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Post by sappingtonr on Feb 2, 2009 12:11:15 GMT -6
Greetings all, A friend of mine from TN asked me to review these rules for him and offer any suggestions/tips that would be legal yet still allow him to build a winner. If anyone has the time to check these rules out and help "read between the lines" and post a reply, we would appreciate it. Unless I've missed something besides the obvious: 1. They want all 4 wheels "down" 2. No wheel mod's other than outer surface sanding- not even hub coning. 3. EXT WB OK 4. No Axle Mod's, Grooves, not even a K-House Within the link there is even a thread that goes on to describe the inspection process. Check it out: www.bsatroop135.com/natcheztracederby/rules.htmlAny comments or tips would be appreciated. Sapp
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Post by psycaz on Feb 2, 2009 12:55:16 GMT -6
Looks like you can modify the wheelbase to use an extended.
The rules are curious to say the lest about wether or not you have to have all four toching or not. It says:
All cars must have four wheels and all wheels must make full tread contact to the track, three wheels simultaneously.
Now, that makes it sound like if you can lighten the load on that wheel so that it barely touches, that is ok.
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Post by Lucky 13 on Feb 2, 2009 13:11:12 GMT -6
If you read the race day inspection procedure, a 3 wheeler is allowed !! What they are stressing is that all touching wheels must sit on the track flat...meaning no canting !! Here is what it says... Inspect all four wheels on the track section.
Do the flat wheels each touch flat on the track surface. Yes. Do three of the wheels touch the track simultaneously. Yes, proceed to next test. No, if three of the wheel treads will not touch simultaneously on the track section, the car is disqualified. and also... Look at the axle between the wheels and car body.
Are the axles holes generally the same distance from the bottom of the cars. (While three wheels must touch simultaneously; a four wheel may be slightly higher. You are looking for cars whose four wheel has been deliberately raised higher than the others. This is not permitted)? Yes, go to next step. No? Car is disqualified for deliberately raising a four wheel. From that, I would say a 3 wheeler is allowed, just don't make it to deliberate ?? Lucky 13
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Post by sappingtonr on Feb 2, 2009 13:42:41 GMT -6
psycaz & Lucky, Thanks for taking the time to go to that website. The rules are vague. To me, it seems like they must have originally been written with the idea that all cars had to be 4 down. But, when it came down to it at check-in, they discovered that the average scout builder team had problems trying to do it- hence, the subjective- "as long as it doesn't look intentional" rule went into effect.
Sometimes I think that the BSA should adopt a standardized set of rules for the nation.
But back to these rules: If you use the RR tool to bend 1.5 degrees- it is not noticeable due to the slop in the axle/bore fit. However, I think that you would still gain the benefit of neg. camber.
Wheels- it looks like they are trying to prevent people from doing to much to the wheels or prevent them from buying them done- this is a perfect opportunity to brush up on your DerbyWorx Wheel Shaver XT skills-
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Post by Bubba on Feb 2, 2009 21:37:11 GMT -6
...To me, it seems like they must have originally been written with the idea that all cars had to be 4 down. But, when it came down to it at check-in, they discovered that the average scout builder team had problems trying to do it- hence, the subjective- "as long as it doesn't look intentional" rule went into effect. Speaking as one of those happy souls that lives in a "4 wheels touching" Council, I'd say you're probably right. It's a lot more difficult than you would think to keep them all down, even if you have them all drilled "just right" to begin with. Considering that the typical car we run is 1/4" thick with an extended wheelbase (and often a narrow neck), it is not uncommon for us to see enough warping of the wood during the painting / drying process to lift one of the front wheels slightly (sometimes not-so-slightly ) off the ground. For us, we have to correct the twist (all 4 of ours have to touch simultaneously, entire tread surface - YUK!). For your friend, as long as it wasn't "deliberate" it would seem he didn't have to fix it. I would encourage him to drill them all same height, build her thin and with a narrow neck and cross his fingers during the paint job. If this sounds a little "ridiculous", it comes from a ridiculous source (a kinda 4 touching, kinda not rule). Bubba p.s. note that even if your rules require 4 touching simultaneously, with a little extra care (thanks to the inordinate amount of slop between the average BSA axle and bore) you can build them so that one of the front wheels doesn't actually carry any load. As such, it will tend to interfere less with the dominant, load bearing, wheel. Steer to the rail with the dominant, align the non-load bearing straight or very slightly in the same direction as the load bearing wheel . I've probably said too much already LOL.
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