Nitro Handling kit?

[AC48]

I was looking around tower and I came across this. http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&W=000542896&I=LXST44&P=K

What do is do exactly? Is it worth buying?

 

[Arrow]

i had it on my racer 2. helps with the ride height as there are tabs fo the set screws to lay on. i really couldnt tell you about the center of gravity change though

 

[AC48]

Did you notice a big defference in handling?

 

[Diver6127]

based on the description, it is supposed to let you adjust roll centers, front and rear. This will allow the car to be more solid in the turns, giving better tire grip and response. Raising and lowering the CG is key to performance but being able to do it seperately from front to rear gives more adjustability.

Tire/foam compund will be a key factor as well as the roll center adjustment.
CLICK HERE for understanding the importance of roll center.

 

[AC48]

Wow, thanks Diver. Tons of info there.

I don't race, I just run in parking lots and stuff. But my car usually tends to slide out on hard corners. I thought these may help me out. The car I bought is obviously an HPI RS4 and doesn't have adjustable turnbuckles. I was just looking for things to help out my cornering ability. What about sway bars?

 

[Diver6127]

I don't have an RS4 but the key thing in any onroad car is the alignment and suspension settings. These can only be accurately adjusted on a setup board and tweak station. For the setup, since you're just doing runs in a lot, get an RPM gauge at the very least to adjust toe and camber. Sway bars will help the car stay flatter in the corners but if the basics are off, they won't do anything but compound the problem.

A tweak station (for suspension settings via threaded shock bodies) will balance the suspension preload so that holeshots and handeling in the turns will be balanced.

All cars will slide out in a corner if there's too much speed and/or power applied. If you have a front oneway, you have to keep steady power in the turn to keep from swinging the rear aorund. If you have an open diff, you can coast intot the corners. Both have their pros and cons but it's all in personal preference.

The most important adjustment in cornering ability lies between your trigger finger and the brain. I learned this the hard way when I started racing competatively. Throttle control is the most important factor.

 

[AC48]

Ok thanks Diver. For now I think I'll wait and see how it does with new tires. If you saw the pic of my car you can probably tell thats a major part of the problem.

I'm sticking with rubber tires becuase I think foams will chunk very quickly on the roads I drive on.

 

[Diver6127]

With rubber tires, the rubber will roll under the rim. Even more pronounced if the toe and camber are out of whack. At the very least, get the RPM tool. Take it easy on the power slides and donuts! BTW, treaded tires are nice for dusty areas. I suggest the X-patterns. Slicks are even better, as long as there's not too much dust and dirt.

To help with planting the tires, get the premolded tire inserts made by HPI. Put the Harder compound foam in the front and a medium compound in the rear for a more solid holeshot and bite when turning. This is what I used to do when running rubber tires.

 

[AC48]

Yea, I had the premolded foams before and they were great. I fogot to order them and I have nowhere within 2 hours to get them. Oh well, I may try and get some asap and just wait because they do make a huge difference. I'll drag out the body painting process while I'm waiting lol. I got a Corvette C6 too

I never had good luck with the X-Patterns, I really like the HPI Super Radials so thats what I am going with.

Thanks again Diver!

 

[AC48]

I can only find soft and hard on tower. Should I get both hards or hard in front and soft in rear?

 

[Diver6127]

Hard front, soft rear should be fine

 

[AC48]

Okay thanks Diver.