Several things attribute to poor side walling ability in a rig.
First off Side walling the the ability to drive the rig with all 4 tires on a sideways incline. The steeper the angle your rig can hang to the side the better your ability.
Lets start out by reminding everyone that there is no perfect setup. and driving style attributes a lot to what works for each individual. These setup notes on side walling
Im just gonna list a few items that trial and error have been shown to make a significant difference in side walling
Lower your center of Gravity on your rig (CG). This is basic common sense, for every 1/4" lower your CG is, will give you around 2* of ability.
Stiffen the suspension: In shocked rigs the shock play an important roll is side wall ability lighter springs and heavier oil slow down the shock motion and attribute to more stability. The softer springs will also have less tendancy to PUSH your rig over as the suspension on the uphill side unloads
Limit DROOP: Limiting Droop on your rig will give you the largest benefit after dropping the CG. As you limit the amount of down travel of your shocks you also limit the amount of UNLOADING the suspension can do. Limiting droop will also benefit torque twist a ton.
Limit the amount of moving unsprung weight: If you have a lot of weight in the tires that can move and shift while your tires are rotating it can have a drastic effect on shifting your CG. When I went from airsoft and BB's in the tires to stick on weights around the center of the rim I effectively stopped any shifting unsprung weight and made the rig totally predictable in side wall situations
Widen your track. This is probably the least important of the list, and simple to understand the wider it is the more stable it is and the less effect that shifting unsprung weight has overall.
Stiffen your sidewalls on the tires. This makes a major difference. Using good full height foams on the sidewalls will decrease the amount that the downhill tire can roll under the rig. This has 2 benefits. First it keeps the ride height of the downhill side stable, when the tire rolls onto its sidewall you have lost traction and ride height on that tire, and increased the tendency to slip, you have also increased the CG by the amount of height lost by the sidewall rolling under.
Lighten the Load The lighter the rig the less overall effect shifting weight will have.
My current rig has 2.25" of ground clearance, 12.25" wheelbase. track outside to outside of tires is 9 3/4"
My current setup in testing has about 60* of total travel with only 1/4" of droop at each corner and about 1 1/2" of up travel.
These are basically notes taken from building around 15 different style of rigs and some apply to only suspended rigs and some to all. Hope this experience helps someone. Just remember each change you make will have effect on other characteristics on the rig
First off Side walling the the ability to drive the rig with all 4 tires on a sideways incline. The steeper the angle your rig can hang to the side the better your ability.
Lets start out by reminding everyone that there is no perfect setup. and driving style attributes a lot to what works for each individual. These setup notes on side walling
Im just gonna list a few items that trial and error have been shown to make a significant difference in side walling
Lower your center of Gravity on your rig (CG). This is basic common sense, for every 1/4" lower your CG is, will give you around 2* of ability.
Stiffen the suspension: In shocked rigs the shock play an important roll is side wall ability lighter springs and heavier oil slow down the shock motion and attribute to more stability. The softer springs will also have less tendancy to PUSH your rig over as the suspension on the uphill side unloads
Limit DROOP: Limiting Droop on your rig will give you the largest benefit after dropping the CG. As you limit the amount of down travel of your shocks you also limit the amount of UNLOADING the suspension can do. Limiting droop will also benefit torque twist a ton.
Limit the amount of moving unsprung weight: If you have a lot of weight in the tires that can move and shift while your tires are rotating it can have a drastic effect on shifting your CG. When I went from airsoft and BB's in the tires to stick on weights around the center of the rim I effectively stopped any shifting unsprung weight and made the rig totally predictable in side wall situations
Widen your track. This is probably the least important of the list, and simple to understand the wider it is the more stable it is and the less effect that shifting unsprung weight has overall.
Stiffen your sidewalls on the tires. This makes a major difference. Using good full height foams on the sidewalls will decrease the amount that the downhill tire can roll under the rig. This has 2 benefits. First it keeps the ride height of the downhill side stable, when the tire rolls onto its sidewall you have lost traction and ride height on that tire, and increased the tendency to slip, you have also increased the CG by the amount of height lost by the sidewall rolling under.
Lighten the Load The lighter the rig the less overall effect shifting weight will have.
My current rig has 2.25" of ground clearance, 12.25" wheelbase. track outside to outside of tires is 9 3/4"
My current setup in testing has about 60* of total travel with only 1/4" of droop at each corner and about 1 1/2" of up travel.
These are basically notes taken from building around 15 different style of rigs and some apply to only suspended rigs and some to all. Hope this experience helps someone. Just remember each change you make will have effect on other characteristics on the rig
