Fray Car Tuning
By Tim Leppert
Here we go guys, Let’s
talk shoes.
Tools needed:
Flat settup plate
Tweezers
Duck billed pliers
Shoe Sanding block
Small flat blade scewdriver
First off: choices, choices.
Let’s list the options we have.
#1 stock Aurora shoes, We all have a bunch of them, heavy weight, won’t get bent
in a rail hook, legal pretty much everywere.
#2 early Aurora small window. These are VERY hard to find, but they are
different. I’m not shure they are an advantadge, but they do weigh a little more
than stockers.
#3 BSRT: The first to repop shoes. They are very light weight and can be easy to
set up. They also can be delicate in a wreck, and require and totally different
spring settup.
#4 Slottech: The second to try his hand at the shoes. They are very similar to
BSRTs offering. The hook area is different, but they also are delicate and thin.
#5 Wizzard: The most recent entry into the sweepstakes, and the most different
from any came before. They are wider, and thicker gauge copper. The hook area is
VERY similar to what I will try to get you to do with the other offerings.
( In the spirit of full disclosure, this writer had a small hand in the design,
and manufacturing recommendations of the Wizzard offering. I will try to be as
evenhanded in my tips and adjustments.)
The main goal here is to lower lap times, and make your car more of a winner. So
you need to try different things and think outside the box. Don’t be afraid to
mix it up from left to right. And from manufacturer to manufacturer.
The first thing to star with is the hangers. Be sure they are tight on the
rivets, and they are clean.
Let’s do stockers first: 
Choose a set that has not been screwed with and is clean and free from
corrosion. We will need to pay very close attention to the hook area.
Find a stock shoe spring, unmolested, and install your shoe. Look at the chassis
from the side, there are three area we will be changing. The hook, the area
where the spring makes contact, and the very front, or “window”.
We will also be adjusting the hanger in two ways. As you look from the side, the
gap between the plastic and the copper, and as you look from the bottom, the
“twist” of the hanger.
Now as you can tell by now, there are multiple adjustments. Just do one thing at
a time, and you will be rewarded.
First thing to try is the hook. Remove the shoe, take your pliers, and grab the
tail. Bend the tail so it points straight down. Reinstall the shoe and check
your adjustment by trying to move the shoe from left to right. You want this
movement to be as minimal as possible.
If there is too much, you will need to bend the hanger down, towards the
plastic. Remove the shoe, Place your screwdriver into the hanger window and
gently bend the front end of the hanger down. Just go a little at first, at try
the shoe for fit, repeat as needed, until the shoe has free up and down movement
and small side to side movement.
Be VERY carefull when you are bending the hanger, it very easy to break the
hanger so go slow!
This adjustment can be maddening, so be patient. You will probably go thru a
couple of shoes before you figure it out, That’s why we start on stockers, they
are cheap.
Once you get this where you want it, it’s time for the limiting bend. This
limit’s the travel and is also a very important adjustment. Once again, grab
your pliers and stand the shoe on the tail, pointing straight up. You are
looking down the shoe, thru the window. Grab the very top of the copper, lining
up the tip of the pliers with the top of the opening, then bend the tag so it
points forward, bend it as far as you can,
we will end up with this tag folded over, forming a hem.
Now, you can simply install the shoe and spring and adjust for contact as
normal. At this point be sure to get the twist right, this sets the flatness in
the left to right plane. Then manipulate the tag so you have the limit you want.
Be sure that the front tires are the size you want. If you change the tire
sizes, you will need to adjust the shoe limit accordingly.
As you lift the front end and set it back down, you want to see the smallest
movement.
As you get this close, you need to get out the shoe sander and get that contact
patch flat. The last adjustment is for spring tension. I always leave the spring
alone and adjust tension on the shoe. Try to run the lightest tension you can.
This will increase cornering speeds, and reduce the braking distance. The better
the chassis/power combination, the lighter tension you can run.
Your tension is too light if:
Power is intermittent
Shoe(s) get a black residue
Right and left turns react differently.
Your tension is too heavy if:
Car de-slots on entry of a corner,
Off the corner, or at the start. Car “front end hops”
Front tires are off the setup plate.
To adjust the spring tension, remove the shoe. Place the tip of your pliers in
the bend closest to were the spring sets. then close down and bend the hook
down, increasing the distance between the chassis and the shoe. to increase
tension, simply bend the other direction.
Now it may be easier for you to play with the spring. If that is a more
comfortable adjustment for you that's fine. As you play with that, keep in mind,
that the JL springs are a little heavier in tension. This can come in handy.
This is the basics of shoe adjustment. From here on out, we will simply use
these basics to adjust the other brands.
As for American Line shoes, they are my “go to” shoes. If nothing else is
working, I go to these. They are VERY close to stock shoes in weight, thickness,
and shape. You can tell them by the sharp corners on the hinge end.
You will want to bend the rear tang, and limit the fronts as usual. You can
usually get away with a little less spring tension on these. Also, they tend to
stay adjusted and not get tweaked in a wall shot, or by hooking a rail.
OK,
That does it for now. I will get into the BSRT and Slottech shoes in the next
installment.
Next installment: BSRT and Slottech Shoes
Previous installment: Wheels and Tires