Printed control arms vs turnbuckles: when to upgrade your drift chassis

The XP1 and XP2 come with printed control arms. Every one of them can be swapped for a conventional turnbuckle or an MMC adjustable arm. Here is when it is worth doing, and where to start.

What printed arms are good for

Printed arms have a fixed length, so there is no adjustment. That is exactly why they are the perfect starting point for beginners:

• The alignment is already good, straight off the printer.
• The car is simple to get running.
• They keep the build cost down.

The reference lengths are in the design notes of the XP2 and XP1 build guides.

When to switch to adjustable arms

When your driving level, and what you ask from the car, goes up. Adjustable arms let you tune the alignment to your style and to the track; until you need that, the printed arms do the job.

The D3 skips this step: it uses turnbuckles from the start.

Which arms to change first

Start with the arms that set toe and camber.

At the front, two changes usually cover it:

• The upper arm is normally enough to adjust camber.
• The steering arms adjust toe and Ackerman.

At the rear, on the multi-link of the XP1 and D3, the traction arm usually doesn’t need adjusting.

MMC adjustable arms

• Adjustable front upper control arms (XP1 and XP2)
• Adjustable front lower control arms (XP1 and XP2)
• Adjustable rear upper control arms (XP2)
• Adjustable rear lower control arms (XP2)