New to Mini Zs need help

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[Cammer]

Hey Guys

I am new to the smaller cars and need some advice. I have a HFAY sized RCP track in my basement and an MR 03. I just got my car together and modded the module to fit my 3pk took a few runs and am very happy with the feel of the car. Since there is nobody for me to ask advice here in town I would appreciate some of your experience.

First question would be how do I know if I am geared right, would I use the motor temp or use best lap time. the motor is at about 95 F after a 10 minute run. It feels strong enough on the infeild but tops out quickly in the straight.

Second question would be on setting up the internal speedo. Do you need the ICS system to set the drag brake up or is there a little cheaper way.

Third would be how long do tires last, since there is nobody in town but myself and a freind running these, parts are a week by mail away. Would I get 10 runs out of a set of tires, do the slicks last longer that the grooved tires?

Finally, what spares should I be picking up?

Thanks for your help
Regards
Cam Mayor

[briankstan]

if your topping out on that short of a straight you are geared to low.  what pinion are you running?   the stock one is a 6 and unless you are completely new and are having trouble navigating the track you will want to usu a 7 or 8 tooth.   

Lap time will be the best judge as to the gearing.   you want to pull all the way down the straight, but you don't want to sacrifice to much coming out of the corner.   track layout can affect the gearing as well. tight turns vs sweeping turns.

different motors will have different drag brake affects.   Non of us has messed with the settings on the 2.4 cars but I do beleive you can adjust that witht he ICS system. 

what tires are you running?   tires are subjective to the track, temp, and how you drive.    typically the treaded tires work best but the treads do wear out fast.  if traction fails when the treads are gone than you really don't have a choice but to change.   on a high grip track you can run slicks or warn out radials and still have excellent traction.

PS.  Where are you located?

[Cammer]

Thanks for your help. I am running the stock pinion, I will try the seven and then the eight tonight. Tirewise I am running six degree PN radial rears and 20 degree fronts. I've run through about four battery packs now and can notice some wear on the front tires. The car does have a tiny bit of a push which is OK since I usually set up my 10 and 12 scales with a bit of a push as well. Last year I received a small fleet of the Nascar Mini Zs to run a race at a trade show with and got to keep when the show was done. I used them a few times on the back patio but they are not the best to drive. I live in Winnipeg Manitoba and nobody that I know of races mini-Zs here and I am quite involved in RC racing here.

What would be a good timing system to buy? I am using my Grenit now, but it doesn't count more than one car and I am planning on having little races at the house. I would like to talk a few freinds into doing the HFAY series by next year. I was looking at the I Lap system and the Robitronics. I heard a lot of issues with the Robitronics software and the Giro z seems a little expensive.

[briankstan]

The problem with the Nascar chassis it the board in them aren’t good,  they are not the standard mini-z board.  They are called an iSeries and they just aren’t very good.

On the timing system,  I’ve only used the Giro Z and the Core System (with Core or Flipside software).  They are both good systems but the core system is hard to find right now.   The bonus is if you can find  one,  you can use cheap transponder and it’s less expensive.   The Giro Z is a great system but the transponders are more expensive. The system is very reliable and top notch.  I’ve heard good things about the i-lap system but haven’t used it personally.   I’m not familiar with the Robitronics one.

I have been using the Core system since it was released and I really like it.

I like a little push in my cars as well.   I usually run 15’s or 20’s and run them for a long time.  The Rear’s have to be change a lot more often.

Hope that helps.

[Russ]

Cammer,
Brian pretty much covered it for timing systems. I did find a Core Timing System on Ebay but it only has about a day left, but is located in Canada. If you are going to do HFAY you will want one of the approved systems, but for just messing around there is a DIY Easy Lap Timing System on MZR that I found. I though we had it on here somewhere also but couldnt find it.

For front tires most of the tires work pretty well even after the treads are gone. The slicks tend to stay about the same grip after they are scrubbed in till they fall off the front because they are so thin. I like slicks up front just so you dont have to keep replacing them. For rears I get the best wear out of the Reflex SSG tires. They hook up like PN 6's but last longer. The PN RRR6 and the Parada 6 are great for grip. The Parada's wear out the fastest for me then the RRR6 then the SSG's. The shop here usually has a good selection of parts and if something you want isnt in just put up a request for it to see how long out it would be.

To adjust anything on the board of your 03 you will need the ICS cable. You can adjust the drag brake and quite a few other things. There is quite a bit of info on the ICS cable. I found This on MZR that details the settings and what they do

As for the Nascar sets you have do you still have any that you want to sell? I've been looking for one.

Russ

briankstan
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