Team Associated B6.4D Outdoor Setup Information

- Team Associated B6.4D Outdoor Setup Information -

By Ray Munday

After a few weeks of testing with the new Team Associated B6.4D I'd like to share some of the things we have learn so far!

13mm Shocks and Springs:

The biggest changes are to the shocks and springs. The larger pistons flow more oil through the holes, creating a faster responding shock with more pack. We are still trialling lots of different piston setups but as a starting point I've used 1.7mm front / 1.8mm pistons (kit is 1.6 front / 1.7 rear) with 30/27.5 oil. This setup will flat land much better than the 12mm shocks. We have also tested with 1.8 front / 1.9 rear and these ride bumps better.

the springs are all new and behave similarly to the 12mm V1 springs. I've measured the rates and they are approximately 1 rate softer than the equivalent V1 rate. I have liked the 13mm grey front and rear, and to use the front shock on the middle hole on the arm in lower grip.

shock shafts, X rings, machined bushings are all carried over from the 12mm shocks.

(I've also been testing these shocks on the B74.1d and they have been awesome using these pistons and 37.5 /32.5 oils and 13mm red front / blue rear springs).

Chassis:

The chassis (and body) have a new shape.

The battery position is 1 hole further forward than the b6.3

The chassis is wider around the ESC which makes it much easier to mount the ESC and receiver a little further forward. For dirt, I recommend to run the ESC at the back of the tray.

The chassis is narrower around the front and rear sections for more clearance. At the rear, we have found it helps to have the waterfall mount on or else the chassis has too much fore/aft flex.

Front suspension:

There are changes to kickup, axle height, scrub and rack geometry.

Chassis kickup has been reduced from 27.5 Deg to 22.5deg. Previously the front bulkhead had 25/30deg options (+2.5/-2.5deg), with 25 the most common. There is now a 0deg bulkhead available, and the bulkheads have been relabelled +/-2.5deg. You can still get 25deg kickup with the old blocks but you need to run the 30deg marking forward. Reduced kickup and caster gives more initial steering response and smoother steering through the corner.

The c hub and steering blocks have a reduced scrub radius, achieved by moving the kingpin out 1mm. Back to back testing shows this has made the steering smoother in higher grip / bumpy corners and you can use more lock without feeling the car will hook.

The axle height is 1mm higher than the b6.3 parts. (Keep this in mind when comparing old and new setups) For lower grip conditions where we would run 0mm height previously, I have found a 1mm spacer between the chassis and bulkhead (to lower the pivots) helps maintain steering. The new c hub and steering hubs can be retrofitted to the b6/.1/.2/.3.

The steering rack has adjustable height and geometry has been changed to allow correct bump steer with a wider range of caster settings. For 22.5kick +5deg and 0axle height, use 2mm bumpsteer washer. Use 3mm washer if running 25+5. You will need to change to an 8mm ballstud to have enough thread.

Rear suspension:

This is a direct carryover from the B6.2. If you are running on low grip dirt, I highly recommend you try the rear arm mod of Dremelling off the front of the arm for more sweep.

Drivetrain:

This is a direct carryover from the B6.3 with minor changes to the diffs. The ball diff uses a caged thrust race for easier assembly. The gear diff uses new shims with reduced od for less chance of coning under load.