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Rich1978

Which Buggy for the track?

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OK so I took my son to a local track last week in Herts and inevitably we are going to go back with his Mt. He's six soon so this will be just fun for now.

However I would like something to drive, and potentially enter into a race. And when I say enter I truly mean take part, I have no intention of wining, however I would like to be lapped as little as possible.

I would also like to take it out to the park with my son and my bros df03 to run, not to destroy!

I need some collective wisdom from tc, my thoughts are as follows:

Dt02...popular but needs a few hop ups and mods eg pins on the front arms. Also feels a bit basic. And no slipper. Sense this could get expensive

Dt03...apoarently too long and over steers. Cheap which is good. Not sure if there is a slipper.

Dn01...Seems to be a base spec trf201 and good out of the box. Marginally more than a dt02 but if I add a slipper I might as well buy a 201.

DF02...Assume same points as a dt02.

Tt02.. Not a fan of the look.

Used db01... Unsure of the belt drive.

Used non tamiya eg associated b4 which seems good but I really want to build it.

So opinions please.

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For Tamiya, a DB01 by far will be best. The handling and options are lightyears beyond the others you listed. There are a million upgrades, but they are still fun in standard kit form (if the ball diffs are setup correctly). A DB01 R, RR or RRR will be the best bang for the buck asside from a used one with all the proper hopups. RR & RRR have a lipo compatible chassis included so consider those if you are already using lipo. Converting a nickle-pack chassis to properly fit a lipo can be a pain. Though a smaller lipo will fit on top of the nickle pack slots.

For ease of use and strength, I suggest finding one with fluid filled gear diffs and a slipper clutch.

DB01-6_zps805d260a.jpg

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As above, buy what they have races for. A 2wd buggy hopped up to the 9's is no good if most of the races they run are for stock 4wd.

Join the club and talk to the other members, they will tell you which are the "fun" races and which are best avoided if you do not want to feel out of depth.

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For Tamiya, a DB01 by far will be best. The handling and options are lightyears beyond the others you listed. There are a million upgrades, but they are still fun in standard kit form (if the ball diffs are setup correctly). A DB01 R, RR or RRR will be the best bang for the buck asside from a used one with all the proper hopups. RR & RRR have a lipo compatible chassis included so consider those if you are already using lipo. Converting a nickle-pack chassis to properly fit a lipo can be a pain. Though a smaller lipo will fit on top of the nickle pack slots.

For ease of use and strength, I suggest finding one with fluid filled gear diffs and a slipper clutch.

DB01-6_zps805d260a.jpg

Awesome looking car, is this what you run?

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I don't race off road (or at all anymore). But of all my off roaders, this one is by far the best. It's like a scalpel among butter knives within my collection. The sealed drivetrain is great for bashing in any conditions, yet offers the handling & adjustability of the real TRF's.

More images: http://s125.photobucket.com/user/94eg/library/rc?sort=3&page=1

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I don't race off road (or at all anymore). But of all my off roaders, this one is by far the best. It's like a scalpel among butter knives within my collection. The sealed drivetrain is great for bashing in any conditions, yet offers the handling & adjustability of the real TRF's.

More images: http://s125.photobucket.com/user/94eg/library/rc?sort=3&page=1

There are some stunning cars in there, the electric install on the DB01 is a work of art. Love the two 201's, recently got myself a DB01 and I will be building it over winter.

Sorry for the thread hijack

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No worries. The db01 does look awesome. Not had any luck with any info from the club forum..... Shop at the track (Herts rc models) sells plenty of expensive cars starting but starting with an Ftx vantage and then a B5.

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Rich, I was exactly in your spot at the start of the summer. I ended up spending a lot of money on cars that *I* wanted to race which turned out to almost be a waste because they aren't what most people run at the tracks within driving distance. I built a beautiful DT-02 for my son, a TT-02B for my daughter, and my wife got me a TRF 201 for my birthday. 2WD buggies are tough races to make around here. It's all 1/8th 4WD buggies and SCT so I ended up getting my son a Losi XXX SCT and I picked up an Arrma Fury as a stand-by / loaner rig. That's a lot of backstory for a +1 on finding out what class is most often run at your track.

I would say though that in the following classes the smart money would be on:

  • 1/10th 4WD buggy - the DB-01 (and all it's R variants)
  • 1/10th 2WD buggy - the TRF 201 (Item# 42167)
  • 2WD SCT - Losi XXX SCT
  • 1/8th 4WD buggy (aka eBug) - the Arrma Typhon

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Rich, I was exactly in your spot at the start of the summer. I ended up spending a lot of money on cars that *I* wanted to race which turned out to almost be a waste because they aren't what most people run at the tracks within driving distance. I built a beautiful DT-02 for my son, a TT-02B for my daughter, and my wife got me a TRF 201 for my birthday. 2WD buggies are tough races to make around here. It's all 1/8th 4WD buggies and SCT so I ended up getting my son a Losi XXX SCT and I picked up an Arrma Fury as a stand-by / loaner rig. That's a lot of backstory for a +1 on finding out what class is most often run at your track.

I would say though that in the following classes the smart money would be on:

  • 1/10th 4WD buggy - the DB-01 (and all it's R variants)
  • 1/10th 2WD buggy - the TRF 201 (Item# 42167)
  • 2WD SCT - Losi XXX SCT
  • 1/8th 4WD buggy (aka eBug) - the Arrma Typhon

So I read your other posts effigy...what do you think of the 201? I haven't been down to the track yet but its astro turf and apparently people run lots of different stuff but mainly two wheel drive so unless I pick up a second hand TLR 22 or B4 or B5 I would prob go with a TRF22 or DN01.....I guess its the old problem of spending more money up front on the 201 vs teh DN-01 which I then hop up admittedly with only a slipper....

Also, is it really necessary to tap all your screw holes ?

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So I read your other posts effigy...what do you think of the 201? I haven't been down to the track yet but its astro turf and apparently people run lots of different stuff but mainly two wheel drive so unless I pick up a second hand TLR 22 or B4 or B5 I would prob go with a TRF22 or DN01.....I guess its the old problem of spending more money up front on the 201 vs teh DN-01 which I then hop up admittedly with only a slipper....

Also, is it really necessary to tap all your screw holes ?

Sorry, I just now saw this post. I hope my reply is still valuable for you. I'm by no means an expert but I'm happy to relay my limited experience with the 201. As far as cost goes, I find the 201 to be very affordable, considering the options... It's under $200 direct from TamiyaUSA, and it comes with a body. You could get very spendy if you do a lot of hop-ups though so if you like to hop-up, other brands might be more economical in the long run. The only three options I would suggest out of the box would be the reinforced lower suspension arms, the weighted front block, and the motor plate. With those 3 hop-ups you're still under $300. I found that the front end was really light and it tended to push in corners. The weighted block has really helped with that. The motor plate with the kit is smooth, the hop-up has a ridge that does a good job keeping the dirt out of the gears. Keep in mind that whatever motor you choose, there isn't a lot of clearance under the body for tall ESCs with cooling fans.

For the most part this is more car than I can realistically take advantage of. If (and that's a big if) I out grow it I'll probably have to change brands but those choices would easily be twice as expensive as my 201. I love the look of my 201 and I love that I'm the only one at my track driving one.

Re: the scew holes. I supposed it's not strictly necessary but you'll really want to. The plastic used on the 201 is much more resilient than any other Tamiya I've built. Tapping all the screw holes seemed tedious at first but it saved my forearm and probably made nicer threads in the long run.

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IMO tapping the screw holes makes zero sense when the kit is supplied with hex head screws. Simply screw the thing together. Then when you need to take it apart, go ahead & do so. No problems whatsoever. Also tight screws prevent back-outs....which is why they use machine screws instead of tapping screws in the 1st place. I assembled my 201 without tapping. In fact the two holes I tapped on the transmission (per instructions) came out way too loose and forced me to use longer replacements.

If your kit screws are phillips, then tapping hard carbon reinforced plastic holes can be helpful to prevent stripping the delicate phillips heads.

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Everyone is running the newest Team Associated B5M over here (USA) - I am on a budget so I went with the proven B4.1 Team Edition, plan to race in stock class 17.5t brushless as it is the most competitive - 24 guys racing altogether in the one class..

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Threadomancy/ on

Far as I can tell, 1:10 Stock 2wd Buggy is generally popular anywhere in the US. After that, I'd guess some iteration of 1:10 SCT is next up in popularity. Beyond that, who knows? :-)

When I got in the game 2yrs ago, the AE B4 was being phased out by the fast drivers in favor of either the B5 or the B5M. Now it's all mid-motor all the time. Track where I race is mainly Associated and Losi with a smattering of everything else (Kyosho, Serpent, Hot Bodies, Durango.)

Since I began perusing this site, I've been researching the TRF211XM. Man, that's a mouthful of a name. Car looks fabulous and with online parts sourcing I'm guessing that parts availability is pretty good. Can anyone confirm or deny that? I've also seen where various B4 and B5 parts can directly fit onto the 211. Again, anyone have any experience with that?

For myself, I fell in love with Kyosho and am willing to pay the "tax" to race it.

Threadomancy/ off

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