Standard S1 Setup any good?

[DomRC]

I was wondering whether anybody out there is just running their cat S1 as it came straight out of the box? I'm still fairly new to all this, and am not one for messing about lots with setups....

Would the factory setup be considered an easy one to drive or are their a few minor changes to make to make the car 'softer'? I'll be mainly using it at EPR (high grip astro) and have seen what some of the team drivers are doing to their cars.... I have the right springs for the track, but noticed a lot of people are favouring higher weight oils and drilling pistons / messing with diaphragms etc.... is that necessary to get the car to handle nicely for a beginner or am I best to leave it as it is?

Likewise with different caster blocks, shorter ballends, adjusting rake etc etc.. is this all fine tuning for the big boys and am I best to leave it alone for now and just learn to drive it as standard?

Last question - what shock oils did the S1 come with?

Cheers

[Gnarly Old Dog]

Hi Dom,
I can't quote too much about the S1 as it comes out the box in terms of oils etc but I can comment that the set up that Grant, Matt B and I are all running is a real improvement in terms of stability and confidence.

The S1 comes with the narrow link plates which is a good start. Assuming you've skimmed the front yokes down to lower the front outer pivot ball? Failing that, the alloy 7.5deg blocks help stop the car hooking under power although I've not tried them personally.

Start with 3 or 4 mm under the rear inner pivot washer with either 2.65 or 3.25 deg toe in and approx 0.65 anti-squat - I prefer pin high at the back so I'm running 1mm under the rear front block and 0.5 under the rear-rear.

Longer ball cups on the rear shocks help by increasing droop and are 'essential' around EPR.
Spring-wise, old grey fronts and old red rears - they're a little different to the new greys/reds and drilling the pistons out to Losi 54 and 55 (larger holes in the rear shocks) with 40wt front and 35wt rear is a good starter.

Weight wise, I fitted Grant's weight plate at the EPR national and the car was awesome - it makes it much more stable over adverse camber sections and seems to settle it in the corners and over bumps so it's worth doing. My car runs at 1740g - Grant's is closer to 1715g I think.

Lastly, the S1 doesn't come with a one way layshaft. I've found that the car can snatch off-power in permanent 4WD in longer, high speed corners like the raceway banking at EPR and fitting the oneway layshaft helps smooth the car. Conversely though, the car will be more difficult under braking without permanent 4WD - it's up to you - most people I know are running a one-way but I think Trekker is running permie 4WD and is super-quick with his S1 around EPR.

Hope this helps.
Bottom line is that the car is good out of the box as intrinsically it's got all the ingredients that the carbon cars have but with a bit of tuning, like everything, it can be made to go better to suit individual tastes and tracks.
I've not tried the shocks out the back as personally, I like my car the way it is but again, others swear by it.
All I can suggest is come a talk to us at EPR or PM me - we'll share set ups with you and explain why we think it's worth doing. Whether or not you find the same is up to you. Advice is free - you don't have to take it