- Bent Suspension Pins: Remove shocks to check
free movement.
- Bound Ball Joint: Should spin free on balls while
mounted to the car.
- Bent or Loose Camber Links
- Wore out Bearings or Completely Seized Bearings
- Chunked Tire: Check to see if Foam or Rubber Tire
is still glued to wheel.
- Loose Screws: Especially Chassis Screws, add Blue
Loctite to prevent.
- Shocks: Either Bound-up or Out of Oil. Must swivel
freely on mounts.
- Foreign Objects: Unlucky Dirt/Stones preventing
Suspension or Steering Movement.
- Blown Differential
- Radio Problem: Bad Servo, Weak Servo Saver
Spring, Transmitter Pot blown.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
You have now completed the assembly process of your new
CustomWorks Rocket. In the next section of this manual you will find some basic setup hints and advice.
It is important to remember that all tracks and racing surfaces are different. Therefore the suggestions
we give you are general in nature and should by no means be treated as the only options.
MAINTNANCE:
Occasionally dirt will get into the moving and pivoting locations in your car. It is
best to periodically clean your car during the race day to keep all the suspension components moving
freely. Read the tips below to keep your car running at its best!
-Begin by removing the majority of the dirt using a small brush, toothbrush, or compressed air.
-Compressed air is ok to use, be mindful to not FORCE the dirt into the radio gear, transmission or
bearings.Typically these items only have dirt on them, hitting the dirt with compressed air puts dirt IN
these parts!
-Tires, either foam or rubber are best cleaned using water or cleaners like Simple Green (TM). Simple
Green also does a great job of cleaning car parts as well. Lightly spraying car parts (NOT radio
components transmission, bearings) with Simple Green and blowing off with compressed air or wiping
the parts using a paint brush is a great way to clean in hurry.
-Another R/C friendly cleaner is WD-40 (TM). After the car is clean, very lightly spray the car
components and bearings (NOT radio components transmission). Use your brush or compressed air
to remove the extra WD-40. This will lube your bearings and leave a protective coating on the parts
making it easier to remove dirt later. Other products related to R/C and motorcross sell spray coatings
that accomplish the same or better protection.
-Differential Maintnance is needed when the action of the diff feels “notchy”. This occurs when the car
is loose of the corner, spinning the LR tire extremely and/or when there is more motor in the car than
necessary. Usually cleaning the diff parts, re-sand the thrust and diff plates with 400 grit paper, and
lube appropriately will be all that is needed to bring back to new. Ignoring your diff will lead to handling
woes and increased trans temps, which will cause part failure.
SET-UP GLOSSARY:
Caster:
Angle of the kingpin in relation to a vertical plane as viewed from the side of the car.
Increasing the angle will make the car more stable out of the turn and down the straights and increase
steering entering a turn. Decreasing the angle will make the car feel more “touchy” at high speeds and
help steering while exiting the turn.
Camber Gain:
Angle of the Camber Link relative to the Suspension Arm. Lowering the camber link
on the shock tower OR raising the camber link on the castor block will INCREASE the camber angle of
the tire when the suspension is compressed. Raising the camber link on the shock tower OR lowering
the camber link on the castor block will DECREASE the camber angle of the tire when the suspension is
compressed. There is not a “correct” set-up and once again too much of anything is generally bad. This
will help change the “feel” of the car thru the turns.
Camber Link Length:
Comparing this to the length of the Suspension Arm from each pivot point and
keeping the Camber the same, making the link shorter will decrease traction for that corner of the car
while making it longer will increase traction for that corner of the car. Once the camber link is equal to
or greater than the Suspension Arm pivots, the gain of traction ends. Also a shorter camber link will
increase camber gain and a longer decrease camber gain.
Shock Angle:
Leaning the shock toward the car is effectively like changing to a softer spring.
Standing the shock closer to vertical is effectively like changing to a stiffer spring. Try when the car is
working well and when one spring change is TOO much for your set-up.
Ride Height:
Check by pushing the chassis down once or twice to simulate bumps on the track.
Having the front end higher than the rear will make the car increase rear traction especially out of
the turn. Having the front end lower than the front will make the car increase front traction especially
entering the turn. Generally its safe to start the car with the ride heights even.
Rear Toe-In:
Front edge of car tires point toward the chassis as viewed from above the car.
Increasing the angle toward the car will increase rear traction while decreasing front traction.
Decreasing the angle will do the opposite.
SETUP GUIDELINES:
When looking for the “perfect set-up” it is important to remember 2 things...
1) Keeping things simple is best.
2) As you are making your set-up change, the track is changing too! Ask a local racer what the track
usually does from begining to end, especially day to night.
- Start your car’s ride height with it equal at all four corners to start. Use the shock collars to adjust
ride height by measuring the distance under the chassis when the car is sitting on a FLAT & LEVEL
surface. With foam tires in the 2.6” range, .600” to the top of the chassis (1/2” under the chassis) is a
good measurement to start with.
- Shock collars can only jack weight and adjust the car’s handling when the car makes ALL 4 shocks
squat when the car is set down. Use the RF shock collar to adjust how the car ENTERS the corner. Use
the RR shock collar to adjust how the car exits the corner ON-POWER. Use the LF shock collar to make
the car turn in less, and off the corner more.
- It is best to have a little bit of brake drag when you let off the gas, this will allow for a more
controlable car in ALL conditions. Increasing how much the brake drags will make your car turn into the
corner harder but can make the car also much more loose to drive into the corner. With most speed
controls today a drag brake strength of 10-20% is a good range to work with.