Prepare for TAKEOFF!!!

The First Practice

Since a ton of people have been writing to ask how the rig was, here's a brief synopsis about the new BTF Red Bull RockHer. Sorry that this comes before we've finished the entire build-up story but so many people are begging, we figured we'd take a lil break from the technical build and get to the end...let's call it reading the second to last page of a 1000 page novel while you're still only into the 8th chapter.

To set the scene, we did our first DEBUT practice the day after the Cedar City XRRA Rock Race. While there at Three Peaks, we could drive the same lines Becca won on for the third round of WE Rock so we soon would have a good comparison of the old crawler and the new one. We already knew how the old crawler performed on those courses so we set up cones in the exact same spots and used our timers to be sure we were running at the same competition pace we had seen in the old crawler. The weather, dryness, and temp were about the same and we were on the same tire, wheel size, and rubber compound which are all important factors to consider when doing a comparison. It turned out to be an apples to apples comparo and lets just say, the new crawler versus the old did not disappoint.

Right off, I want to thank Kelly Marquis of "On The MarQ" off-road photography.  He came out to take many of the shots you'll see here.  Nice work Kelly!  He's shooting at many western events so if you want any nice shots, write him in advance and work something out.  His camera skills are great!

First off, it's a whole new animal. Though the new RockHer is similar in layout to the old RockHer, they sure don't share much in common.

The suspension was the first noticeable difference. This time around, Bender set up the crawler without sway bars and instead chose to angle the RaceRunner airshocks in the best way to support the rig in turning climbs. The elimination of the sway bar, even with the new shock layout performed in a way we will call "slinky but stable". The first thing we saw was higher body roll and immediately, we got nervous that we were in for trouble. Still, I had Becca using the technique of turning off the rear ARB and using cutting brakes to level the body as well as using the winches to better control the flex and soon we found we could completely change the weight distribution / chassis loading to navigate obstacles we struggled on before. Because the CG is so low with this chassis design, we can take the crawler to insanely stupid angles and still do well.

At the end of our practice, we found that we were able to get the front tires up many of the ledges we couldn't with the old crawler simply by changing the suspension loading with winches/cutting brakes. Bender told us he could easily add a sway bar if we wanted. After that practice, Bec and I both agreed we are better off without it, even though it takes more thought and strategy to do. If we weren't competing or if we used a spool/Detroit in the rear, we'd add the sway bar...

Second thing regarding the suspension is the climb. Becca has a reputation of being amazing with climbs and her old crawler was set up with LOOOONNNNGGGG rear links and an Instant Center / Anti Squat / and shock valving that only enhanced her already good skills. We were nervous when Bender told us he was changing things around. Turns out, the new crawler climbs exactly the same on throttle climbs but the transition "hit" (when you go from flat ground to a steep wall and the suspension compresses) is clearly softer now with the addition of the air bumps.

For slow torque/crawl climbing, the front end does push down a bit (basically, front-end anti-squat/anti-dive), extending the front shocks and we were immediately thinking we would change that. Then, we realized this could be used to our advantage as the crawler's nose would raise under a heavy torque load and that would lift the bumper up for better clearance on big ledges and vertical walls. When we need to control the lift, we'd use the winch again. The rig climbed EVERYTHING and did so without the hop and bounce so common in modern crawlers. She even smoothly climbed a wall that caused many of the unlimited to back up and take multiple shots. Bec scaled it easily the first try.

Third thing about the suspension was the torque roll under throttle...THERE IS NONE...wow, what a difference. Nice work Bender.
The interior layout...PERFECT. The switch-panels from 12VoltGuy were in perfect reach and the switch combinations made it all easy to memorize and quick to get into any configuration we needed. Also, when we found we had to access the back of the engine, the simple nut-sert system 12VoltGuy included made it a breeze to install/remove the panels.

When people told us we couldn't fit two of the MasterCraft 3G's in with enough room to spare, they were wrong. The seats fit in perfectly and Becca felt far safer with the seats. This was a no-brainer to us and it paid off. As for the crooked driving position, Becca never even mentioned it...I just asked her and she answered, "What are you talking about? What seat is crooked?" I guess that's the answer we hoped for!

The new Lovell transfercase we practiced with was a 3.57 to 1 low range and was just low enough gearing to do everything BUT we still wanted lower with our engine/tranny/diff setups. We ended up getting our wish with a new prototype t-case from Lovell at the Grand Nationals just a few days later. This t-case had a 4.7 low range...we'll fill you in on that in a later post but know this...THE LOVELL T-CASE IS THE SHIT! You can't imagine what you can do with this case...we thought we could imagine it until we drove it and experimented with it. We pulled off some of the sickest lines we could never do with our Atlas simply because we could instantly load and unload the axles. If anyone just thought this was just a new twist on an old idea, they couldn't be more wrong. It's an innovation that will change the competitive side of the sport.

The weight and balance of the rig is 1000 lbs. less and instead of 61/39 weight split front to rear, it is 55/45. A big difference and because of the way that Blue Torch laid out the components so closely to the center of the vehicle, the CG works perfectly, even on climbs. Consider this: The wheelbase is shorter, there is a higher ratio of sprung weight vs. unsprung weight, and for climbs, that makes the CG higher...yet, because of the way the crawler was designed, it climbs about the same with even less front tire ballast (weight inside the tire). The big advantage of the "center weighting" is in the downhill and technical sections. The new crawler has a clear advantage in many obstacles because of this.

The power...well, it is right on and just because we want a little power to spare, we'll have the new high-power 4.3 engine in soon. James from Blue Torch is working his magic on it and we'll pick up nearly 60% more power...it'll be as strong as a v8 with the size and weight of a v-6. We're already stoked we chose to go back to a simpler engine...the vortec v6 was definitely the way to go. We were wondering if the remote water pump and the tiny radiator we chose were going to cool the RockHer enough...no worries. The combo of the Dedenbear remote electric pump and the super efficient two-pass radiator from Ron Davis kept the rig at a VERY COOL 150 degrees all the time. This engine runs just fine at that low temp so we were more than happy to see those temp readings. This killer electric fan that we got from Ron Davis was a worry simply because of how close it was to the exhaust BUT that turned out to be a non-issue. The fan flows so well that the muffler was even cool. This setup turned out to work perfectly and should continue to work perfectly, even with the higher powered 4.3 we'll be installing in the next few weeks.

The diffs...three times we were hopelessly stranded on the pumpkins...or so we thought. Because the Diamond Axle housings are so smooth and high clearance, we pulled ourselves right off the hangups. We were definitely glad to have the True Hi 9's in as we had far more driveshaft clearance than in the old rig. On the big stuff, especially the breakover vertical drops, the rear diff and driveshaft height combined with the trick "J" links that BTF designed, allowed us to keep the tires on the ground for ultimate brake control where most rigs would be sliding on the links/driveshafts and not having the rubber contacting to slow them down. Another clear advantage.

Turning radius. WOW, what a difference. The steering on this crawler is off the hook. In a 360 degree rolling turn with the ARB's unlocked and in front wheel drive without skidding the rear tires, we scrubbed about 7 feet off the diameter of the turn. In front burns, there was no comparison...the tighter turning combo of the Reid Racing (aka Dedenbear) knuckles and the CTM tight radius axles allowed us to spin unreal doughnuts. No joke, turning this tight makes many of the old cone-avoidance issues much easier to deal with.

All in all, we were stoked with the first couple of hours of practice.  The only issues we've found so far was our braking is not fully up to par but we're guessing it's that the pads are not yet broken in, and the short and sweet statement that the gas tank has to be re-done...it doesn't feed well on big sidehills.  Bender has a few ideas on how make some changes to the tank so we'll look forward to getting that in as nobody wants to be on their side without the engine running...if you have any chance of self-righting a rolled crawler, you gotta be running!

Two very small issues that can EASILLY be overcome...damn, that's great considering that this crawler is brand new and is the first of many to come.  The only other problem we can think of is that soon, BTF will have a few of these made for other teams and they'll have the same advantages we have...BUMMER FOR US!

All images and text Copy Right 2006

Blue Torch FabWorks, Inc

Red Bull RockCrawling Team

Pirate4x4.com

Disclaimer