Last weekend I did some 13.5T 1/12th scale running at a temporary carpet track with ETS carpet, in Coimbra, Portugal. This class is the biggest 12th scale class in Europe, and thus, this setup info may be useful to many of you. The layout we raced on was rather open, but this setup should have plenty of steering for more technical layouts as well. My biggest improvements on the setups lately have been:
Short and high pivot - for maximum rotation, mainly on corner exit.
Stiffer side springs - for a faster direction change, and improved forward traction (less wheel lift when on-power).
Front lower arm brace - single brace, mounted directly onto the lower arm. This is a softer setting than the kit standard 2x brace. It allows the front lower arm to flex a bit more during cornering, which makes the car initially less responsive, but improves mid corner steering.
The XRAY X12'24 comes with a wider front lower arm (+2mm per side), and thinner side braces (2.0mm). Both these parts have significantly improved handling on all track conditions so far. I highly recommend them as upgrades, if you're using a 23 version of the car, and have no plans of getting a 24 kit.
I've also had good luck with raising the center shock (spaced away further from the chassis). This creates a bigger leverage, which has had a very positive effect on the feel of the car. The car feels more "in the track", and became more precise to throttle inputs.
Motor wise - for the Hobbywing G4 - start with a roll out of 70mm, and an endbell timing of 40 degrees. The sweet spot is usually between 68-71mm of rollout, and 40-42 degrees of endbell timing (depending on track size, etc). If you suffer from too much fading during the run, reduce your endbell timing. I personally prefer to use drag brake in the ESC, but it's driving style dependant.
Battery wise - my Nosram 8100 packs give excellent punch for this class. Charging and discharging at 40A is preferred (when the rules allow for it). Find out more info in my battery charging and discharging video.
Bodyshell wise - my preferred body for ETS carpet is the LensBodies Ponente. See how I mount this bodyhell in this tutorial.
