THURSDAY TESTIMONIALS: CRC LiPos, JConcepts Finnisher, KO Propo RSx2 Response, Lunsford turnbuckles, Tekno LRC suspension mount

In addition to a thriving Pro 4 class, weekly club racing at SDRC typically boasts a solid turnout of 1/8-scale electric racing that’s extremely competitive for the tight and tricky 1/10-scale indoor track. Part of the popularity is due to the track’s proximity to Tekno RC (which used to share the building), and part of it can be credited to owner Scott Bergen’s generous track designs that give the big buggies room to move, while still being fun for smaller vehicles.

 

I first met Joe Larson while racing at Hot Rod Hobbies a few years ago, so I was surprised to find him among the locals at SDRC when I moved back to the area in 2012. It was less of a surprise, though, to see him hustle his cars around the track like the driver I remembered from the outdoor track years prior, only with more practice. Last night’s 1/8-scale main event may not have worked out in Joe’s favor, finishing seventh among many Tekno RC team drivers, but as I stopped by his pit area to chat before leaving I noticed a few items on his Tekno EB48.2 that stood out. Here’s what he thinks about their performance:

 

#CRC3734, $86

 

 

A 4-cell pack with mid-pack specs, at 5300mAh capacity with a discharge rate of 40C, the hard case of these batteries measure in at 138x47x47mm and come with Deans Ultra plugs installed to the end of the 12 AWG leads. CRC recommends charging them no higher than 1C.

 

After picking a used pack fourth months ago and being pleased with its performance for the price, Joe picked up another one month later. Even over 7-minute main events Joe notices no problems with runtime, but the older battery - Joe doesn’t know how much it had been run prior to his purchase - has started to fade in comparison to the newer pack, so it has been relegated to practice duty because there’s a noticeable difference in power.

 

Protective hard case

Deans plug installed

Good value

 

Cell life uncertain

Less punch than more expensive packs

 

Perfect for club racers or those looking for great performance on a budget.

 

 

 

#0262, $23

 

 

 

JConcepts Finnisher design, with a cab defined by hard angles and sloping windows for aerodynamic stability, first debuted at the 2011 IFMAR Electric Off-Road Worlds in Finland and has been adapted for different vehicles and scales across the industry. Louvers created with the step-down design toward the rear allow for air vents to be cut, as does the motor-side pod for direct flow to the car’s hottest component. The body is packaged with protective film and includes both window masks and a decal sheet.

 

Joe bought the lid simply because he got a great deal. Painted and delivered to the track by local pigment slinger Murray Webb, Joe thinks the shape of the body is awesome and only runs it during racing to keep it looking its best - still looking brand new after a few months of duty. Because Joe runs his practice body, the stock Tekno RC shell, during practice he’s had plenty of opportunity to compare the performance of each and doesn’t notice any performance difference or his electronics running any warmer or cooler with the JC body.

 

Edgy styling stands out

Thick and durable

 

Handling and cooling claims perhaps a bit exaggerated

 

Thrashed your stock lid and looking for something different? This is the body for you.

 

 

#30108, $170

 

 

 

Also available with a full aluminum case, KO’s high-voltage, high-speed RSx2 Response delivers an incredible .07 sec. transit and 201 oz.-in. of torque at 6.0V that jumps up to .06 and 244 oz.-in. at 7.4V. KO Propo tuned the servo amplifier of the RSx2 line to deliver a more linear feel that’s optimized for today’s 2.4 GHz radios, and the hybrid plastic-aluminum case is pinned with two additional screws to keep the gears - made of a special Japanese aluminum that’s 45% lighter than brass and as hard as steel - perfectly aligned. The 23-tooth spline is shared only by Airtronics and JR Propo servos.

 

Four months ago, Joe made the decision to splurge on a high-dollar, high-quality servo “because it’s something you hopefully only have to do once.” Joe chose the KO servo because he liked the specs, and the fact it was made in Japan with those special aluminum gears, and is happy to report four months of trouble-free use. “Response time is plenty fast, more than enough speed and strength, and I never have a problem with torque,” said Joe, who thinks the RSx2 Response is a great combination of both but admitted it took time to get used to the speed. With more experience, however, Joe now says the servo’s quick transit to full lock can help him recover more quickly if he blows past the apex of a corner.

 

Exotic

Fast

Strong

Looks awesome

 

Expensive-ish

Requires change in driving style

 

In the market for a do-it-all steering servo? It’s unfortunate these aren’t more commonly used, because they’re awesome.

 

 

 

#1555, $10 each (4 - 5mm x 55mm for front and rear camber)

#1455, $10 each (2 - 4mm x 55mm for steering) 

 

 

 

Though Lunsford sells a kit for the SCT410, the front camber links are 5mm too short for the EB48.2 so it’s best to buy the camber links individually. All Lunsford turnbuckles are CNC machined and thread-rolled in house from domestic U.S.-sourced 6AL/4V titanium. Lunsford offers kits for dozens of different vehicles, as well as single turnbuckles in 3mm, 3.5mm, 4mm, and 5mm diameters in a wide variety of lengths.

 

Joe said that the six turnbuckles were expensive, and that he didn’t need them but simply wanted to upgrade the car when he got it four months ago. The camber links, at 5mm, are beefier than the stock 4mm turnbuckles making them both lighter and significantly stronger. No bent or broken links to report at this point!

 

Stronger

Lighter

Look nicer

 

Expensive

Requires larger rod ends

 

Like to hit stuff? Buy these. Don’t crash often? Buy these anyway.

 

 

 

#TKR5013C, $25

 

 

 

Made of 7075 aluminum and gun metal-anodized for wear, Tekno RC’s adjustable low roll center adjustable hinge pin brace is a direct fit for all of the brand’s 1/8-scale vehicles as well as the SCT410. In addition to adding 1.0 degree of toe-in (which is adjustable between 2.5-4.5 degrees with replacement bushings), the LRC suspension mount drops the roll center by 1.0mm.

 

After installing the part one month ago, which was as easy as bolting the unit in place, Joe’s lap times have dropped thanks to increased rear grip no matter the track conditions. 

 

More traction

Adjustment options

 

None

 

If there are no cons, why not just put it in the box?

 

 

 

Each week outside of the R/C world we test out and use a variety of items in our daily routines that have absolutely nothing to do with R/C, and THIS is what we think of them!

 

$free

 

 

 

Prior to the 19th century, apparent solar time of day was told exclusively by sundial - and varied greatly from city to city. As mechanical clocks spread in popularity in the early 1800s, cities started to adopt a local mean solar time. As rail and sea transport improved, not to mention telecommunications, local solar time became an increasingly difficult problem as cities separated by as little as one degree of latitude were 4 minutes apart. To put that in perspective, the time difference between New York and Boston was about 8 minutes, and between Sydney and Melbourne, Australia was 28 minutes! Railways in Britain first adopted a standard time in 1847 and the islands legally accepted Greenwich Mean Time in 1880. New Zealand was actually the first country (a British colony at the time) to adopt a standard time, doing so in 1868. The U.S. first worked on standard time as early as 1863, adopted a U.S.-only system in 1883, and officially joined the time system we use today when Congress passed the Standard Time Act on March 19, 1918.

Of course, even in 1918 there was no such thing as mass air travel for common civilians. As I noted two months ago after the 1/8-Scale Off-Road Worlds in Messina, and confirmed last week at the 200mm IC Worlds in Bangkok, traveling across many time zones twice in the matter of a fortnight (or less) has a way of seriously screwing up one’s sleep schedule. Italy was a nine hour difference, and Thailand was a 15 hour swing. I haven’t been normal since!

Makes travel and communication possible

Makes travel exhausting

The Earth is very large

 

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