XRAY - Model racing cars

Hello,

my current setup is the following:
xform/index.php?act=view&ID=1509&setup=xb808

As an amatuer I need more steering at various parts of the track. Also there is a 4 jump part where I jump 2-1-1 but I know it could be done 3-1 which is risky or 2-2 which is the best. Furthermore, there is a part of aproximately 2-3 meters of small wooden bumps that requires it to enter slowly and then accelerate or else my car just bumps into the air and sometimes turns upsite down.

Any suggestions on how to improve my laptimes? For a month I am stack on 52.8, 54.4 , 55.2, 57.3, even 58 sometimes. So even though I have only 1 year of experience, a months practice at the track should have allowed me to race at around 53-54 constantly and then maybe a 51 sometimes. Fastest lap at the track is 47 seconds.

Thanks.

Few things to consider
- go slower with the gearing, use 15T clutchbell. This will give you better acceleration. This makes a big difference. Top speed difference sometimes is almost unnoticeable!
- try tyres with less side-bite. Bowties all around or Crimefighters front / Bowties rear. This will give more lateral grip to front and take it away from back - makes the car rotate around the corner easier
- tyres overall make BIG BIG difference. Maybe you are running too hard or too soft compound? Very big difference on how the car handles and feels.
- try 5-5-5 or 5-5-2 diffs (depends on your driving style a lot to be honest)
- try different brake balance. On very loose tracks it is sometimes helpful to lock the rear wheels and loose the grip that way. Works nice with drivers with less experience. Faster guys usually don't go that way On some tracks brake balance makes a huge difference on your driving
- try thicker rear anti-roll bar, which should transfer a bit more grip to front (often not really noticeable)
- move the battery up front (the trend for 2011!). Need a little DIY and a suitable battery.
- read the Xray setup manual and find all the little setup things that make the difference. You'd like to have more front grip and maybe loose some rear grip.

A good tip is to get a friend who watches you drive for a few laps. Let him look for excessive wheelspin (give less throttle) and if wheels are locking somewhere (reduce braking amount or change balance). For an example with the 4-jump section often guys give too much throttle, have wheel spin and for that reason can't accelerate to jump it 2-2. And usually you don't want to lock up the brakes also.

Consistency comes only from practise! Try the VirtualRC simulator also, you'll be surprised how much it helps! On track you need to find the right pace for yourself - lets say 90% of the speed - so you can go consistently fast. Don't try to break the lap record every lap Let others watch you run and ask for tips and tricks. Run with 1-2 guys together. Then you'll see where you loose and gain time compared to them. This is the best way to practise.

Hope you'll find something helpful here

This is the track if it will help:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDr7th9v ... re=related

I have raced on this track few years ago. The layout was different and I but i the soil was the same. As I remember the grip was high
Looking at your setup it I would suggest that the first thing you should do is to use harder springs, most defently the at the rear. Change your rear spring to blue grey and if that helps try harder springs all around. Also change your rear anti roll bar to 2.6, And change your wheelbase to middle on both front and rear arms, and short on the rear hubs.

I had trouble getting the off and on power steering I wanted until I moved the rear arms back. It appears you already done that on your setup but moved the front arms too. I suggest moving the front arms back to the stock position. The xray seems to respond different to wheelbase changes then the setup manual suggest. It has to do with the changing the weight distribution more then length of wheelbase. With my arms in this position and everything else stock, I usually have to thicken rear diff fluid slightly or run softer springs in the rear to not oversteer.

If you need even more steering, you can move your rear hubs back as well, but when I tried that it was so loose I could not drive it.

You did not post your droop setting which can make a big difference especially going over the wood planks in the track. 2 years ago I raced a track that had wood partially buried just like that. My car was never fast as other brands of cars through there no matter what I changed ('09 version). Without seeing what your car is doing I cannot make any recommendations, but can give you somethings to try. If you have skid plates, take them off, they can catch the boards where they are exposed. Your ride height seems fine, but make sure the front is hitting the first board (I usually run my car much lower then you are). Max your droop, but this will effect everything else as well. The oil in your shocks is too high, but what brand it is makes a difference. I usually run 8x1.2 or 10x1.1 pistons with 30 to 40 weight oil. If front is too stiff and suspension does not compress it will bounce you car straight up and back.

Hope this helps.

I suggest trying base setup with rear arms back only then go from there.