Tamiya TRF419 LPXR Super low towers for 20mm springs

Since the release of the TRF419LP 25mm spring Low profile towers I have had a lot of people reporting on how they are enjoying them, I have also had several requests for an even lower set. This is probably because of people seeing the TRF420 prototype cars running X-Ray short shocks.

Well I had originally worked on low towers for the TRF mini shocks, but I soon discounted them as I am not a fan of short springs, that is why I developed the other versions as they use 25mm length springs which are always going to give a better ride when not on a perfectly smooth surface. However as I have had many requests I thought I would do a separate set for those people who want to run 20mm springs, or fit X-Ray short shocks.

The RCR TRF419LPXR towers

I spoke to a friend who runs X-Rays and got the measurements for those shocks and revised the towers. The X-Ray shocks are even shorter than the Short TRF ones but not by a huge amount. I then sent the parts out to fibrelyte to get a test sample.

Bench Test

(Update 2018- These towers work with 42354 Tamiya SSBB super short big bore shocks) I do not have any X-Ray short shocks to test on these so I used my TRF Short shocks. 

At first I used the short Mini springs to check that you can still get less than 5mm ride height (The minimum sanctioned carpet height) with these fitted.

The front low towers

The front was fine and with these springs (And the TRF419 spring adjusters) I was able to get the full range of movement, and drop the front to below 5mm.

Masaki Saitou X-Ray spec ;)

The rear was next and again I was able to get the ride height below 5mm with the adjusters near the very top of the shock.  (as an aside I found these springs to be 20.8mm tall).

You need to shave 0.5mm of the top of the rear lower shock ball connector

The only thing I noticed is that the rear when fully compressed was 0.5mm off the ground. This is because the tower was designed for the even shorter Xray shocks, so it is fine with those. If you want to use the TRF short shocks (Or mini shocks) (This can be resolved by shaving 0.5mm of the top off the lower ball connector (V5) on both the rear shocks.) , as there is enough travel. It is just the thickness of the spring retainer that stops hit moving until it hits the ground.

Shaved that off and there is not any chance of contact with the body mounts.

The only other thing that I noticed is that if you want to have the bodyshell fittings the same you may need to shave a little of the body mounts. I actually did not have any issues (it was close though) but I run a short wheelbase for my local technical track. If you do not want to shave it (Although I cannot understand why) You can obviously swap the bodymount to the other side of the shock tower, but you will need to make new holes in the shell.

Track Test

Luckily the parts arrived just before my weekly club race. I mounted them to the car and took it down the track for a test-run. The car felt good, not really any more positive than with the other towers, but it was still pretty easy to drive, although I could find it a little too keen to throw the rear end out.

The first race I was quite a bit down on my usual times. I was a little flustered and I was limited to spring choice (I only had TRF mini springs). I made a few little set-up changes (removed the centre post screw, and moved the front shocks out one on the tower). This made a bit more difference and the car was feeling much better. However I was still down on the other two top guys.

How low can you go?

I tried one more time with the current set-up. I did feel that I was limited because of the springs however, but the car did feel very locked on on the slow infield sections, but it was really not very quick on the faster corners. It could be because the springs were too soft (TRF blue) but it was the best I had.

For the last race I fitted my original TRF419LP, and the Yokomo Blue springs. The car was instantly quicker on the three faster corners. I managed to come from the back to chase down the leader for most of the race. He was steadfast on his line however and even thought I was all over the back of him I couldn't find a way past. My best lap time was 0.4 seconds quicker with this set-up.

Next week I will have a set of X-ray springs that I can test, so I will give this tower set another go. Obviously there will be more speed when I have springs that are better suited to the track and racing conditions.

Update - Here are the towers with Xray shocks fitted :)

Ready for the EWS

Three towers!

not it's not a new Lord of the Rings story, here is a look at the front and rear towers options that I now have available to me when racing

Gotta like Carbon and Tamiya Blue

The front towers all together. The original parts, The TRF419LP towers and these TRF419LPXR towers

The rear bodypost needs to be longer as you go lower on the towers.

The Rear towers. Again the original, The TRF419LP towers and the TRF419LPXR towers.

Ordering your own set of TRF419 LPXR towers 20mm springs

Like the other towers, you can order these directly from Fibrelyte. in the link below. These are the 20mm versions.

http://www.fibre-lyte.co.uk/fl/cars/tamiya/trf419.html

Email  sales@fibre-lyte.co.uk

If you put this in the title 'TheRcRacer TRF419 low profile XR towers for 20mm springs'

You can list the parts you are after and will need to give your address so they can calculate the postage and send you a paypal payment request.

Cost 
These are for fellow TRF racers, I am not taking anything for these, they are a thank you for all of the people who have helped follow this site. You simply pay for the cost of producing the parts, there is no middle man. The cost the whole pack works out around £14.10 for the pair of shocks not including shipping.

Disclaimer and thanks

These have been made as a contribution to the TRF419 racing community. There is no profit for myself and the parts can be ordered directly via Fibrelyte. These are just a tuning aid, Some may find them to work well, others may not. Every track / driving style is different so do  not expect a golden bullet.

Thanks to the drivers that have given me some feedback on the other projects and also information of parts (such as X-ray shock lengths etc), and also to Steve at Fibre-Lyte who helped me with some of the initial drawings.

As mentioned before, these are a community project which I have invested in designing and manufacturing for my fellow racers, so please let's share feedback and set-ups and I can try to refine or design other parts in the future :)