Team Associated B44.3 - Manual (Page 25)

25
:: Tuning Tips (cont.)
Battery Placement:
The B44.3 battery cradle allows for quick battery spacing adjustment to fine tune the front to back weight distribution
as needed. A simple rule of thumb to follow is, if your car pushes through the corner, shift the battery back & if it
oversteers in the corner, move the battery forward.
Gear Diff Tuning:
Center:
The center diff has the greatest influence in how the car accelerates and the feel of rear end grip. As the center diff is
tuned with thicker oils it will differentiate less and begin to act more like a slipper or even a spool, and improve straight
line acceleration. When using thinner center diff oils, the car can transfer power from either front or back more
easily. Therefore when accelerating you transfer power to the front due to the weight transfer to the back.
As a result the rear end will usually be more stable and less likely to step out. Typically thicker fluids are used on higher
traction surfaces and thinner on lower bite/ loose surfaces.
Front/ Rear:
When using thicker fluid the car will be less nimble rotating/ steering but it will be a little smoother putting down power
in a straight line. The thinner oil will give the feeling more traction and have more steering but can ‘walk’ and have a little
more instability under hard acceleration due to wheel spin on any corner of the car.
Weight Bias / Motor Orientation:
Running the saddle pack configuration positions the motor forward and overall has a more forward weight bias than the
shorty battery configuration. The weight bias will vary depending on electronics and battery orientation.
Typically a more forward weight bias on higher grip surfaces and more rearward weight bias on lower grip surfaces.
Ackerman:
“Ackerman” refers to the relative angle difference between the front wheels as they are turned to steer the car.
More ackerman means that there is a greater difference in angle between the wheels, and the less ackerman you have
the closer the wheels steer parallel to each other. The ackerman on the B44.3 can be adjusted by moving the steering
rack ballstud forwards or back on the steering rack.
The steering ballstud in the back position on the rack (More Ackerman) will make the car more forgiving to drive,
particularly in looser conditions.
The steering ballstud in the forward position on the rack (Less Ackerman) will make the car twitchier around center but
will have more steering mid to corner exit.
Steering Rack:
Front
Back
Rear Arm Hole:
The inner hole in the arm tends to work the best over the bumps and jump sections. Changing to the outer hole in the
rear arm will tend to make the rear end feel more “locked in” and less responsive. Making this change to the outer hole
requires you to remove the downtravel limiters from the rear shocks.
Rear Ride Height:
The rear ride height setting you should use most often is 20 mm (the rear arms appear level when looking from the
rear). Check the ride height by lifting up the entire car about 8-12 inches off the bench and drop it. After the suspension
“settles” into place, raise or lower the shock collars as necessary until there is 20 mm gap from the bottom of the
chassis to the ground. Note: Check the ride height gap at the rear end of the carbon fiber chassis, not at the rear
chassis plate which is raised for more ground clearance. The chassis should look level from the side.
Ball Differential (Option):
Adjust the differential (A.K.A. ‘diff’ for short) as noted in the assembly instructions. Adjusting the rear diff is not meant
to be a tuning option. If you can hear the diff making a “barking” or “chirping” sound on jump landings or under
acceleration, either your diff is set too loose or your slipper clutch is set too tight. The front diff can go out 1/16” turn to
get more steering.
Slipper Clutch (Option):
The assembly instructions give you a base setting for your clutch. To preserve the differentials, always start with the
slipper on the loose side and slowly tighten the adjustment nut until it is set. To adjust the slipper, remove the body and
insert a 2mm (or 5/64”) hex wrench through the center of the top deck (or through the bottom slot in the chassis).
Then, grab both of the rear wheels and rotate forwards to tighten and backwards to loosen. As you spin the wheels,
you’ll feel the motor click every ¼ of a wheel revolution. At the track, tighten or loosen the nut in 2 click increments until
you hear only a faint slipping sound for 1-2 feet on takeoffs.