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Old 2011.03.30, 05:51 AM   #10
color01
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Los Angeles (Pasadena), CA, USA
Posts: 2,809
It was on hand. I didn't have a single 94mm body in my stable the week before RCX and Landon (thank you SO MUCH btw) emergency-sent me a package of three: my 911, his F430, and his VERY clean 360GTC.

I looked once at his 360GTC and decided I didn't want to be responsible for scuffing it up; I ran the F430 Saturday and decided I still don't like it; and then I ran the 911 Sunday and it was as good as it was gonna get, so I stuck with it.

I don't doubt one bit that the SC430 could be made better than the 911 GT1 with lots of aero and misc body work -- it has been a good body for so long, and so very versatile across so many different tracks that I'd be surprised if I built up an SC430 and it didn't kick my 911's arse. In fact, that's just what I'm doing now, I picked up an SC430 while at home and will be putting it together whenever I find spare time.

That said, on way-open tracks the LeMans-type bodies such as the 911 GT1, longtail McLaren GTR, and the actual Kyosho LM bodies (962, 787, C9, R390) will have an aero advantage over their stubbier brethren, given their length (pretty much the longest of all Autoscales), height (lowest of all Autoscales), and shape (all wedges except for the 911). For its wedge-shape deficit the 911 has an especially low tail IMO, which lets you high-mount a wing and produce lots of efficient downforce without 1) exceeding PN regulations and 2) actually mounting the wing too high, which produces a drag-induced lifting of the front wheels.

So my decision of running the 911 isn't entirely random, it does have one aero advantage that can be pushed or used to compensate for other shortcomings, like the fact that it SUCKS at bouncing off the walls. The front fenders like to scrub the car to a near stop if you rub the RCP foam rail, so to "wield" the 911 GT1 successfully you pretty much need to be a flawless driver. Not so with a race-prepped SC430 and especially not with the F430, that thing is content to ride the rails all day long.

In in another thread I mentioned that I also made a diffuser for my F430 before selling it, but I felt that it provided less improvement than the one I made for the 911. I am not sure why, it may be because the F430 has a lot of inherent steering built-in already. A diffuser for the SC430 is pretty much impossible, but a flat plate under the front bumper is easy and it does the same thing (weaker effect though, in my experience). Let me outline my "work plan" for the SC430, to give an idea of where I think the body could be improved:

Shave front splitter completely -- improve wall handling
Front under-plate -- can't diffuser, so install a plate
Interface front under-plate with the front clip -- max aero with inferior plate design
Fill all front bumper holes with plastic cement -- no air leaks in front end
Shave headlight bucket mounting points -- tire clearance
Shave inside of roof -- overbuilt in stock form, lower weight and CG
Cut out all windows, install individually -- lower weight and CG
Install side panels, smooth out sides -- improve wall handling
Trishock clearancing -- oh dear... looks like PN TDS doesn't fit...
Shave rear fender inside -- tire clearance
Cut out rear taillights -- very thin from factory, might as well reduce drag
Cut out rear bumper -- already high, but go to 19.5mm anyways
Create angled surface on decklid -- for mounting Reflex wing

I decided not to shave and slam the front end of the SC, as it would necessitate I shave the side skirts as well, and that would make them sharper (dig more into the rails) and prevent my installation of the side panels, which are specifically to avoid rail digging. Now for the last item, I noticed that a lot of SC's with Reflex wing have to run it in the forward mounting holes, which puts the wing back (good) but angles it up too much. So, I will deliberately shave an angled-back surface into my decklid before mounting the Reflex wing, allowing me to run the wing at the proper, level angle, and keep a good height and position behind the decklid. I'll have to buy and cut a new Reflex wing specifically for this body, which is a bummer, but with everything done it should thoroughly kick the arse of my 911.

Trishock clearance appears to be an issue with the SC -- I either need a significantly lower setup or a significantly narrower one, or scrap the tri-shock and fabricate a single side damper system.

I've started to ramble so I'll stop here. To actually answer your question, herman, I think any body can be made to handle much better than in its original form -- however, I don't think all bodies have the same "maximum" performance attainable. Even if I aero-modded and did everything I could to a Lancia Stratos it's not going to be as good as the SC430, due to its offsets, overall shape, and body details. I think certain bodies respond better to mods as well -- the 911 transformed completely after I gave it the downforce it needed, the F430 not so much. I've never aero-modded the SC430 so we'll soon find about about this shell too.

So no, certain bodies will always be better than others, but if you like a certain bodystyle enough you can mod it to be within workable range of your competitors. If you're dead serious about winning though, obviously you need to start with the best, mod it to its full potential, etc.
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Last edited by color01; 2011.03.30 at 06:05 AM.
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