i’ve been busy filling orders, installing a new layout on F2L and getting used to my new dNaNo, the Nissan Fairlady Z GT500 Class (Motul Autech Z Auto Scale Body).  it handles remarkably different from the Porsche 911 GT3, hugging corners at high speed and whizzing quietly thru the circuits.  Olaf and i spent the last couple hours of shop time today installing the X-Power LED Light Kits and doing some practice ‘night’ racing on F1R.  i’ve installed the XP SSG DSP Damper Kit with LED as well and both give a cool, ‘tricked out’ look to the car.  though the damper does its job well, unfortunately, i can’t see the light very well with my current ASC body.  tomorrow i’ll do a presentation for the Pattaya City Expats Club and we’ll have our club race as usual starting @ ~6pm on F1R.  if you’re in the area, stop by to participate or spectate.

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!

i often see discussions about how to make dNaNo faster?  how can i get more ‘punch’ on takeoff?  what i think is really cool about this tiny racing model is the multitude of possibilities in setup which include ‘gearing’.  an r/c model’s speed and acceleration are directly affected by the relationship between the gear that transfers power from the motor (pinion gear) to the gear that further transfers that power to the wheels (spur gear).  an often ignored option part for the dNaNo Ball Differential Set is the 32T/34T Spur Gear.  without getting too technical, these optional gears allow one to vary speed and acceleration in varying degrees by adjusting the gear ratio.  remember, fast acceleration means less top speed and vice versa.  you can find more detailed information on the ratios the various pinion/spur combinations will give you in the 32T/34T Spur Gear support document.  try playing with various combinations and decide on what’s right for the track layout and your driving style.  knowing your dNaNo inside & out + using these little detailed tuning tips will give you the edge and help give you a winning performance at the racing circuit!

Atomic Option Parts
thanks to Hobby Society (BKK), we got in some Atomic option parts for dNaNo.  we haven’t decided whether to stock them yet, but these product samples will give me a chance to test them before making them available to customers.  i put them on the Porsche 911 GT3 and immediately noticed the difference.  the 35 degree (front) tires are waaaaay to sticky for our rubber surface.  i had to cut my servo steering angle to a minimum to reduce the extreme effect but the car was still turning on a dime.  they’d probably be useful on F2L with an MM Chassis and possibly a loose diff.  the high grip 8 degree (rear) tires weren’t much different than the stock tires though, i think we can comfortably use those on both race courses.  i haven’t done extensive testing, but the T-Plate (Rear Suspension) Set is very nice.  the only problem is the set doesn’t come with an explanation of which is hard/medium/soft.  one set gives you 4 plates of different widths which is great since the stock plate needs to be replaced immediately in my opinion.  i’m still waiting for the Atomic dNaNo Ball Differential, once we receive and test it, i’ll update you here.

i decided to change the body on my Mini-Z, opting for the Audi A4 DTM – Sportsline joint.  i really like this body style but the fragility of Auto Scale Bodies is a real issue.  after changing my body and running the car on training mode, i decided we should try renting them but unfortunately, breakage will have to be met with a stiff penalty.  with experience & care, one can avoid damage but even the best driver can hit a curb or another driver while in the heat of racing action.  we’ll make those available once we get the IC Tag (Transponder) for Mini-Z making it possible to track races using our Kyosho Lap Counter.  check out the gallery for some nice pics of the Audi A4 ASC.  i’ll include pics of the Mini-Z rental fleet in a later post.  if you’re in the area, please stop by and welcome the NanoTrax Girls, now training to compete in racing at the shop.  Nang, Thoi & Rak have all posted best lap times of less than 20 seconds on Race Course F1R – can you beat that?