Syncro RC10 B7 - Horatio

[Horatio]

I recently acquired an RC10 B7 for carpet. It had quite a season before I got hold of it - by a well known Welsh racer, where it saw plenty of action at COBRA and SWORD races.

It's a great rig - but, because it's a B7 - there's a couple of areas that require some TLC to get it up to scratch.

For racing on carpet, anti roll bars need to be up to scratch...

Next up, the idlers in the B7 are a bit.... problematic in mod. So, time for WS Peek gears.

Essentially, the WS gears have slightly smaller bearings, but more meat around the teeth and being made from PEEK (very similar to delrin), they are much more durable.

Upgraded battery mount to work with the Redlines I'm using in 4WD.

Original motor mount is bent in the traditional Associated way. It's a terrible mount.
So:

Enter the R1 Wurks Carbon Fibre mount. Complete with forged carbon top layer - just to look nice. 5 times stronger, lighter and won't bend. Yes please!

Sealed with CA and Sharpie, the mount is super impressive.

Better mesh, proper alignment - and motor screws 180° apart, rather than hanging off one edge. Much, much better.

Now just time to mount transponder!

We are in business! It lives and breathes!

Ready to go.

 

[AggyMi]

Have you seen this

https://www.willspeed.co.uk/products/b7-fast-fox-conversion-kit

 

[Horatio]

Have you seen this

https://www.willspeed.co.uk/products/b7-fast-fox-conversion-kit

I have, thank you for sharing! There's a video of it in action at the MB track.

However, what I wasn't aware of until I checked your link was the carbon chassis and kick up plate are available as a spare parts! This means that I can replace the flimsy stock chassis with something stiffer and lighter!

I had seen the Vision carbon chassis, but it's pricey at £120.

The WS chassis is £59 for the carbon plate and the billet kick up plate is £35.

 

[Horatio]

Having said all that, I don't think the WS chassis is all that useful unless you use it with the complete fast fox conversation.

The Vision carbon chassis on the other hand is a direct switch.

 

[Nelson.81]

Saw quite a few of those b7 where it has basically ripped or split the chassis at the bulkhead. But with a nice carbon chassis that won’t be an issue you do seem to love your carbon chassis’s

 

[Horatio]

Saw quite a few of those b7 where it has basically ripped or split the chassis at the bulkhead. But with a nice carbon chassis that won’t be an issue you do seem to love your carbon chassis’s

Very true buddy!

I'm not a fan of thin, alloy chassis. Way too bendy.

And I don't subscribe to 'chassis flex' as a viable tuning aid, either. It's pure marketing fallacy.

There's nothing that you can't dial-in with prescribed measures using your suspension geometry, or shock/damping package - which are specifically designed and tuneable for that very purpose.

Chassis flex is undamped, thus cannot be adequately implemented without compromise to the other systems. If it is eliminated as far as reasonably practicable, handling inadequacies have to be dealt with using things that we do have full control over. This is no bad thing.

Chassis that wibble and wobble are all the rage in 1/10th touring at the moment. Because it masks incorrect geometry tuning for noobies and makes them feel better about themselves.

About the only time it might be useful is with Crawlers.

When's the last time you heard a F1 driver say 'oh, my chassis isn't flexible enough for me to be quick around Silverstone?

Carbon Fibre is definitely the way to go on the B7 - once all the other issues have been dealt with!

 

[Horatio]

Well, the Vision chassis is on its way from Texas. I need it to arrive before the 2nd round of the championship.

 

[SirCrashALot]

Very true buddy!

I'm not a fan of thin, alloy chassis. Way too bendy.

And I don't subscribe to 'chassis flex' as a viable tuning aid, either. It's pure marketing fallacy.

There's nothing that you can't dial-in with prescribed measures using your suspension geometry, or shock/damping package - which are specifically designed and tuneable for that very purpose.

Chassis flex is undamped, thus cannot be adequately implemented without compromise to the other systems. If it is eliminated as far as reasonably practicable, handling inadequacies have to be dealt with using things that we do have full control over. This is no bad thing.

Chassis that wibble and wobble are all the rage in 1/10th touring at the moment. Because it masks incorrect geometry tuning for noobies and makes them feel better about themselves.

About the only time it might be useful is with Crawlers.

When's the last time you heard a F1 driver say 'oh, my chassis isn't flexible enough for me to be quick around Silverstone?

Carbon Fibre is definitely the way to go on the B7 - once all the other issues have been dealt with!

That's exactly what i was thinking from the beginning, when i was working on the Slash Ultimate as my first car.
The enormous flex in the chassis tub was interfering with my suspension setup.
It also caused several crucial parts to keep bending, like the motor/diff support plate and the center drive shaft.
Eventually Traxxas introduced their own center brace and aluminium motor plate.
From the moment i mounted those parts, the flex was gone, and every change in the tuning was noticeable.
Since then, i have upgraded every single composite brace on every car to aluminium, or added one.

 

[Nelson.81]

 

[Horatio]

It's an interesting concept: what would the B84 look like if it was released in 1987?

Yeah, exactly like that

I'm super into my 22X-4 ELITE, but if I had to buy another, newer design 4WD, it will almost certainly be the CAT PB.

The Schumacher I've always wished they would design has become a reality.

Apparently it's very good!

 

[Horatio]

The B7's maiden run was a great success!

Whilst it wasn't entirely problem free, the car was surprisingly rapid and easy to drive. I was pretty much on 3rd place pace all day!

But - 2 minor issues. Firstly, the steering linkage can pop off if you clip hoses, as I found out in the A main, losing me 90 seconds.

Second issue during the 2 minute warm up before the final - the front axle parted company from the spindle. Just managed to get it back in with a replacement bearing (one of my ceramic bearings was lost ).

However, I was hitting 96% consistency with it whilst running a 5.5t mod motor. My first 1/10th 2WD outing in 20+ years! I qualified 3rd, but was on par for taking 2nd place with a decent final run.

B7 running the 5.5 was hitting 45,000 rpm running 25.72 mm/rev, which was 43mph - at a very reasonable 90A current.

Compare that to my 22X-4 Elite running the 4.5 which was hitting 52,000 rpm running 23.74 mm/rev, which was 46mph down that 22 metre back straight. Drawing a very significant 120A current.

Overall, I'm very impressed with this buggy. It's easy to drive and realistically for my way of driving - about 1 lap off the pace of my 4WD.

I note that some people on carpet are actually driving their 2WD faster than their 4WD!

I'm not at that point with mine, but this Buggy is so easy to drive, it definitely has more in it left to give.

If you want to see all the results, lap times, numbers, stats etc - please visit the live timing here:

https://southwalesrccarclub.liverc.com/results/?p=view_event&id=489622

 

[Horatio]

The B7 has been a blank canvas, onto which a very competitive 2WD buggy can be built.

Without sounding like I'm putting a downer on the B7, out of the box - even the team kit with fancy parts - it isn't great. Yes, it works - but you have to keep in mind that this is a buggy for racing, not lawn darting. Frontal impacts will bend the chassis. Rear impacts will tear the hinge pins out. Stock idlers will strip with mod motors, especially if you are a throttle jammer.

For now I use the WS idlers, but the new 3 gear diff from associated has been released which keeps the motor forward, which is optimal for high grip carpet, whilst reducing the rotating mass inside the gearbox.

For now, I focus my attention on the chassis:

All the carbon parts require sealing with thin CA.

But shout out to Vision Racing - this is a great kit!

The 7075 alloy kick plate/front bulkhead screws on with medium strength threadlock.

(Note: nothing to do with Vision) Minor issue with my Associated electronics plate - all my screws were spinning the inserts inside the carbon plate, making fitting them into my 'perfecto' Vision Racing chassis something of a ball ache. Tiny blue, pressed in threaded inserts had to be clamped whilst I removed the tiny screws which I thread-locked in place. Unbeknownst to me, the threadlock I used was much stronger than whatever Team Associated used to hold the blue threaded items into their Carbon plate. Lesson learnt.

Very, very light.

Ballraced front anti roll bar mount, integrated into the Vision alloy kick up plate.

My trusty AGF A62BHS low profile steering servo.

And the front end is done!

 

[Horatio]

It's pretty cold out in the Garage, so I opted to leave the rear of the chassis until today. It's chilly still, but it's good to warm up in between sessions!

Nifty little bulkhead mounts fitted to front. Rear end on the B7 detaches with the removal of just 12 screws.

Chassis saves about 30g over my previous setup.

Very, very cool upgrade for carpet racing. Lots of battery mounting position options.

Furthermore, it is definitely easier changing between different height packs when you run bands, rather than tabs, to hold down the battery.

This side of things is comparatively new to me. When I used to race, batteries were 1 size, so it simply wasn't something I had to give any consideration to.

Now 2S shorty packs come in all manner of sizes, so I'm already considering how small I can get away with on my B7 without going below the 1474g weight limit. Essentially, my battery needs to be at least 171g, else I have to add weight.

Currently I run Redline 5300's, because that's what works well in my 22X-4. But I don't need to limit the B7 to only these.

Onyx 2S Modified 2S 5250 is right in the fun zone on 176g. This is what I'm after.

 

[razorrc]

Nice kit coming along! I kinda agree with you on the B7, totally stock, I prefer the 22X. Also prefer the CAT PB vs the B84.

 

[Horatio]

Nice kit coming along! I kinda agree with you on the B7, totally stock, I prefer the 22X. Also prefer the CAT PB vs the B84.

The CAT PB is looking to be a light and agile buggy. I got to race against one last week. It was fast! The driver lacked a little consistency, but the car itself was good! It's lighter than my 22X-4 with a carbon chassis. Centre diff is lighter again!

"1456 g - HW XR10 Pro Gen1, HW 6.5T G3, Full Size Savöx Servo, Sanwa Reciever, no Transponder, Kit Body & Wing, Wheels & Tires (Schumacher Wheels + Cactus Fusion2 Fronts and Cactus Rear), No Battery, Mod-Kit (Slipper), no optionparts
Edit: 30mm Aluminium Fan included for Motor Cooling"

My 22X-4 Elite is 1494g currently with a transponder, all electronics and centre diff, MOD centre drive, Protek fan.

The Schumacher PB took a leaf out of the TLR play book.

 

[Horatio]

So - crunch time. Did the Vision Racing Carbon Chassis bring about a performance improvement?

Getting to the track was a mission in itself!

Let's look at the results.

Here's the track - a 26x12m, symmetrical design, with a nice little rhythm section Infield.

Round 1:

Round 2:

Scrappy throw away round - dropped to 7th and climbed my way back to 2nd, whilst also lapping back markers. However, I did not improve my time. Small wonder I even finished the race - I did so with one of my motor wires off during a minor disagreement with another buggy!

Round 3:

Much better round - and improved my time!

Can I get a 21 lapper like the World Champ?

Round 4:

Nope! Doh. Not a 21 lapper - but a fast 20 lapper, which improved my qualifying time and I achieved 96% consistency, which for a 2nd meeting with the car is testament to just how good it drives. Very, very happy! Easier to drive than my 22X-4, which frankly is a beast that can bite you if you don't concentrate and keep putting the power down. However, setup like this, it has the 22X-4 has the potential to be very fast (12.5 second lap fast!!) and can turn inside every car at the meeting - bar none.

The B7 on on the other hand is quite forgiving on carpet and is definitely consistent.

A Final:

Yet another 20 lap race - after a difficult start. Briefly dropped to 5th, but got my way back to 2nd, where I posed no threat to the race leader. Again, just off 96% consistency - but whilst battling was a good result for me I reckon. It's a quality buggy now.

3 further upgrades are scheduled.

Upgraded ABEC 7 ceramic bearings
3 Gear Gearbox
MOD puck drive

+ Experimenting with different combinations of tyres.

So much £££. More money than the 22X-4. But I really like where it's going.

Now I must try out Mini racing. I have a custom painter waiting in the wings to sort out my Horatio livery for 3 classes in 2026.

 

[Horatio]

Further detail improvement:

Tab system for holding down the battery is part of the Revolution Design system, which I have fitted to the Vision Racing chassis. The o-ring bands can still be used if required (for different height batteries) but for now, my 20mm high 5300 packs are being used

Future upgrades:

And finally, a full top deck of titanium...

This comes right at the point when Team Associated announce the imminent release of the new 2WD buggy - presumably the 7.1

It will be interesting to see how my heavily upgraded B7 stacks up.

 

[Nelson.81]

Team associated release some limited edition kit every other week lol but yeah probably the B7 pic on amain hobbies apparently

 

[razorrc]

Early shots look like inverted shocks on the B7.1

 

[Horatio]

Early shots look like inverted shocks on the B7.1

Interesting - 80's style shocks!

I do wonder if the trade off for lower CoG pays off versus the increase in unsprung mass by Inverting the shocks?

This whole reverting to 80's style shock mounting was re-started by the Hall Brothers.

There are fairly strong arguments for not doing it this way, but I guess time will tell.