by 53BN1 » Tue Sep 24, 2019 9:29 am
Good morning Scott
Scott, the thought was very gracious but it was not necessary as the preparation of the tires and hubs on the McLaren M8D was identical to how we prepared the tires and hubs on my first proxy car, the Ferrari 512BB which competed in the 2019 Group 5 proxy. The problem with the performance of my McLaren M8D relates to two issues, the first tires, and secondly, to the front suspension, and the interaction of these in a race.
The tires and hubs were taken from a Slot.it McLaren M8D #2 that I had in my collection as I could not find a set of wheel inserts from slot car providers wither in the UK or USA. This slot car was in my collection for more than three years. So we are looking at very old tires. They are not equivalent to the NSR slicks used on th e 512BB in terms of age or rubber composition although the preparation (gluing and truing) was identical. That is one aspect, now to the second and more critical issue. I was alerted by Allan shortly after my car arrived in Merrimac,MA, that he felt that the "stance" or "rake" of the car, the front end seemed high. I did not notice this during preparation. In the first race at River Run the car finished approximately mid-field, I was pleased, and gave Allan's comment little thought. BUT, after races three through five that changed. I dismantled Elford's #2 McLaren and discovered part of the problem (as stated on the specs page where we submitted specs of our cars, that I purchased individual pieces to build the car as
I could not find a white kit of the M8D). I sourced the parts in both the UK and USA). Missing from the chassis I purchased were the sliding blocks which fit into the front axle towers. This coupled with not using grub screws to limit the vertical movement of the front axle has lead to the issue of rear tire delamination. Allan's track was very technical so tire overheating it not occur but the remaining five tracks to date with high speed straights followed by complex curves tires have a chance to heat up. Therefore old tires of questionable quality combined with an iffy front suspension, i.e. poor handling, are why M8D is at the blunt end of the pack.
I assume that unlike my experience racing Formula Fords where repairs were possible at a race meet that this is not possible in proxy racing.
As you are aware I'm a true newbie to this challenging sport with less than 10 hours on plastic tracks but willing to build and compete. I truly appreciate all the mentoring you've provided to date. By the way the test track is painted so I'm ready to assist in laying down the copper
Cheers
Ed (aka 53BN1)