The start of the new race season always starts the same. A huge race kicked off at the Winter Midwest Championships (CRCRC), where many drivers are excited to show off for their new sponsors. For Ryan Maifield, there weren't any changes to his 1/10th electric sponsors this year so his race package is very familiar to last year's package and that's not a bad thing.
Current 2wd and 4wd World Champion was off to a great start where he finished 1st in 4wd Modified and 2nd in 2wd Modified and 2nd in Modified Truck at the CRCRC. Straight off the track, this is the 4wd that brought RM his first race win of the year and being able the win the overall in just 2 mains, makes him the early favorite to beat in 2019. You can often find the JConcepts S1 (Silencer 1) body mounted on Ryans car, but there are times when he does rock the F2 body on his Yokomo. Actually, he says likes the S1 mainly because it looks unique to the Yokomo 4wd and gives the car it'sown identity.
One close look at to the front of RM's YZ-4 SF, you can see a lot of titanium and carbon fiber. Ryan commented that he was happy with his 4wd from the very first pack at The Ohio Factory and looked very comfortable and confident all weekend. Overall, there was very little done to the 4wd besides going from treads to the JConcepts Octagon tires. One of the JConcepts goodies that's found on all of Ryan's cars is the JConcepts Fin Titanium Turnbuckles and not just for bling, but it's a statement.
The layout of the electronics remains unchanged, however one thing to notice is Ryan's Team Orion HMX ESC positioned closer to the chassis' centerline than most. Motor of choice is the Team Orion Ultimate Mod 5.5T motor paired with the Team Orion 5800 Ultimate HV Lipo battery and Protek 160T shorty servo steering the front wheels.
At the back end of the YZ-4 SF, there's nothing out of the ordinary which is very nice to see Ryan running a full on production 4wd that anyone can purchase from the store. One fine detail to note is that his JConcepts Aero S-Type Wing has the gurney flap actually cut off completely for less rear grip and more speed and rotation. Matched up with Octagons tires, this combo produced crazy fast lap times!
Looking dead on from the front, you can easily spot the JConcepts Front Scoop mounted to the car. The front Scoop was first spotted on Ryan's car at the 2017 IFMAR Worlds in Xiamen, China and we all know how that race went. For extra durability, the Yokomo aluminum caster block upgrade is another option part that has permanently found a home on Ryan's wheeler. Also, note the condition of the Octagons with the center tread basically gone as most of the team drivers feel that this is a good indication to when the Octagons are most consistent and fastest.
Peaking into the front wheel, you can see the spindle is actually in the down position giving Ryan the quick steering response he's looking for. The spring of the week is AE yellow fronts and just in case you were wondering, the JConcepts' Mono wheels is Ryans wheel of choice.
Checking the rear of the car, again everything is quite stock besides the titanium screws and Fin Titanium Turnbuckles to save weight and add style. Rear springs are noted to be RP Dirt Green springs.
Since he's been running for Team Yokomo, the Yokomo rear aluminum hubs have been standard issue on Ryan's 4wd, but lately he's been running "normal size" ballstud washers with 2mm on the outside and 2mm on the inside. There was a time where things were getting spaced up to about 4mm, but seems as if those days are behind us. |
