Tamiya Hornet at the track

I threw some slicks on the back of my Hornet and took it to the local track to see what it could do just for the heck of it.

Initial thoughts: 

• The stock motor is slow, but decent enough for the Hornet.  There were only two small jumps I could make, the rest I had to roll over.
• High traction is not its friend.  The Hornet is tall and narrow, and traction rolls easily.  It works better in low traction.
• Stock springs are too stiff.  Damping is probably OK, but the front springs are way too stiff.  Rear springs are too stiff with the preload spacer, definitely take those off.  A lot of people say the springs are too soft and that’s why it’s bouncy, but actually the opposite is true:  the springs are too stiff.
• Ride height is too tall.  The buggy is very light, especially in the front, and with stiff springs it sits all the way up all the time.
• Braking is OK with the stock ESC and there is tons of weight on the rear, so the rear end doesn’t break loose, but with the very light diff action the steering can get pretty squirrelly.
  

I’m going to work on suspension a little bit, softening the springs and running a lower ride height should help.