What are they?
These setup tools allow you to quickly and easily adjust the toe and camber on a variety of 1:10 scale radio control vehicles. Also available is a set of camber gauges and a longer set of plates to suit Stadium Trucks and Short Course Trucks with their wider stance. Available in 3 fluorescent colours there is an option to please most people, but not get lost in your pit bag. Those being Yellow, Pink and the Green set that is pictured in this review.
The Review
Basically, the do the job very well at a fraction of the time and cost of a Huddy setup station. Yes you are only measuring Toe and Camber, however they are two of the most adjusted settings on most race cars.
The camber gauges took me a minute to work out which corner was which angle on the three double sided gauges. Then I realised that 1 large hole was for 1 degree, 1 large 1 small for 1.5 degrees etc up to 3 degrees, and a square hole for 0 degrees. I have the Mini Camber Gauges on test at the moment which consist of 3 pieces, or there is the larger unit which is only 2 pieces, but is physically larger to store.
The Toe and Camber sets look very professional, and fit very well to the vehicle. Measuring the camber is much simpler of these setup wheels than having tyres & wheels attached to the vehicle at the time. The toe measurement is as simple as selecting the degree measure noted on one one side of the three bars, and adjusting until the blocks sit flush with the measurement plate.
If you have a wider Short Course Truck or Stadium Truck, you can either purchase a wider set, or you can purchase the longer plates to go with the standard set you already have. We have both versions on test at the moment. Costs of the units vary from $15.95 for a set of Mini Camber Gauges, to $25.50 for a pair of camber setup wheels, or $56 for the Toe & Camber set. There is also a 4 piece Toe set available for $49.95 (prices correct at the time of publication).
Where can I get them?
You can get them from 720 Spin directly, or through Traction RC. If you want your local hobby store to stock these, then make sure you point them to the 720 Spin website at http://www.720spin.com.au/
Photos
Final Thoughts
These are a great product, and about the only down side is that I found that I scratched them when sliding them across my garage floor. Yes, I should have been on a table so mostly my own fault, but they will scratch over time and use. However the trade off is a lower cost than a carbon fibre unit, as well as the ability to see through the parts themselves. If you are after some basic setup tools these are certainly worth looking into.
The 2nd part of my review will come next week looking at how they work over a major race weekend, as well as how they go on my Short Course Truck and Stadium Truck.
A huge thankyou needs to go out to the crew at 720 Spin in Melbourne for sending me these awesome products to test. We look forward to seeing what other innovative products they come up with.
Aussie RC 