Body vs Chassis Lowering

[Skv012a]

Wanted to ask about opinions regarding these.

Chassis- lowering the majority of the car's weight, but in turn limiting suspension travel and possibly having fender clearance issues.

Body- Possibly better aero, no suspension travel sacrifice, but may still have fender clearance issues.

[color01]

If you come from a "classical" school of racing, the philosophy goes

"Lower is better."

Basically, unless you have other limiting factors (roll center compromise on the MR03, etc.) I don't really see a problem in lowering both to the maximum amount possible. If you're rubbing fenders, just sand down the inside of the fender till you have clearance. A special case example is the Mosler: if you try to lower it more than a couple mm, it'll touch the ground! So what some drivers do is entirely shave off the bottom few mm of the shell -- allowing them to lower the body even more. Rinse and repeat will you are appropriately slammed.

[VAzRACER]

I completly agree with Color01, the lower anything can be the better. I'm running my 03's so low that I had to trim the bottom of the battery clips because they were touching the track. Any changes in the roll center I simply took care of by shimming the tower bar up. I also trimmed the bottom of the Mosler, about 2.5mm. Most bodies have enough clearence to lower the clips 1-2mm and will still have ground clearence.

Take the axel height adjusters on the motor mount and put in the 1's with the number down and make the front match the rear. Thats where I have most of my cars. ! car has the 2's with the number down so its at its lowest position.

[EMU]

Originally Posted by color01

If you come from a "classical" school of racing, the philosophy goes

"Lower is better."

Basically, unless you have other limiting factors (roll center compromise on the MR03, etc.) I don't really see a problem in lowering both to the maximum amount possible. If you're rubbing fenders, just sand down the inside of the fender till you have clearance. A special case example is the Mosler: if you try to lower it more than a couple mm, it'll touch the ground! So what some drivers do is entirely shave off the bottom few mm of the shell -- allowing them to lower the body even more. Rinse and repeat will you are appropriately slammed.

That is my rule of thumb... I do like to be sure to have enough clearance so I dont bottom out, but I want the car as low as it can be without hitting the track. I also prefer to use the PN front clips for bodies (if they arent available for a specific body, there is a clip that should be close and easy to modify), so I can lower the front of the body and shave the lip off a bit. Put some pencil under the lip/sides of the body to see if it wears off on the track with a few runs... if it does, shave down a little more or raise the body a little... then test again.

[geeunit1014]

The body is a big chunk of weight at the highest point in the car. Always run it as low as you can get it. Lower is not always better for ride height, depends on the tires and track conditions, but the body being low is always better

[EMU]

Sometimes its not good to lower the rear of the body, as it will interfere with suspension or hit the tires when they articulate... always take that in mind, and remember that the rake that the body has will change how the car handles. Front lower will plant the car more, but give less steering than with the body level... (air will hit the body more on the front when it is flat, and give less downforce to the rear of the body). With the body slightly raised in the rear/front lowered more, you will have more clean air hitting the rear wing, and the sides/rear of the body and planting it a bit more.

I typically have at least 2 bodies of one type if I like them. Both typically will be different from eachother for different types of layouts/conditions. Repositioning the side clips up or down can play a HUGE role in how the car handles.

[geeunit1014]

Originally Posted by EMU

Sometimes its not good to lower the rear of the body, as it will interfere with suspension or hit the tires when they articulate...

I typically have at least 2 bodies of one type if I like them. Both typically will be different from eachother for different types of layouts/conditions. Repositioning the side clips up or down can play a HUGE role in how the car handles.

Thats when you start removing material so its not a problem Its a shame you cant move the body back and forth too, that plays a huge role in high speed handling in larger scales

[EMU]

Originally Posted by geeunit1014

Thats when you start removing material so its not a problem Its a shame you cant move the body back and forth too, that plays a huge role in high speed handling in larger scales

You can a little if you mount it differently in the rear and shave the front wheel wells more With the PN front body clips, you can modify some or make your own clip to screw into the mount to adjust how it sits in the front...

[color01]

Actually, there's one situation where there may be a "too low", and that's in consideration to underbody aero. If your car relies on underbody aero, like mine are starting to, then you have to make sure the aero devices catch enough airflow to work properly. I *think* that my front diffusers are sometimes rendered useless if I run my front ride height too low. That might also be the issue why I couldn't get my rear diffuser to work, my ride height in the rear gets REALLY low when my tires wear down. Hopefully I can make it to Kenon early enough this Friday to give me some time to test things out thoroughly.

[Skv012a]

Starting to wonder if it may be a good idea to mod some bodies/side clips to attach via screw and nut and then drill several possible attachment holes to adjust faster and more precisely than gluing them on.

[lfisminiz]

If your moving them alot, hot glue works good.

[Simmo]

is there a step by step guide (e.g. pics) for beginners as to how to lower the body?

[freaki]

Originally Posted by Simmo

is there a step by step guide (e.g. pics) for beginners as to how to lower the body?

plissss

[herman]

click here for related thread

hope this helps