Tech Report - XRAY X4'26 for carpet racing in stock spec class - Easy Speed for Every Driver
Since XRAY released the new X4'26, I've already had the opportunity to compete in two carpet races in the Stock Spec class.
The first event was Hudy Series MRcup Round 1 in Jedovnice, Czech Republic. The track was quite technical with medium traction. Just a week later, I raced at Hudy Arena for Hudy Series Slovakia Round 1. This was a completely different experience - traction was much higher, and the layout was more open and faster.
My X4'26 performed incredibly well at both events. I surprised many competitors - last year, I was fighting just to make the A-main, but this time, I was battling for the win at both races. This clearly shows how much of a step forward the new X4'26 is, and how easy it is to drive - even for a less experienced driver like myself.
Many drivers came to check out my car and asked about my setup since it looked and handled so well. That's why I decided to make this post - to share my setup sheets from both events, along with explanations of the setup changes my father, Martin Hudy, made to adapt the car to different track conditions and make it easier to drive.
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Main Setup Differences Between Events
- Tire preparation
- Front camber
- Differential hardness
- Bump steer
- Toe gain
- Rear shock springs
- Top deck flex settings
All other parts of the setup remained identical.
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Setup Adjustments Explained
Tire Preparation
Tire prep is one of the most critical factors that can change drastically between tracks.
At Jedovnice, where the car needed more steering, I didn't use any glue on the front tire sidewalls and applied additive to the front and rear tires equally to maximize steering and traction.
At Hudy Arena, where traction was much higher, I applied glue on the front tires to make the car slightly less aggressive on corner entry. This made cornering smoother and helped prevent traction rolling. I also used less additive on the front tires and applied it for a shorter time, which improved race starts by making the car more stable and easier to control.
Front Camber & Bump Steer
On lower traction, I ran 2° camber and a 3 mm bump steer shim in the front to get strong steering response and good agility. On high traction, however, this setup caused the car to dive too much and feel unstable on corner entry. Reducing front camber and adding more bump steer shims made the car smoother and more predictable.
Toe Gain
To make the car easier to drive on-power and reduce oversteer when accelerating, I added more toe-gain shims at higher traction conditions in Hudy Arena.
Diff, Springs & Flex
To prevent off-power oversteer and improve stability in chicanes on high traction, I used thicker diff oil, harder rear springs, and a stiffer rear top deck flex setting.
At the smaller, more technical track, I preferred a more responsive car - so I used softer settings to help the car rotate better in tight sections.
Front Brace Position
At the technical track, I ran the front wave brace in the bulkheads for better response. On the high-traction, open track, that setting made the car too aggressive, so my father moved the brace from the bulkheads to the front top deck, which suited me much better.
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Final Notes
The rest of the setup remained identical, and importantly - no optional parts were used. Everything is straight from the kit, which proves how competitive and well-balanced the X4'26 is right out of the box.
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