Looking for setup help with on-road or off-road racing? Check out our Ultimate RC Setup Troubleshooting Guide.
Tips for using this guide:
Start at the top: Recommendations are grouped by impact, so pick things to try from the top of the list first. Every car is different, so some cars will react differently to some changes.
Test everything: This guide is directionally correct, but racing physics are complicated, and factors like weather and track surface can combine to do surprising things. Remember to do your own testing to see what works for your situation.
You have options! Our goal is to give you options to address any handling problem. Some approaches won't be possible due to your setup or parts on hand, so we offer several options.
One change at a time! To truly learn how your car reacts in a given situation, make one change, test, and record the results. The So Dialed RC Setup App & Race Log is ideal for this!
Check your baseline: Before trying these solutions, Make sure you don't have any settings wildly different from the kit setup. If you do, set those to the default first before trying anything new.
Ask around: Folks at your track may already have solved the problem, and racers are (generally) happy to share knowledge, so feel free to ask!
See a mistake? Let us know!
Increase steering / reduce understeer (push)
Corner entry / off-power
More impact
Shock springs: softer right-front (RF) or softer left-rear (LR)
Stagger: smaller RF tire
Toe: front toe-out, more LR toe-in
Camber: more negative FR camber
Caster split: more RF caster than LF caster
Droop: more rear droop
Wheelbase: shorter
Less impact
Front wheels shimmed towards left
Kick-up: less
Anti-squat: more
Gear diff fluid: lighter
Corner exit / on-power
More impact
Softer left-rear (LR) spring, or harder right-rear (RR) spring
Toe: front toe-in, less RR toe-in
Droop: less front droop
Wheelbase: shorter
Less impact
Rear wheels shimmed towards left
Anti-squat: more
Gear diff fluid: heavier
Decrease steering / reduce oversteer
Corner entry / off-power (hook)
More impact
Harder right-front (RF) spring
Harder right-front tire
Stagger: larger RF tire
Toe: front toe-in, less LR toe-in
Camber: less negative FR camber
Droop: less rear droop
Wheelbase: longer
Less impact
Front wheels shimmed towards right
Rear wheels shimmed towards right
Kick-up: more
Anti-squat: less
Gear diff fluid: heavier
Corner exit / on-power (loose)
Stiffer left-rear (LR) spring, softer RR spring, or harder left-front (LF) spring
Toe: front toe-out, more RR toe-in
Droop: more front droop
Wheelbase: longer
Anti-squat: less
Gear diff fluid: lighter
Improve straight-line stability / reduce twitchiness
Toe: less front toe-in
Camber: more straight
Caster: more
Longer wheelbase
Traction
More traction all-around
Softer tires (unless they are too soft and deform or break down under load)
Shock springs: softer
Shock angle: lay down more (in at the tower, out at the arm)
Damping: lighter shock fluid, more/larger piston holes
Tire diameter: larger
Wet tracks: synthetic foam tires instead of natural
Dry tracks: natural foam instead of synthetic
Grooved tires instead of regular (front-to-rear inline grooves for side bide, lateral grooves going across the direction of motion for forward/braking traction)
Rubber tires: softer inserts / open-cell inserts
Rubber buggy tires on smooth tracks: shaved or ghosted tires (tread worn or sanded down)
Lower roll center
Less traction all-around
Harder tires
Shock springs: harder
Shock angle: stand shocks up more (out at the tower, in at the arm)
Tire diameter: smaller
Damping: heavier shock fluid, fewer/smaller piston holes
Rubber tires: harder inserts / molded inserts (for high-grip tracks)
Higher roll center
More front traction
Increase front toe-in
Less front traction (reduce twitchiness)
Decrease front toe-in
More rear traction
Increase rear toe-in (avoid too much toe on high-traction tracks)
Chassis
Less chassis roll
Harder springs
Ride height: lower
Damping: heavier oil, fewer/smaller piston holes
Less droop
Higher roll center (lower inner camber link)
Anti-roll bar: use anti-roll bars (ARBs), or thicker bars (esp for high-grip tracks)
Avoid bottoming out
Ride height: higher
Damping: heavier oil, fewer/smaller piston holes
References: Murfdogg Chassis Tuning 101, HUDY tuning guides, other un-credited sources
