F1R rebuild results.

OK posted last night about the F1R rebuild. Here is a run down of what I did. Note that none of this was an improvement to the actual chassis, just basically fixing stuff I have messed up.
1. Removed the F104 bottom plate/diffuser. This was more for looks than anything on the F1R, the kit comes with a bottom plate so adding the diffuser just added 2mm where it wasn't needed. Basically lowered chassis 2mm with out lowering anything else... oh I don't want to go through with it. Anyway, was a mistake to even use it in the first place. Bad TC. Bad
2. Swapped the 12r5 damper shock to a 1/12 damper tube. My shock was bent. Don't think the tube is any better or worse than a shock. It does fit better under the center shock.
3. Raised rear mount of center shock. I had lowered this a few weeks ago simply for body clearance. This created excess droop and probably was the main culprit.
4. New tires. I wasn't aware until recently that you could get the F103 size Shimizus in the R1 Hard compound. You can. I did. Yes!!!

What did all this get me you ask? Well, I knocked off 1.5 seconds per lap that's all.

There is more to do. More dialing and tweaking but it is very drivable. Needs to be a little more stable, and it tends to wander down the straightaway. I can fix that by getting the front tires actually lined up straight with an actual tool rather than the Mark 1 eyeball I have been using. And some adjustment to the side springs. The car is very influenced by the side springs, a little does a lot. I played with them a bit until I needed to get out of there. But a good and for once, productive, day at the track. Didn't race because I didn't get there until right before the mains started and I didn't want to anyway. May get one more track day before we head to Houston for the EOS race.

1.5 seconds/lap. Happy face. See ya.

F1 Ultra update from Robert

Update on the f1 ultra: 

I now have a couple races with this car and many practice packs at mikes hobby shop, home of the 2012 carpet nationals. Been making adjustments and spring/oil changes almost every run and this car is simply amazing now! My donor car was a very stock f103 that ran really well and my best lap on the current layout was 12.4 and that was only once. Avarage lap was more like 12.8. After the f1 ultra conversion that has now been sorted to my liking I pulled off a 12.1! Best of all it is way more consistent and I can average a full run of 12.5's so overall during a race my results are much improved thanks to the f1ultra!

F1R rebuild

Lately I have had some issues with my F1R not seeming to have rear traction. Happened in Houston asphalt and again at Mikes on carpet. Even on straightaways the car felt as if it was on ice. If you watched the Valencia race last weekend and saw Hamilton's car the couple of laps before his accident, that is what my car has felt like. So I have done a tear down of the rear end looking for any thing out of the ordinary. With the Yeah Racing pod, of course I have to mount the side damper shock differently than stock. Just for the weekend I replaced the shock with a tube from a 1/12th car. I also lowered the front mount of the center shock about 2mm. Rear end is feeling better, and with new tires tomorrow, I'm testing at Mikes. I will of course tell you how it goes. Have a good weekend.

F104Pro V2 to hit stores in US.

The F104 V2 is hitting store shelves this week. Hopefully...
We posted a detailed article on the website about the features and Hop-Up Options that are available for the car.
I hope this helps new fans of the class with a detailed overview of what's included in the kit along with all the things you can still get for it. I also included some basic tuning advice that I hope helps new people to the class. 


LInk

Texas Electric Onroad Series

Texas Electric Onroad Series

Check out the link. Cristian Tabush and Chris Adams have been working on this series for a while and now its official. Hit the link for all the goods, but here is a run down of the rules package.



A. CLASSES OFFERED:
1. ROAR Stock Touring Car (17.5 blinky):
-All ROAR Rules Apply.
-Body Rules Exemption where applicable.
-Non-ROAR Approved Hard Case 2S Lipo allowed after physical inspection
-Spec Tire determined by Host Track: Tires must be purchased at event at 2 sets max for 1 day event and 3 sets max for 2 day events.
-Speed Controllers MUST be on ROAR Approved List
-Double A mains

2. IFMAR Open Touring Car:
-All ROAR Rules Apply.
-Body Rules Exemption where applicable.
-Non-ROAR Approved Hard Case 2S Lipo allowed after physical inspection
-Spec Tire determined by Host Track: Tires must be purchased at event Tires at 2 sets max for 1 day event and 3 sets max for 2 day events.
-1350g Minimum Weight Rule
-Double A Mains

3. Formula 1:
-ROAR Rules apply
-205mm Max width exemption
-Power Train: 21.5 Blinky with 2S battery
-Rubber Tires Only
-Speed Controller MUST BE on ROAR Approval List
-Single 15 Minute A-Main with 1 mandatory stop and go “pit stop” per race per driver.

4. ROAR 12th Scale Stock (17.5 Blinky):
-ROAR Rules apply
-Classes offered based on demand (ex. 17.5 blinky/ Open Mod/ 13.5 boosted, etc)

5. VTA :
-All current VTA rules Apply. Single 15 Minute A Main.


6. Local Alternate Class (classes)
-Each club gets to run a filler class for whatever is popular/ has demand for the individual event. For example Mike's Houston, a Traxxas rally class would be popular. However, the filler class is not scored and has a reduced entry fee cost.
-Rules for Alternate Class are determined by individual club
For Further ROAR Rule Clarifications and reference, please visit www.ROARracing.org

Exotek F1 Ultra

Robert got an Ultra. Got it today, built it today, racing Saturday. I got a pic of it, and if I get my way and get to race this weekend. (please) I will get more pics and of course some actual first or at least second hand info on it. Rejoice. Pic.

From Robert after some track time:

Just built my f1 ultra last night and ran it for the first time today. First impression is very good before even really dialing it in! The conversion really hooks the car up and let's you get the power to the ground. Before I had to ease on the throttle exiting corners or it would just diff out and loose drive. With the f1 ultra I found that I could get on the gas much harder earler and the car just launches hard from the apex out! It's so hooked up that it seems slow but I was running some of my best laps. Also mid corner corrections are effortless now. Plus its beautiful, blue anodize and carbon fiber is a great combination.

Back to 200mm

Going back to 200mm for the time being. Starting tomorrow at Mikes for the points race. Actually will be at 205 since I still have the R Sector kit on the F1R. Going back to the F3/R3 Medium compound Shimitzus until I order a set of the R1 Hards. Hopefully we have some sort of turn out at Mikes tomorrow. Our crowd is pretty flakey when it comes to actually racing F1 vs talking about it. Never know who is going to show, and I guess I'm just as guilty as the rest. We need a schedule. Nevertheless, I will be there tomorrow.

F1: COTA Adds Historic F1 Event To US GP Slate

Circuit of The Americas has added a Historic Grand Prix event to the support bill for the inaugural US GP in Austin.

The race will feature cars from the 1966–1983 era, many of which have also been seen at the Montreal and Indianapolis F1 events in recent years.

The cars of Historic Grand Prix encompass Formula One's Golden Era of the late 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s when the dramatic on-track action and distinctive personalities captured the imagination of a fast-growing, world-wide audience,” said Historic Grand Prix director James King. 

“HGP honors the brave drivers of these cars and the innovative designers and fabricators who crafted them without the aid of computers or wind tunnels by showcasing the authentic original cars in an exciting and colorful race at the Circuit of The Americas.”

“Historic Grand Prix is a great compliment to the USGP as it allows our fans to see the technical and innovative progression of Formula One racing cars,” said COTA executive vice president Bruce Knox. “Historic Grand Prix is a series that was widely requested by our customers, and we are pleased that it will be included as a USGP support race.” 

UF1 Houston 1st Test Series @ Mikes

FGX F1 / Gulf Coast Raceway

UF1 Houston

Me and Robert headed to Houston this morning for some big track F1 racing with the Houston Posse. Lots of rain greeted us so we got a real late start but it was well worth the wait. The track is EPIC. F1's on a big paved track is awesome. Wide lanes, lots of room, and the best looking RC cars available. I cannot wait to go back next month. I took lots of pics, but its 1:30am and I am driving to New Mexico in a few hours so I can't post many but I will post a few. UF1 Houston, thanks for the great experience.

27 F1's!

View of the pit lane from the huge driver stand

Cant fit the whole track in one shot

OK, some things just never change.

UF1 Houston

Benetton B188

Heres my new livery. Benetton circa 1988-1989. For Fathers Day I got to buy 2 bodies for myself. Plus some decals from F1Paintlab. Ordered Monday, got em Wednesday, painted Thursday and decals Friday. Saturday is raceday in Houston. Headed out very early in the morning. Practice at 10am, qualifiers at Noon. Looking forward to trying out a big asphalt track.

Houston Bound

Me and Robert are headed to Houston to race with UF1Houston at Gulf Coast Raceway in Porter Texas. They are starting a series, and this is the test run for it. UF1 rules (except width) One 2 minute seeding heat then 3 ten minutes mains. With pit stops. Will be my first time on asphalt and pit stops, not to mention the 10 minutes heats. Expectations? Very little, looking forward to stopping at Woodys Smokehouse in Centerville on the way down there and back for some Elk sausage! Race wise...... I'm just happy to be there. Should be fun and I look forward to meeting the UF1 Houston dudes.

Pics

Just a few pics I've collected this week of others cars from various forums. Enjoy

Studio Shots of the F104Pro V2

I'm really beginning to want one of these cars. F104WGP was nice, interested me, but not really enough to want one, same with the F104X1. But the more I see the V2, the more I want one. I can't have one right now, but that never stopped me before. Any way, found some really good pics and a brief write up today.


Here is my typical copy/paste from RCTech. Pics and Words courtesy of FMW.






Hello F1 RC fans,
I wanted to post some studio shots of the new F104 Version II Pro kit. The image or images shows the car with the additional option parts that can be used for the car.

For those new to this thread and new to Tamiya F1 cars, I would recommend two key options that will greatly help the new car. The first part is the aluminum motor pod and the second one is the aluminum steering knuckles. The aluminum pod pieces will make the rear pod that much more rigid as it replaces the stock plastic pieces and the option pod will also act as a motor heat sink to dissipate heat. The steering axles give you one very important tuning adjustment. It gives you the ability to run your axles in-line or trailing off-set. I have done extensive back to back testing on this and I would recommend most of you run the trailing offset position. It greatly reduces the edge of your steering response. However, some of you may like that feeling. The great thing about these axles is you can change quickly and easily.

Later on I will post some images of the car with radio gear installed with some notes and suggestions for everyone. Since the new car is using PBLR rear suspension, room has gotten tighter, but after 2 revisions of my electronics installation, I have some pointers that may answer some questions.

Since I got to run the car extensively this past weekend I have received many questions about the car. The number one question has been: “Is the PBLR suspension that noticeably different in performance?” The short answer is yes. T-plate cars are simple and fairly easy to tune, but they have their limitations. The pitch damper is tied to the T-plate, so whatever oil and spring you use, it can only do so much. The T-plate as it relates to pitch acts as a spring and if you want or need to go softer on the damper spring it can’t as the 3 Tamiya T-plates are only so soft. With PBLR rear suspension the limitations with pitch adjustment is a thing of the past.
The other benefit of PBLR suspension is roll. T-plate cars don’t return to center as well as PBLR. When you exit a turn your chassis should return to center. T-plate cars don’t do that consistently whereas PBLR set up do as you have roll springs that help the center pivot ball return to center. The Tamiya T-plate design has one O-ring in the center and there’s nothing to make the pod return to center.

You will also notice the image shows the car with a standard size Tamiya TRF damper. The F104 Version II Pro kit has the smaller damper included. The instruction point out the car is capable of using either damper. The instructions don’t tell you why one would want to use one over the other, but I would recommend using the standard size damper for outdoor applications where tracks are usually bumpier and a bigger volume shock could prove helpful. Also, the standard Tamiya TRF damper has more options in piston selection whereas the current mini damper in the kit is limited to the two whole piston included. I would use the included damper on carpet tracks or super smooth asphalt tracks.

F104 Pro V2..first look

Vyger on RCTech got the first one I know of, hes got a write up with lots of pics on RCTech. I will link it here

F104Pro V2