Glad to know everyone is getting something out of this thread. I'm not on Facebook either, so happy to help fellow avoiders of the CIA and MI5's surveillance!! (Did you know that Facebook and Google (and others like Apple) have to hand over all their records to the US Government every 10 days? That includes all your posts, e-mails, searches, etc.) Anyway...
Stu, I had a Dynamite motor and sold it to someone - worst decision I've made recently. Two new motors later it looks like I have 'replaced' it with one of the new Hirosaka motors from Zen. Stick with the Dynamite, it is a good motor.
You need to experiment with ratio and timing to sort out what works. For tight tracks less timing and a higher ratio will give you more lift out of the corners and for longer tracks try more timing and a lower ratio. You'll usually find a sweet spot that works almost everywhere, and then needs small tweaks for each track. Always check the lap times to see what the change has done; never rely on temperature as that only tells you how hot the motor is, not how fast!
As stated above, the motor is part of the way to get fast lap times, but it is a very small part. The biggest part is driving. Give your car to a top driver and I guarantee they will take two or three tenths off your best lap time by doing nothing with the car. The next biggest part is cells.
In 1S people tend to hang on to their cells for too long. If they don't puff they will go a about 80 to 100 races before they get tired. If they puff they're gone. I'm liking the VapexTech cells at the moment and at £40 they are a bargain - two packs and you're all set for a couple of season's racing!
Dan is right, try to change one thing at a time. However, in the case of the lower rear pivot and the front end, both together is fine. The lower rear pivot is a no-brainer and should never be slower than the original. It's just a case of swapping the front ends to see which you prefer. Again, it's not what you feel, it's what the clock says. Check your lap times every race.
You are looking for three things - the total time for the race, fastest lap and 'spread'. Obviously total time for the race is what gets results, so that is the most important. To see what affect your changes have check out the fastest lap and the 'spread'.
The fastest lap tells you what the car is capable of. The faster this is then the better chance you have of climbing the qualifying list. But it's the 'spread' that tells the biggest story...
'Spread' is the difference between your fastest lap and your average lap. The bigger the gap the more erratic your driving is, or the harder the car is to control. Look at the spread of the very best drivers and you will find it is around two to three tenths. Now look at yours. If it is closer to eight tenths then one of two things needs work.
Either your driving is erratic or your car is hard to control. If the car has a lot of front end it can be the case that your lap time is fast when you get it right, but slow when you don't. So, as you make changes, look at the spread. Some changes might reduce the fastest lap, but also reduce the spread so overall you get a better race time.
Use these three things to decide where your best changes lie. Driving better is the cheapest and bets way to improve. After almost 40 years driving RC cars I still haven't found that packet of talent on the shop shelf, so this isn't something you can buy through motors, cells, speedos, cars, etc. it is something you have to practice. As you change the car keep checking those three things and working out what makes that overall race time better than the rest.
I enjoy the fact that this box is labeled 'quick reply' - I hope the novel is worth it!
