There’s not much that Ryan Maifield can’t win with. He’s won it all from driving all different classes from 1/8th truggy to 1/10th buggy and from different car manufacturers. He’s the type of guy that always just finds a way to go fast no matter what the limitations are and this creates a style so stunning to witness with your own eyes. Whether it’s his line choices or his mystic car control, there’s a certain way he paints the car on the canvas and it’s rather magical to watch.
There have been very few occasions where the JConcepts Silencer 1 body doesn’t make its way on Maifield’s 4wd ride. He’s tried the F2 body a few times but is very pleased with the way the S1 looks and handles. Maifield has mentioned before that he likes the fact the S1 looks different from the other cars since most are running the F2 bodies these days. Identity is key to making yourself stand out. Add in performance and you’ve got yourself a deadly combo.
Looking at ALL of Maifield’s race cars, they seem to carry a very common trend. Build a car, keep it simple, but build it well. There’s never a lot of hop-ups or special one-off parts on his cars as he typically races a production version that everyone else can get. At the front end, there’s nothing new going on from the last few races that standout besides 2mm ballstud washers as most 4wd Yokomo setups seem to go a lot higher. Typically, he has the JConcepts Fin Ti Turnbuckles on his car, but they were sold out for his YZ-4 SF at the time he requested them. It’s now back in stock!
One new feature that RM ran at the Nationals was the center gear diff. 9 times out of 10, he’s running the slipper because he likes how direct it feels, but with the slick tires and awkwardly high grip + dust, the car was much easier to drive and very predictable with the center diff installed. Check out the new Performa ESC with the 2-tone red trim and black anodized finish that looks amazing.
Normally, you’ll find Lunsford ti screw kit on his cars, but this build has the factory Yokomo ti screw kit which has a much different “tapered” shape than the iconic Lunsford bubble.
The front tire of choice for this Nationals was the all-new Ellipse 4wd front tires. These tires will be available soon to order along with the new silver compound that’s a tad softer than gold. Prior to Nationals, the entire team was wondering when we were going to release a 2wd or 4wd front tire and when we did, they had to be ground down into slicks. Of course, the Ellipse tires were mounted to the JConcepts white Mono wheels making it that insta-win combo for Nationals. AE V2 yellow spring makes the cut for this weekend’s hot spring of the month.
Changing the game and becoming a staple on his car lately is the World’s winning front scoop. Whether it’s just a mental thing now or if he feels that it really does help his performance, you can’t argue with results. Another win for the front scoop and this time it’s 4wd Nationals.
One thing to note is that the front caster block is in the gunmetal/brown anodizing instead of the traditional black with the silver trim. The gunmetal/brown pieces were from the B-Max series cars available in the “odd” degree options and last we heard, they were getting phased out with the black and silver trimmed ones going forward.
The rear tires were also in the silver compound Ellipse tires that were ground down to slicks. Making an appearance on the rear of RM’s car these days is the High-Clearance wing. Not only does it look good but it’s clean of the black rub marks caused by the ultra-low ride heights and tires!
The interesting find here is the rear hubs. At a closer look, this unit looks like the 2wd hub in the rear. If this is true, this means RM probably using the rear bone as to generate different support and traction in the rear end. Or is this a prototype of the 2wd version on the 4wd? Hmmmmm.