Never Mind the Tuning! It's all Chassis.
This past week has been an interesting one.
I suppose there have been a lot of opinions brewing and it took a single post to ignite strong emotions in some people. I must admit I needed to walk away for a moment, then try to find some sort of humor in the post, but the fact remains, there were more than a few people who were bothered. The DMs have prompted this post.
MST RMX 2.0s
I have been thinking about how to approach this, and I have decided the best way is to address this head on. This past week someone posted in the Super-G Group and called the Yokomo YD-2 SX a Cheater Car / Chassis and went on to defend the statement by saying it holds more speed and angle EASIER than the others. Basically implying there is some sort of unfair advantage attached to this particular chassis. I am choosing to believe it was meant as a joke, but somehow people got caught up. I have to admit it rubbed me the wrong way. It was further fueled by trying to defend the statement and in turn calling the RMX 2.0s a "good beginner car". I personally do not agree with this statement in the least. In fact, it was a bit of a bummer reading that. I believe the RMX 2.0s is a great chassis and very capable for even the most experienced drivers.
Yokomo YD-2S
Tuning and Setup:
Most of us know tuning and setup are the key to success in R/C. R/C Drift is no different. Of course there are limitations to the different chassis setups, but ultimately R/C is about customization. We have seen many Frankenstein chassis (parts from different chassis combined into one) perform really well. It just depends how far you want to go with it, and your knowledge of what each part will do to/for the setup. One of our former RawFew teammates, Tyler Watt was the Frankenstein Master in my opinion. His cars always drove amazing, regardless of what chassis he started with. Sprint 2, D3, you name it. A prime example of someone with a firm grasp on tuning. All my cars are in some way a Frankenstein build since I usually experiment with a few different brand components. This is part of my tuning style and I'm sure many of you out there do the same.
Let's see what the numbers tell us:
We have been running competitions almost every Saturday night for the past 3 months. We get a wide range of competitors with different tuning styles and chassis setups. Below are the stats grouped by chassis.
First Place Finishes:
4 - MST RMX 2.0s
3 - Yokomo YD-2S
1 - WrapUp Next VX Concept
1 - Yokomo YD-2
The most popular chassis we are seeing here at Super-G at the moment and their Podium Finishes (3rd or better):
13 - Yokomo YD-2S
6 - MST RMX 2.0s
2 - WrapUp Next VX Concept
2 - MRD WrapUp Next Conversion
2 - Yokomo YD-2
MST FXX-D
Usukani PDS
To keep things in perspective, The majority are running YD-2S, so it's to be expected to see more on the podium. A typical line up for any given night:
8 - Yokomo YD-2S
4 - MST RMX 2.0s
3 - Yokomo YD-2
2 - Usukani PDS
1 - WrapUp Next VX Concept
1 - WrapUp Next MRD Conversion
1 - MST FXX-D
Last Week's Podium:
1st Place - RMX 2.0s (Kris). 2nd Place - YD-2S (Mikko). 3rd Place - WrapUp Next MRD (John). 4th Place - YD-2S (Shaine). (I had to use this pic cause it's too good!)
So what am I getting at:
Because of this past week, it prompted me to take a look at the numbers to see if there was truly a pattern and if the "Cheater Car" statement was valid in the slightest. I have to say my original thoughts are correct and the numbers back it up.
There are many capable chassis out there, and in the right hands they can prove to be a deadly weapon in competition, but there is no guaranteed winner and no easy road to first place. I still hold firmly on my belief that a properly tuned chassis in the right hands can be a winner. A chassis which comes with a great setup sheet out of the box will perform better than a chassis with a poor setup sheet out of the box for it's initial run. This is hardly an indication of which chassis is superior. It may or may not be a better starting point for the experienced tuner, but for the beginner a good initial setup is definitely a less painful path to take.
The original poster has made the mistake of comparing tunes on different chassis, and believing it's the chassis making the difference rather than the tune. I really wish they would have started from the setup that came with their new chassis, rather than to discount the countless hours of research, trial, and error that went into the setup sheet they were given. If they had gone that route, maybe they would appreciate a solid setup and realize it's really not that easy and a good driving chassis isn't always just handed to you by the manufacturer.
Ok guys, BACK TO THE FUN!!!
Forgive and forget?
I suppose there have been a lot of opinions brewing and it took a single post to ignite strong emotions in some people. I must admit I needed to walk away for a moment, then try to find some sort of humor in the post, but the fact remains, there were more than a few people who were bothered. The DMs have prompted this post.
MST RMX 2.0s
I have been thinking about how to approach this, and I have decided the best way is to address this head on. This past week someone posted in the Super-G Group and called the Yokomo YD-2 SX a Cheater Car / Chassis and went on to defend the statement by saying it holds more speed and angle EASIER than the others. Basically implying there is some sort of unfair advantage attached to this particular chassis. I am choosing to believe it was meant as a joke, but somehow people got caught up. I have to admit it rubbed me the wrong way. It was further fueled by trying to defend the statement and in turn calling the RMX 2.0s a "good beginner car". I personally do not agree with this statement in the least. In fact, it was a bit of a bummer reading that. I believe the RMX 2.0s is a great chassis and very capable for even the most experienced drivers.
Yokomo YD-2S
Tuning and Setup:
Most of us know tuning and setup are the key to success in R/C. R/C Drift is no different. Of course there are limitations to the different chassis setups, but ultimately R/C is about customization. We have seen many Frankenstein chassis (parts from different chassis combined into one) perform really well. It just depends how far you want to go with it, and your knowledge of what each part will do to/for the setup. One of our former RawFew teammates, Tyler Watt was the Frankenstein Master in my opinion. His cars always drove amazing, regardless of what chassis he started with. Sprint 2, D3, you name it. A prime example of someone with a firm grasp on tuning. All my cars are in some way a Frankenstein build since I usually experiment with a few different brand components. This is part of my tuning style and I'm sure many of you out there do the same.
Let's see what the numbers tell us:
We have been running competitions almost every Saturday night for the past 3 months. We get a wide range of competitors with different tuning styles and chassis setups. Below are the stats grouped by chassis.
First Place Finishes:
4 - MST RMX 2.0s
3 - Yokomo YD-2S
1 - WrapUp Next VX Concept
1 - Yokomo YD-2
The most popular chassis we are seeing here at Super-G at the moment and their Podium Finishes (3rd or better):
13 - Yokomo YD-2S
6 - MST RMX 2.0s
2 - WrapUp Next VX Concept
2 - MRD WrapUp Next Conversion
2 - Yokomo YD-2
MST FXX-D
Usukani PDS
To keep things in perspective, The majority are running YD-2S, so it's to be expected to see more on the podium. A typical line up for any given night:
8 - Yokomo YD-2S
4 - MST RMX 2.0s
3 - Yokomo YD-2
2 - Usukani PDS
1 - WrapUp Next VX Concept
1 - WrapUp Next MRD Conversion
1 - MST FXX-D
Last Week's Podium:
1st Place - RMX 2.0s (Kris). 2nd Place - YD-2S (Mikko). 3rd Place - WrapUp Next MRD (John). 4th Place - YD-2S (Shaine). (I had to use this pic cause it's too good!)
So what am I getting at:
Because of this past week, it prompted me to take a look at the numbers to see if there was truly a pattern and if the "Cheater Car" statement was valid in the slightest. I have to say my original thoughts are correct and the numbers back it up.
There are many capable chassis out there, and in the right hands they can prove to be a deadly weapon in competition, but there is no guaranteed winner and no easy road to first place. I still hold firmly on my belief that a properly tuned chassis in the right hands can be a winner. A chassis which comes with a great setup sheet out of the box will perform better than a chassis with a poor setup sheet out of the box for it's initial run. This is hardly an indication of which chassis is superior. It may or may not be a better starting point for the experienced tuner, but for the beginner a good initial setup is definitely a less painful path to take.
The original poster has made the mistake of comparing tunes on different chassis, and believing it's the chassis making the difference rather than the tune. I really wish they would have started from the setup that came with their new chassis, rather than to discount the countless hours of research, trial, and error that went into the setup sheet they were given. If they had gone that route, maybe they would appreciate a solid setup and realize it's really not that easy and a good driving chassis isn't always just handed to you by the manufacturer.
Ok guys, BACK TO THE FUN!!!
Forgive and forget?