Tamiya TRF419X - Floating Steering Mount

- Tamiya TRF419X - Floating Steering Mount -

It's been in development for some time, but here is the Tamiya TRF419X floating steering mount that has been developed by TheRcRacer team as we aim to take even more tenths of our lap times. It's a simple cheap part that can fit on your TRF419X and we have found it works well on carpet and Tarmac. So lets take a closer look!

The part is made from 3mm Carbon the same as the kit arm, but as you can see it has an arm at the front which allows you to mount the arms off the lower deck.

Installation

You will need the following additional parts:

8mm of spacers to make two 4mm stacks (I used the black ones in the TRF419X kit).
Two 12x3mm screws
5 minutes of spare time to fit it

Start off by removing the servo mount and dissembling it so you have the inner and outer servo mounts removed from the original carbon part.

Remove the steering assembly. Just un-pop the ball connectors from the servo horn and the steering uprights and unscrew the screw mounted below each of the two steering posts.

Inver the arms by re-fitting the steering bridge

With the steering assembly removed, you need to unscrew the steering bridge and place it on the underside of the steering arms. You will still need the shims etc that you used before when the arms were the other way up.

The whole unit together

Now you attach the floating upper arm, insert the two 12x3mm screws in the front, add the 4mm of spacers over each one and screw them into the servo posts. You will have the final assembled steering assembly.

The original arm screws are still left in the steering posts.

The new part allows servo savers and lipos to fit easily

The part has been made so it works with an unmodified servo saver, so it will work well for the indoor carpet season.

It uses the kit parts so you have the important battery stopper screw. It has also been designed to ensure that it does not foul against the lipo battery.

Track Test

The part has been tweaked over the summer and a few of 'TheRcRacer' TRF drivers have tested the part and we are now happy with the final design and how it performs.

Race on!

We have found that the car has a smoother and more exact feel in the corners. The default setting with 4mm spacers puts the steering bridge at the same height as the stock car. You can adjust the shims on the steering mount and the outer knuckles to change bump and steering height. Importantly the car feels good on high grip carpet. Although we are working on some other things to help on that as well ;)

With this part fitted the car feels better in the corners and I have a smoother linear control as a I turn on both entry and exiting the corner. As a result I have not really gone back to the deck mounted steering since running this. Although if I want to, I can quickly remove the arms and flip the steering bridge and add it back to the deck, so I am prepared for all types of track without having to mess about.

Purchasing the Floating Steering Mount

Email sales@fibre-lyte.co.uk

If you put this in the title 'TheRcRacer TRF419X Floating Steering Mount' (Time of writing the costs are approx £9)

You can list the parts you are after and will need to give your address so they can calculate the postage and send you a paypal payment request.

Cost

These are for fellow TRF racers, I am not taking anything for these, they are a thank you for all of the people who have helped follow this site. You simply pay for the cost of the manufacturing the parts, there is no middle man. The cost the floating steering mount is approx £9 (not including shipping).

Disclaimer and thanks

These have been made as a contribution to the Tamiya racing community. There is no profit for myself and the parts can be ordered directly via Fibrelyte. These are just a tuning aid, I found them to work well, as has others who have tested these parts. Every track / driving style is different so do not expect a golden bullet.

Thanks to Daniel Booker and Florian Joos and the other drivers that have given me some feedback,

As mentioned before, these are a community project which I have invested in designing and manufacturing for my fellow racers, so please let's share feedback and set-ups and I can try to refine or design other parts in the future :)