Last year it was 1" forward of the rear axle...this year we are shooting for 5/8" forward of the rear axle
Need opinions please
- Thread starter DuckOfAllTrades
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Last year it was 1" forward of the rear axle...this year we are shooting for 5/8" forward of the rear axle
Also wanted to echo the post about swan-tech timers ...being on a budget and less than savey when tech and wiring are concerned i purchased two timers last year and after getting them promptly ordered a third and built a three lane instead of a 2 lane test track...bryan was very helpful when i had questions and shipping was prompt and profesional...definate two thumbs up
Let me know how it turns out. I've labored for two years that it HAS to be exactly 1 inch in front of the axles! Learned on here that's not exactly true. It's too late this year. Most cars I built for the derby are 1 inch. Definitely going to go a little further back next year.
I guess different cars need different COM. For example, a pro racer can probably be a little more aggressive. I'd like to know if there is an optimal placing for scout cars, or is it more of a range. I wonder how much faster 5/8 would be than 1 inch.
I thought about drilling out some of the lead from my kids cars and moving it back, just not sure it's worth it at this point.
Kinda tempted to just say if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. It’s those last minute (make it betters) fixes that often end up making it worse. I have tons of experience in that. 
Jimmy
Jimmy
That's kind of what I'm thinking. I have them aligned and tuned how I want them, so why risk having to start over? Then again...Kinda tempted to just say if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. It’s those last minute (make it betters) fixes that often end up making it worse. I have tons of experience in that.
Jimmy
Sucks being a perfectionist.
What absurd is how obsessive I am over this stuff! I psyche myself out thinking speed speed speed, I want to win the adult derby! Every other parent probably spend 30 minutes working on there cars and could care less.
Is everything included that you will need to set the timer up? Or do you have to buy other things?
Just wait till you start running in the pro league. If your not obsessed your last. Lol
I bought light sockets and bulbs and a magnetic switch for the gate..as well as wire...all under 20 bucks extra as i recall...oh yeah i bought an 8 foot 1X3 to make the finish gate to hang the timers on....all and all a good investment when your looking for fractions of a second
So guess who couldn’t leave well enough alone? This guy! I just couldn’t rest until I moved the COG. Decided to do it on one each of the kids cars, leaving the other as is. First one went easy! 25 minutes, done! The second one? Not so easy! Should have left well enough alone. Destroyed it and had to build him a new car! He’s getting a flat black wedge because it was easy to cut and paint dried fast! The good news is that it’s the fastest of the lot! Took me about 2 hours, it looks awesome and is consistent with no wobbles! Guess it worked out. He loves his new car and is ready for the 22nd.
Nice cars Dad! The holes... you are covering those with clear tape right?
Now is the Derby Duck that we talked about earlier racing at the Scout races with your others? I would just caution you to take a close look at your wheels afterwards if so. It’s common that they don’t take care of their tracks like the pro leagues do and un-level section joints or rough edges can tear wheels up. I only caution in case you plan on sending him in to race at the league. If he goes with damaged wheels your speed may suffer quite a bit in comparison to the pros.
Good looking fleet man! Can’t wait to hear how they do.
Jimmy
Now is the Derby Duck that we talked about earlier racing at the Scout races with your others? I would just caution you to take a close look at your wheels afterwards if so. It’s common that they don’t take care of their tracks like the pro leagues do and un-level section joints or rough edges can tear wheels up. I only caution in case you plan on sending him in to race at the league. If he goes with damaged wheels your speed may suffer quite a bit in comparison to the pros.
Good looking fleet man! Can’t wait to hear how they do.
Jimmy
Hi Jimmy!
The plan is to race it. Good news is they are meticulous with the track. It's taken well care of. The guy that sets it up knows his stuff and they spend hours leveling and cleaning, and they are cleaned after each pack race. Also, the Adult Derby is the first race, so it should be fresh. Thanks for pointing that out! Food for thought. I may run once at tech day and see what I get. Mike instructions were to run it once, get a time, and immediately put it back in the bag! If I have another car close, I may race it just to avoid damage. I think I'll do OK. As far as I know, no one else runs oil. Besides Derby Duck, I'm running four other cars on oil. The gold car is a blazer as well. I think it will at least hang with Derby Duck, but I'm probably wrong! Mike is the man.
Yes, plan on covering holes, at least on the bottoms. I'm letting the kids cars slide if they have holes in the top because I want it to be there design, there car. I will keep everyone posted how we do on Tech Day. I think we will do all right. I've put in the time and used the tips here to hopefully gain an advantage even with a strict rule set.
Can’t wait to hear how your fleet does!
Yes my league cars are always in bags unless I am working on them or racing. I am scared to death of dust!!!
And also... keep this in mind... when league racing... air going over any open hole is like wind over the Grand Canyon. Especially when the difference between 1st & 2nd place points can literally be .0001. Missing first by that much stinks. lol ask me how I know.
Yes my league cars are always in bags unless I am working on them or racing. I am scared to death of dust!!!
And also... keep this in mind... when league racing... air going over any open hole is like wind over the Grand Canyon. Especially when the difference between 1st & 2nd place points can literally be .0001. Missing first by that much stinks. lol ask me how I know.
Ha ha, Mike has already preached to me on holes! And there won't be any. The orange/black car actually DID have holes, and Mike said he would cover them up, so I did. The pink/white is the same design, without holes covered up. Decided to see how much of a difference it makes if all else is equal. My guess is not much at the scout level, but I could be wrong. I'm leaving the hole in one of my kids cars as she wants it there and I think that's only fair. I will tape up the bottom of course. I'm going to do clear tape. They have to inspect the bottom and that will allow them to inspect without removing the tape, hopefully.Can’t wait to hear how your fleet does!
Yes my league cars are always in bags unless I am working on them or racing. I am scared to death of dust!!!
And also... keep this in mind... when league racing... air going over any open hole is like wind over the Grand Canyon. Especially when the difference between 1st & 2nd place points can literally be .0001. Missing first by that much stinks. lol ask me how I know.
I am deathly nervous one of there cars WON'T pass inspection. It's a bad fear of mine. I'll get the car finished and tuned perfect, spending hours doing so, and will have to make a correction in minutes and hope it didn't destroy the speed! I'm hoping at tech day, they will let us go through inspection so we can identify any problems.
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