From Team Associated UK:

We've already started the build of our own cars and we've spotted something that might cause a bit of confusion in the instruction manual - the shock build on page 5 suggests a total length of 80.2mm is required; you'll only get this length if you use the shock limiter included in the kit and this is used in the second shock mounting position.

If you're building to the kit shock mounting position put the spacer to one side and aim for a total length of 83.6mm to give approximately 1mm of droop


Build tip - though this one applies to other cars too!
Getting the tweak screws for the side springs properly aligned is vital for consistent adjustments, but it can be difficult to get the grub screw square. Make the job easier by using an M3 Die pressed down onto the carbon; wind the grub screw through the die and into the carbon plate and it'll be perfectly true


Sometimes it's the simple things....
We've always measured static caster the same way, using a camber gauge and eyeballing the angle of the kingpin; well the R6 front hub has a geniously simple trick up its sleeve - a tab on the front of the hub that runs parallel to the kingpin! Simply push the camber gauge up against the tab and get an accurate measurement every time


Maintenance Tip!

Watch out for front spring compression. A new 0.020" front spring typically measures about 6.3mm in length. However, after use they will begin to compress a little. Sometimes this happens after 1 run, but you'll often get a spring that will do 20 runs without compressing much at all.

We recommend checking the springs on your car regularly. Different length springs on each side of the car will mean you get different droop side to side and as a result a handling imbalance will develop.

Try to match pairs of springs so that when you fit them they're both the same length. Once they get below about 6.0mm you should consider replacing them.


Here is another tip - store your spare springs slightly compressed on an M3 bolt with a nut to hold them in place.

Storing them like this has the effect of collapsing the spring before use, meaning you're less likely to have to add kingpin shims after the first few runs.


Top Tip!

When built as per kit instructions the top wishbone will have a small amount of float along its pin. Though not essential, you can remove this float by inserting a 0.1mm shim between the wishbone and the castor block.

Make sure that when installed the top wishbone will fall under its own weight. If it’s sticky then the front suspension will bind up and cause irregular handling.


We have encountered a few minor things so far that have pretty straightforward fixes. None of this stuff will gain you laps but every little helps, right?
  1. The upper kingpin balls have some slop. We've found that Roche F1 alloy balls (for 3mm kingpin) are a direct fit in the associated eyelet and have zero slop whilst offering free movement.

  2. The forward centre shock ball Cup has some slop. I've fitted a Yokomo BD7 shock eyelet and the slop disappears.

  3. Watch out for cracked front lower arms. I had a hard hit a couple of weeks ago and spent a while chasing a tweak around the car. It turned out to be a cracked lower arm; the hit had caused inter-laminar shear in the material which caused the arm to 'sag' when under load. The crack was only visible when I bent the arm in my fingers. Just check your front axle heights regularly and if they're not equal then check the lower arms for cracks.

  4. The rear axle cams are a bit loose in the pod plates, causing radial float in the axle/diff assembly. Leave a small amount of moulding flash on the cams so they sit tighter in the pod. Alternatively run a bead of CA around the edges of the cams so that they become a nice push fit in the pod.

  5. Use a Futaba or Sanwa servo in order to get the right steering arm sweep easily. The car is designed for a Futaba. A KO servo will fit but you'll need to shave a bit off the casing otherwise it'll hit the lower wishbone, and lengthen the slot in the mounting plate to get the spline central. Futaba/Sanwa are also easiest to use when running the lower arms in +2mm configuration.
Some of my setups from initial running are on Petit RC. Not hugely different to kit setup (softer side springs and 5 degrees reactive castor are the main differences). The car goes pretty well on our tracks with these setups, though they will undoubtedly evolve as we learn more about the car.

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