Guide

Chassis roll - RC Handling Guides

Is it good or bad when your car's chassis rolls? It depends...

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The "rolling" of a car's chassis in turns is one of the most key aspects of handling. When a car rolls to one side it creates grip on the outside tires, but at the cost of predictable steering. Cars that don't roll as much has more responsive handling, but are more prone to losing traction.

Much of the suspension's job is to dictate how much the car is allowed to roll and how quickly it is allowed to roll. For instance, you can use the car's droop, roll center, and anti-roll bar to control how much the car can roll, and then use the shock damping to control how quickly it rolls.

On the track

On low-grip and bumpy tracks, people set their cars up to roll more with lower roll center, more droop, lighter anti-roll bars, and lighter shock oil, so they can generate more grip on the outside wheels in turns. The car will be less responsive, but it will have more grip in the turns, allowing you to change direction more predictably.

On high-grip and smooth tracks, people limit the car's chassis roll with higher roll center, less droop, stiffer anti-roll bars, and thicker shock oil, so the car stays more level and responds more quickly when turning. The car already has a lot of grip on these tracks, so you do not need to allow the car to roll so much to generate grip.

See our Troubleshooting Guide for ideas on how to deal with various handling issues you may be facing.

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