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-   -   F1 Tie Rod Set... (http://mini-zracer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38907)

imxlr8ed 2013.02.17 02:08 AM

F1 Tie Rod Set...
 
Slowly progressing on getting some of my older models updated and dialed in to dimensions that work for racing. These Tie-rods are a fine example of that.

I've been running just a bit of toe-out on my cars for quite some time now and have found that many are right around the same. Once again, the degree ratings are all over the place from one brand to the other and I had a tough time pinning down my start number for these (measuring tiny parts to the ten thousandths for a while gives me a headache!). So after documenting every F1 tie rod I had on hand, triple-checking dimensions, graphing them out to find some kind of reasonable incrementations... here's what I ended up with:

http://mini-zracer.com/forums/pictur...pictureid=1603

Now I'm running somewhere in the middle of that pack there, the markings on the rods I run all say zero but the tires are obviously toed out when installed on the car. Both of my rods are alloy aftermarket, both knuckle sets are alloy as well. Now here's where it gets interesting...

The steering pins that go down into my tie-rods are all bent slightly inward after years of abuse. If you drive F1 as much as I do, I'll bet your pins are bent in too! So what does this mean?... well, not much to me other than when my front end is fully compressed I may be getting an extra half degree of toe-out tops. Since I'm sure a fully compressed front suspension is a rare event out there on the track, I'm sure this collision born tweak has a nominal effect. The only thing I really see it doing is keeping the knuckle more secure in the tie-rod. This should have nothing to do with what this set is designed for, but I just want to explain here why I don't list degrees on these bars. Even a "zero" rod installed with un-bent pins still gave me toe-out, so I can't really classify a stock rod as true "zero toe". My system is simple, find the one that works and run it!

The rods are very close in sizing so you can really fine-tune your cars if you want. Some may notice a half degree... some may not.

The new model is already in my shop and ready for sale, I have not ordered these for testing as of yet but I will very soon. I will update ASAP!

Once again, the Shapeways link to my shop is in my signature below. I am offering them in White and Polished, and also planning to give the Polished Alumide a shot as well. The default material is white so make sure you have it set to what you want when you order!

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 takes around 15 days to show up at my house after I place an order and the quality is top-notch! What I design is what I get. Shapeways has an excellent record of part quality which is one of the major reasons I went with them for this stuff.

imxlr8ed 2013.12.15 11:42 PM

It's me again, got a second batch of F1 tie rods to test with out of this prototype order and Im being 100% honest here... not happy with this batch at all! I ordered them in polished form and it seems like the holes for the knuckles came out too small this time.

They do "work" but I really had to take some time to clean them out so the knuckle would freely slide up and down through the tie rod. I don't mind doing this stuff but if a newbie was to buy them I'm sure it would result in frustration. I have taken some measurements to check the accuracies and the hole are a bit smaller than what I have models. I will be revising the models but I really hope the next ones I get don't have the same issue. Strange how it only seemed to be this batch, my MR03 rods were spot-on!


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