Description
of Problem |
Possible
Cause
of Problem |
Corrective
Measure |
| Car
is oversteering |
Rear tire compound
is too hard. |
Change to softer
rear tire compound. |
| Front tire compound
is too soft. |
Change to harder
front tire compound. |
| Front tire diameter
is too large. |
Reduce the front
tire diameter. Remember to re-adjust the ride height. |
| Front suspension
springs are too soft. |
Change to stiffer
front springs. |
| Rear pod movement
is too tight. |
Loosen the rear
pod (T-bar to main chassis) screws to increase rear pod travel without
excessive side to side movement. For even better rear pod movement
and control, you can switch to an optional ball mount suspension set. |
| Grease on the
rear friction damper plates is too thick. |
Apply thinner
grease on the rear friction damper plates to increase movement of
the rear pod. For even smoother response, you can switch to Teflon
friction damper plates. |
| Spring tension
on the coil damper or rear shock absorber is too high. |
Decrease the
spring tension by removing spacers or switch to a softer spring to
transfer the driving load to the rear end. Also, lightly grease the
coil damper shaft for smoother movement. |
| Spring tension
on the friction damper plates is too high. |
Switch to softer
springs to decrease the amount of compression applied to the friction
damper plates. For smoother response and easier adjustments, switch
to using an adjustable friction damper post assembly. |
| Viscosity of
oil in rear shock absorber is too high. |
Change to a
lower viscosity oil in rear shock absorber. |
| Ball differential
setting is too tight. |
Re-adjust the
ball differential to the proper setting. |
| Ball differential
setting is too loose. |
Adjust the rear
right axle nut to tighten the ball differential setting and decrease
slippage on acceleration. |
| Ball differential
is damaged. |
Replace damaged
ball differential parts. |
| Thrust bearing
in the ball differential is not slipping properly. |
Replace thrust
bearing assembly with a properly oiled one piece thrust bearing for
smoother cornering response. |
| Rear center
of gravity is too high. |
Lower the rear
end center of gravity using an adjustable ride height gear case to
raise the rear axle ride height. |
| Rear wing down
force is too low. |
Change to a
rear wing with three wings (instead of two for increased wing surface
area) and/or a higher wing angle. For improved rear wing down force,
a rear diffuser set will improve the airflow over the rear wing for
higher down force. |
| Front wing down
force is too high. |
Change to a
smaller front wing with a lower angle. |
| Toe-out angle
of front tires is too large. |
Toe-in front
wheels and increase toe-in angle as needed. |
| Front tires
experience "edge bite" on hard cornering. |
Round the shoulder
of the front tires. |
| Steering servo
is too fast in response. |
Trim steering
response if possible. |
| Car
is understeering |
Front tire compound
is too hard. |
Change to softer
front tire compound. |
| Front tire diameter
is too small. |
Change the front
tires to a larger diameter tire set or reduce the diameter of the
rear tires. |
| Rear tire compound
is too soft. |
Change to harder
rear tire compound. |
| Front suspension
springs are too stiff. |
Change to softer
front springs. |
| Chassis flexes
too much. |
Increase chassis
stiffness by changing from the stock chassis plate to a hard carbon-type
chassis plate or add the optional FRP upper chassis set (Tamiya Part
No. 53186). |
| Rear pod movement
is too loose. |
Tighten the
rear pod (T-bar to main chassis) screws to limit rear pod travel. |
| Grease on the
rear friction damper plates is too thin. |
Apply thicker
grease on the rear friction damper plates to slow movement of the
rear pod. |
| Spring tension
on the coil spring damper or rear shock absorber is too low. |
Increase the
spring tension with additional spacers to transfer the driving load
to the front end. |
| Viscosity of
oil in rear shock absorber is too low. |
Change to a
higher viscosity oil in rear shock absorber. |
| Ball differential
setting is too tight. |
Adjust the rear
right axle nut to loosen the ball differential setting and slightly
increase slippage on acceleration. |
| Front end ride
height is higher than rear end ride height. |
Increase rear
end ride height using an adjustable ride height gear case to increase
front end steering. |
| Weight distribution
is lighter at the front end. |
Reduce weight
of rear end and/or move weight distribution forward. You can also
switch to a different chassis that allows repositioning of the batteries
for better weight distribution. |
| Front wing down
force is low. |
Change to a
larger front wing with a higher angle. |
| Toe-in angle
of front wheels is too large. |
Toe-out front
wheels and decrease toe-in angle as needed. A slight toe-out may be
necessary. |
| Steering servo
is too slow in response. |
Change to a
faster steering servo. |
| Car
does not turn in either direction evenly. |
Chassis is tweaked. |
Adjust suspension settings to remove chassis tweak. |
| Servo horn neutral
position is not set properly. |
Set the servo
horn in neutral position with equal steering arm length. |
| Steering trim
for neutral position of the radio transmitter is not properly set. |
Adjust steering
trim with radio transmitter steering in neutral position. |
| Steering arm
lengths are not equal. |
Adjust left
or right steering arm length. |
| Front wheels
are not in even alignment. |
Properly align
front right or left wheel: whichever needs adjustment. |
| Servo is not
firmly secured to the chassis. |
Secure the servo
to the chassis with glass tape and servo tape. |
| Servo saver
is worn or loose. |
Tighten the
servo saver to the servo or replace servo saver components. |
| Bent steering
arm(s). |
Straighten out
or replace bent steering arm(s). |
| Bent upright. |
Replace bent
upright. |
| Differential
is not operating smoothly. |
Clean and properly
lubricate differential components. Replace any diff balls, housings,
thrust bearings, etc. as needed. |
| Uneven tire
wear. |
Replace and/or
true tries to even diameters on each side, both front and rear as
needed. |
| Uneven bearing
wear. |
Replace worn
bearings. |
| Bent rear axle. |
Straighten or
replace rear axle. |
| Unbalanced weight
distribution on chassis. |
Make tweak adjustment
to balance chassis. |
| Rear pod was
not assembled with proper alignment. |
Reassemble rear
pod on a flat surface for proper alignment. |
| Chassis is warped. |
Replace chassis
plate or T-bar as needed. |
| Car
steering is unstable on straight-aways |
Front wheels
are not in even alignment. |
Properly align
front right or left wheel: whichever needs adjustment. |
| Tires are not
glued properly. |
Glue the tires
securely. |
| Front tires
are in toe-out condition. |
Adjust front
tires for toe-in condition. |
| Inadequate toe-in
angle. |
Increase toe-in
angle. |
| Wheel is not
firmly secured with lock nut. |
Tighten the
lock nut to hold the wheel in position. |
| Servo is not
firmly secured to the chassis. |
Secure the servo
to the chassis with glass tape and servo tape. |
| Servo saver
is worn or loose. |
Tighten the
servo saver to the servo or replace servo saver components. |
| Steering trim
for neutral position of the radio transmitter is not properly set. |
Adjust steering
trim with radio transmitter steering in neutral position. |
| Steering blocks
are creating oversensitive steering response. |
Change to offset
steering blocks. |
| Uneven tire
wear. |
Replace and/or
true tires to even diameters on each side, both front and rear as
needed. |
| Uneven bearing
wear. |
Replace worn
bearings. |
| Steering arm
lengths are not equal. |
Adjust left
or right steering arm length. |
| Bent steering
arm(s). |
Straighten out
or replace bent steering arm(s). |
| Bent upright. |
Replace bent
upright. |
| Too much play
in front end components. |
Replace excessively
worn components as needed. |
| Uneven front
spring tension or length. |
Either replace
the shorter spring or place a greater preload on it with spacers. |
| Differential
is not operating smoothly. |
Clean and properly
lubricate differential components. Replace any diff balls, housings,
thrust bearings, etc. as needed. |
| Bent rear axle. |
Straighten or
replace rear axle. |
| Unbalanced weight
distribution on chassis. |
Make tweak adjustment
to balance chassis. |
| Rear pod was
not assembled with proper alignment. |
Reassemble rear
pod on a flat surface for proper alignment. |
| Chassis is warped. |
Replace chassis
plate or T-bar as needed. |
| T-bar mounting
screws are loose. |
Tighten T-bar
mounting screws as needed. |
| Countersunk
T-bar mounting holes are damaged. |
Replace the
T-bar and mounting screws. |
| Radio
interference is causing the steering servo to glitch. |
Identify
and eliminate source of radio interference (also see "Radio transmitter
is not working." |
| Uneven
tire wear |
Unbalanced weight
distribution on chassis. |
Make tweak adjustment
to balance chassis. |
| Uneven front
spring tension or length. |
Either replace
the shorter spring or place a greater preload on it with spacers. |
| Unbalanced wheels. |
Balance the
wheels using lead tape used for balancing golf clubs. |
| Front wheels
are not in even alignment. |
Properly align
front right or left wheel: whichever needs adjustment. |
| Steering arm
lengths are not equal. |
Adjust left
or right steering arm length. |
| Bent steering
arm(s). |
Straighten out
or replace bent steering arm(s). |
| Bent upright. |
Replace bent
upright. |
| Rear axle intermittently
seizes. |
Clean and lubricate
rear axle assembly and replace bearings as needed. |
| Differential
is not operating smoothly. |
Clean and properly
lubricate differential components. Replace any diff balls, housings,
thrust bearings, etc. as needed. |
| Bent rear axle. |
Straighten or
replace rear axle. |
| Rear pod was
not assembled with proper alignment. |
Reassemble rear
pod on a flat surface for proper alignment. |
| Chassis is warped. |
Replace chassis
plate or T-bar as needed. |
| Car
ride is very bumpy |
Unbalanced wheels. |
Balance the
wheels using lead tape used for balancing golf clubs. |
| Wheel is not
firmly secured with lock nut. |
Tighten the
lock nut to hold the wheel in position. |
| Tires are rubbing
against other components. |
Increase tire
clearance for free movement. |
| Both front and
rear tire compounds are too hard. |
Change to softer
tire compounds for the front and rear. |
| Spring on damper
unit is too stiff. |
Replace damper
spring with a softer spring. |
| Damper fluid
is too viscous. |
Replace damper
fluid with a lower viscosity fluid. |
| Friction damper
plate grease is too viscous. |
Replace friction
damper plate grease with a thinner grease. |
| Too much play
in front end components. |
Replace excessively
worn components as needed. |
| Too much play
in rear end components. |
Replace excessively
worn components as needed. |
| Worn spur or
pinion gear teeth. |
Replace worn
gear and properly set gear mesh. |
| Worn motor armature. |
Replace any
worn armature components as needed. |