Typhon Typhon TLR - A Weekend Racer

[CosmoM3]

When I heard about the Typhon TLR, the racers shrugged it off as a marketing toy that will never be competitive in the racing world, and they're right, but I don't think that's the point with this car.

I see the Typhon TLR as a capable track car based off the proven 6S BLX chassis, which was derived from the Team Durango DEX8, which was a true racer. For you car people out there, I see it like the Porsche 911 - world proven and capable sports car (Typhon 6S/DEX8) and the TLR version is their Porsche 911 GT3 or even the GT3 RS - the track focused version for the weekend racer.

Doesn't really compete against dedicated race cars from the likes of TA, Tekno, TLR and Mugen (like the WEC Le Mans race cars) because the TLR is streetable (bashable) track car, but I don't think that was ARRMA's intention with this buggy.

With that being said, it's easy to accept this car as a weekend racer for track days rather than trying to chase podiums against raison d'etre like the built-to-race kit cars. As long as people open their aperture and see it this way. It's much easier to accept this car for what it is, compromises and all.

I'm not saying that this can't be a competitive racing 1/8 E-Buggy (on the contrary, if you read some of the other builds on here, the TLR is more than capable as a racing weapon), but it's just going to require time and money to get there - which means you might actually break even compared to buying a kit car at the end of your journey.

Thank you for reading my intro as I begin my documentary with this TLR and I hope you enjoy reading about this journey as much as I have fun being behind the transmitter.

-Cosmo

Chapter 1: Seat Time

My first ever track day at the famous Adrenaline Racing facility in Winchester, VA, They host a ton of ROAR and other events (most recently their INSA racing events with JConcepts and their Annual Fall Invitational racing events). They’re an hour away, but I’m very fortunate to have a world class track relatively close by.

The TLR recently had a motor/ESC swapped to a HW Max8 G2 + 4278 2250kV motor running on single heavy CNHL Racing 4S LiPo @ 8000mAh. Everything else, including the overall setup, was stock except for the tires.

Indoor Track - High Grip, Clay/Dirt

Outdoor Track (Loamy Dirt Track)

I ran my first hours out on the outdoor track and I have to say that the stock pin tires were absolutely garbage. I highly recommend tossing them or saving them for some dirt areas, like a construction site or baseball field. The Slash 4x4 Ultimate was doing much better with the stock S1 tires, but it could be better.

Luckily the race shop was packed with goodies and supplies, therefore I quickly swapped out the stock tires for a set of JConcepts Ellipse in “Green” compound (overall general purpose) on top of some JConcepts wheels.

Since it was too hot to continue using the track outside, I decide to use their indoor track and the good thing about taking a day off work on Friday afternoon was that the whole track was empty and I was able to practice by myself. I was clocking around the 24 second range on average for the day as I was getting a feel of the car and the track.

I also took my TA RB10 RTR 1/10 buggy out as well and I have to tell you, driving 2WD with a rear-mounted motor was tough. I was able to clock the mid 24 seconds with this car as well but I had a pro driver (Jake Hardison) was able to squeeze into the low 20-21 second range. I had some work to do and he told me for a noob like myself, getting into the 23 second range would be a good goal.

Challenge accepted.

 

[Dan B.]

When I heard about the Typhon TLR, the racers shrugged it off as a marketing toy that will never be competitive in the racing world, and they're right, but I don't think that's the point with this car.

I see the Typhon TLR as a capable track car based off the proven 6S BLX chassis, which was derived from the Team Durango DEX8, which was a true racer. For you car people out there, I see it like the Porsche 911 - world proven and capable sports car (Typhon 6S/DEX8) and the TLR version is their Porsche 911 GT3 or even the GT3 RS - the track focused version for the weekend racer.

Doesn't really compete against dedicated race cars from the likes of TA, Tekno, TLR and Mugen (like the WEC Le Mans race cars) because the TLR is streetable (bashable) track car, but I don't think that was ARRMA's intention with this buggy.

With that being said, it's easy to accept this car as a weekend racer for track days rather than trying to chase podiums against raison d'etre like the built-to-race kit cars. As long as people open their aperture and see it this way. It's much easier to accept this car for what it is, compromises and all.

I'm not saying that this can't be a competitive racing 1/8 E-Buggy (on the contrary, if you read some of the other builds on here, the TLR is more than capable as a racing weapon), but it's just going to require time and money to get there - which means you might actually break even compared to buying a kit car at the end of your journey.

Thank you for reading my intro as I begin my documentary with this TLR and I hope you enjoy reading about this journey as much as I have fun being behind the transmitter.

-Cosmo

Day at Adrenaline Racing: The Start of my Journey

My first ever track day at the famous Adrenaline Racing facility in Winchester, VA, They host a ton of ROAR and other events (most recently their INSA racing events with JConcepts and their Annual Fall Invitational racing events). They’re an hour away, but I’m very fortunate to have a world class track relatively close by.

The TLR recently had a motor/ESC swapped to a HW Max8 G2 + 4278 2250kV motor running on single heavy CNHL Racing 4S LiPo @ 8000mAh. Everything else, including the overall setup, was stock except for the tires.
View attachment 314767
Indoor Track - High Grip, Clay/Dirt

View attachment 314768
Outdoor Track (Loamy Dirt Track)

I ran my first hours out on the outdoor track and I have to say that the stock pin tires were absolutely garbage. I highly recommend tossing them or saving them for some dirt areas, like a construction site or baseball field. The Slash 4x4 Ultimate was doing much better with the stock S1 tires, but it could be better.

View attachment 314769
Luckily the race shop was packed with goodies and supplies, therefore I quickly swapped out the stock tires for a set of JConcepts Ellipse in “Green” compound (overall general purpose) on top of some JConcepts wheels.

Since it was too hot to continue using the track outside, I decide to use their indoor track and the good thing about taking a day off work on Friday afternoon was that the whole track was empty and I was able to practice by myself. I was clocking around the 24 second range on average for the day as I was getting a feel of the car and the track.

View attachment 314775View attachment 314776View attachment 314777View attachment 314778

I also took my TA RB10 RTR 1/10 buggy out as well and I have to tell you, driving 2WD with a rear-mounted motor was tough. I was able to clock the mid 24 seconds with this car as well but I had a pro driver (Jake Hardison) was able to squeeze into the low 20-21 second range. I had some work to do and he told me for a noob like myself, getting into the 23 second range would be a good goal.

Challenge accepted.

That’s awesome. Sounds like an epic day! That RB10 is groovy AF, but they are indeed a handful. I’m not that good, I stick to 4WD platforms.
And I gotta say, when you mentioned “Porsche 911 GT3/RS” in conjunction with the TLR Typhon, I was anticipating a road going missile build. So, I’m a little disappointed I didn’t get to see that. Be more mindful of the carrots you dangle than the angle of the dangle. (Dang, that was good, you can quote me there…)
Go build that RS, man. You can get a groovy 328mm 993 body for it at DeltaPlastics. Just saying…

 

[CosmoM3]

That’s awesome. Sounds like an epic day! That RB10 is groovy AF, but they are indeed a handful. I’m not that good, I stick to 4WD platforms.
And I gotta say, when you mentioned “Porsche 911 GT3/RS” in conjunction with the TLR Typhon, I was anticipating a road going missile build. So, I’m a little disappointed I didn’t get to see that. Be more mindful of the carrots you dangle than the angle of the dangle. (Dang, that was good, you can quote me there…)
Go build that RS, man. You can get a groovy 328mm 993 body for it at DeltaPlastics. Just saying…

Thanks man.

I was using the Porsche 911 GT3 RS comparison because it’s more known as a street legal race car with a license plate. I kind of see the TLR Typhon the same way - a basher track car. Not

I don’t plan on changing the body and I’m going to keep it as a buggy. Sorry if I confused you haha.


Chapter 2: Setting up for the next corner

After my first track day (almost 6 hours of non-stop driving), I’ve learned a couple of things and made some changes to my setup.

I’ve made the following setup changes:

• Changed the Ackerman steering angle down to the lowest hole (#4)
• Rear inner camber link was raised up two holes
• Camber was changed in the rear to -2.0 degrees
• Front toe was set to 0 degrees (now my steering trim is perfectly centered without any adjustments)
• Front shock oil was changed out from the factory 42.5wt (550cst) to TLR spec 45wt (610cst)
• Ride height was lowered down to 22mm via spring preload and droop screw
• Differential fluids were changed
  • Front: 10K CST to 7K CST
  • Center: 100K CST to 7K CST
  • Rear: 10K CST to 3K CST
• Swapped out the tires from the JConcepts Ellipse (Green) to (Silver) on AKA Black Wheels, which is more suitable for indoor, medium to high grip tracks.
• CNHL Racing 4S 5600mAh LiPo packs
• Tekno 16T Mod 1 Pinion

 

[CosmoM3]

Chapter 3: Additional upgrades

I recently picked up some upgrades and picked up a spare Typhon 6S roller for a very cheap price since I had the leftover electronic parts from the RTR.

The first order of business was the servo.

The stock servo worked fine and I think it actually works well for most situations, including for those that are weekend track warriors like myself, but I had a spare SAVOX SW-1211SG Black Edition lying around from my old Vorteks project that I've decided to swap the stock Spektrum servo out and donate that to my new Typhon 6S roller.

Specifications:

• Torque @ 6v - 15.0kg/208.3oz-in
• Torque @ 7.4v - 25.0kg/347.2.0oz-in
• Speed @ 6v - 0.10 sec/60 deg
• Speed @ 7.4v - 0.08 sec/60 deg
• Dimensions L x W x H (mm): 40.6 x 20.7 x 42.0
• Weight: 71g

To complement this servo, I picked up a HR servo horn kit to replace the annoying proprietary 23T spline Spektrum servo horn to the industry standard 25T. I also installed some leftover REEFs servo washers for extra security (and bling).

If you're a HW user and you've never owned/used the OTA Bluetooth module, you're missing out, especially if you like to tinker with the ESC. My TRX-4 Bronco Raptor that I had built with the HW XERUN Axe R2 550 3300kV came standard with a OTA BT module built in and that was a game-changer for me. It's worth the $60 and keeping it plugged into the ESC (use a JST splitter if you need it for the fan) saves time and improves the quality of life for me.

My Typhon 6S roller - now a stock Typhon 6S V5:

I think I'm just going to keep the base model Typhon 6S as a dedicated basher and occasional track car since it's better for overall bashing than the TLR Typhon with its sensitive suspension pills (I actually broke one of them on the front after a hard front-end landing) and just "trailer" the TLR to the track and leave it in my hauler bag.

 

[Dan B.]

Thanks man.

I was using the Porsche 911 GT3 RS comparison because it’s more known as a street legal race car with a license plate. I kind of see the TLR Typhon the same way - a basher track car. Not

I don’t plan on changing the body and I’m going to keep it as a buggy. Sorry if I confused you haha.


Chapter 2: Setting up for the next corner

After my first track day (almost 6 hours of non-stop driving), I’ve learned a couple of things and made some changes to my setup.

View attachment 314834View attachment 314835View attachment 314836View attachment 314837

I’ve made the following setup changes:

• Changed the Ackerman steering angle down to the lowest hole (#4)
• Rear inner camber link was raised up two holes
• Camber was changed in the rear to -2.0 degrees
• Front toe was set to 0 degrees (now my steering trim is perfectly centered without any adjustments)
• Front shock oil was changed out from the factory 42.5wt (550cst) to TLR spec 45wt (610cst)
• Ride height was lowered down to 22mm via spring preload and droop screw
• Differential fluids were changed
  • Front: 10K CST to 7K CST
  • Center: 100K CST to 7K CST
  • Rear: 10K CST to 3K CST
• Swapped out the tires from the JConcepts Ellipse (Green) to (Silver) on AKA Black Wheels, which is more suitable for indoor, medium to high grip tracks.
• CNHL Racing 4S 5600mAh LiPo packs
• Tekno 16T Mod 1 Pinion

View attachment 314839

I love hearing you track guys talk about setup. Great info for those tracking their cars. I’ve never fiddled with an RC chassis to anywhere near that degree.
As for your stock Typhon, they are great bashers right out of the box and very versatile. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as is, for what it is.

 

[CosmoM3]

Chapter 4

Hit up the track the following weekend again and my new setup seemed to work very well and I was able to set PBs on that track with the following cars:

• TLR Typhon: Low 21-22 second range (vs. 24 second range from before). Best recorded was 20.3 seconds
  • HW Max8 G2 ESC + 4278 2250kV G3 Sensored Motor
  • SAVOX 1211 Black Edition Servo
  • JConcepts Ellipse Tires (Silver)
  • Changed the front shock oil from the stock 42.5wt (550cst) to 45wt (610cst) and it pretty much solved my front end bottoming out issue.
• RB10: Low 24 and mid 23s vs. high 24s from the weekend before
  • Pretty much stock with some tuning on the suspension
  • JConcepts Steering stuff
  • JConcepts Ellipse Tires(Blue)
  • SAVOX 1257 Black Edition Servo
  • Rebuilt the shocks from the o-rings to the optional x-rings and gaskets and filled with 35wt oil. Swapped out the stock springs for some stiffer springs (red front and blue rears)
• Slash 4x4 Ultimate: High 21 to Low 22 second range vs 23 second range from the weekend before
  • HW Max10 G2 ESC + 3665 3300kV G3 Sensored Motor
  • SAVOX 1267 Black Edition Servo
  • GTR Shocks (30wt front and rear) with VG Racing Springs
  • Pro-Line Positron Tires (M4)
  • Pro-Line Raid Beadlock Wheels

I can probably attribute this to becoming more familiar with the track and building confidence, but most of the driver's confidence can also be due to the tuning of the car.

What I found interesting was that while I had fun with the RB10 as its rear motor, 2WD buggy kept me honest about my driving and challenging to track with, I didn't have nearly as much fun with it compared to the TLR Typhon and especially my Slash Ultimate.

The 2WD buggy (rear motor) was fun in a challenging way and perfect for warm up laps to get you started for the day (also teaching me trigger discipline), while the 4WD cars were more fun in a fast way. I have to say that I'm a fan of driving the Slash 4x4 Ultimate (Seth Hardison was able to clock low 21s range with my heavy Slash Ultimate compared to this race-spec SCT that felt like it weight half as much). I may end up with a SCT kit setup in the future at this rate and I've been eye-balling the Tekno SC410SL kit...

 

[CosmoM3]

Chapter 5

Did some shopping:

• Ram Jam Racing Titanium Pillow Ball Set
• ARRMA 6S V3/V4 Aluminum Motor Mount
• ARRMA 6S V3/V4 Composite Center Differential Mount
• Mugen Seiki Front Center Driveshaft (115mm)
• Mugen Seiki Rear Center Driveshaft (84.5mm)
• Team Durango DEX8 CVD Driveshafts (Front)
• TLR Center Driveshaft Dogbones (Part #: TLR242001) - measured them at the shop and will be used in the rear
• Team Durango DEX8 Roll Bar Mix Kit (eBay)
• Team Durango DEX8 Spring Mix Kit (eBay)
• Team Durango Sway Bar Stopper
• Team Durango Sway Bar Ball Joints
• Team Durango Shock Lower Ball Joints

I was able to bring the weight down (chassis, battery, electronics - no wheels) from 3784g to 3587g with only some of the parts already installed, but my goal is to hit 3200g, therefore I have some work to do.

I couldn't have done all this without standing on the shoulders from members with similar build threads in the past, especially thanks to @Yonic - couldn't have done it without you going through what you did. You are a pioneer in all this!

Stock Center Driveshafts (Left) vs. Mugen Seiki Center Driveshafts (Right)

Throwback V3/V4 aluminum motor mount

 

[Dan B.]

How are you liking the G2 combo? Thoughts, pro and con?

 

[CosmoM3]

How are you liking the G2 combo? Thoughts, pro and con?

Pros

• A ton of torque from the bigger 4278 can as it's essentially a "truggy" motor
• Runs cool even when I use to run a 20T

Cons

• It's heavier it weighs a ton more than the 4268 can. I'm looking to replace the Max8 with the XR8 Pro G3 + 1900kV 4268 motor

That's just my experience so far on the track.

 

[palmryde]

Are the driveshafts measured as an overall length? Are those lengths the same as the stock Typhon's?

 

[CosmoM3]

Are the driveshafts measured as an overall length? Are those lengths the same as the stock Typhon's?

Which driveshafts? The center or the front and rears? The fitment is dependent on the overall length, the size of the driveshaft ends (the round balls) and if they're CVD or dogbones (or both in this case with the Typhon front axles). The rears are pure dogbones.

• The centers line up perfectly
• The front will work perfectly since they're OEM Team Durango DEX8 driveshafts
• The rears - we will have to see but we measured them while the driveshafts were still in their packaging

 

[Yonic]

@CosmoM3 i'm humbled by your mention, thanks..

Just yesterday i had a day at the track with the Typhon, it's still amazing. love this car.

I would recommend you trying the durango driveshaft at the rear instead of dogbones, the dogbone axels are heavy. if you do i would recommend is to use the suspension pills to take the arms farther away from the diff as the driveshafts are about 1mm too long, so this can be fixed with the pill.

Another tip is to move to the 1.2 pistons at the front (to be the same as the rear piston), it will allow you to use much lighter oil and still it will not bottoming out, i use 350cst with the 1.2mm pistons

For more weight reduction you can move to the v2 battery tray, here on amain. similar to other race buggies battery tray.

 

[CosmoM3]

@CosmoM3
I would recommend you trying the durango driveshaft at the rear instead of dogbones, the dogbone axels are heavy. if you do i would recommend is to use the suspension pills to take the arms farther away from the diff as the driveshafts are about 1mm too long, so this can be fixed with the pill.

Wow, this is news to me. I measured the estimated weights for the rear dogbones if I had replaced them it looks like I would save 16grams with the TLRs and only 8 grams in the front if I used the TD driveshafts.

We also measured the TLR Center Driveshaft dogbones (TLR242001) and they looked to be the exact length as the stock rear dogbones. I may have to look at this once the parts come in.

Another tip is to move to the 1.2 pistons at the front (to be the same as the rear piston), it will allow you to use much lighter oil and still it will not bottoming out, i use 350cst with the 1.2mm pistons

So you went with the smaller holes up front but went with a more plush 350cst? That's half of my weight that I have up front. You probably got more steering out of it especially with the mix of the lighter fluid and slower stroke?

For more weight reduction you can move to the v2 battery tray, here on amain. similar to other race buggies battery tray.

Good to know thank you.

Overall I managed to drop the weight down to 3033 grams (without wheels, battery or body) and I'm in talks with my LHS on picking up a XR8 Pro G3 with the 4268 1900kv G3, which weighs a whopping estimated 229g lighter than my current Max8 Gen 2 + 4278 2250kv motor (235g lighter than the stock Spektrum electronics).

 

[CosmoM3]

Found out that those TLR Dogbones don't fit perfectly for the rear, therefore I returned them and ordered a set of complete TD CVDs online.

Also picked up a set of Arrma 3x5.8x10.8mm Ball sway bar stoppers (ARA330216) to replace the plastic ones.

 

[SrC]

Thanks man.

I was using the Porsche 911 GT3 RS comparison because it’s more known as a street legal race car with a license plate. I kind of see the TLR Typhon the same way - a basher track car. Not

I don’t plan on changing the body and I’m going to keep it as a buggy. Sorry if I confused you haha.


Chapter 2: Setting up for the next corner

After my first track day (almost 6 hours of non-stop driving), I’ve learned a couple of things and made some changes to my setup.

View attachment 314834View attachment 314835View attachment 314836View attachment 314837

I’ve made the following setup changes:

• Changed the Ackerman steering angle down to the lowest hole (#4)
• Rear inner camber link was raised up two holes
• Camber was changed in the rear to -2.0 degrees
• Front toe was set to 0 degrees (now my steering trim is perfectly centered without any adjustments)
• Front shock oil was changed out from the factory 42.5wt (550cst) to TLR spec 45wt (610cst)
• Ride height was lowered down to 22mm via spring preload and droop screw
• Differential fluids were changed
  • Front: 10K CST to 7K CST
  • Center: 100K CST to 7K CST
  • Rear: 10K CST to 3K CST
• Swapped out the tires from the JConcepts Ellipse (Green) to (Silver) on AKA Black Wheels, which is more suitable for indoor, medium to high grip tracks.
• CNHL Racing 4S 5600mAh LiPo packs
• Tekno 16T Mod 1 Pinion

View attachment 314839

Truly the nicest TLRT track setup I have seen. Only track testing could get it this way. I always felt the Stock DIff oils were too thin. The Shocks can use firther tuning as well. Ay track setup needs dialing for that specific track. Changing roll center and camber like you did matters I agree.
I only run those same 4s CNHL's I just don't have a track nearby to dial it better. The stocker tires were horrible. The TLT Tuned Typhon has absolutely nothing TLR about it. Just the TLR Branding, and nothing more. More a Durango like you stated. I just wish they brought more Durango parts designs back for it. Arrma did copy the DEX8 mud guards molding So they were looking to it for ideas. And it should be Supported and sponsored at the track for better sucess. To call it a basher is not fair. It is not as stout as the RTR standard 6s "Basher" Typhon, mostly because of the Delicate Pill mount setup. IMHO. I find it to be a weak point if bashing it hard. The Pill mount design stricly benefits a Track platform.

 

[CosmoM3]

Truly the nicest TLRT track setup I have seen. Only track testing could get it this way. I always felt the Stock DIff oils were too thin. The Shocks can use firther tuning as well. Ay track setup needs dialing for that specific track. Changing roll center and camber like you did matters I agree.
I only run those same 4s CNHL's I just don't have a track nearby to dial it better. The stocker tires were horrible. The TLT Tuned Typhon has absolutely nothing TLR about it. Just the TLR Branding, and nothing more. More a Durango like you stated. I just wish they brought more Durango parts designs back for it. Arrma did copy the DEX8 mud guards molding So they were looking to it for ideas. And it should be Supported and sponsored at the track for better sucess. To call it a basher is not fair. It is not as stout as the RTR standard 6s "Basher" Typhon, mostly because of the Delicate Pill mount setup. IMHO. I find it to be a weak point if bashing it hard. The Pill mount design stricly benefits a Track platform.

Thank you @SrC

I actually didn't mind the 100K CST on the center diff and to be honest, I don't think the 10K CST front and rear were that bad either, but after my second day trip (another 6-8 hours of non-stop track driving) the car felt predictable. I think it was a mix of the new setup, confidence and knowing the track helped shave off almost 3-4 seconds off my average time from my first weekend.

I picked up the CNHL Racing 4S 5600mAh packs based on your feedback (I was running the 8000mAh packs that I had on hand but those weighed almost 100g more each).

Chapter 6

I've made additional setup changes like adding a lighter front sway bar (GREEN) from my new collection of Team Durango complete roll bar and spring kit. I was able to convert the gf/mm tension weights to lb/in:

Note: The ** means that they are the stock factory spring weights that come with the TLR, which are RED front and GREEN rears. The base Typhon 6S come with GREEN springs for both front and rear.

Note: Similar with the front and rear anti-roll bars. Both the base Typhon 6S and the TLR use the same sway bars for both front and rear.


I also picked up metal 5.8mm ball joints for the suspension bits to smooth out the action. I also took your advice and picked up the AVID titanium domed droops screws - these were worth every penny.

I was able to bring the weight down to 3033 but after I swap the motor and ESC, that should shave off an additional 229 grams.

Note: For posterity, these are my setups based on how I drive, but the references above should be useful for anyone that are looking to take the same path.

 

[CosmoM3]

A nifty thing I've been implementing is color coding the sway bars with heat shrink wrap. The TD parts come with the same idea, but a tad too small.

I also ordered a brand new HW XR8 G3 + 4268SD G3 1900kV motor combo today on AMAIN. They were out of stock for awhile, but I finally snagged one to replace my Max8 G2 with the 4278SD combo to shave some weight off.

 

[Yonic]

Note: The ** means that they are the stock factory spring weights that come with the TLR, which are RED front and GREEN rears. The base Typhon 6S come with GREEN springs for both front and rear.

I believe the stock front springs on the TTLR is yellow, not red.

Anyway, on my car i went with a completely different front-end compared to stock (the rear i kept very similar to the stock setup).
The front-end felt that it relies too much on the shock/springs for load transfer, which didnt felt precise to drive. I went for a much more reliance on arms/chassis stiffness and less the springs, by raising the front roll center for the side-to-side support and lowering the kick-up for the supporing throttle/brake input, after that i could lower both the stiffness of the springs and the swaybar in the front. blue springs and blue (2.2mm) sway-bar.

In my opinion it completely changes the car, takes it to another level.

Here is the setup i use in the front.. again with blue springs and sway-bar. and 350cst oil.

 

[CosmoM3]

I believe the stock front springs on the TTLR is yellow, not red.

Anyway, on my car i went with a completely different front-end compared to stock (the rear i kept very similar to the stock setup).
The front-end felt that it relies too much on the shock/springs for load transfer, which didnt felt precise to drive. I went for a much more reliance on arms/chassis stiffness and less the springs, by raising the front roll center for the side-to-side support and lowering the kick-up for the supporing throttle/brake input, after that i could lower both the stiffness of the springs and the swaybar in the front. blue springs and blue (2.2mm) sway-bar.

In my opinion it completely changes the car, takes it to another level.

Here is the setup i use in the front.. again with blue springs and sway-bar. and 350cst oil.
View attachment 316129

The stock front spring on the TLR is ARA330784, which is 0.8N/MM (4.74LB/IN), which are closer to the RED springs right?

Your setup is interesting where I see what you're doing (based on my limited experience in RC racing but I have a lot of experience on the track with 1:1 cars) and your logic on relying on more mechanical grip from the chassis itself rather than the shock/spring. This is apparent when you go with the Hole #2 on the shock tower as that makes your shock/spring compress more progressively (Lighter to Heavier). This is more akin to a high grip race cars as you would see on WEC LeMans GTE and LMPs.

You raised the roll center on the front to give you more steering on the corners but this could also cause your outer front wheel to overload through a fast corner, but you're also adding a much lighter sway bar up front (and rear) to pretty much ignore the bumps while maintaining a strong steering through the shocks but maintain lean with the chassis. How is your roll center up front relative to your rear? I also assume you've adjusted your droop to control the ride height changes.

You also added additional camber up front with an extra washer?

You tuned your kick up to make the front end "flatter" relative to the chassis - interesting.

I’ll have to do some more driving with mine to but I have both A and B blocks on the top right corner on the pills for now. I’ll come back with some feedback after some track time.

 

[SrC]

Thank you @SrC

I actually didn't mind the 100K CST on the center diff and to be honest, I don't think the 10K CST front and rear were that bad either, but after my second day trip (another 6-8 hours of non-stop track driving) the car felt predictable. I think it was a mix of the new setup, confidence and knowing the track helped shave off almost 3-4 seconds off my average time from my first weekend.

I picked up the CNHL Racing 4S 5600mAh packs based on your feedback (I was running the 8000mAh packs that I had on hand but those weighed almost 100g more each).

I've made additional setup changes like adding a lighter front sway bar (GREEN) from my new collection of Team Durango complete roll bar and spring kit. I was able to convert the gf/mm tension weights to lb/in:

View attachment 316015
Note: The ** means that they are the stock factory spring weights that come with the TLR, which are RED front and GREEN rears. The base Typhon 6S come with GREEN springs for both front and rear.

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Note: Similar with the front and rear anti-roll bars. Both the base Typhon 6S and the TLR use the same sway bars for both front and rear.


I also picked up metal 5.8mm ball joints for the suspension bits to smooth out the action. I also took your advice and picked up the AVID titanium domed droops screws - these were worth every penny.

I was able to bring the weight down to 3033 but after I swap the motor and ESC, that should shave off an additional 229 grams.

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Note: For posterity, these are my setups based on how I drive, but the references above should be useful for anyone that are looking to take the same path.


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You are a track guy no doubt. Understanding it well.
Refereshing to see this at AF.
That 5600 mah 4s CNHL fits like a glove, and makes the TLRT so perfectly balanced, the crossweight and all. Near 50/50% F-R and Across.