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Team Associated RC10 FWD Midship Buggy

Would anyone take on the challenge of crafting or thinking about a Team Associated RC10 midship front-wheel drive buggy concept? My inspiration comes from the first (and only?) production FWD Kyosho Maxxum buggy made in 1988. There have been other efforts toward making front-wheel drive buggies over the decades (mostly derived in Japan I think) with nearly all the designs with the motor hanging in the front. I personally like the forward Mid-motor design of the Kyosho Maxxum.

1988 is a long time ago. How would you design a contemporary front-wheel buggy today? If we keep it Associated perhaps reversing a laydown RC10B6.4 to the front might be a start for a low LCG. Wonder what ya'll would consider doing.

Take a look here:

https://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=42755

Amain Bullet had the Maxxum beat by a year and was very competitive locally. This was why front wheel drive was made to run with 4wd. Here is your front wheel drive rc10
https://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?t=32179

Coincidentally, Joksa just posted a photo that included this bit:

GoMachV wrote: ↑Thu Jan 05, 2023 9:28 pm Amain Bullet had the Maxxum beat by a year and was very competitive locally. This was why front wheel drive was made to run with 4wd. Here is your front wheel drive rc10 https://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?t=32179

This post of the Amain Bullet was VERY cool history. Thanks for saving the manual. This might have influenced Kyosho's design in the late 80s who knows? Mr. Graphite's Midship FWD buggy engineering design is so creative and innovative. The golden period of trying new engineering ideas and abilities back then. It was cool to know this was a kit for the vintage RC10!

I appreciate the funky insect designs of FWD concept buggies out there today. Maybe that is the best handling design so far. The motor in front would serve as a strong bumper too. I'm a big fan of the look of a midship design no matter how it handles though--just like the short-lived Maxxum. Perhaps inspired by the midship FWD design of the Amain Bullet and Kyosho Maxxum, how would an RC10B6 series be reimagined in 2023?

The engine in front allows more forward weight and simplifies the steering set up since you don't have to pass any bellcranks/links under the motor. A mid motor set up like the Bullet or Maxxum would need to raise the motor, and that raises the center of gravity. Or, an alternative to raising the motor would be to move the motor further back to the middle of the car then use a belt or a shaft to the front transmission. The Nichimo Spirit FF did that. A modern interpretation might look something like a reversed Kyosho RZ6, or a Awesomatix A800FX touring car.

I had completely forgotten about the Orb racing cars. Here is a great video on them

I've been thinking of an SG Coyote based FF design with the motor mounted forward of the centre line but still mid ish .

Dadio wrote: ↑Sat Jan 07, 2023 3:11 am I've been thinking of an SG Coyote based FF design with the motor mounted forward of the centre line but still mid ish .

I have thought about doing the same thing! The symmetrical design of the chassis would make it easy. There’s just enough room around the spur gear area to mount the steering with some slight trimming.

Did some searching after Gomach's post and looks like ORB has done the behind-the-front shock tower FWD buggy concept with some nice results. https://www.facebook.com/orbracing
The front midship design has been the best-performing FWD design so far so that is one mystery solved.
I have to get used to the alien insect appearance.

My understanding is that the trailing arm set up on cars like the Ryuz buggy, and that Orb was to counteract the understeer characteristics of fwd set-ups with the oversteer characteristics of trailing arms. On modern high-bite carpet tracks trailing arms might not be as necessary. I've often read it mentioned that there's "too much steering" on modern carpet tracks.