Diff oil, engine power and track conditions.

[Error401]

Ok, after driving EP's K1 with the Sirio 27 and the frankenpipe, I got to thinking about how it fely compared to my K3 with a Sirio 21. My buggy felt more like it was tracking and gripping the track better. I put the standard oils in my diffs (red LSD fluid in the front, 4K in the center and 1K in the rear). EP had the stock oils too (LSD in the front and center, 1K in the rear).

I guess my question would be that if the engine is way overkill in the power department, what diff oils would tame the handling. With EP's setup, if you nailed the throttle, or even if you were easing into the throttle, when the mill got on the pipe all 4 tires would loose grip and it would become unstable. With mine, it would actually get more stable and tend to take off in a strait line and tend to not want to turn or spin out. I was running Crime Fighter M2 tires, EP tried my set of Ofna += tires, and the same thing always happened with his rig.

Track conditions were groomed and watered clay.

 

[HumboldtBlazer]

my opinion is my .21 is overkill, you have to be able to put the power to the ground and control it. I came into the engine I have not because I can control it but I had the money and wanted raw hp, well I got it. You are right faster is slower sometimes. As I grow in this hobby I find setup and practice time mean more than hp ever could.........

Kanai made then engines power ban to his liking for a reason, he is the only designer racer I know. He can bust cad out then make it win in real life, pretty impressive. He didn't design the engine per say but he was picky and told them what he wanted and rejected a lot of p/s setups from what I read. HE is smart and that engine is built for smooth power delivery, I am about to buy one soon if my car stops getting totaled.

 

[militarymaxx]

Error and Blazer touched on something important regarding engine power to buggy setup(s). I would venture to say that most of us find ourselves chasing the power of these engines with various setups. The perfect setup would allow full use of the engines power. I'm sure many of us have gotten close, where the buggy is fast throughout the track, at all parts, but the engine power still exceeds the limits of chassis adjustments. Not a weekend goes by where I don't see some .15 stadium truck run faster lap times than that of the the K3 with some hopped up .21. Sure, driving is part of the equation but the guy with the stadium truck has a setup that allows him to use all of his .15 power. Whereas the .21 K3 can't quite hook things up. And Blazer is right. Faster isn't always faster. I haven't yet raced in a sanctioned event yet, but have watched many and consistancy always wins.

 

[Error401]

I'm not really a racer per se, but I do like running with my buds at the local track. I have a blast running by myself too. But what really gets me off is the way buggies drive. I love watching WRC on the speed channel, and I love how those guys powerslide and tear up the track. I like drifting on dirt, and the only real way to get that is to have a ton of power. What I found however, is that the Sirio .27 goes way beyond useful power and enters the area of overkill to the point of the car being nearly undriveable on most dirt track conditions. Like I said, the Sirio K edition is smooth, powerful and high RPM, allowing for drifting, jump control and high speed while retaining some semblence of control. I just need to learn to drive better in order to be competitive.

I guess what I was originally trying to get at is, given a quality buggy, and overkill in the engine department, what measures could be taken to get that power to the ground and regain driveabilty? Radio programming on the throttle curve, diff setups, tire selection, etc.

 

[militarymaxx]

Lots of variables to contend with for sure. Everything works together or off of each other. You could have the perfect shock, gearing, diff setup but choose the wrong tires and vice versa.
Without complicating your question further, I would say that tire selection would have to be at the top of my list. Spring rates, diff fluids and gearing could be off just a little with no noticeable difference, but I find that a slight change in tires makes or breaks your day. In the end it will always come down to trial and error with a full days worth of logged lap times and comparing the data between the different setups. I had a questions some time ago about sway bars and got this link from one of the guys in here.
Give it a read. It's full of great info that will surely help you.

http://users.pandora.be/elvo/

 

[El Pirata]

Error, someone on this site reminded me about the fact that since I am running 90wt in my shocks with supertight springs caused a bumpy ride. I might drop the shock oil down to 50wt and see what that does.

 

[Error401]

Might be a good idea.