Looking for a 1/12 setup for Asphalt

[Da Skills]

I ran my first 1/12 scale race this weekend and it was a hand full. I really didn't have a setup for it. I had bought it prebuilt so I really don't know how it's setup. So I'm looking to tighten up the car some. It seemed to want to break loose on power coming out of a turn. So if someone knows a good setup, springs, tires anything let me know. Thanks in advance. By the way it's an Associated 12l3

D.

[InspGadgt]

Are you running 6 cell or 4 cell? What tires did and springs did you allready try? Typically my L3 for 6 cell was setup with pink rears, purple fronts, .20 front springs, thin t-bar using only the outer 2 screws, and the AE black rear spring (softest). Camber at 1 degree in at the top and about 1 degree of toe-in. Depending on the surface you may need to go to white rears for more rear bite but they wear out a lot faster. You might also try some traction compound like FX or TQ8...all of this is subjective though as conditions vary alot. Your best information will be to check out what your fellow racers are using that works.

[fmrc]

24 springs in front camber checked by tire wear about 1-2 deg med steel t-plate 30 wt oil in shock silver spring max caster purple fronts white rears trailing front axles and drive the beast

[Da Skills]

InspGadgt, I'm running 4 cells. I had purple fronts and grays in the back.
Hey Chris, I was going to try the 30 wt in the shock. I did some research on tires, double pinks on the rear. But I'm going to see about getting some whites, your car was hooked. I'm going to have to do a few radio adjustments so that I won't overdrive the car.

[NotWalkinBlind]

You can also loosen up the diff a little to help with the rear breaking loose... but only a little... then as you get more and more used to the track, you can tighten it. I assume no traction enhancers are being used (on the track itself) if you're having this problem... is the track clean (at least blown off if it's outdoor) when the qualifiers begin?

[highroller]

The loose condition is probably caused by at least 4-5 things based on information you gave.
Tweak - if chassis is tweak, there will be more weight on left rear, going into turn loads if more. Find center of chassis front to rear points. Left the chassis with tip of screw driver and note which tire lifts adjust opposite tweak screw until both tires are lifting at the same time. A scale (digital) would make adjustment a lot easier and precise.
Tires- the grays depending on who makes them are close to purples in durometer rate so rear has lost any bite it may have had. On asphalt on road the norm is purple fronts, pink or dbl pink in rear.
Diff - setup is diff is set too tight that can increase a loose condition, hold both rear tire then try turning spur with thumb. A good starting point is small resistance but smooth - backing off 1/8 to 1/4 turn, run it looser if traction is an issue and how turns are configured.
Front spring - are normally the 20-22, 24 may be too stiff, 18 too soft for onroad use the same rate oval the heavier spring goes on right front like a 20/22 or 24. Most onroad setups use the 10 degree front block. While most will say start to 1.5 to 2.0 degree of negative caster is pre starting with none. The way to determine proper caster is compress the front aboout 1/8 inch and see how much tire surface area is lost during the travel process and add caster accordingly. You normally loose some contact of tire with surface during a turn or with susupension compresses. Caster will need to be adjust as tire wears. Leave springs rates as they are right now, if you develop a push then go with a softer spring rate.
Try setting up radio for more aggressive coast brake, that is when you roll of throttle the esc applies a small amount of braking, get chassis to react without having to sometimes actually use brakes. Going with correct spring rate and caster helps where you get to the point you are rolling off throttle and can still may turns without using brakes on some turns - this ends up making the lap time lower.
Try the above changes one thing at a time, do a couple practice laps noting if the changes helped.
Start by making sure all screws in the t-plate, pod are tight, clean and polish the pivot balls - move pod up and down tires and press down on pod it should collapse a little if it doesn't rebuild shock (I use the #1 piston with 25-40 weight) silver to blue spring for more or less rear action.

[NotWalkinBlind]

DaSkills, read this... http://www.ozebiz.com.au/racetech/theory/align.html

Highroller, what you're saying about negative caster as part of setup sounds like you mean to be talking about negative camber.

Caster is the angle to which the steering pivot axis is tilted forward or rearward from vertical, as viewed from the side.

Camber is the angle of the wheel relative to vertical, as viewed from the front or the rear of the car.

[Da Skills]

Thanks for everyones info, I'm going to try some of the changes.

D.

[highroller]

Sorry, that was one of the times my mind wasn't keeping up with my hands and vice versa.
For onroad start with zero camber, add negative according to how much tire changes it's angle during suspension travel.
Caster if you looked at kingpin will be at about 5degrees, but you gain the additional with turning or how the spacers are placed on mount. If you want or need more static place the two spacers in front but the norm for onroad is one in front, one in rear.
I would concentrate more on rear, change tire compound to pink, check and adjust tweak and adjust diff if needed. I would only got to front, make changes if the car developed a push. Do enough practice laps allowing for tires to heat up, get a god rhythem going that I could what else might be needed. Work on getting the car to handle, then setup for speed.

[Da Skills]

Thanks for you info Highroller, I'm going to work on it today. I'll keep you posted on how things are going.

[highroller]

Just want to make sure this is for onroad and not an oval track. Looking at your location there was an oval track near Fayetteville, NC.
Most tracks that race pan cars onroad or oval have switched to a 4cell format, a few might run 6cell in oval but rules require 4cell in 1/12th onroad.

[Da Skills]

We run 4 cell 1/12th onroad.