Olly's 1:12 Blog
CML are pleased to announce the formation of 'Olly's 1:12 Blog' The goal is for AE Team driver Olly Jefferies to pass on some useful set up and build tips as he races his Associated 12R5 in this winters national series.
Hi and welcome to part one of my 1:12 blog. This blog will be updated regularly throughout the winter and hopefully it will provide some useful information to drivers racing the 12R5, but first a little history.
Let me say from the off that I don?t consider myself a 1:12 expert. Above all I am a touring car driver racing 1:12 through the winter, so I consider myself somewhat of a novice when it comes to set ups and the things you need to know to get the best out of the car. So, with that in mind, CML felt that as I learnt what was needed I could pass this information on to all clubman level drivers out there. Don?t expect a high brow blinded by technical terms type of article. Most of what I discover will be common knowledge to the established 1:12 community and this article is not aimed at them, but if you don?t race nationals hopefully this blog may prove useful to you.
I am sponsored by Associated in the States and have a direct line into the factory should I need any help or any questions answered (and you can bet there will be a few). I also have my CML team mate Keith Robertson who is an old hand at 1:12 and always keen to offer advise as long as I am not beating him!
I would like to think that given a good car I could peddle it round reasonably quickly. In the past I have made a European A final (admittedly with a lot of help and patience from Keith Robertson and Paul Ash), and in the past I have not fully committed to 1:12 and that has left me feeling a little frustrated with my results. On a positive note, this year is a new season and I started the nationals feeling a lot more committed however I did not a great deal of practise prior to turning up at Crewe for round one. Basically my Saturday run in the Pro Stock class was my pre season preparation! However, I did not really feel on the back foot and improved my times with every run as the weekend went on.
So let?s start with building the car...
Like most Associated kits, the car out the box is good to go. I didn't have to do anything special to build it properly. I find in a 1:12 car and a touring car the diff has one of the biggest effects on a car, which is why I try to take as much time as possible making sure it's correct. I always sand the diff plates on all diffs I build to make sure they're flat. You don't have to go crazy and wear them out but just a light sand will do. I try to use a soft piece of wet 'n' dry and lightly run the diff plate over it, both sides.
Another trick is when your not using the diff is to back off the nut. I find this makes the diff last longer as it?s not applying permanent pressure on the bearings. Be careful not to loosen it too much, you just need it so there is no real diff action. While you are playing around with the diff always keep in mind all the bearings used in the rear axle. Whenever you can, just check these are still working smoothly as this can seriously lower the performance. When racing on a 'fluffy' carpet it might be worth checking these as often as possible, you will feel straight away if they need cleaning. I would always advise that if you're going to have spares this is one I would recommend. Part number #AS897, clean them after the meeting and use them again, don?t try burning them out with motor spray at a meeting, the Matt White approach is not the most popular with fellow racers or the BRCA H$amp;S officer!
I have spoken to a few people now who have had a small issue when it comes to building the centre shock. When building the shock be very careful not to overfill as the shock top will not screw on straight and you will probably cross thread the plastic, the orange O ring has to be as flush with the top of the piston as you can get it, See picture below for help.
Another area to take time on is with building the links. It is very easy to over tighten and they will bind up. Just tighten the screws slowly. When it comes to the front end just be sure everything moves smoothly. I will apply a small amount of grease where the bar goes through the hubs and eyelets just to help them be free. Like I said earlier this is not special 'team' tricks but it's the little things that I find that make a difference to the build.
Back to racing, and after only a few runs in practice I was off to Crewe for the national. The car in practice seemed ok. I didn't really change much on Saturday as I felt I was still learning the car and how to drive 1:12 again. I did change tyres through the day. I ran Jaco tyres and finished up on magenta fronts and pink rears. These seemed good and felt consistent through the run. I ran them at 46mm rear and 44mm front. I stuck with this set up as it seemed good. I plan to play with more tyres at round 2 and will keep you all informed on what I find. Jaco tyres are good out the packet as they're a good sized without having to sit there truing away tyres that you have just paid for!
Results wise I was a little disappointed. Saturday, running Pro Stock, spec I qualified second and finished third - reasonably happy with that. On Sunday, once more I qualified second and after four minutes I was leading the A final by the length of the straight. I then felt the car drop off performance and I was able to nurse it to the finish of the final but dropped to fifth on the last lap with a broken cell in the pack. It was very frustrating to lose an A final like that.
You can download my set up from round 1 at Crewe here: Associated 12R5 Setup. By the end of the weekend I was more than happy with the car. It has a good balance and was not difficult to drive. As we go through the nationals I will update my setups so you can all try them.
Next time on Olly's 1:12 Blog, lipo modified testing!
I am sponsored by Associated in the States and have a direct line into the factory should I need any help or any questions answered (and you can bet there will be a few). I also have my CML team mate Keith Robertson who is an old hand at 1:12 and always keen to offer advise as long as I am not beating him!
I would like to think that given a good car I could peddle it round reasonably quickly. In the past I have made a European A final (admittedly with a lot of help and patience from Keith Robertson and Paul Ash), and in the past I have not fully committed to 1:12 and that has left me feeling a little frustrated with my results. On a positive note, this year is a new season and I started the nationals feeling a lot more committed however I did not a great deal of practise prior to turning up at Crewe for round one. Basically my Saturday run in the Pro Stock class was my pre season preparation! However, I did not really feel on the back foot and improved my times with every run as the weekend went on.
So let?s start with building the car...
Like most Associated kits, the car out the box is good to go. I didn't have to do anything special to build it properly. I find in a 1:12 car and a touring car the diff has one of the biggest effects on a car, which is why I try to take as much time as possible making sure it's correct. I always sand the diff plates on all diffs I build to make sure they're flat. You don't have to go crazy and wear them out but just a light sand will do. I try to use a soft piece of wet 'n' dry and lightly run the diff plate over it, both sides.
Another trick is when your not using the diff is to back off the nut. I find this makes the diff last longer as it?s not applying permanent pressure on the bearings. Be careful not to loosen it too much, you just need it so there is no real diff action. While you are playing around with the diff always keep in mind all the bearings used in the rear axle. Whenever you can, just check these are still working smoothly as this can seriously lower the performance. When racing on a 'fluffy' carpet it might be worth checking these as often as possible, you will feel straight away if they need cleaning. I would always advise that if you're going to have spares this is one I would recommend. Part number #AS897, clean them after the meeting and use them again, don?t try burning them out with motor spray at a meeting, the Matt White approach is not the most popular with fellow racers or the BRCA H$amp;S officer!
I have spoken to a few people now who have had a small issue when it comes to building the centre shock. When building the shock be very careful not to overfill as the shock top will not screw on straight and you will probably cross thread the plastic, the orange O ring has to be as flush with the top of the piston as you can get it, See picture below for help.
Another area to take time on is with building the links. It is very easy to over tighten and they will bind up. Just tighten the screws slowly. When it comes to the front end just be sure everything moves smoothly. I will apply a small amount of grease where the bar goes through the hubs and eyelets just to help them be free. Like I said earlier this is not special 'team' tricks but it's the little things that I find that make a difference to the build.
Back to racing, and after only a few runs in practice I was off to Crewe for the national. The car in practice seemed ok. I didn't really change much on Saturday as I felt I was still learning the car and how to drive 1:12 again. I did change tyres through the day. I ran Jaco tyres and finished up on magenta fronts and pink rears. These seemed good and felt consistent through the run. I ran them at 46mm rear and 44mm front. I stuck with this set up as it seemed good. I plan to play with more tyres at round 2 and will keep you all informed on what I find. Jaco tyres are good out the packet as they're a good sized without having to sit there truing away tyres that you have just paid for!
Results wise I was a little disappointed. Saturday, running Pro Stock, spec I qualified second and finished third - reasonably happy with that. On Sunday, once more I qualified second and after four minutes I was leading the A final by the length of the straight. I then felt the car drop off performance and I was able to nurse it to the finish of the final but dropped to fifth on the last lap with a broken cell in the pack. It was very frustrating to lose an A final like that.
You can download my set up from round 1 at Crewe here: Associated 12R5 Setup. By the end of the weekend I was more than happy with the car. It has a good balance and was not difficult to drive. As we go through the nationals I will update my setups so you can all try them.
Next time on Olly's 1:12 Blog, lipo modified testing!
