Hey Everyone,

This is a thread for tips in seting up your BRP car. As most of the racers in the Ohio area know me allready, and the success that I have had with the BRP cars, I have been asked to give setup tips.

So each week I will have a different topic on settting up the car. I will also like feedback from the racers, do the tips help? or thing that you have tried yourself that have improved your performace.

Tang

First tip was one from another thread:



With a Stock Brp motor it is all about keeping speed through the corners because this will give you more speed down the straights. So the first thing is the diff, if the diff is not smooth or its too tight it will kill your speed. Replace the diff balls about every 3rd race day. I use BRP diff lube, and clean the diff aleast once a race day. Also make sure the diff rings are glue to the axle and hub, and there is no glue on the gear side of each. Now to set up the diff, Place your car on the track and hit the gas hard, the diff should slip 2 to 3 feet. DO NOT tighten it so there is no slip. The slip allows the car to accelerate smootly, no wheel hop and carrying more speed down the straightaway.

More tips later
Tang

Ok this weeks tip:

One of the problems I see, is a car with way tooooo much steering. If you have the maxmium amount of steering in your car, and your car can turn around in less than 2 feet, you can be turning too much. With a stock BRP car speed through the corners is key, if you have too much steering you will only turn the wheel a fraction, to get through the corner. If you notice your line will not be the same. Also when you need to pass someone on the straights a small movement on the wheel will make a large movement on the track. All of that steering scrubs speed off and slowing your lap times.

So what I like to do is look at the track.....find the smallest width lane. Let say it 6 foot acrossed. Set my steering so I can turn around in about a 4 foot circle. So even in the tight hairpins, I will have enough steering to get through. And if I don't have enough I can turn some in with the dual rate on the radio.

Now if you set your car up like that for each track....oval or road you will steer less, which will allow you to carry speed through the corner.


Tang

Thanks Tang >> Just So You know Tang is a 8 time BRP series champion with many years of racing under his belt.

Tang is my hero!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tang, how long have you been a most respected R/C racer?

MANY MANY MANY Years 2slow00 To many I think.......Did you notice that I had the correct amount of steering in my car this weekend. And we only hit each other once, not our normal 4 or 5 times LOL

Thank you for the tips Tang. I can say that the tips are very helpful.
I had a bad habit of setting the diff way to tight (to get that jump at the start) but found that loose was fast.

One thing I struggle with the V2 is the rear pod. I use the 100 wt shock oil, and keep the spring collar high on the post (top of collar is level with top of post). I also reamed out the hole on the top pod plate. My issue is:
When you place the car on a flat surface, and press down on the chassis on the right rear corner (non gear side) the car will “spring” back to center rather quickly. One you do the same thing to the left side (gear side) the car’s chassis will kind of list to that side, it will not “spring” back. I have noticed when I take my car off the track; the chassis is a little sticky on that rear corner, so the chassis is dragging on the track in the corners – but only on that side. What can I do to correct this problem? BTW I do make sure my car has the proper tweak before each run.

Thanks :thumbsup:

Mirco,

The problem maybe in the front of the the car.....sometimes when the front end is bound up or a spring has collapes will cause an issue with how the car sits at the rear. It will tweak out right if you are tweaking from the front, but if you tweak from the rear it may show up.
Tang

Thats right You may have a front spindle binding slightly. Or one spring is stiffer or longer in length.

I have been told I may be longer and stiffer :)

Tang>> Can You elaborate on how important a good gear mesh is for speed!!

Sure can Bud,

With the BRPs the gear mess can make or break a fast run. Too tight and you will be slow and a very good change of burning out a motor. Too loose and you can strip a gear and not finished the race.. You need it just right. Well how do you get that? To begin look at your gears, pinions and spurs. Look for wear on the teeth, brass pinions wear quickly but give you a good mesh. So look at the pinion, if its a 9 tooth stock gear, they a brass with a chome covering, so if the gear has a yellowish color to it, time to replace it. Now look at your spur gear, if its old you can notice the teeth becoming sharp, remember the top of each tooth should have a flat on it. Ok so you gone out and brought a new pinion and spur, the pinion should be good to go on. The spur you will need to look at, sometimes in the manufacturing of spur gears a flashing can be on the edges of the teeth, does not matter if its a BRP gear or someone elses. Check the gear, if there is some, you will need some needle files, they are pretty cheap and you can get them at most tool stores. Take the files and knock off the flashing on the teeth, but be sure not to damage the teeth.

Ok now we have our gears ready to go, put the diff together and check to see if the gear will rotate true on the axle. If it doesnt, check to see if the axle is bent. If it is replace it, don't try to straighten it , you may get it close, but the car will not work right. With the diff together, put the motor in next. If it is a new motor be sure to pre thread the mototr screws into the motor this will lead to less chance to binding when the motor is tighten.

Ok move the motor and mesh the gears, tighten the motor screw alittle, but be able to move the motor still. There should be a little slop in the mesh......this is the black art of setting the mesh. Check the slop in several spots in the spur gear. Next use a run up pack to turn the motor, listen to the mesh as it starts up. You should be able to tell a bound up gear mesh. Now the other side is if it is loose it will be loud also but and different sound. You want the mesh to be as quiet and possible on the start up and run downs. Thats the key..... also if you grab a wheel and spin the diff you can hear the drag on the gears. I nice smooth sound it what you are looking for.

Now if you are happy with your mesh, tighten the screw alittle at a time going back and forth between them...Also you do not need a lot of torque on the motor screws. Check the mesh , does it turn over free and has the slop in it? If it has the slop, but does not turn over as free as it did, you have bound up the motor when you tighten it. DONT WORRY, take a small flat blade screwdriver and place it under the pinion and against the pod and put a little force on the pinion outward. Then tap back towards the center of the car on the pinion. Repeat this a couple of time untill the motor frees up. GUYS this is the reason some of the motors burn up. You need to check for this every time you put your motor in.

So now with good gear mesh your not wasting energy turning the gears and you should be faster. Next time your at the track, listen to the fast cars on the track....you will hear alot less nosie coming from there cars.

Thanks!! Remember de bind that motor every time.

Tang,

Have a couple of questions on gearing. What kind of gearing do use if you are on a road course, that doesn't have a long straight away and has short shutes between turns? What kind of gearing do you use on a high bank oval like Classic? Also have a question on tire size. I see alot of you measuring your back tires. What size area are you looking to keep the rear tires?

Frank,

Gearing can be a tricky, if I am going to a new track alot times I will ask the fast guys what they are running, but if you can look at their car. Some of the fast guy will give false info.

Gear ratio::: Spur/pinion = ratio 52/9= 5.7777 48/9 = 5.33333

High the ratio = more acceleration out of the corner
Lower the ratio= more top end speed.


So if you dont have that info I would start with the a 9/48 or 9/52 gearing. Both are pretty safe. What to look for on the track, is good acceleration off the corners and top out speed about halfway down the straightway.

So when you are praticing listen to you car, does it bog out in the corner, or is it smooth and accelerates out. If you seem to be really fast down the straight but you are getting beat in the infield go to a high ratio. If it seems like everyone is passing you down the straight.....go to a lower ratio.

Now the key factor in of this is how hot is the motor getting. When you pratice for the five mintues, feel the motor.....if it is really hot try a high ratio.....if it is warm and you can hold on to it, try a lower ratio. Once a motor gets extremely hot its perfomance can drop off or burn up.

As far as a big oval, you should start with a 45 and a 9 or 10 pinion......From that I would go higher or lower ratio based on how it performs on the track.

Remember each motor is different, some can have lots of torque with low rpms, these work well with lower ratios. The other end, you can have a motor that screams free revving but, need a higher ratio to keep the rpms up for its performance.

As far as the rear tires in BRP racing, most are measuring to see if there is any difference from left to right. Other forms of racing the tire dia is figure in the ratio this is call the "rollout". The BRP car rear tires wear so little on the carpet is really does not factor much into the set up. On the bigger cars, the tire wear can be so much that each run a pinion tooth maybe needed to kept the same rollout of the car.Biggest thing for the BRP car is that the tires are big enough to give good ground clearance under the chassis and that the chassic sits even front to back. You may need to change the front or backs to gave that clearance.


Last words about gearing, For most road coarses that I have raced on a 48 or 52 spur with 9 or 10 pinion has been good for me. Oval, with a 45 spur a pinion of 10 or 11 and as high as a 12. These all depend on how the gear mesh is set and that the motor is not bound up.


Thanks for the question Frank. Cya at the track

Thanks for the input Pat. Sounds good to me.

Tang >> Youer da bestest !!!

So what is the first tip of the new year????

How about
"How to hit he other car and make it look like his fault"?? ;-)

We're not worthy !!!
But on a more serious note, do you run any toe in or out? And I also wanna know how to make it "his fault" . :jest:



Indeed

I always run a slight amount of toe out !!!! How about it Tang??

Hey Guys,
Sorry for the delay, I have been pretty busy lately.

!diot, Sorry I cant give away all my skills

ghoulardi, Toe in or toe out.......this can be at debate for some people. On big tracks where your at higher speeds, I have found alittle toe in is good. Toe in make the car more stable and less likely to drift around. On a really tight track or if I need the car to turn in hard, I will run some toe out. When setting the car up I will start with some toe in and adjust the other parts of the car, and then use toe as a last adjustment.
Tang

This Tangtester KNOWS His stuff !!!!!!!!! :thumbsup:

Do you give lube with your answers?

Only if I get dinner also!

So what is Tangs tip of the week?? Any questions??

How about this week any tips?? I need to go faster!!!!!

Hey Guys,

Sorry for the delay this week, I have been really busy.

This weeks tip has to do with the front end of the car. The front end of the car, the king pins are one of the most important parts of car setup. If the steering block bind up on the kingpins it car really mess up the cars handling.

So to start you need to polish the kingpins, you will need some sand paper, 600, 1000, and 1500 grits. You can find the 1000 and 1500 grits at a good auto parts store that deals with autobody and paint supplies.

Inspect the kingpins for any burrs and remove with a fine file, then put the kingpin in a drill holding it by the threads, you don't need to tighten it too tight where it would damage the threads. Then start with the 600 grit, sanding the kingpin, I like to use aliltte WD-40 on the sand paper. Keep going untill an nice even surface is achived. Then switch to 1000 and then 1500 grits until the kingpins have an nice polished surface.

Now the steering block, deburr the kingpin holes. The check for free movement on the kingpin. If not keep polishing or check the steering block for problems.

Now to assembly the front end, place the first nut on the kingpin, and tighten it up. Make sure it bottoms out on the threads, then measure both kingpins from the eclip slot to the top of the nut. They need to be the same. If not adjust one of them to match, and then super glue the nut.

The put the kingpin on to the front on, and put the nut on the bottom and tighten. I like to then put a drop of super glue on the bottom of the nut, this will secure the nuts. ( If you need to hold the kingpin, hold with pilers at top near the eclip slot.
Then put some BRP diff lube on the kingpin, and put the steering block on. Then check then spring measuring their length is the same. The put the green washer on with the eclip. The front end should be nice and free.


During a season I like to change the steering blocks aleast once or twice. The holes in the blocks do wear out and then the block can bind but will feel free under a vertical load, and bind under a side load.


Well now everyone go and free up your steering blocks\
tang

Thanks for another great tip! :thumbsup:

Now - how do you adjust the king pin for camber? and how much should you have for:

1. A road course
2. A banked oval
3. A flat oval

I never adjust chamber or caster !!! But Tang may :)

Tang >>>>>>> How about the tip on pushing second place over the finish line :(

Hey guys this may be a dumb question, but how do I tighten my (ball) diff?? I'm getting way too much slip.

Bud-looking forward to friday!! :)

If you have it to were the nut is all the way down You may have to file the brass bushing in the gear so it is thinner. It may be rubbing the wheel hub and not allowing the diff balls to have enough pressure on them.
Correct Tang??
I will have those Mini T tires friday if You still want them.

yeah i definitely want the tires still. I'll try filing the brass bushing a little.

wow, that was too easy. Fixed just like that! Thanks a bunch, Bud.

Now I've just got to paint my body...


oh yeah, sorry for the double post!

See You friday :wave:


Tang>> Any tips this week???

Hey Guys,

Here is this week’s tip. One thing I keep seeing and this even happen to me this pass weekend. You need to check your rear pod screws and check them each run. I try to make it a routine after each run to check all of the screws on my car. This past weekend I lost two screws out of the pod
Also you need to check the pod plates to make sure their are not bent. Any bend it the plates could cause a bind in axle or misalign the gear mess. I like to use a steel block placed between the ears on the plate and then placed on flat surface. I then use a hammer to hit the block, which flattens the plate. This only works a couple of times before you need to replace them. I will also try to keep an extra set of plate in my tool box so I can replace them at the track and wait to straighten the others at home. Most of the time you don’t have the means to achieve good results at the track. Don S sells a brass tub which goes between the bushing on the rear pod added strength and alignment to the pod. It’s a pretty good idea and some cheap insurance on keeping the pod straight.

Catch everyone later.
Tang

Great tip, have lost a few of those screws over the years. That is why I have seen some people assemble the pod using 2/56 screws and minature locknuts.

Just put a dab of super glue on the bottom ones when set. On screw and pod plate.

Frank >> Follow these tips! :)

Thanks Bud, I'll try that next week.

Tang Where Were You?

Hey there 2 slow,

I have been working on my house lately....so working on my car getting it ready for racing has not been high on the list. I will be running at classic and then the others at the gate. For some silly reason I want to run the oval instead of road. I must be getting sick or something.

Plus I did not want to miss any of the Bud Shootout, it was pretty good.

Later
Tang....


PS I should have a tip this week, I am looking for a good topic. Any ideas?

Tang the rumors were flying.

Excuse me, but wasn't the Shoot Out on Saturday? Inquiring minds need to know.

It was rained out !!! Don the car is doing well :)

Being almost bed ridden I foregot the race was run on Sunday. I plan on going back to work Wed. Bud I am happy with the way the sale is going. This way I can spend more money on my Buds car. I will have to see if I can find anything else we turn a few bucks on.

Do you mean to tell me "TANG LIKES OVAL" ?

Tang - now that I have followed all your chassis tips - how do I get the most out of my 16d motor?