As much as I'd love to believe that all of LiveRC's readers are simply dying to know how I feel about every news story, piece of gossip, or new product that hits the market, I know that you'd appreciate hearing what an everyday racer has to say about the gear he's using. You'll be getting plenty of my opinion in Thursday testimonials, along with the thoughts of other LiveRC staff members, but I'll be including cool tidbits of what I find at my local track and at races across the country described by the racer who has logged real-world race time on it, because let's face it - I can't possibly track test everything.
Travis Colclasure is one of the helpful and friendly faces at SDRC Raceway, and one of the fastest stock buggy racers in our area as well - he's even the Jimmy Babcock Racing League points leader in stock buggy after 5 of the 8 rounds. I walked over to his pit area after winning the Wednesday night club race to congratulate him on the good drive and check out his car.
As it turns out, his Associated RC10B5M is chock full of some pretty trick parts.
Exotek Racing B5M wing mount set
#1438, $28 (pair)
Exotek’s alloy wing mounts for the B5M and anodized blue are machined from 7075 aluminum. They bolt to the rear shock tower using the same mounts as the stock plastic mounts, but use two additional screws to fasten the wing in place rather than body clips. Made of 7075 aluminum and anodized in blue, Exotek’s wing mounts are surprisingly light given how sturdy they look. Travis said that he likes how the wing is held rigidly in place with virtually no play, and that they’ve proven to be durable.
Pros:
Blue anodizing adds bling
Flex is eliminated and position is more consistent
Cons:
Screws take more time to remove than body clips
Nearly ten times the price of the stock pieces
Conclusion:
If you want to make your buggy stand out from the rest of the class, these wing mounts are an interesting step in that direction. They’re not all just flashy, though, as they really do hold the wing in position better than the stock mounts. Whether that’s worth it is up to each racer.
Beacon rating: 4/5
Exotek Racing alloy wing buttons
#1422 (Blue), $7 (pair)
Wing mounts that require screws must be accompanied by wing buttons - and it’s another great chance to add some flash to your buggy or touring car. Exotek offers them in eight different colors, and Travis chose blue (you’ll see a pattern here shortly). These buttons are 16mm in diameter, which helps hold the wing tightly during crashes and tumbles, and the weight difference is negligible, even for 17.5 racing. At only $7 per pair, they’re not a bad splurge either.
Pros:
Holds the wing tightly
Looks good
Cons:
No hardware included
Can be scratched during bad crashes
Conclusion:
If you’re using wing mounts that require screws, these are a no-brainer. Just don’t roll over very often.
Beacon rating: 4/5
Pro-Line Electron VTR Buggy Rear Tires
#8235-17, $21 (pair)
Pro-Line’s latest hard-pack tire is a refreshing update on the popular bar-and-pin pattern, with small intersecting lines running diagonally across the edge of the carcass for additional sidebite while forming lateral bars in the center of the tread. The beads of the tire are molded into Pro-Line’s new 2.4” VTR mounting bead, which were glued to Pro-Line’s white rear wheels (#2749-04, #7).
The tires are designed specifically to not require much break-in, and Travis said they felt good right away. The stock foam fits the tire and wheel nicely, and has held up quite well. After running the last three race nights on the same pair, our test driver said the tires are “dialed” at SDRC - and even though they’re starting to show some wear, still had plenty of grip on the indoor clay surface.
Pros:
Easy to mount
Starts working without much break-in
Decent tread life
Cons:
Not much!
Conclusion:
Certain tracks simply cater to rubber from one manufacturer over others, but the MC compound Electrons are among the best choices on SDRC’s clay. For a tread pattern that took so little break-in time, they’ve been consistent for quite a long time.
Beacon rating: 5/5
Muchmore Racing 1/10 Off Road Car Maintenance Stand
#MBMSK, $24
A dedicated car stand is certainly a luxury item, but one that’s properly designed can certainly make basic maintenance more enjoyable. Muchmore’s box-shaped car stand for 1/10-scale off-road buggies comes with four rubber feet in place and includes two hard rubber pads with adhesive so that can be stuck to the top surface. It’s available in black, as well as blue - which, of course, matches Travis’ MuchMore pit light and power supply.
Installation of both pads is easy. It’s light weight, and at 6.3” x 4.3” x 2.4” it doesn’t take up much room on the pit table or in your bag. Four holes machined in the top hold big-bore shocks, and are labelled so that you can keep track of which shock is from which corner of the car. It’s a bit short for short course or stadium trucks, though.
Pros:
Looks awesome
Light weight
Shock holes add functionality
Cons:
Can take up valuable real estate in a heavily packed hauler.
Conclusion:
It’s a car stand. It’ll hold your shocks when you’re rebuilding them, but it’s certainly not necessary - after all, you could serve the same function with a pair of tires and an empty drink cup. If you’ve got the room in your box, and the scratch in your wallet, go for it.
Beacon rating: 3/5
Schelle B5M aluminum shock standoffs
#SCH1075, $14 (4)
CNC machined from aluminum, Schelle’s metric shock standoffs and bushings for the B5 and B5M come in a set of four - no need to buy two packages to outfit the whole car. A Delrin bushing is used so that the shock cap doesn’t wear on the aluminum, has a shoulder molded to prevent binding and it’s also easier and cheaper to replace. They’re a perfect fit for Schelle’s 12mm shock and turnbuckle tool, too.
On Travis’ car, the Schelle bushings fit the shock caps tighter without increasing any resistance, and tightened down onto the shock tower more snugly. The deep black color matches the stock shock caps, but Schelle’s own product page inquires as to whether they should make blue units - don’t worry, Travis has already emailed his input.
Pros:
Look good
Fit even better
Replaceable Delrin bushings are included
Cons:
Only available in black so far
Can be scratched by other wrenches, or during crashes
Conclusion:
Schelle’s shock bushings make changing shock location a snap, and the Delrin bushings will help the shock caps from getting sloppy for a long time. And if your car is all decorated in black hop-ups, bonus!
THURSDAY TESTIMONIALS - RANDOM ITEM OF THE WEEK:
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!
Coppertone ultraGUARD SPF 70+
$11 (8 oz.)
Sunny days during any season can not only cause skin damage, but sunburns just plain hurt! When you’re walking the pits of your local outdoor track for 8 hours during a long day of racing, sun protection is important. It’s even more important when you’re typically behind a desk all week long, and your cousin’s 7- and 5-year old boys insist on playing soccer on the beach all day during a 4th of July family barbecue.
Coppertone’s Ultra Guard is water-resistant for up to 80 minutes, so it stays in place whether you’re swimming or sweating, and rubs in without feeling greasy. It provides photostable, broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection and has Vitamin E, so your skin doesn’t feel dry afterward. The sunscreen smell isn’t too bad, and it comes in five different SPF levels.
Pros:
Rubs in without feeling greasy or dry
Stays in place, doesn’t run into eyes
Helps prevent skin cancer
Cons:
Can’t be applied easily to scalp like spray-on sunscreen
Doesn’t prevent you from feeling old after an afternoon of running in sand with two kids who just won’t stop
Conclusion:
Southern Californians know this rule well, but if you’re going to be in the sun all day, you should be wearing sunscreen. Coppertone is available everywhere, it’s relatively inexpensive, and it works.
Beacon rating: 5/5
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