UID F1 Bumper, 2.4ghz Version...

[imxlr8ed]

The 2.4 Version is now up in my shop so all you out there with the newer style front wings can get some protection too!

http://www.shapeways.com/model/836303/2-4-f1-bumper.html?li=productBox-search

I haven't recieved mine yet for fit-out but I have used one of my existing Pre-2.4ghz bumpers as a mockup for fitment so I'm confident this design will fit.

One thing I want to say about the newer style F1s, these new front wings are big and low. When I ran my tests for the Pre-2.4 bumpers, I had one that wasn't connected to the nose in anyway whatsoever and the other was. The one that was made the bumper sit at stock height, which I never really liked how low the stock height was. So, I did do a bit of grinding to the posts that go to the nose cone to gain some extra lift when I installed my bumper. The front suspensions of these cars do not need much room to operate properly but it's something of a personal preference of mine to get that undercarriage elevated.

The 2.4 is a bit thinner and will sit a bit higher to compensate for the lower wings though, so I'm hoping it is now a non-issue.

No fine print here, just the facts!
I am in no way, shape or form responsible for production or shipping or manufacturing quality of these products. All I can say is that it took 15 days to show up at my house after I ordered it and the quality is top-notch! Shapeways has an excellent record of part quality which is one of the major reasons I went with them for this stuff.

[herman]

pretty cool... looks like a hammerhead shark...

[Racer-HH]

Did you test the mount with an MF-015 wing of the Ferrari already? The front wing is 8.1 cm. Wondering if it will fit, as your bumper is quoted with 8.3cm, but probably measured outside to outside. Right?

[imxlr8ed]

Did you test the mount with an MF-015 wing of the Ferrari already? The front wing is 8.1 cm. Wondering if it will fit, as your bumper is quoted with 8.3cm, but probably measured outside to outside. Right?

Correct, I have thinned the sidewalls at the ends to gain the fit without increasing the width past my previous design. My previous design would have fit but I had reinforcing returns on the back edges of the outer bumper. I ground them out on one of my previous prototypes and checked the fit that way. The wing did fit within the bumper but it wouldn't have fit in the front where the curve comes in. Also, there would have been a slight interference with the internal radius on from the horizontal mounting surface into the vertical portion.

This new bumper compensates for that by having a lesser curve up on the corners and doing away with the reinforcing returns on the rear of the outers. The thinner sidewalls also compensate for the lower radius interference.

My test fit was done using a donated McLaren Mercedes, but from what I've heard the Ferraris have the same front wing width.

[imxlr8ed]

I have a small revision to this bumper in the works, I'll have it finished by tonight.

[imxlr8ed]

I have uploaded the latest revision. I noticed yesterday that the previous bumper had a fitment issue with the wing mounting holes, after a comparision with the newer style stock bumper, I noticed the hole pattern was shifted forward about 0.040". The latest revision compensates for this change. I added a second hole towards the rear for weight savings as well. I don't see it in my shop yet but it sometimes takes a while for revision to get updated on their site.

[imxlr8ed]

*UPDATE*

Revisions are complete for all my bumpers, if you want to see where to dremel, just check the models in my shop. You will notice a "U" shape cut into the aft section of them. This should prevent collision energy from transferring directly into the chassis in that area and direct it onto the sloped surfaces only creating a better deflection.

[imxlr8ed]

Got my first 2.4 bumper! :D

http://mini-zracer.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=158&pictureid=1572

http://mini-zracer.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=158&pictureid=1573

[ScoobyPete]

I received my F1 Bumper yesterday and have to say its great, fits perfectly with no fettling at all and looks great, many thanks for the hard work you have put into designing these brilliant affordable parts.
Will definitely be ordering the side rails and the 03 body clips tonight.
Look forward to more parts from UID.


Here it is fitted to my McLaren MP4-25
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x34/Krade_2007/IMG_0184_zps67df9526.jpg
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x34/Krade_2007/IMG_0183_zps6a4fe29f.jpg

[herman]

hi, was wondering if these bumpers would fit the non 2.4asf chassis… and what the differences are if any (pls post pics if possible)... also have the issues regarding shattered chassis been resolved? been wanting to order a couple… thanks in advance for response

[cowboysir]

The differences (as far as i can tell) between F1 and F015 don't affect the mounting points of the bumper. The only reason Ed has 2 different front wing protector/bumpers is the width of the front wing.

Pretty sure ed has discussed through the possible reasons for the clear chassis breakage in the other bumper thread.

[imxlr8ed]

I received my F1 Bumper yesterday and have to say its great, fits perfectly with no fettling at all and looks great, many thanks for the hard work you have put into designing these brilliant affordable parts.
Will definitely be ordering the side rails and the 03 body clips tonight.
Look forward to more parts from UID.


Here it is fitted to my McLaren MP4-25
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x34/Krade_2007/IMG_0184_zps67df9526.jpg
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x34/Krade_2007/IMG_0183_zps6a4fe29f.jpg

Looks great! Very pleased to be of service! Thanks for the pics and review!

After some testing by Larry, I may have a revision coming up for the side plates, I'm hoping to have them up by tomorrow night. They work fine from what he's done so far but the range of softness may need to be increased a bit.

[imxlr8ed]

The differences (as far as i can tell) between F1 and F015 don't affect the mounting points of the bumper. The only reason Ed has 2 different front wing protector/bumpers is the width of the front wing.

Pretty sure ed has discussed through the possible reasons for the clear chassis breakage in the other bumper thread.

If you have a newer style body with the wider front wing you should get the 2.4 version. The mounting holes for the newer style front wings are around 0.040" more forward than they are on the Pre-2.4 bumpers.

[herman]

thanks for the info... :D

[Sammich]

going to have to order one of these soon, as i cracked my OE one during a race this past weekend

[Racer-HH]

Finally ordered mine from Shapeways and was pleased to see there is a EU production site as well to avoid the customs trouble with shipments from the US. Came in time with the prediction from Shapeways. Took a little more than a week. Packaging was great.

The product itself is just as promised and is fitting perfectly on my MF-015 Ferrari. I expected it to be a little more solid - I am coming from a Mantis Worx front bumper - but a track test next weekend will bring up track experience. The details on the other hand are surprisingly good. I did not expect it to be this fine.

So thanks for the product, I will come back with more feedback after driving it.

Racer

P.S.: "unfortunately" the new Atomic F1 motor mount just came after receiving the F1 side plates. Wonder if I ever will be able to use them as the new H-Bar design is very promising. But here the quality is very good as well (hands-on not track driven).

[imxlr8ed]

Big thanks for the review!

Our bumper should be lighter than the older carbon/delrin ones, plus there are many more mounting options. Sanding on the corners as I've shown in my little install guide should keep it from sticking into the rails.

Perfection is based on opinion, performance is based in reality... I try to get my designs somewhere in between.

That motor mount bums me out (in a good way) only because I've been sitting on one kinda like it for a long while. Hoping the coming holiday season will afford me some time to finish a few more designs and get them out where they belong!

Larry had the new mount and it looks incredibly promising, he still needs some tuning though to get it back where it was last month.

[cowboysir]

I'd still like to see your new mount...kind of ridiculous that the Atomic one is almost $80usd. I realize it has integrated pieces all combined but cmon...$80?!

I've been waiting in the wings for your F1 chassis as well...any further word on that? If its anything like your previous products it'll be in my build pile as soon as its available.

[imxlr8ed]

I'd still like to see your new mount...kind of ridiculous that the Atomic one is almost $80usd. I realize it has integrated pieces all combined but cmon...$80?!

I've been waiting in the wings for your F1 chassis as well...any further word on that? If its anything like your previous products it'll be in my build pile as soon as its available.

The F1 chassis I was working on is only for display because there is no dummy chassis for these cars (that I've ever seen)... it's been 90% done for a while but I would want to order one to check fit out before I would make it available.

I know... now that it's getting cooler out and there are less outdoor activities on the menu, I should be able to get back down there soon.

[cowboysir]

Since I'll soon have 2 F1 custom bodies done I'll be needing a couple...

[Racer-HH]

Track test is finished. Works as expected. In 99.9% of all collisions with the side walls of the RCP track the car did not get stuck under it. I am not sure if more height would help to eliminate the missing 0.1%. Overall protection seems to be very good. No severe crashes with other cars (although this is good), so no experience on this topic.

For a future product release idea: a rear bumper to attach to the wing mount to prevent other cars from contacting wheels or differential shaft when getting hit from behind?

[imxlr8ed]

Track test is finished. Works as expected. In 99.9% of all collisions with the side walls of the RCP track the car did not get stuck under it. I am not sure if more height would help to eliminate the missing 0.1%. Overall protection seems to be very good. No severe crashes with other cars (although this is good), so no experience on this topic.

For a future product release idea: a rear bumper to attach to the wing mount to prevent other cars from contacting wheels or differential shaft when getting hit from behind?

Thought of that, but then if the rear wheels are protected, it really wouldn't be open wheel racing then... would it? ;) I can do this but I think it kills the energy of it when you can just bash the guy ahead of you and not worry about going airborne... might as well be running Racers then.

The goal with the rear wing was to protect the gear diff and get a bit more downforce. I guess I could add some rear tire protection to that, or maybe just a stand-alone system that would be at the UID front wing/bumper height? Either way, the UID rear wing (in concert with the UID front wings) does help protect the rear tires somewhat... certainly more than the stock wings do.

I had a member ask for a bit more height as well, I was thinking I could create a version that is a bit more DIY so racers can wittle to their own specifications. I tested a few heights before I ended up where it is now. I didn't want it to be forgiving of every mistake, bad driving should not be forgiven! :o Largest goal was to prevent the mid-backstretch rail sticks that would inevitably lead to a high speed, part exploding collision. I can say for our club, it cut those down tremendously! I remember having to order all kinds of parts for our F1s just to keep them running... that is no longer an issue.

All ideas are heard! Stuff will be coming soon... I will update when it all gets rolling again!

[Racer-HH]

Bad News. The bumper did not pass the PNWC test in Paris. It seems it is to flexible to handle bigger impacts. Below photos show, that the bumper will flex under collision, break the plastic front wing and will stay out-of-shape. This happend to 2 cars / drivers with same results.


http://mini-zracer.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=33986&stc=1&d=1384282295

http://mini-zracer.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=33985&stc=1&d=1384282284

http://mini-zracer.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=33984&d=1384282268

[imxlr8ed]

Bad News. The bumper did not pass the PNWC test in Paris. It seems it is to flexible to handle bigger impacts. Below photos show, that the bumper will flex under collision, break the plastic front wing and will stay out-of-shape. This happend to 2 cars / drivers with same results.


http://mini-zracer.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=33986&stc=1&d=1384282295

http://mini-zracer.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=33985&stc=1&d=1384282284

http://mini-zracer.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=33984&d=1384282268

Yes, in a heavy, high-speed collision, the front wing will break and the bumper will hold it into position on rare occasions. hopefully a track marshall will notice this and try to get it back into shape before he puts you back on the track. I have had this happen with the Kyosho bumpers in some pretty big races too.

It's not designed to be a failsafe/foolproof part, it's designed to keep you off the rails and give better protection than the factory one. For truly failsafe operation during a race, the winged version is the one you want.

You will also notice in my tutorial pics that I remove/break the connections from the wings to the nose cone (a little creative snapping and grinding) to further avoid the issue you ran into.

http://mini-zracer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38663

I understand that some just want to bolt-on and the bumpers do that just fine, but for racing... it pays to modify. I hate breaking anything about these bodies but unfortunately, I have a habit of racing them with a rough crowd so I sacrifice looks for function. I don't think we've had a breakage like this in our crew, but I'm pretty sure most of us have disconnected the wings from the nose cone.

I hope my name wasn't cursed too much by those unlucky drivers, and I hope I'm explaining this simply enough. :D

After a second look at the link to the other bumper thread, I now realize that I did not go in depth about making that disconnection between the nosecone to the wing, guess I just assumed that everybody's wing was already broken off and the pics would be enough to explain it. My bad, lesson learned.

[cowboysir]

Can I ask why pic #3 in Racer-HH's post appears to be a wing thats been previously repaired? It looks like there's signs of CA glue applied and cured already along the open crack of the front wing...

Not trying to cause waves or anything...just wondering if breakage was inevitable.

[Racer-HH]

Thats my wing - tried to repair it quick and dirty, but did not work.

Of course the wing was unbroken before this happened. Otherwise I would not have brought up the issue.

[imxlr8ed]

By breaking the connection between the nose cone and the wing, it allows the wing to move with the bumper. You can see how the crack occurred because the bumper was forced up and the connections didn't allow the rest of it to budge. I have no doubt that a stock bumper would have faired the same and the bumper would have been broken as well.

It's all part of the F1 fun... adds to the realism during the race when you see all of those little colorful parts flying through the air in collisions. I myself have a good collection of wings, winglets and all kinds of cracked up shells.

Someone mentioned that the center screw also helps hold the bumper in position during crashes as well, (doesn't allow it to flex as much) but judging by the deformation, apparent severity and direction of the collision, I think this break would've still occured.