Vented - In my experience, fiberglass T-plates can become easily and almost imperceptibly distorted due to their construction. For this reason, many top-flite on-road racers have been known to change their fiberlass T-plates almost for every race at a major event. On the other hand, the steel T-plate is usually either good or noticeably bad (bent).
One problem I have encountered with steel T-plates is that the pod mounting holes can become slightly elongated after time. This can cause the pod to move slightly and become "cocked" relative to the chassis and this will definitely make the car very inconsistent and difficult to drive. I would check there, first, along with making sure it is perfectly flat.

Alsoran: This is Curtis Jr. Who are you? Cya later. Curtis.

Curtis-It's Jim.

Brian Burkhart - please email me at leeda@tqci.net
I have some questions and information for you.

David Lee

Hey Jim. How ya doin. I won't be at the track this next weekend, but I will be there the week after, and every weekend up to the 2day race. Lookin forward to racing again. cya.

Originally posted by Chassis Doc
Vented - In my experience, fiberglass T-plates can become easily and almost imperceptibly distorted due to their construction. For this reason, many top-flite on-road racers have been known to change their fiberlass T-plates almost for every race at a major event. On the other hand, the steel T-plate is usually either good or noticeably bad (bent).
One problem I have encountered with steel T-plates is that the pod mounting holes can become slightly elongated after time. This can cause the pod to move slightly and become "cocked" relative to the chassis and this will definitely make the car very inconsistent and difficult to drive. I would check there, first, along with making sure it is perfectly flat.

thanks for the answer i appreciate it.

Paiging Dr. Brian, your wanted on the internet, STAT!!!
LOL. I'm sorry if you've answered this, but I haven't seen it asked. I'm on a flat asphalt oval. Purple fronts and pink rears. 1st 10 laps the car is great, then I pick up a little push, a little left trim fixes it, 10 more laps, more push, more trim, ect. ect. By the end of the run, I have crazy left trim that has to be reset for the next round. Is the left rear heating up due to too(LOL)much tweak???
Thanks, Bret
PS comming to madness for the asphalt race next week???

sorry again guys- apparently MD isnt used to tornadoes..no internet service for the last week.

Bob- it sounds like your going in the right direction as far as trying different setups..if your having trouble getting the car off the corner you might want to try and bring the rear tires closer together..by doing this it will allow you to put more traction down..im not sure if youve tried it but you can also run the pod offset and this will help as well.

Xpressman- when we go to a race we pretty much know what we are going to run...on carpet we generally run black fronts and whie rears and sometimes black rears depending on bite..for asphalt we always run pinks and purples being that they are a natural rubber tire and work very well on that surface...you can usually tell if you car is on the wrong tires because just about anything you do wont really help...it is very important to get on the right ones then start working with your car.

impact- ive never run a bearing pod but i would guess you should try to go up about 20 wt in oil and at least 3 steps siffer on the center spring.

ovalbackmarker- usually when a car feels very good to drive it is unfortunately not very fast...if you run too much left rear it can make the car very comfortable to drive but usually bogs it down in the center of the corner...you might want to try and start the car neutral and go from there..you would be surprised that sometimes going back to neutral you will find that your not far off and you are much faster.

Andy6- ive never run the carpet pro on asphalt so im not really sure about the setup...one thing i know is that you should definetely run the car as long as you can get it. im going to run Willow Mill so as soon as i get some info ill let you know.

TOME57- changing track conditions are every racers nightmare...they can be very frustrating...when you get a car that is very well balanced it doesnt take much to keep it good...usually when the track loosens up as Willow Mill does i usually just put a half a turn in the left rear and maybe take a bit of traction away from the right front...alot of times if you really are chasing a car when the temp goes down it means that your car wasnt as good or as balanced as you might have thought it was..the heat in the track can give you a false security but when the temp goes down the car goes bananas because it loses all the help it was getting from the track.

Brians11- i would probably try a protoform 1220L Monte Carlo..its a standard body but i would stay away frm the high downforce stuff for 4 cell stock on a banked track.

SirCrash- i always run my wing right ove top of the rear deck lid which is very far back..if you saw a pic of my Snowbirds car i had to cut the right side airdam because it was hitting the spoiler because it was back so far...you also should run the wing even with the roof line to get it in clean air...with the wing on the decklid it gives you much more rear bite as oppsed to running it on the rear window...when the wing is on the window the air comes off the roof and hits the wing which is almost like running a long roof...when you run it on the decklid and even with the roof the air comes off the roof and slides down the rear window and applies pressure to the rear decklid...the wing is in totally different air so it also gets downforce from a different source thus translating into alot more downforce.


Vented- a fiberglass t-bar on a bumpy track will be more consistent because they dont spring back as fast as steel ones...when you are going ove alot bumps with a spring steel t-bar it rebounds so fast that it actullay can spring the car off the ground making the bumpe seem even worse and making the car inconsistent...as far as checking to see if its bent just do what AlsoRan had said.

Also- if your going to start with one pink i would start on the left rear because its not as drastic of a change...Gray rears would probably work but you would wear them out very fast because its a pretty soft compound.

BMullins- your probably not seeing things..that could be what was pictured but i tend to run my stuff a bit different than others thus the different picture. its basically how you like to drive your cars and what your comfortable with.

Troy24- i dont think im going out there...i havent talked to my sponsors but it doesnt look like it..i wouldnt mind going out there though.

TGBurnett- im not really sure what the answer to that question is..its not that the tweek system is so bad but that the shocks work that much better..you might want to try and give bolink a call and the can let you know more.

Jet- it sounds like you definetely have way too much left rear in your car...you should never pick up a push when running purple fronts becuase they get hot and give even more traction during a run...i would definetely try and remove some of it and work on other areas of the car to fix your problem...no i wont be coming up to madness next week.

Brian, thanks for the information. You have been a great help and good luck with your racing.

Bob COle

Thanks Bob...sorry for the delay in getting the info to all of you.

Brian,
If you have the time I would like to know what you think of the setup sheet I have been working on. Take a look at the "Setup Sheet" topic in this area and let me know if there's anything you think that should be added/changed. Thanks.

ill take a look at it Garey

Brian,

what difference between the Intrepid body and the Monte Carlo? Also, would you run heavier side shock oil on all tracks? just banked? just flat?

Brian-

I hope all is well in MD. I finally got a TRC spring Steel t-plate and it is the wrong one. It is the one for the old style associated rear pod and not for the the one that has the symmetrical t-plate. It really gets good because my LHS is telling me that I told them the wrong part number but the part number on the package is conviently torn off. I believe this one is 6263. Can any one tell me what the right number is. Thanks.

The symmetrical plate is # TR6300.

brian, i have a L3O and i race at seaford,de.what would you recommend to run for toe in, toe out. i race in the 6 cell spec stock class. thanks!!:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

brians11- the Intrepid body(prm 1221) doesnt have as much front down force as the monte carlo does(prm 1220)...the new HD monte carlo(prm 1223) has the most downforce of all the protoform bodies.

i usually try and run lighter oil because it allows the car to react faster...heavy shock oil tends to slow the reactio of the car down.

RCARGO- i wouldnt run either...i always run my car straight up in the front...toe-in makes the car more stable to drive but tracks better down the straightaway..toe-out makes the car turn in better but tends to make the car track weird but both in my opinion slow the car down because the car is scrubbing the tires.

What type of body posts is everyone running? I am looking for the kind where you screw the body down and not the body clip. I have been running the bolink style but they seem to be getting very brittle. I realize that if I didnt hit anything they wouldnt break, but it happens. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Bryon:eek:

I've been using the Assoc. ones and cut them off and tap a hole in the end of them..

BMullins- i use the associated 8185 and cut them off..they work very well because they are composite so they are very stiff...in Akron i was so much trouble with body roll that i cut a rear graphite axle off and made a body post out of it...i wouldnt recommend doing that though...its very difficult to get a screw to stay in graphite like that.

does anyone know if the track at the Norrca nats uses foam tires or caps??

Brian Showtime Speedway is a concrete hight banked oval. Approx 250' run line and we use red on left and green caps on the right. If it is hot you may need a blue on the rt front or rear. I think there web site is www.showtimespeedway.com. Does this mean that you are coming out this way.

Troy:roll:

Troy- if it was a foam tire track i would definetely be coming out but with JACO concentrating on foams we wont be doing any cap tire races real soon.

I understand, good luck with your racing out east.

Troy:)

First I would like to thank everyone for the information on these pages.
Could someone explain the advantages of running exotic foam tires over standard compounds. I have been running BSR's blue and green compounds for awhile. I read Brian's last post about running whites and blacks, and went to RC4less web page to look at the difference in discription of the different compounds and they(blue and black) appear to be realitive the same, other than the blacks have a longer wear. Is there any other advantanges than that?

Keep up the good.


Thanks again
Bryon

brian what am i doing to my car when i
1) change to a heavier oil in my side shocks:say from 30wt to 40 wt?
2) change my side shock springs: say from blues to reds?
of course i am talking about the a&e micro shocks. thanks bill

BMullins- there are several diffrences to each of these compounds...they are all in what we call different families of rubber types...blues,greens,yellows are standard foam and dont have a rubber base...they tend to work OK but never work great usually...blacks,whites,grays are in another family that is a very lightweight and have a small percentage of actual rubber in them...the biggest advantages of these are the lightness especially in the white and grays..blacks have very good rolling resistance but still have excellent traction...pinks and purples and reds are in another family that are made up of a major pecentage of actual rubber...these tires are much heavier than regular foams but they have alot of traction..usually too much traction for carpet thats why thay work so well on asphalt...the other problem is that these tires can change rom the beginning of a run to the end because they heat up alot over the run.

Katfish- heavier oil will slow the reaction of the car down and will actually calm the car down because the car doesnt react as fast...this usually isnt the fastest way but sometmes will help you if you arent comfortable at a track...changing side springs to stiffer does just the opposite because it loosens the car up and speeds the reaction of the car up...i always run as stiff as i can because it increases the corner speed.

Brian,
Good to see you Sunday. Looks like starting last is a good deal this year, actually I couldn't believe it when Tony took the lead, it looked like he was stuck in about 6th or 7th for most of the last 100 laps then all of a sudden he was in the lead. It is always cool when the sponsor of a race gets the win too!

Are you going to the Seaford race? I'll be there the week before for the Truck and Cup race, Rick Talbot is going to go practice that weekend, I may have to take my stuff and go play while they run the Busch race.

Ted

Thanks Brian that makes it "understandable". I appreciate your time.
Thanks again
Bryon

Ted- it was good seeing you Sunday too...we were on the radio with Tony and he wasnt expecting a whole lot to come out of that day...i guess sometimes when you dont expect much it will happen for you...im pretty sure im going to the Seaford race...i have the entry form here and i think im free that weekend

Bmullins- no problem im glad it helped.

Hey Brian,

Does it make much difference if you mount the wing wire to the window or to the trunk lid if the wing itself is positioned over the trunk?

On the Associated front-end on an ADX, is it a good idea to use the cross member to strenghten the front-end? Do certain tracks benefit from the chassis flex if you don't use it?

Is it a good idea to use the zero degree (standard) upper arm mount on the left front and the ten degree (reactive) on the right front?

I'm signed up for Seaford!

Thanks,

Tom

Brian
Can you explain to me the way YOU mount the wing to the trunk lid. I think I have a good idea but would like comformation on this subject. I take it you bend the wire in a U shaped design. Thanks for your time.

mace you can buy a body mount wire and buttons for the wing mushroom bowl has them:wave:

Drop
Is that just one button per wire on the bottom like you do when mount it to the window or two. I will be at the Bowl this weekend and will check that out. Thanks for info.

TOME- the reason i mount my wing on the window then slide it back over the traunk is to give me more freedom of movement in case i do want to slide it forward...mounting it on the trunk wont hurt you at all but might limit your amount of movement. i dont use the cross brace in my frontends but thats not saying it is right...on bumpy tracks where the suspension is very critical i would run it because you know the suspension is doing the work that it needs to. we used to play around with the split caster blocks but it was that big of a deal..now that we have found othe ways to get mechanical traction in the cars the 10 degree blocks dont give much of an advantage.

MACE- i use the Raceway wing mount set..part #170K for the wing and i use part#170 for the buttons on the body...the raceway piece is 3 seperate pieces of wire so its easier to work with than the traditional one piece u-bend type....the two pieces that come off the wing and connect to the body are bent in a sort of V-shape...i always connect the short side to the body and the long side to the wing for more adjustment front to back.

Brian make sure you bring Todd to Seaford see ya there on the 8th.:thumbsup: :wave:

Brian,
I added the upper A-Arm lengths to the setup sheet like you wanted, plus a few other things. It's available at http://www.classichobbiesraceway.com/SetupSheet/

Brian am I understanding you in that stiff springs on the rear with lighter oil would be the prefered set up on a banked track where as heavier oil would be okay with a flat track?IE quicker reaction time is needed on a banked track with flat straights.I currently run red springs with 80wt oil in all three shocks.

Pepe- i actually try to run as light of oil as i can to get the car to react as fast as possible on whatever type of track im running at.

Thanks Brian! that makes sense

pepe- no problem at all...glad it helped.

Brian,

I'm a little confused on the shock oil. The thinner oil helps the car react quicker(I'm assuming 20 or 30W), and you use stiff springs to keep the chassis level (especially the LR). I'd always been told to use a thick oil/stiff spring combo or a thin oil/soft spring combo.
How stiff a spring do you generally use for a flat carpet track?

BadSign- that type of a setup is generally more of an off-road type of thing...i usually run 30 wt oil and start with a red left rear spring and a gold right rear spring.

Hey Brian,

I know what happens when I move my batteries from the back to the front but what happens when I move them left to right? I always run my batteries all the way out. When should I start to move them in?

Are you going to the ORL race at the Mushroom Bowl this Sunday?

Thanks,

Tom

Brian, I run oval and we run on a 36'x75' ozite carpet track. The run line is about 135 feet. I just got some new 3000 batteries(SMH'S) and I have a 9 turn double motor coming in for this week end . My question is can you give me a ballpark on what to gear the 9 double. My tires are about 2.30. I am new to Modified racing and do not have a clue on what to gear these motors.

TOME- moving batteries left to right affects the car coming off and going into the corner...the farther out they are the harder the car will steer in but also steers more coming off...just the opposite happens when you move the batteries in...i only move my batteries in when my car is very loose coming off the corner....im not going to the ORL race this weekend.

Bob- i would just talk to some of the locals about where they are gearing and start in that range...its tough to figure out a gear for a place that you havent seen because the radius of the corners and the length of the straightaways.

The problem is that we are all new to modified we just started running it about 3 weeks ago. We have been running milder motors and now most of us are trying the Hotter winds. I ran modified before but it was many years ago and the motors and batteries are so much different today. Thanks!

Brian,
I was wondering how you determine what spur gear to use?
big # of teeth( 124)or a 120 or less? What I told, is use the biggest possible of spur gear until it caused the car to spin out. While changing spur gears I keep the gear ratio the same.

Thanks for help
Bryon

Bob- i would start somewhere in the range of a 1.20 rollout...that might be a bit on the high side but give it a shot and see how you do on runtime and how the car accelerates...on small tracks it is sometimes difficult to mail the right gear down because the car is usually overpowering the track.

BMullins- i always use a 124 spur gear wherever i go regardless of track size of class...the is no particular reason i run this gear other than im comfortable with the way the car works using them.

Brian,

I know I ask a lot of crazy questions but thanks for answering them,Whats your take on running a tight diff or a loose diff and why?