Switching alliances
 

Having started 2 years ago with a second hand Losi 22 I'm considering a change. I'm hoping a B5M will be easier to drive, the 22 is a tank of a car and it's been great at some meetings but all in all I find it a bit twitchy.

How have other people found switching? Will most of my spares/nuts/screws become useless? Will it make a difference to a fairly talentless racer?

Stick with the Losi and treat it to the bellcrank upgrade. It removes all the twitchiness you are experiencing.

Interesting...and cheaper!

There's certainly plenty of choice out there,and plenty of other cars better than the 22. Personal preference really,go with what you like the look of. I've got a TM2v1,TCO2c Evo and a Durango 410. I'm sure as you been racing a while you'll have an idea what you like the look of.

Phill

Also, you could try the side guard weight set, this will smooth/calm the side to side movement too, and again cheaper than getting a whole new car. :thumbsup:

simple get a kf

I ran a hobao h2, and it is very similar to the 22. swaped to a kf and gained about a lap more.

I'd say my 22 is anything other than twitchy to drive, generally find I want more entry and exit steering from the car.

Interesting ideas as always.

what's your current 22 set-up if you don't mind me asking

It's been a wet set up for the last few races, soft springs etc. I try to keep the camber at -1. It's the old steering set up, savox razor, savox lopro servo, just a 10.5 motor. It's seemed much more twitchy this winter series. It seemed better in the summer, or is that normal?

I'd say that's pretty normal - especially for mid 2WD cars on outdoors Astro (EPR I assume from your location) where grip will range from mental high to ice-low.

There's a lot to be gained from learning with your current car - modifying it to understand the v2.0 changes (many centred around reducing the aggression of the front end) whilst going for a complete new change will inevitably result in a similar set of questions being asked as you explore and discover the new car's handling prowesses.

But all of that said, the itch for something new and shiny shouldn't be dismissed.

But your 22 is still competitive (especially as you have a wide range of grip conditions) and as you say, built like a tank so you're likely to finish most races that you start and increase your experience faster...

HTH

I'm starting to think along these lines since reading the feedback from everyone. Am I just wanting new and shiny :woot: probably playing a part.

And your right about EPR, it's where I race the most and the grip levels are wide ranging to say the least! I'll try the bellcrank update too.

Stick with the 22 mate, it's a car for all tracks. It's strong and easy to maintain. I am the same as you and was looking for a change but there is nothing out there at the moment to compete with the 22 for versatility.
My two sons and I will be using the 22 for the 2015 season. Will have a look at the bell crank steering as have heard some good reports on it.

I think its partly because my recent form has dipped, there's a group of drivers who seem to have pulled a second a lap on me. A few races ago I was a second ahead of them, I could just be getting worse I suppose. Naturally I'd rather blame the car!

To be fair the car got me an f4 rating the first full year of racing.

For me, its taken me a while to find the brands i like, which suit my driving (and budget!)

10th:
Durango Dex210, Good introduction into 10th, sold this for a Kyosho RB6, which i regretted. Not a single bit i liked about the car and just couldn't drive it, traded that for 2 x TM2 and i love the car. Really easy to drive (in wet or dry) and everything is a good price.

In short, if i hadnt changed from Durango - Kyosho i wouldn't of discovered how good the TM2 is. Change is good sometimes

We did a lot of testing at EPR with the 22 and there's still quite a few of the team who are local and will get down that way for info/support.

Don't dismiss the need for new and shiny - but be honest about the rationale you use to justify it. Sadly it's unlikely to turn you into a World Champ overnight - but it can give you a real feel good buzz factor and after all, we're doing this cos it's a hobby and we want to feel good - right?

If you're after hopping up your 22 though (to get the best of both worlds), my vote would be in this order:

v2.0 front end blocks/spindles to reduce the front end aggression
TLR Cab forward body shell - greater stability
side pod weights - slows the turn reaction slightly which can make the car more stable and more forgiving to drive
New -2.5mm short chassis for better turn completeness and carrying more corner speed / less mid-turn stall.
Bellcrank steering for smoother steering arc - although I've not used this myself.

UJ driveshafts on the rear will improve on-power mid-corner bump handling (sweeper entry into the mogul section when running clockwise at EPR after the raceway bend)

Much can be gained with suspension tuning / pistons etc to get the most out of any car. Again, a lot has been learned and with Ellis on the team in the UK and with Chris Delves, you'll never be short of proper genuine help and good info.

HTH

Try a Dex210 v1 or v2 a fantastic car straight out of the box without a single upgrade, if you spend any money on the 22 it will still be a v1 22. either go for a full blown 22.2 or change car.

The other thing to do is to go for the same make and model as most of your club drive, this will give you a comparison to work to on your driving as a set up and proven capability will already be visible.

for the money the losi is hard to beat good spares backup scumacher kf is about to be updated and the thick end of £300 the yokomo is dearer still the b5 doesn't seem to have taken off and is still dearer than the 22.2 if you want shiney go 22.2 and buy some bling use your old 22 for spares