27.05.2014 Category: Site news
The RX8 is a complete new buggy chassis featuring the very latest suspension geometry and narrow chassis layout. As both the RX8 and the NX8 chassis use 3D suspension geometries and animated suspension, our physics expert Todd ‘Doc’ Wasson was faced with a new challenge of making both chassis work well, maintaining their own character and keeping both of them competitive when raced together. We obviously did not want to end up with 2 classes. Below is a short explanation to give you some insight in the level of complexity Todd was facing to make both chassis work within the same class, also sharing the same tires!
The RX8 chassis not only has a completely different suspension geometry, the chassis also has a much narrower lay-out which means that the engine is in a different location, so the engine, exhaust and body components are not interchangeable with the NX8 chassis, or at least they are not an exact fit. So make sure to select engine, exhaust, body and transponder components which are for the R-series chassis. The different chassis lay-out has affected the center of gravity and the roll, pitch and yaw moments of inertia which, besides the different suspension geometry, make the RX8 chassis handle very different from the NX8 chassis.
With the release of the RX8 chassis the physics engine is also updated. This update affects all the off-road chassis which use 3D suspension geometry, so also the short course trucks. The handling of all the off-road cars has changed significantly, and for the better, although this always remains a personal thing.
Get your RX8 expansion pack now: http://www.vrcworld.com/eshop/product.aspx?121
ONE CLASS – TWO CHOICES
So how different are these 2 chassis and is the RX8 the faster one? In potential the RX8 is probably the faster chassis as it uses the latest suspension specs and chassis lay-out which are now common in today's buggies, but this depends very much on the skill level of the racer and the personal preference of how sharp and responsive he wants his car to be. We expect the NX8 to be the choice of many racers because it will be a little less ‘edgy’ and more forgiving. The RX8 is sharper and more responsive. It may also depend on the track which car you prefer. You should try both, work with setup and see which one fits your driving style best. And don’t forget, it’s not about the ultimate lap time you can squeeze out of the chassis, but how many laps you have completed after 5 minutes or 20 minutes… David Ronnefalk stated in one of our forums that he prefers an easy car over a fast car!
SETUPS
Your old set-ups for the the NX8 chassis and for the short course trucks will no longer work, so we strongly advise to start off with one of the default chassis or build a new chassis from scratch.
LAP TIMES
The aim of improving the physics is not to make the cars faster but to make them more realistic. This could actually mean that the lap times are slightly slower than before. If this turns out to be the case we will reset the lap records for the off-road classes so you can attack the lap records again from scratch. In case you didn’t know, lap records can only be set using Time Trials.
SHORT COURSE TRUCKS
It has already been mentioned, the short course trucks also benefit of the improved physics, you will definitely feel the difference and will enjoy the SC truck ride even more. The short course truck were already using the 3DS suspension, but now they also feature animated suspension even though this can only bee seen from close by and in replays. Another important step towards more realism, both in handling and in looks!
PHYSICS ISSUES EXPLAINED
To try to understand the difficulties this has presented to Todd you have to understand the difference between the real and the virtual world. In the real world everything complies with ‘natural’ physics which are simply there. In the virtual world the physics need to be described by an immense set of formulas, algorithms and logic based on physics laws. So virtual physics are always an approximation of real physics and will never be 100% accurate in all areas. It is a never ending process to make the ‘virtual’ physics more accurate. The chassis model is very accurate, we have all the data like geometry dimensions, masses, moments of inertia etc. The big unknown in the equation are the tires. With over 50 parameters the tire physics model is extremely complicated, and with no exact real tire testing data available (and believe me, we have a lot more tire data than any of the tire manufacturers…) we had no other option than to fine tune the tires towards the chassis. The tires control a lot of the car behavior and especially the ‘feel’. Now imagine optimized tires for the NX8 chassis also to work on the RX8 chassis which has a completely different suspension geometry, center of gravity and weight distribution. It speaks for the physics engine quality and depth that Todd has managed to make both chassis work with the same set of tires!
In the process several refinements and optimizations of the physics engine were implemented, among them how the suspension jacking forces are being computed, improved algorithms for the differentials and some modifications to the camber effect of the tires. Now also keep in mind that every little change in the physics engine also affects how the short course truck behaves! With all the off-road cars clearly benefiting of the physics update it’s no less than a miracle what Todd has been able to achieve!
Comments
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Pieter BFounder
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we have a forum to discuss this in more detail:
http://www.vrcworld.com/forums/posts.aspx?topic=95346&opt=1D1
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Jason C
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Posted by: Javan Candy (GB) on 1.6.2014 17:47:56 (UTC)
Posted by: Jason Chappell (US) on 1.6.2014 17:26:11 (UTC)
Has anyone figured out a good setup or adjustment to stop the rear "tail wag" under throttle with the new RX8?
You mean the funny wiggle it gets when going round a long corner. If so yes. I think its related to the rear grip as ive set myne up quite loose and its helped a bit. Maybe its where the grip is slipping and then gripping again, dunno. But try it looser at the back
When you say looser at the back what settings do I adjust to make this happen?
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Javan C
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Posted by: Jason Chappell (US) on 1.6.2014 19:08:08 (UTC)
Posted by: Javan Candy (GB) on 1.6.2014 17:47:56 (UTC)
Posted by: Jason Chappell (US) on 1.6.2014 17:26:11 (UTC)
Has anyone figured out a good setup or adjustment to stop the rear "tail wag" under throttle with the new RX8?
You mean the funny wiggle it gets when going round a long corner. If so yes. I think its related to the rear grip as ive set myne up quite loose and its helped a bit. Maybe its where the grip is slipping and then gripping again, dunno. But try it looser at the back
When you say looser at the back what settings do I adjust to make this happen?
Mostly in the Diffs, lock the rear more.
Add some more steering angle, lower gearing maybe so it spins the wheels up. anti roll bars can have some effect also in conjunction with the other settings. Different stiffness's front to rear may also help.
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Jason C
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Posted by: Javan Candy (GB) on 1.6.2014 17:47:56 (UTC)
Posted by: Jason Chappell (US) on 1.6.2014 17:26:11 (UTC)
Has anyone figured out a good setup or adjustment to stop the rear "tail wag" under throttle with the new RX8?
You mean the funny wiggle it gets when going round a long corner. If so yes. I think its related to the rear grip as ive set myne up quite loose and its helped a bit. Maybe its where the grip is slipping and then gripping again, dunno. But try it looser at the back
When you say looser at the back what settings do I adjust to make this happen?
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Javan C
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Posted by: Jason Chappell (US) on 1.6.2014 17:26:11 (UTC)
Has anyone figured out a good setup or adjustment to stop the rear "tail wag" under throttle with the new RX8?
You mean the funny wiggle it gets when going round a long corner. If so yes. I think its related to the rear grip as ive set myne up quite loose and its helped a bit. Maybe its where the grip is slipping and then gripping again, dunno. But try it looser at the back
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Jason C
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Has anyone figured out a good setup or adjustment to stop the rear "tail wag" under throttle with the new RX8?
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David R.
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Posted by: Edwin Wal (NL) on 31.5.2014 5:13:15 (UTC)
Grait !!!!NOT!!!! SO now my buy of the buggy pack , is garbage again ,, so i need to pay you more ,, if i whant to race,, this sucks ,, also i buy engine and parts for electric ,, and now its gone ,,, so do you give my money back??? THIS IS A SCAM amazing that they can just do it. and nobody do anything abouth it..SUCKSSSS BIG TIME
?? you can still run the original buggy the NX8, it's just been upgraded with better physics? Still works great with some tweaking to the set ups used previously
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Bruce E
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Is there an electric conversion for this one?!
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Wade L.
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Posted by: Martin Wollanka (AT) on 28.5.2014 21:55:03 (UTC)
i wish me a litle bit more trottle reaction on air. all other is great thank´s for the uptate
+1 on more throttle reaction in the air,
Definate improvement, much sharper feel from th NX8 need to work on my new RX8 setup though, very tail, sort of wobbly in rear and quiet edgy.
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Martin W.15x VRC World Champion
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i wish me a litle bit more trottle reaction on air. all other is great thank´s for the uptate
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