How many times have you heard this, “the car stays way flatter”? Most, including myself, instantly think about roll. I have learned that most elite racers are talking about the pitch axis. The pitch axis is the weight shift front to back.
Fast drivers excel at a many key skills, one of which is managing the car’s behavior along the pitch and roll axis. This is a crucial aspect of driving that often doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. The AE’s current geometry adds stiffness to the roll axis but not the pitch axis, causing the car to shift a lot of weight from front to back. This point will become important later in this article.
In rear-wheel drive cars, the rear roll center sits lower than the front, which matters because the rear tires push the car forward. The B7 geometry changes this front-to-rear roll center balance compared to other models, making it more like what you’d expect in an all-wheel drive setup. In a fast, sweeping corner, the rear should ideally roll first and more, hopefully pulling the front along with it. This balance between front and rear roll centers plays a big role in controlling weight shift along the pitch axis, and it’s one of the challenges the B7 geometry can present in certain situations.
In mid-2025, we had a few test days to try out different setups. We brought three cars: a B6.4, a B7 with B6.4 geometry, and a standard B7. On this day and layout, the B6.4 was the fastest, with the B7 close behind. The B7 took some getting used to because of its different driving style, while the B7 with B6.4 geometry was the easiest to drive but slightly slower. Both B7s were similar in performance, but the B6.4 was clearly quicker. Since that wasn’t an option, and we saw promise in the B7 if we could dial back some of its jacking and rotation.
This is where the B6.1 3-gear transmission came into play. I had some concerns about the B7’s 5-gear transmission. Reliability was one issue, but my main worry was the backlash it had. In the CNC world, backlash is called “loss of motion”, when a machine moves in one direction, then switches, and there’s a delay before it starts moving the other way. Elite RC racers are like CNC machines, hitting their marks on the track repeatedly, and any loss of motion can affect their ability to stay precise.
While I still think improving the throttle and brake feel was important, what we discovered might be just as crucial, if not more. The old 3-gear setup moved the motor back significantly, creating a new weight bias that balanced the car on its pitch axis with the narrow hangers and long arms. With the motor positioned farther back, the car didn’t shift weight as much. We believe this rearward weight shift helped the car absorb some of the energy that was causing the chassis to jack up, keeping it “flatter.” So far, this is the best performance we’ve seen from our cars with the B7 geometry.
In 2025, Brandon took part in five events, each with a different 2WD car and geometry. In Canada, we ran B6 arms front and rear with a brass front bulkhead. At RC One, he used a .050″ spring steel chassis and a 5-gear setup with B6.4 geometry. The April Fools Race was his only dirt event, and it seemed like he really enjoyed spending time with friends and running on dirt. I’m pretty sure he went back to B6.4 geometry for that race. The final two events were at Island RC—first with a modified B7 chassis, B6.4 3-gear, and B7 geometry, then at carpet nationals with our chassis, B6.4 3-gear, and B7 geometry. That setup has been our best yet for the current AE 2WD. While 2025 didn’t have much racing, it was packed with work as we designed, modeled, and tested many things, especially when it counted most, on race days.
Factory Foote began when a young boy set out to chase his dreams, racing against some of the fastest competitors in the world. Determined to even the odds, Factory Foote was born. The brand focuses on creating parts to help every racer, no matter their level. The mission is simple: go faster! With complete transparency, all secrets are shared. Victory should come from better driving, fine-tuning the setup, or maybe just a little bit of luck, nothing more.
Thanks for reading, Chuck