The last decade has seen numerous manufacturers creating 2wd 1/10th buggy conversion kits. The primary function of these geometry changing options has been to move the motor position from the decades old traditional position of 'hanging out the rear', to the now acknowledged winning position of 'mid-motor'. The goal with all of these 2wd conversion kits is to bring the motor position in front of the rear driven axles thus reducing any 'pendulum action' caused by the weight of the motor at the rear, and also to bring the cars centre of rotational inertia closer to the centre of the chassis. This format proves amazingly successful on European high grip astro, carpet, and grass tracks. Other 2wd conversions have also attempted to address other handling features such as length of stock wheelbase, width of chassis, and configuration of lipo battery layouts for optimum weight bias. It is true to say that past conversions have been hugely successful within the racing fraternity. So much so that the sight of a 'traditional' rear motor buggy on a track with high grip levels is as much of a rarity these days as stumbling across a hen with a full set of teeth.
Of course, it is widely understood that rear motor buggy layouts are still number one when it comes to our dust chucking friends over in the states, and the welcome addition of a few very nicely created 'dirt' tracks here in the U.K are sure to keep the old school formats rolling every weekend. I lose count of the amount of top flight national racers who I speak to that when asked what their favourite surface to race on is, I am met with a very loud and resounding reply...."Dirt Stu...it's the best".
Now we must keep in mind that a great deal of the factory team drivers who compete at the very highest level are fortunate enough to frequently travel the globe during their racing season. This obviously presents them with a wider variety of track surfaces and ultimately car requirements to tackle. We snap back to the rest of the flourishing racing community and I think I speak for most readers when I say, a vast number of the race meetings that I find myself competing in are based on either a mixture of, or solely one of, grass, carpet, or high grip astro turf. Hence the on-going success of the 'mid-motor' 2wd buggy layout year after year.
The dedicated team of racers and engineers at U.K based RC manufacturer Rudebits have recently released a 2wd buggy conversion that has successfully spun the format of 'in-board' motor configuration on it's head, and in doing so has also managed to do a very nice head spin like a seasoned breakdancer from the 1980's. The Rudebits DB1 is the brain child of racer and professional engineer David Burton. He has worked alongside a team of some of the best off-road racers and designers to grace our scene in creating what looks to be....The rudest transformation yet. Let us take a closer look at how this super fast new buggy has been put together, and then we will explore in a future article just what is needed to build your own DB1 rocket.
David has been driving for Kyosho for some time and although he had experimented with other 'mid-motor' transformations, he was sure that the strong and reliable composite parts from his Kyosho cars would be the perfect platform to develop what would be the most unusual 2wd buggy conversion to date.
David chose to develop the new chassis by basing the first proto-types around the already highly successful and much loved RB5 2wd and Lazer 4wd platforms.
The RB5 has been a Kyosho cult classic for many racers and this buggy provided David and the team with a super strong and mechanically smooth front end to work with.
Now far from just bolting a 2wd front end and a 4wd rear end onto a new chassis platform, David and the team had already decided that some very unique design attributes would be required to make the new car super fast, and not just in the hands of the top 1% of racers...but for everybody who raced it. David has decided that he wanted to advance the already successful concept of the cars power source being placed in front of the driven axles, or as we all now know it 'mid-motored'. He decided to bring the motor position forward in the chassis layout and in some ways mimic the layout of a traditional 4wd platform. The DB1 motor position will really catch many racers out upon closer inspection as it sits no less than 3.5 inches from the front of the chassis! Add to this unusual motor layout the fact that the motor runs vertically up the chassis from rear to nose rather than transversely, and we can begin to understand that David's plans were already moving quickly forward.
Take a quick look at the example below and you will see that at first glance you would be forgiven for thinking that besides the slim front end proportions, you were actually looking at a 4wd buggy...not so.
The motor position presented David with a few interesting challenges. From his previous experiences of 'Transformer' conversions, David knew that he wanted to bring drive from the motor back to the rear gearbox by means of a prop shaft, the likes of which we are all very used to seeing inside a traditional 4wd buggy. The team began to experiment with this concept and found that adding weight around the prop shaft construction made the transition of power super smooth and the test cars would apply vast amounts of forward traction whilst staying straight and true under large amounts of throttle input. Decision tested and confirmed.
Now it will be clear to most experienced racers that to achieve this transfer of drive by means of a prop shaft that the rear gearbox assembly would have to have a forward facing outdrive to receive the prop shaft. Correct, the rear gearbox halves and all internals are straight from the Lazer 4wd. Job done very nicely. The slipper clutch assembly sits exactly where you would expect it to on a 4wd buggy and can be found snuggly positioned under a beautifully crafted top deck next to the motor.
The conversion had already proven itself under testing conditions and the team, that includes national podium faces such as Kev Lee and Tony Evdoka, set about hammering literaly hundreds of hours of track time through the new platform. Tony himself actually testifies to stripping the skin off his thumbs after running battery pack after battery pack through the buggy to make sure that every little tweak and adjustment in the conversion was spot on. David was working away behind the scenes to ensure that the conversion was not only fast on the track, but due to the unusual requirements to actually create the car, that every last screw and nut fitted perfectly. One advantage of having several other Kyosho drivers testing the new car was that the wealth of experience with each composite part could be put together and allows each driver a chance to focus on the overall performace of the new platform. Tony, who is the boss of Rudebits, began testing the addition of his world famous brass weights to create a buggy that was planted and very safe to drive. The kit now comes with the brass weights that the team use as part of the purchase. Add to this the fact that Rudebits will actually convert your Lazer prop shaft and slipper assembly, adding the brass weight required as part of welcoming you to the DB1 team, and you can see that a team driver mentality runs straight through this now commercially available kit.
Join me shortly in my next feature to explore the parts that are needed to create your very own version of this wonderful buggy. Stay tuned for a very special interview with the man who not only dreamt up this astro ripping conversion, but also members of the team who continue to win all over the country with the DB1 every week.
To learn more about how you can own the Rudebits DB1 visit here: www.rudebits.co.uk
Check out everything Kyosho and a whole host of other cool RC products here: www.insidelineracing.co.uk
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