I'm not sure it is possible on this car - without raising the gearbox. Not to worry though, the first proto seemed better off with less anti-squat/kickup, so this neutral setting should work nicely.
Anyway, I've got an update on the car again
So what's new?
- I (finally!) finished the rear shock tower and wing mount setup. I'm not 100% happy with the shock tower mount block, but it's the best I have done after some 4-5 retries at this and more than a month of thinking about it. I do really like the wing mount: The wing elegantly floats on two small mounts that attach to the single vertical plate that runs to the center of the chassis. It doesn't just hold the wing, it reinforces the shock tower too.
- The chassis has gotten another 15mm longer. This is to allow ever more space for the electronics, and at the same time shorten the rear arms. Less unsprung weight of course, but also, if the arms break - or an updated version is needed - they cost a bit less to replace.
- New front suspension arms. These are made to twist less because there is more distance on the narrowest point of the suspension arm. Also, the shock is moved a little to the back to allow a brace to pass in front of it. I also beefed up the arms around the suspension shafts - they are now 9mm around there instead of 8mm. I plan to do the same on the rear arms, but they're not finished yet. The front arms also have more room at the front hub, so the plastic DEX410R hubs (that have the grub screw in a different place) also fit on the car.
- Updated bottom chassis plate. Based on what I rear on breakage on the DEX210 of carbon and moulded plastic chassis around the holes for the suspension blocks, the chassis plate is 1mm wider on each side at the gearbox part - it doesn't sit in the way of the suspension, so why not reinforce it? Lastly, the part where the chassis gets wider at the front is angles further backwards (less 'square') - this is to allow more clearance between the tires and chassis on full steering lock.
- New front bumper. This one is angled more up to reduce the chances of it snagging on something or digging in - with some playing around on the geometry I also managed to keep the same amount of flex (=protection) on the front end.
- Shorter wheelbase. The wheelbase was ridiculously long (285mm), and I decided to shorten it a bit and give it +0.5 degree toe-in. I'm expecting it will need the added toe-in for stability with the narrower tires, but of course I'll only find out once I have the car up and running.
Edit:
A brief look at donor bodyshells:
The Schumacher K1 bodyshell seems to have a very suitable chassis profile. There is just one problem - for all existing bodyshells - on my car. The sidepods need to be much higher than usual. I might be able to achieve this with bodyshells that are not pre-cut (unlike the K1's body). So I need to find out if there's an aftermarket alternative yet for this car, or...
...I rotate the servo 180 degrees and put the steering linkage in the center of the car. This does mean no big electronics fit on the top deck anymore - and I'll make a small mount to neatly guide the motor wires. It does mean that I can run many more bodies on there (butchered or nearly standard), a good thing for the earlier stage of the project. A bit like this:
I do realize that the cab will be in an awkward spot on the car
It's definetely not definitive what body I'll use, but I'm throwing it out here anyway what my findings are so far