipe and get back on the track in 3rd place. I make a pass for 2nd on lap 13, but lose it on the last corner at the end of the race. I finish in 3rd with a 16:07, fast lap of 17.835, and consistency of 91.7%. My crashes where I lost track position were due to driving errors with no other cars involved and needed no marshal.
For Heat 2 I started last this time, 7th of 7. I made my way up to 4th by lap 3 and started to hunt down the top 3. But after a hard landing off the triple, I had no throttle for a split second. It drove alright for another lap, but stopped again right before the hump to the table top step up leading back to the straight. The marshal picked up my car then put it back down and I was able to drive to the start of straight, where I could pick up my car. All the symptoms pointed to a disconnected sensor wire, which I did find and plugged back in. For Heat 2 my fast lap was 18.024 with a consistency of 85.7%.
I thought I was ready to go for the Main, as I plugged in the senor wire to my motor which was clearly loose when I inspected the car. But the set screw for the rear diff input coupler also loosened in Heat 2, and I didn't find out until I hit the throttle to start my warm-up laps.
Since I had the day off from work on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving this year, I decided to race that night. Apparently this was the 2nd Annual Pumpkin Pie Nationals! At this race the winner of each class gets a Costco pumpkin pie and there's a pie eating contest before the mains. Fun!
Unfortunately for me I strip the composite gears in my center diff during Heat 1. I was running in 4th when the diff stripped enough that I wasn't able to clear the triple or step up leading onto the straight. My fast lap was 18.156 with a consistency of 93.7% before I broke.
I wasn't able to start Heat 2, since I was still trying to replace the composite gears with the stock metal ones. I was close though. I was reassembling the diff just as the 2nd Heat started to warm-up, but I still had to get it back in the buggy.
Since I didn't finish either Heat race I would start last, 9th of 9 cars. By lap 8 I worked my way up to 4th and was chasing down the top 3 cars. Third place makes a mistake and I pass him for 3rd. On the last lap the 2nd place car makes a mistake and needs a marshal. I follow him over the hip jump and land on top of his car by accident! Opps! I was able to get off his car without needing a marshal and make it over the line to claim 2nd! Not the cleanest way, but it's just a club race? I was driving a bit aggressive, after not completing both my heat races. I completed the main in 2nd with a 16:16, fast lap of 18.084, and consistency of 92.96%. The winner's consistency was 94.09%. I really need to stop crashing and get my consistency above 95%!
During racing last Saturday my 4wd buggy was making a horrible sound on power. Like one of the diff was letting go. But when I inspected it, the diffs seemed fine. Then while inspecting the rest of the car I saw that the motor can was not parallel to the chassis. At first I thought the chassis was bent? But then I noticed that all the screws which hold the motor together had backed out completely! Luckily I caught it in time to get the motor back together before Heat 1 :)
Back at home I decided to take the motor out of car and clean it, then apply thread locker to all the can screws, so hopefully they won't back out again. This motor has been in the car since I built it last year! One of the bearings seemed a little gritty, so I will probably have to replace that the next time I take the motor apart.
Motor disassembled for cleaning
While the motor was out I needed to remove and replace the temperature sensor. The one mounted in my car was reading 20°F under the actual temperature. It may have been damaged the last time I raced the car in the spring, as the side of the car took a hit hard enough to the side to destroy the motor fan?
Faulty temperature sensor
I took the working sensor out of my B5m buggy (which I don't really race anymore since I switched to my TLR 22 5.0 SR), but the clear shrink wrap was torn and I had to remove it.
Naked working temperature sensor
A quick search on Amazon yielded a 625 piece clear shrink wrap kit for $8.50. I only needed 1 piece though (oh well). At least the kit was 54% off?
Amazon clear heat shrink kit and freshly covered sensor
Replacement sensor installed back in my EB410
Clean motor and replacement sensor installed back in the car
I decided to only race 13.5 4wd this time, as 2 classes with only 5-6 heats is too much work for me! I was surprised when people whom I usually can out qualify, were now in front of me! I've been able to turn really fast laps lately, but unfortunately at the cost of my consistency. I need to drive without crashing, rather than going for fast lap every lap, which leads to a crash every once in a while.
In the first heat I ran my bald Dirtweb fronts and Positron rears, saucing the entire width of the front and rear tires. Combined with my nerves, my initial steering felt too responsive, making it hard for me to drive. I would crash 4 times during the race. I finished 3rd with a 16:11, fast lap of 17.940, and consistency of 87.66%.
Heat 1 Video
For the second heat I used the same tires, but only sauced the inner half of the front tires. This seemed to tone down the initial steering, making the car more comfortable to drive. Unfortunately, I drove too aggressive, crashing a total of 6 times this race. My race time was faster though, as I turned a 16:06, with a fast lap of 17.472 and consistency of 90.16%.
Heat 2 Video
There would be a total of 11 cars in the Main and I would start 7th. I ended up crashing a bunch in the opening laps, which negated the advantage I gained passing multiple cars when they crashed earlier. I also noticed that I crashed numerous time at the step up table top leading back to the straight. Since I crash here the most, I really need to roll this section the first few laps while all the cars are close together, to avoid losing a lot of positions, if I end up crashing here. I battle for 5th with Levi (dark blue) and Brian (light blue) for most of the race. Levi would end up finishing 5th, and I pass Brian right before the end of the race for 6th. I finish the main with a 16:25, fast lap of 17.964, and consistency of 89.3%.
Main Event Video
With only 2 races left on this layout, I plan to drive a little less punched and roll that step up the first few laps! The Top Gun layout is going in after Thanksgiving weekend and it better have a triple again!
I picked up the VHA Rear Hub Conversion kit for my 22 5.0 buggy. The new Variable Height Axle hubs from the Elite car allow you to change the height of the axle, so that you can keep the drive shaft level at ride height.. But the primary reason I changed to these hubs is that they use a large inner bearing which captures the CV pin! Finally! The last few races the set screw which holds the CV pin in the axle has been backing out on my older version of the rear axle, which is super annoying.
Parts laid out for the build.
I picked up the aluminum version of the VHA hubs also. But I probably won't use them yet. They weigh 12g.
Plastic version of the VHA hubs included in the conversion kit. These weigh 9g.
One side ready to build.
New VHA hubs installed onto my 5.0 SR!
I tried out the hubs in practice using the kit setup. I couldn't feel any difference in the handling since the track was dry and dusty with not much grip. Thus, tires were much more important than suspension geometry. I will have to wait until I race on a good track to see if there is any improvement.
My 5.0 diff was feeling crunchy, so I figured it was time for a rebuild. I haven't serviced it since I built the car in the spring!
Transmission disassembled
While I had the transmission apart I decided to raise the diff height from 1.0 mm to 1.75 mm.
Sorting diff part from my B5m
It turns out that my 5.0 uses the same size thrust washer, thrust balls, and diff balls as my B5m! So I can use my parts from my inventory of AE parts. Also, the composite outdrives are cheap compared to the steel or aluminum versions, so I'll probably replace those every time I need to rebuild the diff.
I would try racing both 17.5 Expert Buggy and 13.5 4wd Buggy. Normally I don't race 2 classes during regular club racing, as usually there aren't that many heats, and I end up being really busy the entire time, instead of relaxing between races.
I also tried out recording my races with my Session 5 GoPro mounted to a cap with a mount built in! This way I can wear the camera on my head without using the goofy looking head strap.
For my 1st 2wd qualifier I used my Proline slicks. These tire were super fast last weekend, but loose this time around. Probably due to the lack of track prep or possibly the weather? I didn't have a very good run with a fast lap of 19.2 and consistency of 86.0%, finishing 6th of 7.
For the 2nd heat I switched over to my Proline Transistors/Positrons combo, but the rear tread height was still too low I suppose, as I still didn't have the rear grip I wanted. Or I was over-driving the car and not being smooth? I got the advantage of starting on the pole as we were doing heads up starts for qualifying today, instead of the normal IFMAR style starts. I held the lead for a little while until I shorted the double in front of the drivers stand and went to the back. More mistakes kept me in the back. I had slightly better run with a fast lap of 19.0 and consistency of 90.5%, finishing 5th of 7.
For the main I changed rear tires again to another set of Positrons with a little more tread. This race was 7 minutes long. I crash a bunch during the opening laps and rocket to last place. This time I had a fast lap of 19.3 with a consistency of 82.9% (worst of the day), finished 6th of 6.
In the 1st heat of 4wd I would start 2nd, but crash on the 1st jump and end up last. Luckily there was only 1 car faster then me, so I quickly moved back up to 2nd. I was having a lot of fun racing my EB410! I forgot how aggressive this car can be driven! I was trying to catch the leader until one of the rear lower titanium shock bolts broke landing the triple. This is the 2nd titanium shock bolt I've broken! I'm going to change the rears to steel studs. For the 5 laps I was racing my fastest lap was 18.0 with a consistency of 94.7%.
I wouldn't start the 2nd qualifier, as I wasn't able to get my car fixed in time. Instead of changing the rear arm with the broken bolt in it, I moved the shock to the outer hole on the arm and moved the tower mount out 1 position. Hopefully this is close enough to the original mounting position that the handling isn't too far off for the main.
I would start last in the Main, as I only had 1 qualifier result with 5 laps. I would crash near the end of the opening lap, then get all my lost positions back by lap 3. By this time the leader had checked out and I just drove as fast as possible trying to get a 17 second fast lap. I would end up with a 18.0 fast lap again with a consistency of 89.2%.
Before the next race I need to do some work on my cars. The 2wd needs a diff rebuild and I need to install the new VHA rear hub conversion I bought. I also need to service the drive-train in my 4wd as it was making all sorts of squeaky noises. LOL! I also need to swap out my motor temperature sensor in the 4wd, as I think the one currently in there is broken? Every time it turns on it reads 55°F, when it should be reading the ambient temperature :(.
Tekno just announce an update to the EB410 Kit! Below are the key features from the Tekno website:
EB410.2 Key Features:
Revised CNC 7075 Long Wear Chassis
New Larger 3.5mm HD Hinge Pins and Revised Hinge Pin Inserts
New ABCD Hinge Pin Braces w/Revised Suspension Geometry
New Taller, Stronger One Piece Wing Mount w/Height Adjustments
13mm Big Bore Shocks w/Revised Cartridge and Cap Bushing
Ultra Secure Locking Spring Perch Design
New Rear Arms w/Front Mounted Shocks
New Adjustable Roll Center Rear Hubs
New 15 Degree LRC Spindle Carriers
New Aluminum Front Camber Plate w/Bulkhead Brace
Revised Material 81T Spur Gear
Front and Rear Sway Bars Now Included
Large Wheel Bearings and 6mm HD Stub Axles
Newly Optimized Reverse Bellcrank Steering System
I was going to rebuild my current kit, but maybe I'll just get this one instead?! Then transfer over all the usable parts to the new kit. I did a similar thing when I switched from my TLR 22 3.0 to 5.0, which I've now been racing for most of the year.
I didn't race last weekend, as everyone else was busy and I didn't feel like going alone.
This weekend there is no racing Saturday, as a parking lot race will be held instead during the normal off-road race time at 4 pm. Instead there will be a race Friday night starting at 9 pm. I don't really like racing weeknights, since I'm usually too tired from work.
Next race for me will be on 11/9. At least the track jumps were updated, creating a new rhythm for the layout!
New double off the straight.
New double in place of roller hump.
New option line for table top going back to the straight.
The other weekend I checked out the mobile carpet track race at HobbyTown USA in Santee, put on by BWS Raceway. This was the first off-road carpet race I've seen in person. The layout itself was fine, but the jumps were oddly shaped with steep takeoff and short and steep landing jumps. This caused the cars to shoot high into the air then flat land on the hard carpet surface, since the landing area was so small. The takeoff for the triple must've been sending the cars 15 ft high into the air! Then the cars sometimes flat landed! OUCH!
Track setup
Massive triple!
I'll probably check out the next close by race again. Hopefully the jumps are shaped better, then I might try it out!
SDRC has announced that they are making a "Big Announcement" tomorrow at 1pm. From the looks of the post they are switching to a carpet racing surface?! I guess I'll need to convert my car's setup over to carpet? What to do with all my clay tires?
I guess I'll need a gear diff, sway bars, and new wheels and tires?
I really don't care. As long as they stay open and I have a local place to race RC cars!
I decided to switch back to Expert 17.5 after racing Sportsman for the past 2 years.
I finished 3rd in round 1 with the fastest lap (18.249) and a 16:03.
In round 2 I would make a big mistake in the closing laps and drop from a 16:00 to a 16:09 :(
In the main I qualified 4th and mistakes by the 3 cars in front of me allowed me to take the lead on the 2nd lap! Which I was able to hold until the end by turning consistent, yet slightly slower laps. My fast lap was 18.138, average lap 18.694, standard deviation of 0.733, and consistency of 96.081%. I'd like to get my fast lap and average lap to be less than 0.500 apart. This race was 0.556! Pretty good, but no cigar.
A win on my return to Expert 17.5 Buggy? I'll take that!
I attended SDRC's RAD (Racer Appreciation Day) race this past Saturday. This race marked the 3 year anniversary of the transfer of ownership of SDRC from Scott Bergen to Travis Brock. This race is usually popular due to the $0 entry fee for 2 classes!
I would only race in 1 class, Sportsman Buggy, which had the most entries, with 48. The mains went down to an F main! For round 1 of qualifying I would finish 2nd in my heat and was seeded 7th overall. The 2nd round would be faster, and while I improved my time, I was bumped out of the A main and be seeded 9th overall :(
I started the B main in the BQ position and put in 1 lap before I stuffed the exit of the bowl turn and dropped down to 3rd. A short landing on the triple dropped me down to 5th :(. I worked my way back up to 3rd by the end of the race, but unfortunately only the top 2 transfer to the A main :(.
The highlight of my day was my lunch from "Fresh Off the Bowl", the lunch caterer for the RAD race. I had the pork bowl with an over easy egg on top. Yum!
