X-6 Cubed Tuning Guide

K 030 X – 6 Cubed
Instruction Manual v1.0
Tuning Section Page 48
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The rear tires are always run with toe-in, but the amount can be changed. It is adjusted
by switching the rear tor-in block (installed in step E12). More rear toe-in (the 4
o
block)
gives the car more forward traction but makes it harder to pivot the car. Less rear toe-in
(the 3
o
block) will let the car flow through corners and pivot well, but at a loss of stability
off the line and out of corners. A drag car would use lots of rear toe-in.
CAMBER
Camber describes the angle of the tire from vertical when viewed from the front or back.
If the top of the tire leans out past the bottom you have positive camber; if the tire leans
in at the top it has negative camber. A good starting point is to have -1
o
of camber all
around; the Team usually runs between 0 and -3
o
. In general, more negative camber
will give more traction in the corners, while less gives more bite while the car is level. A
good method of adjusting camber is to watch tire wear or dirt build-up: if the tire looks
even or uniform coming off the track, then you’re close to spot-on.
RIDE HEIGHT
Ride height is how high the car sits off the ground at rest. Pick up the whole car and
drop it from a height of 6 inches or so onto a flat surface, letting the shocks settle. To
check ride height by eye, look at the molding seams in the middle of the control arms:
are they parallel with the ground (called “level”) or do they angle up or down? If the
center of the car is lower than the hub carriers/caster blocks, so the arms angle up as
they go out, that is referred to as ‘below level.” “Above level is when the seams are
angled down at the outside. If you have a ride-height gauge, touch off just behind the
front bumper for the front and just under the transmission for the rear. (The chassis will
wear underneath the rear toe-in block through the chassis life, so measuring under the
transmission will be more consistent.)
The standard ride height is with the front arms level, or about 30 mm off the ground
using a gauge (gauge measurement will vary based on the diameter of front tires); and
the rear arms just below level, or roughly 29 mm with similar considerations for tires.
Raising the whole car up will add traction, feel better on rough tracks, and jump better.
It also makes the car more prone to traction-rolls, though. When the traction comes up,
it’s better to lower the car some; the car will feel more direct, with faster reactions, and it
helps prevent roll-overs.
Check the car from the side using the same drop technique. This lets you see the
“rake” of the chassis: the angle from front to back. In general you want to keep the car