I was searching for a post about the weight that would be on the DFW. I've got a few cars built with different com and I read the weight each car had on the DFW on my scale. One has only 0.2 oz., does this sound to light?
DFW
- Thread starter Peerless Racing
- Start date
I weigh my DFW in grams My razor wheel cars are 7.8-9 grams. My wide wheel cars are 9.8-12 grams. Hope that helps.
Hogan's Racing said:
Um... Since max. weight is only 5 oz., I think you might be a little illegal there. /images/boards/smilies/wink.gif
Peerless: 0.2 oz does sound very light. I'd expect that car to be prone to wheelies. Which will happen on the transition — as the car hits the flat, the front wheels will continue rotating up, and you run the risk of jumping the track.
I've never checked how much weight is on the front wheel, I've only looked at where my CoM is. Find the point at which the car will balance on your finger, then mark how far that point is from the rear axle. 3/4" is pretty much the gold standard.
.2 oz = 5.6 grams. That's pretty light! If you're racing on a continuous arc ramp style track you "might" be able to get by with that. If the track is not in nice shape you will likely have a jumper on your hands. A half ounce might be a little safer.
Cool thanks I'm thinking the .2 is pretty risky. My other cars are around .5oz +/- I tried to make a body similar to QT's post. It's a 42' besttrack so it should be a clean rail to ride but well see what happens. I've got a half an ounce i can move around so I'll have to tinker. I read a JBD post that putting the weight around the DFW was bad so I'll see what can be done.
Is there no more room for weight in front of the rear axles? That looks like it should be plenty big for 1/4" cubes. To put more weight to the front.
Nice looking car! You might try putting balsa or basswood ladders in the car. It will strengthen the car and add that little extra weight you need on DFW.
Thanks. This is the first build of this kind I have done. I usually make my plank solid. Thanks for the tips. Crash, yea I've got room so I'll just try a couple of spots when I get some time on the track, it's usually only set up for a day or two before the race so I want to be as prepared as I can. Thanks again to all
Would it be better to put a small tungsten square around the DFW w/ the rest in the back or offset the rear as much as I can leaving the front alone?
I think that you want to have your car's weight as densely packed as possible; especially on a BestTrack with its sharp transition.
Peerless Racing said:
I've done this before without any problems. Weight is weight, no matter how it gets there.
I agree I put a small square under the front and loaded up the front end a little. Problem is when I tested it yesterday it reacts to the start gate slamming open and gets squirrelly coming down the transition (almost like it's vibrating down the section of unsupported slope) but looks good at the bottom of the hill and down the strait. I'm going to see what the forum says to dampen the start gate and see if adjusting the weight place around a few way helps.
Similar threads
