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The Importance of Clutch Tuning
It's widely know throughout the R/C community that a properly tuned clutch is critical for optimal performance. This is precisely why so many springs are included with the most popular
clutch systems.
A driver will use these various springs to set up his clutch and hope that when he pulls the throttle it “hits” with the appropriate amount of torque. Drivers who guess well will have a
tremendous advantages over the rest of the field.
This is about as far as most drivers go in setting up their clutch. Even if a clutch setup is significantly off, few people will spend the time required to pull the motor, break down the clutch
and install different springs.
What is not widely known is that even clutches that seem to be performing well can almost always be improved upon. This is due to a number of factors including the abrupt change in
tension between the various spring sizes, the time required to change a setup, and the constantly changing conditions on the track.
It's easy to spot a clutch that is way off the mark, but understanding a few key concepts is required to identify the more subtle, and much more common symptoms of a marginally poor
clutch setup. Once you have learned what to look and listen for, you'll immediately notice how many clutches are poorly tuned.
But more importantly, you'll be able to use this knowledge, along with your Buku clutch, to quickly and easily dial in a perfect tune for your current setup on the prevailing track conditions.
It doesn't take an abrupt change, like switching from dirt to asphalt, to create an opportunity to improve your performance. Track conditions change continually throughout the day, and
as they do there is a 100% certainty that a different clutch setup will be necessary to perform best in the new conditions. The power you can effectively put to the ground at the beginning
of the day, on a freshly groomed track, is much different than while driving on a blue groove at day's end. A clutch setup that's tuned to the loose track will perform very poorly in higher
traction conditions, and the opposite is true as well. Most drivers will opt for a setup that splits the difference, and except during a brief period in the middle of the day, it will never really
perform well.
In fact, once you've set up your car for the day, your clutch is the ONLY way to balance power and traction. With the speed and precision of the Buku clutch, and after learning a few key
concepts, you will quickly realize that clutch tuning is one of the most powerful tools for improving overall performance. In only a few seconds you'll be able to fine tune your torque delivery
for optimal acceleration and control. You'll also realize that the idea that there exists one clutch setup that's “best” for a particular day, or even for a certain car or condition, is not
only incorrect, but obsolete.
Further reading: Understanding Clutch Tuning
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