Rock Crawler vs Rock Racer?

[KROGOTH]

Whats the key differences, primarily in setups, between a rock racer and a rock crawler? Obviously a rock racer is meant to go faster, but beyond that, what are the differences?

[dieselfuel]

a racer needs to sit lower for more stability. they need sprung suspension as well, droop setups don't handle jumps too well, lots of travel is a plus.

[cruiserkb]

Rock racers have a few main differences than crawlers.

1. They tend to have a longer wheel base. Not a huge amount but enough to make them more stable at speeds.

2. They tend to not have as much weight in the wheels. With the added wheel speed the lighter weight gets the centrifugal mass down and is easier to control the rig.

3. Weight tends to be more central to the chassis or slightly to the rear, as in the case of the rear engine racers.

4. They tend to have a little less articulation. This keeps the body roll to a minimum when cornering at speeds.

5. The shocks tend to be sprung and not in a droop configuration. This allows the rig to absorb more of the terrain at speeds.

These are just a few of the many differences that there are. It all comes down to how you drive the rig. You will find what works best in both applications as you find your driving style. You will also find that allot of the rigs have found a happy medium and work well in both categories.

Hope this helps!

[2500hdon37s]

also so they are more tubers because they can handle the abuse better

[KROGOTH]

Interesting. Right now theres not alot to crawl on out where Im posted here in Iraq. Once I get the parts Ive ordered for my Axial, and the links and alum. tube chassis Im about to order, Im thinking about putting it all together leaning more towards being a rock racer type vehicle that can do some crawling. I dont know yet though. I will have two sets of shocks the stock shocks that come with the ARTR and a set of STRC Aluminum shocks for a droop setup. I know I may have to change my spur and pinion gearing if I choose, its not very fast at all with my Novak Goat.

Im gonna wait until I get everything together to make a decision though.

[Harley]

Originally Posted by cruiserkb

1. They tend to have a longer wheel base. Not a huge amount but enough to make them more stable at speeds.

I don't know that I would agree with that. I would say that a lot if not most rock racers are 12.5" or less. Since there is no competition class people just go with what fits or looks good.

Originally Posted by 2500hdon37s

also so they are more tubers because they can handle the abuse better

I the choice for tubers is more because they look good, tubers don't really take abuse better. They bend and brake probably more than a TVP does, and are definitely harder to fix. My rock racers have usually been tubers or hybrid tubers.