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Touring car racing is a lot of fun and gets even better as you gain experience behind the wheel. Your lap times will get quicker and quicker as you become more accustom to your car’s handling characteristics and clock more time on the racetrack. A key to being successful in touring car (TC) racing is getting your car properly setup. The majority of dialing-in a touring car is accomplished by tuning the chassis by making adjustments to things like the suspension, ride height, weight distribution, gear ratio, etc. One aspect of dialing-in a touring car that we frequently see neglected at the track is with the body itself. There are a few things that you can do to your TC body that will translate into faster lap times, increased durability and improved overall performance. A go-to company that specializes in on-road products, especially touring cars is PROTOform. PROTOform has a long history in the RC industry as well as plenty of racing experience to pull from to create useful, high-quality products for on-road racing. Here we tell you what things you can do to your TC body to make it better for racing utilizing products from our friends at PROTOform.
Selecting the correct touring car body for the job is a key component in having a properly dialed-in racecar. Some bodies are created specifically for a certain class of TC racing and/or track conditions. Whether it be modified or stock class, type of grip on the track as well as the type of surface it is. For example the PROTOform Type-S body shown here is intended for the modified class or any other track condition/class where more grip is needed. The Type-S is molded from PROTOform’s high-quality, super-durable polycarbonate and was designed with rigidity taken into consideration as well as rear grip. Like all of PROTOform’s bodies, the Type-S includes a PROTOform decal sheet, window masks, overspray film and metric wing mounting hardware.
Once you have your touring car body selected there are some modifications you can add to make it even better. Keep in mind that the type of track you race on and the chassis you use will determine how and what you install onto the body.
First up are the PROTOform 1:10 Fender & Body Post Protectors – item no. 6290-01. One package includes both fender and body post protectors which are die cut to perfectly form around fenders and body post holes and are ready for use. You can either use them to repair a crack on a TC body or add them right away to increase its durability and rigidity not to mention protecting the paint job. The material has a thickness of .012-inches, is extra-tough, super sticky and pliable enough to follow nearly any body contour. Use them on the outside or inside of the fender or both if you want even more protection. Like the fender protectors, the body post protectors are meant to be placed around the body post holes which reinforces a typically weak part of the body during a crash and will help keep the paint from being scratched off. The package includes four fender protectors and eight body post hole protectors along with some spare material that can be used for other spots on the body.
Touring cars, especially the ones the run in the mod class are hitting incredibly high speeds. Fast enough to cause the body to deflect and cause unwanted fluttering. Installing a set of PROTOform Anti-Tuck Body Stiffeners (item no. 1721-00) will remedy this issue. They will also keep the body from getting tucked behind the rear wheel thus ending your chances for a top podium position. Made from super-stiff polycarbonate, one Anti-Tuck Body Stiffener gets fastened to the inside of the rear of your 190mm touring car body. It is held in place with three screws and nuts that are included in the package. The stiffeners only weigh 4.5 grams so weight biased adjustments are minimized. Two stiffeners are included in one package along with enough mounting hardware for both and a PROTOform decal sheet.
Although polycarbonate touring car bodies are pretty rigid, the front end can be deflected when faced with high speed aero loads. This can lead to cracked fenders as well as hinder the aerodynamic effect of the body as it cuts through the air. Eliminate this issue by adding PROTOform Body Support Foam (item no. 6289-00) which fills in the gap between the front bumper of the chassis and the inside of your race body. Each package of PROTOform Body Support Foam includes four pieces of 9mm foam blocks and four pieces of the 2mm foam strips. Use the 2mm thick strips to fine tune the gap in smaller increments where it can be cut to fit or stacked on one another. Each piece of foam is backed by a very sticky adhesive so that it stays in place whether you are attaching it to the inside of the body or onto the bumper on the chassis.
The rear wing is the greatest tuning option for a touring car. PROTOform offers the Pro-TC Wing Kit (item no. 1720-00) for 190mm electric touring cars. Twenty years of aerodynamics experience has led PROTOform to the development of this wing kit which includes two wings with different levels of downforce…one for high downforce and one for standard downforce with enough endplates for both wings. They are molded from extra stiff .040” polycarbonate for low deflection under high downforce loads.
For the TS18 Pre-Cut Wing Kit (item no. 1728-07), PROTOform has done the work for you and sells this wing already cut out and ready to be installed on your 190mm electric touring car. It takes its design from the Type-S PROTOform race body but adds extra thickness to reduce deflection yet provides a neutral feel…perfect for almost any track surface. Included with the TS18 wing are pre-cut 40x20mm endplates, double-sided tape and mounting hardware.
As a back-up at the track, PROTOform sells this Pre-Cut TC Wing Endplates (item no. 1727-00) package. It is great to have on hand to replace lost or damaged endplates. The package includes 10 pre-cut end-plates that are die-cut toe IFMAR specs of 40x20mm. Just add your own double-sided tape and you will be back in the action in no time.
The PROTOform TC Wing Mount Set (item no. 1730-03) is a nice alternative over relying on just the head of a button-head screw to keep the rear wing secure. The Wing Mount Set is lightweight and offers a low profile design while providing a larger surface area to hold the wing against the wing standoffs. They are made of durable black nylon and require two M3x6 flat head screws for installation. Notice the clever teardrop shape of what acts as the ‘nut’ which fits perfectly inside of the wing standoff. Once the screw is threaded into it, it is unable to rotate inside of the standoff and become loose. You can install the Wing Mount Set in a matter of minutes.
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