Rice
Cars
TEAM RICE has been working
with drivers and handlers for over 45 years.
We hope that the following provides answers to the most common questions
that we receive, and that you may have. If this helps, please let us know at ricecars@aol.com. Additionally, if you have found other
solutions to these or other problems, please let us know so that we can include
them in the next version, and so that all of TEAM RICE can benefit from
your knowledge.
1. I think my car is pushing. What should I do?
A: You can tell that the car is pushing if the driver turns the wheels coming off the corner but the car doesn’t want to turn right away. In this instance, your right front tire will be hotter than your right rear tire. You can gauge this using a heat gun (pyrometer). A few different things can cause pushing. A worn out RF tire, the front end being too high/rear end is too low, too wide of a front wheel tread/too narrow of a rear wheel tread, or not enough cross-weight (LR to RF). By looking at your car and seeing which one (or few) of these problems is out of whack, a push can easily be fixed.
2. The car is loose coming out of the corner. What do I do?
A: The easiest way to fix a loose car is to move the drive (RR) wheel in. Also, you could, raise the car up a couple rounds, or simply just raise the left side if you are already really high. This raises the roll center of the car and fixes the loose back end.
3. Where should my ride heights be?
A: This depends. For most asphalt tracks, you should have ¼” to 3/8” tilt from the right to the left, with the right side being higher. The actual height will vary by the driver weight and other car circumstances (loose, tight, push, etc.). The higher the car is the tighter it will be, and the lower it is the looser it will be. You should always check your ride heights without the driver in the car.
4. How much cross-weight should I run?
A: Cross-weight can be calculated by taking the combined weight of the left rear and right front corners and dividing that number by the total car weight. There are a few theories on this, but we generally run our cars with even weight on the right side tires, which usually leads to 60-62 percent. For looser, flatter tracks we will drop that percentage to about 55-56%. But for a general window, between 50% and 65% is where you want to be. Fine-tuning from there depends on the track and your driver.
5. Caster & Camber. What do I do with these?
A: In general, we almost ALWAYS have our cars set with –2.5 to –3 degrees caster and camber on the RF tire, and +3 camber with –0.5 degrees caster on the LF tire. What the (-) sign means is that you want the top of the spindle pointing back or in towards the car.
6. What tires should I run?
A: In track temps of over 100°, we recommend going with a Dunlop DCS, and with track temps of over 130-140°, a Firestone YGF. In temps of under 100° track temperatures, Firestone YFAs tend to work very well. Keep in mind that every car is a little different, and you may find that your car likes some tires more than others. Keep in mind also that some tracks have tires that work great on them, and some that don’t. Use your best judgment and experiences to find the best tire compound for you.
7. My right front tire is showing a lot of wear on the inside of the tire. Why is that?
A: You may have too much camber in the wheel, or too much weight on that tire, or maybe both. When the car is on the track, watch the RF tire go through the corner. How far is it leaning in on the top? A lot? Then perhaps you need less camber on that wheel. If the tire is not leaning in too far, try running less cross-weight to decrease the amount of weight on the RF corner.
8. What does the panhard bar do?
A: The panhard rod holds your axle in place and
keeps it from sliding back and forth. By
moving the left side of the bar up, you are tightening the car. Let’s say you have an XR car with the adjustable
panhard mount on the right side. By
moving the bar down, you tighten the car, and up you loosen it. Or let’s say you have a Thunder Jet with a
panhard bar that adjusts with holes on the left side. By moving the bar down, you are loosening the
car, and up you are tightening it. Now
this may sound different, but it is actually the same thing.
So whether you are moving the bar up or down on either side, it is just important to understand the principle of Left side down/Right side up = Loose, and Right side down/Left side up = tight.
9. What do the stabilizer bars on my car do?
A: They are there to transfer weight. When setting up your car, it is best to have the bars relaxed (loose) and to try and get your cross-weight numbers by putting rounds in or taking rounds out of the shocks. This eliminates preload, which decreases the chance for a bind in the suspension. Unless something is bent somewhere, it is usually possible to do it this way for a normal set-up. For dirt, parking lots, or if something is bent, it may not be possible without moving the sway bars. When you press down on a corner of the bar, say the left rear, you are putting weight onto that tire. When you lift up on a corner, you are taking weight off. But understand that to transfer any weight one side of the bar has to be tight, otherwise you are just moving the whole bar up and down which doesn’t do anything weight transfer-wise. Sometimes, for high-grip tracks, we will put a split bar on the back end which allows the rear tires to not transfer as much weight back and forth and tends to not plant the drive tire as hard coming off the corner, making for a freer chassis when you are over-hooking.
10. How much air should I start with in my tires and shocks?
A: As a rule, we almost always run 10 lbs on the left side and 12 lbs on right side in the tires. In the cold, we will bump that up a few pounds to 13-15, and in the heat we will drop that to maybe 8-10, as the will expand the air in the tires anyway. In the shocks, it kind of depends on the track, but mostly the driver’s weight. Obviously, for heavy drivers you need more air than for light drivers. For light drivers, we generally like to start with 35lbs LF, 35lbs RF, 32lbs LR, and 30lbs RR. For heavier kids, bump these numbers up 10-15 pounds all the way around.
**NOTE** Information not intended for locked up cars. Some of the above directions will be the opposite on a locked up car. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask