What did i learn?

[AceMontana]

After watching my first BASX entry what did i learn? ...i need to be faster ...but seriously i watched my car ("Y'all Cheat") race in slow motion and saw something that is most certainly a clue... from the point where the gate drops my car was slower than the competion....it even "fell" slower than the rest....it seemed to be 1-2 inches behind at the bottom of the hill...then the gap continued to open on the flat....all i can think of is
A) Too much drift
B) poor wheel axle prep

Given that the times consistantly faded from bad to worse im guessing option B is the culprit...but any and all input is welcome

 

[TRE]

I will give you a tip...way too much wheel gap

 

[AceMontana]

Ill double check that once i get it back...i believe i set the rears at .015 and DFW at .02 i did not notice any drifting or wiggle...the car seemed to run true just slower than the rest but i obviously have a long way to go before being competitive.

 

[Reecedad]

When I first started and had a similar issue I quickly learned it was my wheel prep. I wasn't cleaning my bores properly between polishes and used way too much wax that never cured completely.

 

[B_Regal Racing]

Wheel prep (think of ALL of the surfaces that contact another surface) and wheel gap. Both play a big role...

 

[HurriCrane Racing]

You have your starting point now. We have all been in your shoes. I didn't break 3.0 my first few races. Took me nearly a year to catch up with everyone. Keep at it, it will get better.

If you were losing that much ground on the hill, something had to be out of alignment. Are you using a drill jig or pre-drilled block? What wheels? Prep and oil selection would be the next place to concentrate.

 

[AceMontana]

You have your starting point now. We have all been in your shoes. I didn't break 3.0 my first few races. Took me nearly a year to catch up with everyone. Keep at it, it will get better.

If you were losing that much ground on the hill, something had to be out of alignment. Are you using a drill jig or pre-drilled block? What wheels? Prep and oil selection would be the next place to concentrate.

I did use a wheel jig...crappy off the shelf at the scout shop...straight drill (no cant)
Wheels were straight out of the BSA kit but i lathed them myself to 2.45 grams
Axles were again home made from stainless steel finish nails and polished to a mirror finish. The oil selection was.....well...graphite only ...my fastest time of the day was 3.0342

 

[Reecedad]

I did use a wheel jig...crappy off the shelf at the scout shop...straight drill (no cant)
Wheels were straight out of the BSA kit but i lathed them myself to 2.45 grams
Axles were again home made from stainless steel finish nails and polished to a mirror finish. The oil selection was.....well...graphite only ...my fastest time of the day was 3.0342

Just curious- what was the dimension of your finished axle?

 

[HurriCrane Racing]

I did use a wheel jig...crappy off the shelf at the scout shop...straight drill (no cant)
Wheels were straight out of the BSA kit but i lathed them myself to 2.45 grams
Axles were again home made from stainless steel finish nails and polished to a mirror finish. The oil selection was.....well...graphite only ...my fastest time of the day was 3.0342

I'm not sure if you could have handicapped yourself any more. If you want to be competitive, you'll need to make a move to an oil prep and cant your rear wheels. What works at the scout level will not work so well at the league level.

 

[AceMontana]

I knew it wouldnt be the same for sure but the idea for me was to gage what id been building against the pros...i now have a starting point to build from and about a half second bridge to gap

 

[AceMontana]

The axle finished up with a .090 diameter after polish if thats what your asking

 

[B_Regal Racing]

Did you turn your own wheels on the hand-held lathe? If so, that could certainly be a problem. While others have used it with some success, I've tried it many times never really having a favorable outcome (for league racing anyway). I was better off with wheels straight out of the box.

 

[Reecedad]

The axle finished up with a .090 diameter after polish if thats what your asking

Yes that's what I was asking. If the final bore measures .0975 or so you might want to keep the axle dia. To about .0925

 

[AceMontana]

I turned them on a central machinery benchtop lathe...(.0002 runout once completed)

Im sure a larger diameter axle wouldve helped wheel stability. My line of thinking was that box stock axles usually finish polish around .087 - .088 so i figured .090 was at least a step in the right direction.

From what ive read its debatable but looking for oppinions here...with graphite , grooved axles or non grooved axles?