8IGHT-XE Elite Tuning Guide

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Front Kick-Up
Front Kick-Up is adjusted by changing the pills in the A and/or B blocks. Kick up is the
angle of the inner front hinge pins relative to the fl at chassis plane. With 0/0 pills in the
A/B blocks, the kick up is 12°.
• More Kick-Up – increases weight transfer on/off the front end when braking/
accelerating, increases off-power steering and forward traction, improves absorption
of bumps.
• Less Kick Up – decreases weight transfer on/off the front end when braking/
accelerating, decreases off-power steering and forward traction, worsens absorption
of bumps.
Caster
Caster is the angle kingpins are displaced from the vertical axis of the front wheels.
Caster on this vehicle is the combination of the kick-up angle and the spindle carrier
angle.
Example:
0/0 pills in the A & B blocks = 12°
17.5° Spindle Carrier = 17.5°
12° + 17.5° = 29.5° caster
• More Caster - decreases initial steering, good on bumpy tracks.
• Less Caster - increases steering, allows freer suspension movement.
Bump Steer
Bump Steer is the change in front toe throughout the front suspension travel. Bump
steer is affected by caster changes also. Bump steer is adjusted by the washer height
between the rod end and drag link and/or the rod end and the steering arm. More
washer height (steering turnbuckle more parallel to suspension arm) has less bump out.
Less washer height, more bump out.
• More Bump Out – smoother steering, decreases steering corner exit, good for bumpy
tracks.
• Less Bump Out – more direct steering, increases steering corner exit.
Ackerman
Ackerman is the difference in steering angle between the inside tire and outside tire
turning throughout the steering throw. Ackerman is adjusted by changing the mounting
hole used on the drag link for the steering turnbuckle.
• Ackerman, least to most – Front, Middle, Rear holes on draglink
• Less Ackerman – decreases initial steering, increases steering mid corner to corner
exit.
• More Ackerman - increases initial steering, decreases steering mid corner to corner
exit.
Rear Toe
Rear Toe In is adjusted by changing pills in the D block.
• Less Toe In - increases wheelbase, decreases rear traction, increases top speed.
• More Toe In - increases forward traction corner exit, increases off-power steering,
increases braking stability.
Rear Anti-Squat:
Anti-squat is adjusted changing pills in the C block. Anti-squat is the angle of the inner
rear hinge pins relative to the fl at chassis plane.
• More Anti-Squat – decreases side-to-side roll on the rear, improves height off jumps,
improves rear traction under acceleration.
• Less Anti-Squat – decreases off-power steering and side-to-side roll on the rear,
improves acceleration in small bumps, increases rear traction off-throttle.
Wheelbase:
Wheelbase is adjusted by moving the rear hub spacing within the rear arm. Hubs
forward for a shorter wheelbase or hubs rearward for a longer wheelbase.
• Shorter Wheelbase – increases on-power rear traction, increases off-power steering,
increases rear weight transfer, generally better on tight or slick tracks
• Longer Wheelbase – increases on-power steering, decreases off-power steering,
increases stability, improves bump handling
*Wheelbase characteristics can sometimes also be affected by the type rear driveshafts.
When changing rear driveshaft types, test wheelbase settings again.
Track Width:
Track width is adjusted by changing the width of the wheel hexes, front and/or rear.
Wider:
• Front – slows steering response, decreases front traction, decreases traction rolling.
• Rear – quickens steering response, increases front traction.
Narrower:
• Front – increases traction corner exit, decreases high speed stability.
• Rear – increases traction corner entry, increases high speed stability.
Sway Bars:
Sway bars help control the side to side sway (roll) of the chassis and distribute load from
the inside wheel to the outside wheel.
Front
• Thinner - increases off-power traction, decreases on-power steering.
• Thicker - decreases off-power traction, smoother steering corner entry, increases
on-power steering.
Rear
• Thinner - increases traction, decreases on-power steering.
• Thicker - increases stability mid corner, increases on-power steering, increases
stability on high speed, high traction tracks.
Rear Wing:
The wing mount can mount the wing higher or lower, forward or rearward.
• High – increases traction at high speed and on-power.
• Low – increases stability at low speed from the lower center of gravity.
• Forward – decreases rotation, decreases rear swing weight
• Back – increases rotation corner exit, increases forward traction at high speed.
Arm Inserts:
Arm inserts help to control the amount a suspension arm fl exes. Arms can use no insert,
composite insert, or carbon insert and that is the order from most fl exible to least
fl exible.
Front
• More Flex – more defl ection off of bumps, increases steering.
• Less Flex – decreases steering, more consistent bump handling.
• Rear
• More Flex - increases lateral traction, less consistent line.
• Less Flex – less lateral traction, ability to choose line more consistently.
Chassis Flex:
Chassis fl ex can be altered by changing the chassis rib or changing the engine mount.
The engine mount can be run with the 5th screw or most forward screw in or with it out,
or with the right side mount on the left or fi nger removed.
Chassis Rib
• None – most fl ex, most lateral traction, least consistent lines, jump landing
decreases.
• Carbon – middle fl ex, good lateral traction, good consistent lines, good jump landing.
• Aluminum – least fl ex, ok lateral traction, best jump landing.
Engine Mount
• 5th screw in – least fl ex, consistent jump landing, ok lateral traction
• 5th screw out/fi nger removed – good lateral traction
Driveshafts:
Driveshafts control the power to the wheels and the amount of bind or lock up of the
suspension when power is applied or removed. The front can use either a CVA or a
universal. The rear can use a CVA universal, or DCVA.
Front
• CVA – Keeps the front end fl atter, good in higher traction surfaces, good in smooth
surfaces.
• Universal – Smoother steering exiting corner, better in bumps.
Rear
• CVA – Good on very smooth surfaces, least amount of lateral grip.
• Universal – Good on semi smooth to bumpy surfaces, produce most lateral grip.
• DCVA – Adjustable for various surfaces due to pin position being able to change,
typically good for medium to high grip situations, provides more support. See setup
sheet for pin locations. Pin 1 provides the most exit lateral grip and on power grip,
pin 3 provides the most entry and off power grip.
Battery Position:
Battery position can be moved forward and rearward in the battery mounting area.
• Forward – Decreases swing weight, more steering from front end.
• Rearward – Increase swing weight, increases rotation at exit of corner.