Home > In Depth With the 2010 Champs
In Depth With the 2010 Champs
Questions
What was the biggest key to making your car work well?
Do you have any tips to share when building the chassis for racing?
What adjustments on the chassis made the biggest impact on handling, and the least impact on handling?
What are the "must have" hop-ups?
Why did you choose the body that you ran?
Do you have any advice to someone hoping to win the TCS Finals in 2001?
TCS Mini Champion - Brandon Kosowlsky
Hop-Ups
Item 84117 - TRF Damper Spring Set (Short/White)
Item 54239 - M05 Stabilizer Set
Item 54236 - M05 Aluminum Front Damper Stay
Item 54195 - M05 Aluminum Turnbuckle Steering Rod
Item 54193 - M05 Aluminum Steering Post
Item 54192 - M05 Aluminum Steering Link
Item 54191 - M05 Aluminum Racing Steering Set
Item 54182 - M05 Adjustable Upper Arm Set
Item 54179 - M05 Ball Bearing Set
Item 54178 - M05 Aluminum Rear Upright
Item 54177 - M05 Aluminum Front Upright
Item 54121 - Hi Torque Servo Saver Aluminum Horn
Item 53642 - 5mm Aluminum Ball Connector (Blue)
Item 53267 - TA03 Ball Differential Set
Item 53205 - M Chassis Universal Shaft Set
Item 51000 - Hi Torque Servo Saver
Item 49420 - Lightweight Suzuki Swift Body Set
Item 42102 - TRF Special Damper Set
Brandon's Answers
1. The biggest key to winning was having the Thursday and Friday practice sessions to see what the spec tire was and how it would react to changes in the setup. 2. The TA03 ball diff built with anti wear grease and removing a washer to get the right setting to get the car to pull out of the corners well was a big key. Another key is to keep the weight down. This is why I chose not to run the aluminum heat sink and wheel hexes. Shedding all of this weight really helps the car keep its momentum going which you need to have with the fixed gearing. 3. The front shock tower made the biggest change along with the ball diff. These were the two biggest keys to getting the chassis to work. The rear uprights did not make much of a noticeable difference. 4. The TA03 ball diff and the front shock tower were the two best hop-ups.5. The body is by far the most consistent and predictable handling wise. Other bodies were found to have too much steering and be a bit unpredictable. My nickname is "SirSwiftAlot", so it wouldn't work if I drove something else. 6. Learn the car and what adjustments work and what each one does to the handling. Lots of practice is always good, but the setup will always make or break your run. You need to take the time to understand all of the changes and what everything does. For example, when I got the new front shock tower, I learned that moving the shock positions on the front tower to the outer hole made the car a lot more reactive, while moving them inwards calmed the steering down. I had to try all of the settings so that I would know what changes to make when chasing the ideal setup.
Our Observations
When Brandon's car came through tech, the most noticeable thing about his compared to other cars what that he used a fairly stiff setup. Going with the hard blue springs all the way around the car, it didn't seem like it would work very well, but infact it handled great. The other key feature of Brandon's car was how free the wheels and drivetrain spun. He did a very good job of making sure there was as little power lost through the drivetrain as possible.
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TCS GT3 Champion Christian Lopez
Hop-Ups
Item 54070 - TB03 Suspension Mount 1B (x2)
Item 54069 - TB03 Suspension Mount 1A (x2)
Item 54045 - TA05 IFS Drive Belt (342mm)
Item 53994 - TA05 IFS Carbon Rear Damper Stay
Item 53993 - TA05 IFS Aluminum Rocker Arm Set
Item 53988 - 37T Ball Differential Pulley (x2)
Item 53989 - 18T Center Pulley
Item 53928 - Short Reversible Suspension Arms
Item 53920 - TA05 Aluminum Motor Mount
Item 53919 - TA05 Aluminum Diff Joint
Item 53895 - TA05 Carbon Reinforced K Parts
Item 53894 - TA05 Carbon Reinforced A Parts
Item 53883 - TA05 Carbon Steering Link
Item 53877 - TA05 Front Direct Coupling
Item 53848 - TA05 Aluminum Racing Steering Set
Item 53823 - 5mm Clamp Type Aluminum Wheel Hub
Item 53724 - TB Evo IV 46mm Lightweight Swing Shaft (x2)
Item 53705 - Type B3 Reinforced Tires
Item 53642 - 5mm Aluminum Ball Connector (Blue)
Item 53500 - Universal Shaft Cross Joint
Item 53159 - Blue Anodized Lock Nuts
Item 51287 - TRF501X Diff Plate
Item 51094 - TB Evo IV Wheel Axle (x2)
Item 49440 - TA05 Aluminum Center Plate
Item 42102 - TRF Special Damper Set
1. The biggest key to making my car work was that I had to make the car as fast as I could without hurting/abusing the motor. I setup the car with very little camber and Toe angles so the car would carry speed and Make straight-line speed very fast.2. My biggest tip that I could give is take your time and make sure everything is built to the kit measurements and do what the instructions tell you. I've had to take apart cars because I did the wrong thing, so it is better to take your time and do it right the first time.3. The change that affected the car the most was the droop. I had changed this after the first A-main and that made the car very fast. The second thing I would adjust is camber. If that doesn't work I would go to the shocks and springs. Then Lastly mess with Toe.4. For me the "must have" hop-ups are honestly anything that will help the car perform. Tamiya makes a great car right off the bat. I would have to say the hop-ups to get would have to be the TRF shocks; they're a bit on the expensive side, but 120% worth it. Next I would get is the sway bar kit. But those are the only things that are necessary. They will make or brake your car.5. I chose the NSX 2006 model. I had tried both the Ebbro 350R and the NSX and the NSX is more of a neutral body, which allowed my to attack more and it suited my aggressive driving style. The Ebbro 350R has very much front and rear downforce, but the body was just not for me.6. My advice for anyone that is competing next year for a trip to Japan is that you need many hours of practice and R&D. Once a car is good, try to make it great. One change at a time and maybe write down what the change does, so you can use it as a reference point. Next I would say patience. I have learned over the years that patience is key, and this year I finally got to put it to the test. Lastly if you qualify not where you were expecting to, don't get down on yourself. That's what happened to me, I was the benefactor of what happened. Lastly, have fun and Good Luck!
Our Observations
Christian's car was setup aggressively, but in a different way. The car was built differently from left to right. It took a while to understand why it would be setup like this, but in fact, that the car was built with the sweeper in mind. Since it plays such a large part in the lap, getting through it fast is key, and Christian made up a lot of time over his competitors in the sweeper. Since the track also features mainly left hand turns, the trade-offs were minimal over the rest of the lap.
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TCS F1 Champion - Danny Hua
Hop-Ups:
Item 54202 - F104 Aluminum Upper Suspension Mount
Item 54199 - F104 Rubber Tires (Soft/Rear)
Item 54166 - F104 Aluminum Motor Mount
Item 54165 - F104 Soft T-Bar
Item 54164 - F104 Carbon Upper Deck
Item 54163 - F104 Carbon Lower Deck
Item 54162 - F104 Carbon Rear Shaft
Item 54158 - F104 Aluminum Diff Housing
Item 53901 - TRF Special Damper
Item 53900 - 0.4 Module Spur Gear Set
Item 51000 - Hi Torque Servo Saver
Various Ball Bearings
Danny's Answers
1. The biggest key to make the F104 work good is the tire inserts. I prefer to have harder inserts for the rear soft option tires to keep it from flexing too much when the tires heat up.2. One important tip when building the F104 is the thrust bearing in the aluminum diff housing. I would replace that bearing with a ceramic bearing. The stock bearing tends to wear out quick and makes the diff feel rough.3. The camber makes biggest impact on how the car handles. I would say the disc damper screw makes the least impact on the car.4. The "must have" hop-up would be the T-plate. I have not tried the super soft T-plate, so I can't really say much about it. I have the regular soft T-plate on my car and I find that to be one of the most important hop-up for the car.5. I chose the Ferrari F60 because I feel that body gives the car more rear end traction. The body that came with the F104pro kit feels like it has too much front downforce or too little rear downforce.6. Advice I would give to anyone who is hoping to win the 2011 TCS finals would be to practice, test out different setup, and never give up on your car.
Our Observations
The biggest surprise with Danny's F104 Pro was really that there were no real surprised. If you looked at his car, it would look very much like it was built straight out of the box. While there are some people who will mount the steering servo at an angle to get the steering links more level, and reduce the Ackermann, Danny did everything per the instructions and it worked great for him.
We wish the best of luck to each of our champion's and hope they can bring back the gold!