hankster
11-02-2005, 12:59 AM
We are used to seeing side-by-side in-line battery packs assembled with all 6 cells next to each other in a row. In many chassis designs you are then given a couple mounting positions for the batteries to shift weight forward or back. Find out how to Super Tune your weight distribution with this split-pack assembly method.
http://www.hobbytalk.com/images/articles/orassembly01.jpgMounting the batteries towards the rear gives you more traction and takes away some steering. Mounting them towards the front gives you more steering and takes away some traction.
In chassis like the TC3, that is allowed by having battery slots in the chassis. In off-road vehicles this is normally done using foam spacers placed in front or behind the battery pack. But sometime moving your battery just one position changes the handling more then you would like. Using a split in-line battery pack helps solve that problem and and allows you to shift weight in smaller increments.
http://www.hobbytalk.com/images/articles/orassembly02.jpgIt's easy to do. Just use a short wire instead of a battery bar between the second and third cell in your pack. You can then place the battery pack about a dozen different positions in your car or truck, shifting the weight exactly where you need to get the best handling.
It may seem that it really won't make much of a difference, that it's splitting hairs. Remember that the next time your car or truck is pushing just a hair too much and you work like crazy changing springs & shock oil or changing shock mounting positions to fix it. It could be just shifting two cells forward one notch would solve it instead of doing all the work you normally do.
http://www.hobbytalk.com/images/articles/orassembly03.jpgOf course each case, setup and driving style is different. I've found that with my Kyosho Ultima ST, I like a 3x3 split pack with both spacers between the two sets of cells. You might think that the handling would be the same as if all 6 cells were just mounted in the middle with a single spacer at each end of the pack. I've found that if I do that, I lose both steering and traction. My guess is the split pack moves the weight towards both ends of the truck and allows the weight to shift more under braking and acceleration.
If all else fails and you find that your best handling is with all the cells side-by-side, you can still mount them this way even with the split packs. The split pack just gives you one more tuning option and it doesn't cost a cent to do. These are the types of tuning tips I like, they show real performance gains and don't cost you a dime.
http://www.hobbytalk.com/images/articles/orassembly01.jpgMounting the batteries towards the rear gives you more traction and takes away some steering. Mounting them towards the front gives you more steering and takes away some traction.
In chassis like the TC3, that is allowed by having battery slots in the chassis. In off-road vehicles this is normally done using foam spacers placed in front or behind the battery pack. But sometime moving your battery just one position changes the handling more then you would like. Using a split in-line battery pack helps solve that problem and and allows you to shift weight in smaller increments.
http://www.hobbytalk.com/images/articles/orassembly02.jpgIt's easy to do. Just use a short wire instead of a battery bar between the second and third cell in your pack. You can then place the battery pack about a dozen different positions in your car or truck, shifting the weight exactly where you need to get the best handling.
It may seem that it really won't make much of a difference, that it's splitting hairs. Remember that the next time your car or truck is pushing just a hair too much and you work like crazy changing springs & shock oil or changing shock mounting positions to fix it. It could be just shifting two cells forward one notch would solve it instead of doing all the work you normally do.
http://www.hobbytalk.com/images/articles/orassembly03.jpgOf course each case, setup and driving style is different. I've found that with my Kyosho Ultima ST, I like a 3x3 split pack with both spacers between the two sets of cells. You might think that the handling would be the same as if all 6 cells were just mounted in the middle with a single spacer at each end of the pack. I've found that if I do that, I lose both steering and traction. My guess is the split pack moves the weight towards both ends of the truck and allows the weight to shift more under braking and acceleration.
If all else fails and you find that your best handling is with all the cells side-by-side, you can still mount them this way even with the split packs. The split pack just gives you one more tuning option and it doesn't cost a cent to do. These are the types of tuning tips I like, they show real performance gains and don't cost you a dime.