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Tamiyold

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Everything posted by Tamiyold

  1. It's frustrating how weak the pressure plates are, I stripped them when I was running brushed motors in my Manta Ray in the 90s so they were probably never really up to the task. I wonder if super glue could be a bit too permanent, but if I did do that I probably wouldn't use the stuff I have for my tyres, it's like water and would definitely go everywhere! I'm surprised no one has made an improved version of the pressure plates, there are a number of people out there making CNC machined alloy bits for the TF. I wonder if something with a square drive might be better and less likely to strip. I reckon I need to convince the club I race at to start a vintage heat so I can race the TF against similar competition.
  2. @GTodd I did OK but I wasn't in the top heats as my driving skills are still rusty after a long break from racing. Once I changed to 8.5T brushless power the TF was certainly quick but then I stripped two diff pressure plates. I managed to get hold of the speed tuned gear set but didn't get much chance to test it before lockdown, I think a bigger pinion and smaller spur would reduce the torque through the drive train and hopefully reduce the chance of further pressure plate spline strippage, I may also try a recommendation I saw from Jamie Booth and super glue the out drives in. Also the next time I race the TF I may try a slightly milder motor. Until I get my driving back up to scratch I'm driving a borrowed 2WD Team C buggy that is a bit easier to drive and a little more robust - the TF seems a bit fragile with the modern grippy tyres and brushless motors, or it could just be my driving! Let us know how you get on, it sounds as though you will have your TF properly hopped up!
  3. @TurbotomI'm still on NiMH batteries for now, I have an old Hi-Tec ball bearing servo which is ok but could be better. I have the re re hi cap dampers and I have moved the tie rods in on the steering knuckles to get more turn in, still needs more though! It's not only my driving ability that needs time to come back, I'm learning how to set the car up almost from scratch, I used to race touring cars so jumps are a new thing!
  4. Wow, thanks @ThunderDragonCy & @Turbotom for all this info! I was thinking a programming card would be a great low cost investment, I think I would rapidly loose my mind trying to program the ESC using the button! Unfortunately my budget is rather erm... budget, so I can't stretch to the higher end radios and ESCs. I was however considering putting the money from the TT02 to a better radio like the Sanwas I mentioned previously (probably the MX-6) and hopefully a half decent metal gear servo so I can ditch the servo saver. I already have the CVDs on the front after one of the kit UJs destroyed itself. @Turbotom, what surface are you racing on and how many laps would you typically get to a race? I'm on carpet and my best race has been 15 laps in 5 minutes, the best racers at the club are doing 23 so I have room for improvement. Last week I was running 69/21 but I have bought 22 and 23t pinions for more options. As I have said before there is a (stubborn) part of me that wants to prove to the naysayers in the club that I can do better with the Top Force. There was a guy who turned up with a brushless Manta Ray and was doing very well at keeping up with the top drivers, until he hit something and broke the front gearbox lower cover! I think I just have to try not to crash and turn down the heat on the ESC a bit. I'll see how I go with the 2WD buggy I have been lent, I've transferred all the electronics I have to it so I may as well give it a go. As long as I don't break anything on it I may save a bit of money not having to buy spares for the Top Force! Mark
  5. Now I'm really torn, that's some good info. It would be great to do well with the Top Force, especially as I don't really have the funds to buy anything else without selling it which I'm not sure I want to do. I do have the alloy front gearbox bottom cover after breaking the plastic one. Which grease have you put in the ball diff @Turbotom? I've read of people using Tamiya AW grease in them. I have a gear diff in the front and I've got the AW grease in that. I imagine the gear case breaking may have been partly due to the cartwheeling down the straight... Unfortunately my ESC (Hobbywing Quicrun 10BL120) only has settings for drag brake and forward/reverse and I only have a basic radio that has very limited adjustment. I had wondered about trying to turn down punch (if that's what it's called now!) etc. but was disappointed to find I can't. I have considered upgrading to something like a Sanwa MT-S or MX-6 and try to adjust things so throttle is applied a little more gradually. I think the speed tuned gear set should help things further by limiting the torque sent through the gearbox, the car wasn't bad with that at the last race meeting. The TT02 is now up for sale on that well known auction site so I should have some cash soon to invest in the TF if I decide to stick with it. Mark
  6. I'm just in with everyone else, up against things like Schumacher Cougars, RC10 B6, PR S1 etc. Once I get the other pinions I should be able to pretty much match them for straight line speed but I'll still struggle with low speed cornering and jumps aren't always successful! Of course some of that could be down to my set up. One of the other members has lent me a spare 2WD Team C buggy to try out for a couple of weeks to see how I get on, I think if I want to get to the heady heights of the B final or higher I don't think the Top Force will cut it, no matter how much money I throw at it! If I'm still in the C final with the other buggy I think my driving needs more work Mark
  7. Had an reasonable race night yesterday with fairly consistent laps, ran with the 69T spur and 21T pinion, got pole and won my final too (C final so I'm not celebrating too much!) I thought I had got away without any breakages or stripped diff splines but when the final was over I noticed the front end was at a strange angle, on closer inspection I found the reason, anyone done this before: I have ordered a new gear box and Astute alloy support to replace J12 plus 22T & 23T pinions. There are some at the club who say the car doesn't help my results, I'm usually at least 5 laps off the A finalists. I just wonder if it's mainly my driving that needs to improve. Mark
  8. I have seven brand new Manta Ray rear shock towers, £5 each posted. UK only please.
  9. @ruebiracer thanks for the words of encouragement! It is frustrating how fragile some of the TF parts can be once they experience a brushless motor, I seem to have at least one DNF most race meetings! Those pressure plates were offered in 2006 so I'm not sure they'll still be available, I'll ask! @matisse I finally managed to find a speed tuned gear set in the UK and ordered it, the delivery charge was almost 50% the cost of the item but I decided I should go for it, am I right in thinking that this gear set will reduce the torque going through the drive train and hopefully make things a little easier for the diffs? By my reckoning you need less torque to go fast than you need to accelerate quickly. Unfortunately my radio is pretty basic (Absima CR2s) and doesn't allow for setting throttle curve or steering incremental etc. Thanks for everyone's input, I'll update the thread with my successes and failures! Mark
  10. @matisse, I'm running the kit 74t spur with a 21t pinion as it was the nearest I could get to the FDR recommended in the motor manual (6.5 - 8) without the high speed gear set. I have tried to get the gear set but decided I didn't need it that badly to pay the postage! @Jonathon Gillham, The ride height doesn't seem to bad (to me) I have the shocks in the kit positions, AE 70wt oil in both with one hole pistons in the front and two in the back. It handles jumps pretty well as long as I hit them straight on and don't instinctively hit the brake in mid air! Following advice from fellow racers I have moved the steering tie rods to the inner holes on the steering knuckles to get more steering on the slow tight corners. I was running a 19T brushed motor previously and really struggled to keep it cool, it got so hot the brushes were cooked, the brushless motor only gets warm. I could check out the lower power speed passions and give them a go, maybe they won't destroy diffs so much! One positive thing I can report is my gearbox covers have stayed put while running the brushless motor.
  11. Thought I would post a pic of the TF, it's mostly standard apart from the rear tower brace, hi caps and an alloy front lower gearbox cover. I'm running a Speed Passion 8.5T with a Hobbywing Quicrun 10BL120 ESC, still on nimh batteries for now. As funds allow I'd like to upgrade the shock towers to evo style and go to lipo power but if bits keep breaking they will have to wait!
  12. @Jonathon Gillham I have seen a thread about the slipper pinion but didn't investigate further. That could be plan B if the splines keep stripping. A lot of the club members work for an F1 team and one suggested he might be able to get pressure plates made up! Maybe I'll see what he can arrange
  13. Thanks @Saito2 @StueyS @matisse,I initially had the SB8 bolt tightened right down after reading advice on this forum but when the spline stripped the first time I loosened it off but it slipped too much, so I tightened it a bit more until I could barely turn the gear while holding the drive cups (I don't have stupid strong thread ripping hands!), I also tried the Tamiya thread lock on the splines but that didn't work cos it stripped again. Once I have the replacement pressure plates I'll tighten the bolt down fully and try properly gluing the drives in, I'm considering using some contact adhesive. I have considered giving up on the Top Force for racing but also I really want to make it work against the more modern machines at the club. Hopefully as my driving improves and I crash less the breakages will get less too!
  14. Thanks @bork_ I think that's probably Nick Walker, I've been in touch with him already for prices on shock towers, I'll ask him if he can still do the lipo mount. Mark
  15. I'm beginning to think that the Top Force is a bit too fragile for high traction brushless carpet racing and jumps, yesterday I stripped the spline on another ball diff pressure plate, that's two in less than a month. I have a gear diff in the front but I kept the ball diff in the rear to compensate for the lack of a slipper. Does anyone know if there is a way to make the ball diff more durable or is the TA03 diff stronger?
  16. Hi @bork_I came across your TF while browsing the forum, looks very nice! Interesting comment about the Fibrelyte front tower, you've helped me decide to go with the evo style rather than the Fibrelyte, on my TF racer have to say I thought all those extra mounting holes seem like overkill to me. What's the battery holder you 're using? I'd like to use shorty lipos eventually and I'm not sure what mounting to use. Cheers Mark
  17. I tried some M3 screws in those holes, they seem to be a good fit and I have managed to get some decent torque on them. I'll see how they go at the next race meeting, I replaced a number of screws that were coming loose: both ends of the chassis where it's attached to the gearboxes, both shock towers and the front gearbox lower cover - I have the GPM alloy version and used the M3 screws supplied with it. One thing that replacement screws won't fix is my driving, still struggling a bit!
  18. Something else that started happening on Friday is the two screws on the base of the rear gearbox are coming loose. I have to tighten them after every race , would M3 screws be worth trying or will they just make things worse?
  19. Well, this is a first. Managed to shear the end of one of the rear axles off at my Friday night race meet! Have ordered a couple of stainless steel replacements. I was considering using cheaper CVDs or Tamiya UJs on the back but replacing axles is a lot cheaper! Apart from that mishap the TF seems to be OK with the brushless motor (with NiMHs) and a 21t pinion with the standard spur. Was struggling for low speed grip on the front and was told by other members I should run a lot stiffer shock oil and springs, does anyone know which springs will fit the hi-caps? I tried some tt-02 springs but they are too small, I'm thinking of going to 70wt oil from the 40 I have already and try to set the ride height so that the wishbones are level. In case anyone was wondering I'm running Schumacher cactus yellow on the rear and fusion on the front, both with medium foam inserts. Mark Edit: I did a quick search, found an Egress thread where they have used Losi springs on the Hi-Caps so I'll look them up.
  20. The TF is out of action now due to a broken front universal, judging by the clicking noise it was making it was on the way out even before I fitted the brushless set up (8.5T Speed Passion) - it broke half way through the second race using it. I'm now waiting for Tamiya CVDs to arrive which I hope will last a lot longer! After finding the recommended gear ratios for the Speed Passion motor (6.5:1 - 8:1) I'm thinking the Skyline speed tuned gear set (if I can get one) would be worth trying so I can get the ratio in the right range, assuming those ratios are for the final drive. I think an email to Tony's Tamiya Parts is in order. I've been running the TT02 while the TF was out of action, was good to drive except for the nose-diving off the jumps! Fingers crossed the TF with CVDs will handle the brushless speed and the carpet grip.
  21. Ran without the gasket, the end of the motor doesn't have much in the way of vents that would allow things to get into the gearbox. However I am wondering if the motor is getting too hot, it's too hot to touch for more than a second or two after a five minute race, is that to be expected or is it too hot? I'm running the kit spur with a 19t pinion.
  22. I'm just soldering new wire and connectors to the 14t motor and wondering if I need the big fibre gasket that goes between the motor and the mount. Would I be correct in thinking I don't need it with the alloy mount? Don't think I ran one "in the old days"!
  23. Thanks for the advice Stuey, I'll probably get some of the Schumacher tyres when the Tamiyas wear out. One the other club members advised me to cut two or three rows of spikes from the front tyres to reduce the amount of grip. Even with the 14t motor and a 17t pinion I didn't think I was getting that much more speed out of the car, I think a lot of energy was being lost through heat! I'm just waiting for my soldering iron to be delivered so I can get the motor connectors and wire upgraded. I also ordered some shims so I can work on reducing the play in the suspension. Then I need to work on getting my driving back to where it was 15 years ago, I was using sticks back then so I now have to get used to a wheel as well 😀
  24. Yes it's indoors on dark grey carpet, I believe it's EOS. Currently using Tamiya dual block tyres which seem to give pretty good levels of grip. Will be running with the 14t Absima motor this week, probably with an 18t pinion, hoping things don't get too warm. I think my next upgrade will be ditching the Tamiya bullets on the motor wires to reduce resistance.
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