Cat SX3 . . . FAB system.

I have recently picked up a FAB (Front Adjustable Brake) system for my SX3.

The FAB comprises a fixed pulley for the mid belt and a one way pulley for the front belt. The one way pulley is sandwiched between a pair of slipper plates which provides an off power braking effect to the front wheels. The tension, and therefore the brake strength, can be adjusted via a nut in exactly the same way as the more familiar gearbox mounted slipper clutch.

Corally SP12X . . . 1/12 I'll give that a go!

One of the few RC disciplines I haven't thrown a stack of cash at is 12th scale.
Well the time has come to change that.

Horsham RC club is an easy drive from me and they currently run a couple of heats of 1/12 on a Friday evening so, I thought to myself, why not get involved?

I am assured by much better drivers than myself that 1/12 cars are probably the most difficult to drive. Lightning fast reactions and total concentration are required to get these sensitive little cars round the track.
A big ask from a chap of my advancing years!

MKGP ... Indoor off road at its finest.

It was off to Newbury at the weekend, to compete at the MKGP, an indoor off road event being held at the well known Newbury RC club venue.

So after an early alarm I arrived in the dark, bleary eyed, excited and nervous.

This was my first big buggy meeting and it was going to be a big one. Fully booked weeks in advance with 120 2wd entrants on Saturday and 100 4wd on Sunday. I was only attending on Sunday so was playing catch up from the start, most racers had made a weekend of it and the track remained unchanged overnight.

First lesson learned!

It was well organised and with plenty of room, tables and power all provided. I found a spot booked in and settled in. I was off the line in heat 3 at 8.16am.

Spoilt for choice at SHRCCC

I have entered the MKGP which is being held at the home of  the Newbury RC club on 18/19th November.

This is to be an indoor 1/10 off-road event running mainly on carpet, more specifically the actual carpet from SHRCCC.

With this in mind last Thursday I made the trip to Farnham to have a run with some (all) of my cars in an effort to to establish some kind of battle plan with the aim of minimizing potential embarrassment come race day.

Dudders set up a great little track with a variety of obstacles including a cross over, a couple of table tops, one being on a corner and some slippy stuff. It was all crammed into a fairly small space but more than enough to test any car. 

Sweep EX30P-PP Tyres . . Update

At the last Adur MCC club meeting I used the Sweep EX30P-PP tyres. I liked the way they performed so thought I'd write a short update for those that are interested.

Being a parsimonious chap I intend to run these for as long as I can get away with so I  broke them out again for the last round of the Adur MCC summer (?!) series last Sunday. 

It seems my £22 was well spent as they gave me another decent days racing. It wasn't a fast track on Sunday as it hadn't been used for a few weeks and the weather had scrubbed it clean so it was pretty green.

Get a grip Pip!

I think I may have got a little carried away with my buggy fetish.

I am hoping this admission in front of my peers is the first step on the road to recovery.

It all started back in the Summer when I met, what seemed like, a nice guy. His name was Neil 'Dudders' Dudman and he was about to set up a new off road club SHRCCC.

I trusted him when he assured me what he was offering was just harmless fun and that I would meet, and enjoy the company of, other people just like me.

Little did I know then that it would lead to this.

Mi4LP SpecR front gear diff

Fed up with destroying my buggies on a weekly basis I decided to ring the changes at the weekend.

I popped the Mi4 on to the set-up station and prepped it for a days club racing at the Adur MCC circuit.

A bit of a gamble given the preceding weather but one that turned out to be worthwhile as Sunday dawned chilly but dry.

I don't know about you but now the mornings are getting cold and dark a strong will is required to get me to the track on a Sunday!

Part of the resaon for this effort was to try out my new SpecR diff. No not that one, I have treated myself to another for the front.

I built it up, filled it with 500,000wt oil, and popped it in the pit box. (Yes 500,000wt)

I ran the spool in heat one for comparison purposes but then dropped in the diff and ran it for the rest of the day, 3 more qualys and two finals.

It was a slippery day and grip was slow to come up so it's difficult to come to a definitive conclusion but my feeling is that I will not be removing this diff anytime soon. It seemed to suit my driving style, giving me just a little more entry steering and sacrificing almost nothing at the exit all the while remaining predictable.

Nice.

It was a small field but I managed to win all my heats and both finals, just the fillip I need after the last few weeks.

So my money wasn't wasted on another useless 'go faster' item and I had a good days racing to boot, I returned home happy.

This time!

Cat SX3 upgraded 'Bando' belts

SX3 drivers now have options when it comes to drive belts.

Some have experienced high wear rates and fraying on their standard belts,  regular readers might recall that this includes me.

The solution to this problem is now at hand in the shape of some upgraded Bando belts recently released by Schumacher.

Japan based  Bando know a thing or two about belts, they have been making and supplying belts to industrial and automotive OEMs  for over a hundred years. Suffice to say these should do the trick!

The standard 6mm rear belt has not proven particularly problematic so no Bando alternative is offered. A standard 4mm replacement is however available for those keen to ensure as little drag as possible.

They certainly look to be tough as old boots, perhaps a slight sacrifice in flexibility is a small price to pay to guarantee a finish.

Some guys have been sealing the edges of the standard belts with cyno, this is what I have done with the rear belt with no noticable sacrifce in flexibility and maybe a little extra durability.

I will install these in my SX3 over the next couple of weeks and report back.

Oh Schumacher! You are spoiling us.

Details and prices of the new belts can be found here.

Lady Luck's done a runner!

Well readers my luck has deserted me.

Over the last few weeks I've had the kind of run that makes an RC racer wonder why.

Why do I get up at 6.00am on a Sunday?

Why do I drive 50 or 60 miles to stand in a cold wet car park in the middle of nowhere?

Why do I spend hundreds, nay thousands, of pounds in the vigorous pursuit of fractions of a second?

Why do I participate in a hobby after which I return home happy only around 50 per cent of the time?

Because I, like you, am addicted.

Addicted to what?

Those days when I beat my personal best.

Those days when I nail the 'A'.

Those days when I return home triumphant with a 2 bob trophy that's cost me a hundred quid to win.

Those days when the postman brings me an RC package.

 And those balmy summer days chillin' with my buds.

That's why I put up with weekends like the last 3!

Week 1: 10 minutes use with the brand new SX3, the rear belt self desructed and destroyed the rear diff pulley.

Super!

Credit to Schumacher who were excellent, the car is now sporting a new set of belts including the new uprated 'Bando' belts for the front and centre, all free of charge.

Thanks guys.