i’ve always considered myself a dnano ‘purist’ because i championed the aspect of ‘realism’ because each car is designed to be a replica of its full size counterpart. unfortunately, racing had slightly altered my view of things since many of the available choices just aren’t race cars. their stock setup would get you killed in a race with guys who ‘know what they’re doing’ so don’t be afraid to ‘play’ with things a bit. the first photo in my gallery is of the underside of my Lamborghini Gallardo. it has some serious battle scars since this chassis started as a Porsche 911 GT3. after finally realizing that car is just too narrow to be competitive with the GT type dnano, it’s been a Lamborghini Countache LP500S and a Ferrari F40 in its’ previous ‘lives’. the custom body we made proudly wears more scars, none of my four (4) dnano are shelf queens so they all have felt the pain of bumps and crashes in the heat of a final. i’ll be tossing the Gallardo into the fires of F1R on Sunday for the next club race but i couldn’t do it without a few small changes, here’s what i did to make it perform just as well as my Mazda 787b (which is no small feat for those who know about the Mazda):
the stock setup for the Gallardo is extremely narrow but there’s room underneath the shell to modify a few things but first, you’ll need a Kyosho Friction Shock as the other damper kits can’t fit under the body without cutting a hole (the mount comes into contact with the shell eliminating suspension – not gonna work!). now that your Gallardo still looks great, lets move on to tech specs. i’ve added some small box cutter blades for additional weight at the bottom/center of the chassis which helps hold the car down during high speed cornering. 2nd, i’ve created negative camber by switching out the (4) lower front suspension plate to a (5). this increases stability in cornering with a wider track width and reduces roll by changing the angle of the front wheels. fast cornering speeds are critical to fast lap times which -of course- are critical for the win. if you do this, its best to use the stock plastic upper plate and ‘dremel’ the kingpin holes to allow for an angle, preventing excessive rubbing or binding. 3rd, the rear of the car is just too narrow and instead of the standard (3) aluminum rear wheel hub, i’ve added a (4) which add even more corning stability. your suspension plates and front shock springs will depend on the surface you’re racing on, i use PN Racing soft on both F1R and F2L. i use 25° front tires and 10° rear tires + 18-size racing wheels all around (X-Power). the tires will break-in after a few laps and give excellent overall grip for the long, 30-minute final. my power plant? the X-Power ‘HOT’ for F1R and Kyosho X-Speed or stock on F2L with 32T/7T – spur/pinion gearing. the idea isn’t to have the fastest car, but a fast car that gives you the easiest, most reliable handling for a consistent performance that will take you from start to the checkered flag in first place. do you have a special setup for your dnano? post a comment here on the blog and share your experiences!
while we’re dicussing customs, i decided to go with an LP640 Auto Scale body for future races because the Reventon Type Shell is a bit top heavy and though it looks good, lacks the racing attributes that i need on Sundays. Joom and i added a Spoiler Kit + X-Power Stickers which give it that GT feel. we now have both of these items in stock at our online shop so if you’re looking that racing feel to your murcielago, get them both while supplies last.
i have four dNano and i take them all to battle at one time or another so anyone who does the same knows exactly how much maintenance is required to keep them race-ready. if you don’t, no worries, i’ll break it down for you. the process is actually very simple, we’ll start with step one:
STAGE 1: The Breakdown
1) remove all wheels and use a small brush to get the dust out. this is more cosmetic than anything but i can’t imagine dirt caked into your wheels can help increase performance. 2) remove rear of the chassis by disconnecting the body mount (attachment screws inside battery compartment). this way, you don’t have to remove your rear suspension plate for the process. note: if you have a damper installed, of course you’ll need to remove the containing plate from the spring/mount and separate the springs and damper discs. 3) remove the wheel hubs and ball differential and completely dismantle the diff. 4) remove the upper front suspension plate and loosen the tie rod to release the front knuckles. 5) dismantle the front knuckles, removing the ball bearings from their seats as well.
STAGE 2: Cleaning
maintenance primarily means cleaning the areas where dust likes to creep into moving parts which hampers performance. in a tiny car, these tiny intrusions can cause serious issues over time and slow lap times in the short run. 1) take all ball bearings including the four (4) in the front knuckles, one (1) in the motor case and two (2) in the ball differential (carefully remove the e-clip on the base ball bearing, i’ve lost a few of these when they bounced away while removing with a twezer), soak them in a chemical specifically meant for the purpose, i use Brak-leen (contains tetrachoroethylene) but this is a chemical brake cleaner and is normally only available for industrial use. its excellent for this purpose as it coats the surfaces of the bearings making them super smooth, extending life and improving performance. 2) check the wheel shafts and remove collected dust strings around the base of the shaft. this dust slows rotation and over time can damage ball bearings. once clean, drop them in the solution with the ball bearings. 3) clean front knuckle ball bearing seats with a tweezer and tissue to remove dust and dirt (especially if you use oil for your bearings!) 4) all parts of the damper & ball diff should now be wiped free of dirt, dust and oils. toss your pressure plates and ball races (diff balls) into the solution where your ball bearings and other rotating, metal parts are now getting treatment. shake the solution every 2-3 mins and let them soak for a total of about 10 minutes. 5) use a brush to clean dust from all parts of the chassis, tissue + tweezers to get at those tiny parts your brush won’t reach in and around the motor case
STAGE 3: Re-Construction
oils should only be used in 2 places on your dnano: the ball differential and the damper. oils attract dust/dirt and that never mixes with well with a high performance racing model. use oils sparingly, watch for external dirt collection and use a brush to remove what you can see as needed. 1) put the diff back together, using 1K wt oil (Kyosho) or 5k-10K+ wt oil (X-Power) on both sides of the spur gear covering the diff balls. 2) install the diff and wheel hubs, carefully tightening the right hub only close enough to touch the bearing, too tight and rotation may bind. 3) re-attach the rear of the chassis, re-oiling the contact sides of the damper plates with a viscosity thick enough to slow action, but not suspend it. 4) move on to re-building the front knuckles and complete your maintenance task with a complete rebuild of your chassis. if any of your screw seats are stripped due to over-tightening, pick up a set of X-Power screws, replacing them with the straight screws first and when/if these no longer hold, use the included tapered screws.
if you practice 3-5 days a week and race weekly, you’ll want to do this maintenance about once or twice a month – OR – you can move to Pattaya, join as a member at our club and we’ll handle the service for only 199THB ;-). just a quick note, Joom and I installed spoilers for Hugh and Calvin who has moved from an FXX into an all new, Scarlett Red Reventon. this weekend was a long weekend, so before the shop opened we welcomed visitors from Surin. one of them is a big r/c fan, saw NanoTrax online and was excited to get the chance to visit in person. i just came back from the gym and we had no staff, but they didn’t mind so we gave them a tour and Bun picked up a souvenir NanoTrax T-Shirt and photos to mark the occasion. maybe we’ll have more Thai visitors who love R/C visit us again soon? i truely hope so.
i’ve been informed that the ‘DSP’ in ‘SSG-DSP’ should be ‘DPS’ and ‘DPS’ stands for ‘Damper Plate System’. does this mean i have to do my video all over again? no worries, i’ll try to do a bit more detailed, thorough research before my next one. one thing i do know is how to install it and since the X-Power SSG-DPS doesn’t come with instructions, browse thru this gallery for a step-by-step tutorial:
Olaf recently decided to add a new dNaNo Audi R8 to his collection but instead of dropping a complete ASC Body, he went with the R8 Body Kit. neither of us are professional airbrush artists, but we both have a love for this little car. if you recall, i made 2 attempts at mimicking Leonardo Da Vinci by painting a Porsche 911 GT3 and Lamborghini Gallardo Body Kit). here’s a few pics of his completed, uniquely painted R8. i think he did a pretty good job and i especially like his custom built spoiler. have you painted a body kit? if so, post pics of it on the forum!
on Wednesday, we welcomed Doug (AUS) who joined our club almost immediately after a few test runs on F1R. he picked up the Lamborghini Gallardo and a full assortment of option parts in preparation for our upcoming club race. today, he was in for practice and decided to add the X-Power SSG-DSP Kit i mentioned in my most recent YouTube update. that video has got everyone asking: ‘which dNaNo can have the Damper Kit installed without cutting a hole in the body?’ – if your car isn’t in the list below, this means you have to cut a hole in your ASC body to install the damper. those listed, do NOT need cutting for the damper to fit. FYI, the damper kit can’t be installed on any dNaNo with an HM Chassis so, sorry Lancia Delta HF Integrale owners! i’ve also posted a few pics of how i’ve cut my Mazda 787b No.55 Mazda Racing ASC body (the latest incarnation). my next few posts will be on our forum so check there for the latest race reports, product info, feedback and more. holla later!
dNaNo Auto Scale Collection No-Mod Required List:
DNX301 Subaru Impreza WRC 2006
DNX302 Mitsubishi Lancer EVOX
DNX304 Ferrari F40
DNX401 Nissan Skyline R34
DNX402 Porsche 911 GT3
DNX403 Ferrari 360 Modena
DNX404 Nissan GT-R R35
DNX407 Nissan Fairlady Z GT500 Class
DNX409 Lamborghini Gallardo
DNX504 Aston Martin Racing DBR9
DNX507 Audi R8
i was building a “Race Spec” dNaNo today for a customer and it occurred to me that i should give him an explanation for everything i’ve done before shipping this special gift he planned to give for the holiday season. though some may look at it as ‘just a toy’, the dNaNo is a precision racing model with various optional parts that have a distinct affect on its performance:
1) Gyro Unit – the dNaNo is a real car. its tiny but everything about it makes it like a full size car. when it runs across an uneven surface or surface with seams, those slight changes can knock the car off a straight course causing it to be difficult to handle. the gyro is an orientation instrument that helps correct these occurrences making the car drive smoother and straighter. additionally, it assists with throttle and breaking to limit the car only to what it can handle making operation more manageable. basically, it makes driving easier and more enjoyable.
2) Ball Bearings & Ball Differential – as i’ve discussed in my Diffs & Bearings video, ball bearings are parts that help make operation between moving masses smoother by reducing friction. this means with bearings, your car is free to move at higher speeds as its more free to reach its limits. just changing the bearings will make a huge increase in overall speed in the dNaNo. the Ball Diff increases the efficiency of cornering by allowing the rear wheels to rotate at different speeds while distributing power transfer evenly to the rear wheels. this means that your car can travel at high speed thru corners without losing speed, traction or control.
3) 32T-34T Spur Gear + 7T or 8T Pinion Gears- this optional part increases the acceleration by modifying the gear ratio from the stock 5.16 to 5.66 (higher ratio means greater acceleration but less top speed and lower means less acceleration with greater top speed). most of your time in racing is made up in the corners and acceleration is critical to winning since, normally, your car will never have the opportunity to reach top speed in a race. the 34T-Spur/6T-Pinion is the best racing combination for a layout with lots of tight corners. if you’re running on a circuit with long, sweeping curves or extended straights, try 34T/7T (4.86) or 32T/7T (4.57).
4) Suspension (Gold/Hard Front Shock Springs + Rear Suspension Plates) – rear suspension is important for stability and on most surfaces for mini radio control models, you’ll need to keep it pretty stiff for the most settled operation. you want to decrease “bounce” in the rear and “roll” in the front and this is accomplished with a “hard” setup. when surfaces change, you may need to adjust this but on foam or more slippery surfaces, this will give you the best traction and handling. you’ll find your car more settled and less ‘fidgety’ especially in cornering.
5) Aluminum Options (Front Suspension Plates/Rear Wheel Hubs) – the dNaNo is very light when its all plastic which is ok for speed but because of its size, its also very easy to put it on its roof when taking corners at high speed. an element of resolving this issue is adding weight and aluminum parts – while seemingly very light – will add a few micrograms of weight that will help to increase stability. the car will ‘feel’ heavier and may be a little louder but you can fix that with a bit of grease in the right places after installation. greasing the joints will quiet and smooth out operation but attract dust so stay on top of it with a small brush after every run.
6) Tires (25-45F/6R) – nothing affects car handling like tire compound. the dNaNo is very sensitive to tire compound change and you can immediately tell the difference in traction when comparing the stock #50 to anything softer. the traction increase when changing to a softer compound (25-45 degree PN Racing) is necessary to allow the car to maintain speed while cornering. traction increase can also cause the car to roll so adjustments to the steering angle (turning radius modification) will help to bring the car into a desirable range for manageable high speed cornering. the rear tires need to be a bit softer than the stock #10 to 6-8 degree to keep it from oversteering. which compound you choose will depend upon the surface you’re racing on.
7) SSG-DPS Kit - have you noticed your dNaNo ‘bouncing’ a bit in the rear during high speed cornering? this is a serious problem and can upset handling and your ability to maintain a consistent racing line. to reduce this, a ‘Damper Plate System’ should be installed which will significantly decrease this effect.
8) Racing Wheels (Aluminum or Plastic) – if you want to maintain a lightweight, quick car then you’ll want to stick with plastic. pick up some racing wheels that will give your car some style or add weight. aluminum is great for when you’re using a high torque motor and you need a bit more stability in cornering.
remember, a fast car is only part of winning races. you have to know every detail of your car for proper tuning and to occasionally resolve problems that may arise during operation. speed is a big part of winning, but speed without control is worthless. be consistent and methodical about your hobby and you can be successful. dNaNo is just one model in a hobby that’s lots of fun no matter what but can be even more fun when you win ;-). any questions or comments, post them here or send an e-mail to qon@nanotrax.net -interested in picking up a Race Spec dNaNo built by yours truly? check it out @ our online shop. until next time, see ya on the track!
