Need some tuning help, BAD!!!

[Drayken D]

So far, I have gotten alot of help and info here, so I ask another question or two =)

They changed my local track recently. It is VERY tight with very sharp corners. There are no big jumps(the table top is by a trun, so you don't even get speed to jump). There are about 3 small jumps that are easy to handle, no more moguls, and only a few ruts that throw you off course(they said they will be fixing)

I have a T3, and I changed the shocks to be more horizontal, for better handling. I have soft spring setup, and set the ride hieght just a tad lower than stock recommendation. It handles the jumps fine, with no bottoming that I can tell. My problem is, that I get squarrelly alot. My backend breaks loose. I will be comming out of a corner and hit the throttle and it is hard to control. I have the slipper set pretty good. But if I loosen it more, I won't be able to "wip" the back end around on the very tight turns.

What suggetions do you guys have? I got about 2-3degree camber on front and back, and 1degree toe in on front, the front is hooked up pretty good. The track is very hard packed dirt, with loose dusty surface, loose traction. Should I lesson the camber? I am not sure how it works, less gives more tractions right? but even in corners??

What tires are good for hard, loose tracks? I got losi red step pins in back, and losi red razor pins(on backwards) in front. THe rears hook up good, but as the night goes on, it looses it.

And a huge problem, that I cannot figure out. I got a futuba 9404 BB servo. It looks like I do not have a good truning radius. It looks like most trucks can turn a corner alot sharper than me, even when we are going slow, up to the starting lines. Is there any way to give more turning radius?(NOT McCaster or whatever it is called, I tried that and hated it)

So, in recap:
1) Any advice how to setup a T3 to keep traction better when exiting a corner?

2) tire suggestions?

3) any advice for turning radius.

I need help badly, I have tried everything that I can without just doing things blindly. These problems look like they may keep my out of good A-Main contention if I do not resolve =(

Thanks for any help.

[HowieStern]

i race a FT T-3 week in/week out..... and this is what i would do if i were in your shoes...

1. just check your turning radius... check to make sure it is getting full swing... it sounds like you are getting some binding somewhere, or maybe your radio settings are a bit off on your steering... or maybe you are using a servo arm that isn't quite right for the T-3...

i also run a 9404 in my T-3... and i always run the stock Associated servo arm... the ones that come with your servo are too flimpsy and aren't the same height and off-set that the AE servo arm is....

now about rear traction... i can't see the track you drive, but these are usually the steps i take for more rear traction (in this order)

1. check your rear tires... make sure they are the best choice for the track you are racing at, and make sure they are the correct compound.... also, make sure the one's you are using aren't worn out... don't go wasting a bunch of time and effort on tweaking this and that if worn rear tires can simply fix your problem

2. make sure your battery is placed all the way to the rear... if all 4 of the battery spacers aren't in front of the battery, then you aren't getting maximum rear traction... plus, this change is super fast, and makes a huge difference in handling...

3. make sure your wheelbase is set to the shortest position... (both plastic washers behind the rear hub)

4. if you are still lacking rear traction, then i would raise front height slightly...

5. if you still haven't gotten enough rear traction, then i would go one step softer on rear springs...

usually these will take care of it on nearly all tracks... but there are several more steps that can be taken if needed...

one last note... if you are only getting loose on one corner, then i personally wouldn't change anything.. i would be thankful that my truck was hooked up on the other 98% of the track.. LOL... so i would then either change lines in that one corner, or take it a bit easier on the throttle in that spot....

peace out... :)

[TC3Racer]

if your running the stock T3 set up and if your track is pretty dusty then i'm not surprised that those bow ties aren't hookin' ya up. i went out to my local track today and it was like driving on ice. i picked up some gladiator 2's by Proline with a bit firmer foams and they work excellent. they really hook up nicely on a dusty, loose dirt, track. now if ur track is hard packed and feels almost like pavement then something less knobby and less tire traction will help. you dont wanna go buying really grippy tires if your track is a hard packed dirt. your rear tires will wear super fast.

[rc10t3racer]

Drayken,

Howie is right on. Getting the right tires is the #1 tuning tip. See what the fast guys on your track are using. The indoor hard-packed blue-grooved track I run on requires Hole Shots in M3 compound, firm trinity 1-stage inserts, and Buggy Grip sprayed on them. Yours may have similar requirements. Keep in mind the Losi step pins you are using are not for hard-packed tracks.

Running softer springs in the back (or firmer springs on the front) with a heavier shock oil in the front add traction.

[Drayken D]

wow, thanks alot guys, I will definitely try these. I went from the stock bow ties to the losi's, and they were 100% improvement. I will try other tires. Most seem to be using smaller pins, but do not know the compound. I figured that since the losi did better than the bows, that the small pins would not do good for me. hmm, should I look for a harder or softer compound?

I use the AE servo horn too, just broke one the other day =(, while I was in second ofcourse, lol.

I do have one more battery spacer to put toward the front, I forgot about that. Washers are set for short position. I do have my fronts a bit low, a hair lower than even(stock setup), I will put a spacer in there, I did not know that effects the back too, lol. Again, thanks guys. I will let you know how it goes.

[rc10t3racer]

Drayken D,

In general, the smaller the pins the better it will be on slick/smooth/blue-grooved tracks. The bigger the pins, the better the tire will do in loamy/loose/muddy conditions.

The main Proline tires for those conditions are Holeshots and Square Fuzzies. Ask around you track and use what the fast guys use.

As far as compound, generally softer is better. In most conditions, the softer compound will give more traction. But, they will wear much more. If you use any traction compound, they will wear even more.

As far as Proline tires, M3 is their softer compound. M2 is the harder one. The stock bowties that come on the T3 are M2. That is probably why the softer Losi tires ran better.

It sounds like you are working on getting your back-end hooked up. Don't forget about the front. Proline Edge or Blades in M2 compound will probably be your best bet. Use what the fast guys are running. I've found that Blades are very good for hard-packed blue-grooved stuff. If it is a little wetter or there there is a little bit of loose dirt around, the Edges may run better.

Also, on many slick/smooth/blue-grooved tracks they use a firmer foam or even a multi-stage foam. Once again, ask the fast guys.

Good Luck

[Drayken D]

thx. There is always a thin "film" of loose dirt on top of the hard packed. Hard enough that you have a hard time carving a groove in it with your shoe. The loose dusty stuff is what throws the truck off I think. I am using the losi razorpins, backwards, and I love how they hook up. Even when the backend goes all over, the fronts save me from going into the wall sometimes. I am not too worried about the fronts, unless once I get the backs hooked, the fronts may need more so that it doesn't push too much. Thx for the tire choices, I am going to save this thead, lol. Last question, what compound you guys use? Like do you use a spray adhesive? If so, what kinds are good?

[jeepinator]

My favorite trick for this kind of track is to put mayonaise on my slipper. If you still need more, I put mayo in my shocks too.

Hope this helps.

[racerman333]

also you said you are looking for steering. Well putting all the battery spacers in the front of the batt will give excellent traction but you wont have any steering. If you dont have a radio with the steering adjustment that increases the turning radius (forgot its name, i got it on my CX2P) then you should put the spacers 3front 1 back or just 2 and 2.