TIPS TRICKS and other fun stuff !

Axles wheels tires are first around here. Junk rear stuff can affect the front too. I've adjusted quite a few unsquare chassis via tire truing and while they may not be a race winner they perform more than adequately. Unless it's a mile out of course LOL

1. Shortening the wheel base lowers the guide pin fractionally so snagging is a possibility. Irregularities in the slot trough become apparent. So check it out. It's not guaranteed that the floor of the slot and the track surface are perfectly parrallel. Just because the because grade is flat doesnt mean that the slot is or vice versa. Investigate and dress the slot floor at the joint and or the tip of the guide pin whichever is required. Only takes a thousandth to boink ya.

2. Yes. Springs should lift a gutted chassis. If not your current flow will be poor(generalizing here). IMHO unloaded spring behavior is too far up the assembly line to be indicative of final car performance, unless it's excessively over sprung. While the added load of the gearplate provides the greatest settling of the pick up suspension, in my observation the final outcome is affected by the weight of the chosen body.

In my mind there are too many variables in the final assembly to put much emphasis on unloaded springs.

3. Restrictions of shoe travel for stock chassis/ride heights may not be helpfull at all. Travel restrictions are necessary for altered ride heights such as fray modifieds. It should be noted that many racers add weight in the form of collars and exagerated hubs. This compensates for the increased stiffness of running a spring nearer to coil bind. The restriction adds preload to the pickups. While the preload can really help current travel it can exascerbate slot hopping and handling if the commeasurate amount of weight is not added to the front axle assem. Conversly the drag racers use a wheelie bar or skid to limit lift and keep things planted.

For stock applications shoe/spring tuning of what you have should be adequate. If you've determined that it IS infact slothop under throttle snap and not bad wheels or track irregularities, you'll have to adjust the spring tension. Dont forget that using a controller that isnt matched to your cars rating can contribute to the problem. If the car hops out any ole place on the track when ya crush the throttle your more than likely over tight. I like to remove half coil increments with the hobby knife.

Then if the car lifts lightly initially and planes out a little spring crush may be order. If it still lifts or stutters opening the shoe hook at the hanger plate can lessen tension also. Be aware that if you open it too wide the hook can bind in the hanger plate.

The trick to shoetuning is spotting what and when its happening AFTER the wheel and track issues are no longer assumptions. By carefully watching how the car behaves and WHEN, you can then determine WHERE you need to start. Light lift or slight stuttering can usually be massaged out without mods.
Radical slot hop requires spring mods or replacements.

It's a rather fine line for track tuning of stock setups. As you lessen tension your creeping up on limiting current flow and lackluster response and performance. As mentioned before some folks just add downforce in the form of weights or traction mag(s) like the AW Ultra G. Ya think AW fixed their QC problems related to handling?... Or did they just adjust the gravity of the situation too nulify the behavior? Not trying to incite a riot here...merely pointing out that there is more than one way to skin the cat.

Shoe tuning is really not a black art as is often argued. It just takes observation and time to sort it out. While the fray guys have established an optimum spring resistance. This number reflects tuning an altered ride height with the added benefits of travel restrictions and forward weight adjustments. With different operating ranges comes the variables that can only be addressed with experience and the voodoo you obtain by repetition.