FF-03 essentials and recommended?

[alvinlwh 5895]

Just picked up a FF-03 today. Old stock that had apparently being sitting on the shelf for years on clearance for less than £100 equivalent (even with the rubbish £), I simply can't resist. 

Now this is a chassis that I had never considered and therefore never did any research on so I do not know what I am really buying into (just skimming the instructions now). So what are the essentials and recommended for this chassis? 

I am looking at AT and there are quite a few parts from 3R and GPM that are still in stock and are fairly affordable. 

https://www.asiatees.com/model?Tamiya-FF03-Upgrades-Parts-Hop-Ups&brand=Tamiya&model=FF03&c=z2

[GMballistic 28]

Which one did you manage to find?

I'm a fairly new FF03 owner and still slowly building mine up as certain parts (Hop Ups) that I wanted are hard to find nowadays. In particular I would definitely recommend an aluminium spur gear adapter but I searched for weeks for a genuine one and didn't find one. 
The best option for that was to modify something from another model or brand to fit. Currently I have a Tamiya TB03 model aluminium spur gear adapter that I have made a spacer to fit inside it. Another option for the spur gear adapter is possibly this Sakura D3 one as apparently the bore diameter is the same as the Tamiya spur gears at 4mm.
Link: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284857811325

Aluminium hex adapters another must do imho. Plenty of choices although some of the cheap ones on eBay aren't worth bothering with as they never clamp up tightly and usually just strip the small screws. For that reason I can only really recommend the genuine Tamiya ones or possibly 3Racing as a cheaper alternative. 

Try Tony's Tamiya Parts if you haven't: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/394275889855

 

Have a look at this thread here for all things FF03: 

 

This is an interesting read here about their top 10 upgrades for an FF03: https://www.rcdriver.com/top-10-tamiya-upgrades-for-the-ff-03-chassis/

If you're going to run a brushless set up then I'd recommend you change to a larger tooth pitch gearing like 48DP or even 32DP although the former is what I'd recommend. Nice and easy to change gears thanks to the spur gear accepting normal touring car style gears. 
I buy mine from here: https://www.rwracing.co.uk/product/48dp-touring-car-acetal-spur-gears


Also weirdly as a side note I've a good friend of mine who lives in Orkney too. I live in South Wales myself. 

 

[alvinlwh 5895]

1 hour ago, GMballistic said:

Which one did you manage to find?

Oh, how could I forget this, the most important question to be answered answer. 😁

I will have a read through on that thread. As I said, this was an unplanned purchase, I have absolutely no idea what I am getting into. 

[GMballistic 28]

Nice, ....I got a Honda too although mine is the Accord Aero Custom.  

Whilst waiting for my car to arrive I watched this guy on YouTube build videos as although I am more than capable I still find it interesting watching. 
In case you're interested too....

 

[GMballistic 28]

Edit: Oh and that reminds me. Some people don't like the ball diff so change to either an all metal geared diff, locked diff or the Yeah Racing aluminium ball diff. 
(NB: if you go for the metal geared diff you need to change the diff case for Tamiya 54398 which is hard to find)

[alvinlwh 5895]

13 minutes ago, GMballistic said:

I watched this guy on YouTube build videos

Oh Mark. For some reason, I hate his voice. 😁 (still watched it though) 

[OoALEJOoO 3127]

The only hop-ups I would recommend are:

• Tamiya 42216 Double Cardan Joints (44mm) are best, otherwise universal joints.
• Tamiya 53924 DF-03 Heatsink bar.
• Yeah Racing aluminum differential joint (FF03-069BU). I heard it is recommended as the kit plastic joints wear over time. I got a set but I haven't installed it yet (plastic parts seem to be holding well so far).

The power-understeer FWD setup means the car is more difficult to improvise and change direction on a whim, as opposed to say a neutral 4WD like the TT-02. The car lends itself for a more predetermined technical approach where you follow a track/circuit and follow a clean racing line. This is where this kit comes alive and really shines. It is my favorite car to run in concrete parking lot racing compared to my TT-01E, TT-02, TT-02R, M-06, M-05 and XV-01. You can also use the FF-03 in less grippy surfaces to pull Scandinavian-flicks with great effect. With this in mind, you might want to take a look at:

• Gear combos for lower FDR (higher top speed) and less starting torque. The kit comes stock with a 68T (51423) and 26T pinion for a 6.80 FDR. It works well but being FWD, I think it works better with lower torque (less wheelspin on hard acceleration) and higher top-speed. This I would recommend getting a 63T (51609) and 28T/29T pinions (54229) for added versatility, especially if you plan to run a more powerful motor. I have two FF-03's, one running 63T/29T spur/pinion (5.65 FDR) with a Super Stock TZ (my "powerful racer") and a second one running 68T/28T with a Torque Tuned. Both have a fan on top of their DF-03 heatsink bars.
• The car will literally eat front tires. Expect them to last just a few packs depending on your running surface. You can rotate the back tires to the front between packs to wear them more evenly or just replace the fronts as they expire. If you plan to run it regularly on concrete/asphalt, you might want to stock-up on tires.

There are other hop-ups that seem to be recommended a lot, but I really can't see much cost/benefit, my reasoning below:

• Tamiya 54223 Aluminum motor plate. The kit already comes with an aluminum motor plate. The difference is that it's not blue and lacks grooves. It would make little to no difference in cooling. You get much better bang from your buck getting the DF-03 heatsink bars.
• Tamiya 54234 Aluminum spur gear mount. Hard to find and costly. I agree it will reduce wobble between the spur & pinion, therefore wear. However, for the cost of this hop-up you can probably buy around 3 spurs + 3 pinions. I've run the stock plastic spur gear mount for about 10 or so packs on my FF-03 and so far I cannot see any wear on the spur or pinion.

The FF-03 chassis is really wonderful, enjoy the car!

[alvinlwh 5895]

23 minutes ago, OoALEJOoO said:

The only hop-ups I would recommend are:

• Tamiya 42216 Double Cardan Joints (44mm) are best, otherwise universal joints.
• Tamiya 53924 DF-03 Heatsink bar.

Oh dear, got to head back to Stargek again! (not that I am complaining!) 

[Nicadraus 6200]

Others have mentioned hop ups already but the aluminum suspension mounts FF/FR/RF/RR are very important also as well as the chassis stiffener which minimizes the rear chassis flex. And yes, the spur gear adaptor. If you can't find the aluminum, then the carbon reinforced one will have to do but it's still not as precise as the aluminum one.

The motor plate is also very important as the motor becomes very hot. Not many motor heatsink will fit the FF-03 so upgrading the motor plate and putting some heatsink extensions like the aluminum bumper mount (which can also be installed with 25x25mm fan) and heatsink bars will help dissipate heat quicker. As a multiple FF-03 owner, I've learned what is essential and what is not. But the person in me is the kind who doesn't compromise when it comes to my builds. The aluminum steering may look like a bling but it's more precise that the plastic ones with minimal slop.

FF cars are fun. It can't be compared to a 4WD or RWD. Each has its own driving characteristics and style. But I really enjoy the FF compared to a RWD on the track, It can also be a good rally car provided that it is set up to rally spec.

[Pylon80 2629]

6 hours ago, Nicadraus said:

the aluminum suspension mounts FF/FR/RF/RR are very important also

Hello sir! Could you elaborate on this one? Is this to reduce slop, or friction or perhaps for strength?

 

6 hours ago, Nicadraus said:

It can also be a good rally car provided that it is set up to rally spec.

I am torn between converting an XV-01 to FWD or starting from an FF-03 for my FWD rally project. Any experience or tips with setting up the FF for rally would be greatly appreciated 👍

[alvinlwh 5895]

12 hours ago, Nicadraus said:

It can also be a good rally car provided that it is set up to rally spec.

How to do that? I am thinking of entering it into the budget rally build off as well but am unsure if it is possible. And of course bring a budget challenge build off, it cannot be too expensive to do so. 

[Jonathon Gillham 4606]

8 hours ago, Pylon80 said:

Hello sir! Could you elaborate on this one? Is this to reduce slop, or friction or perhaps for strength?

 

This is to reduce slop, and applies to all the cars with the same suspension mounts - TA, TB and FF. You can get Yeah Racing ones which are much cheaper and work just as well as the Tamiya ones. This upgrade is one of the few that I consider essential, its up there with bearings, it makes a massive difference

[Nicadraus 6200]

8 hours ago, alvinlwh said:

How to do that? I am thinking of entering it into the budget rally build off as well but am unsure if it is possible. And of course bring a budget challenge build off, it cannot be too expensive to do so. 

 

14 hours ago, Pylon80 said:

I am torn between converting an XV-01 to FWD or starting from an FF-03 for my FWD rally project. Any experience or tips with setting up the FF for rally would be greatly appreciated 👍

My FF-03RR (Road & rally) build is seen in this thread. It also shows the chassis mod to extend droop and the use of 65mm dampers. Plus the DIY mud guards to keep those soils from building up at unwanted areas.

 

[Nicadraus 6200]

14 hours ago, Pylon80 said:

Hello sir! Could you elaborate on this one? Is this to reduce slop, or friction or perhaps for strength?

The suspension shafts are prone to pop out from the plastic mounts especially during hard impacts or high jump landings. This is due to plastic flexing and instability. Yes, it also reduces slop and friction especially when you replace the stock plastic suspension balls with flourine coated metal ones. Lastly, yes the aluminum mounts are sturdier than the stock ones.

[OoALEJOoO 3127]

@Nicadraus I'm intrigued by the aluminum suspension mounts and the suspension balls. My interest is from the point of view of wear and reliability when running the FF-03 in parking lots.

My thought is that the suspension ball is easier/cheaper to replace than the mount, and therefore logic would suggest it needs to be of a weaker material. I would think that aluminum mounts + plastic balls (54747) would perhaps offer the best compromise. I fear that upgrading to the fluorine-coated metal balls (53709) would mean the aluminum mounts would wear instead. Does this sound right?

[Nicadraus 6200]

1 hour ago, OoALEJOoO said:

@Nicadraus I'm intrigued by the aluminum suspension mounts and the suspension balls. My interest is from the point of view of wear and reliability when running the FF-03 in parking lots.

My thought is that the suspension ball is easier/cheaper to replace than the mount, and therefore logic would suggest it needs to be of a weaker material. I would think that aluminum mounts + plastic balls (54747) would perhaps offer the best compromise. I fear that upgrading to the fluorine-coated metal balls (53709) would mean the aluminum mounts would wear instead. Does this sound right?

I've had the the aluminum mounts in my FF-03 & XV-01. At first I was using the plastic pivot balls and after some bashing and off road racing, slops had begun to show signs. I then replaced them with flourine coated metal balls and never had any issues since (two years ago). 

[GMballistic 28]

@Nicadraus just decided to get the "flourine coated metal balls" for my build after your recommendation. For the price of them I think it's worth trying after I've already bought the Tamiya aluminium suspension mounts. 

[TurnipJF 9192]

I found a significant improvement from ballracing and shimming the steering and IFS bellcranks, which for some reason come with bushings instead of bearings even though the rest of the car is ballraced, and are also a tad sloppy. 

[alvinlwh 5895]

Went to the Tamiya showroom today and annoyingly, they have none of the recommended hopups! Off to PJ and AT instead. 

[alvinlwh 5895]

On 10/9/2022 at 3:40 PM, GMballistic said:

Another option for the spur gear adapter is possibly this Sakura D3 one as apparently the bore diameter is the same as the Tamiya spur gears at 4mm.

Finally settled down from the travels and got the chance to properly read this. Turns out the adaptor is the same as the 3R MG Evo, which I got 2 along with spare spur adaptors and a bunch of 48dp gears to mess around with gear ratios. Just need to drill out the drive pin hole from 1.5mm to 2mm.

[GMballistic 28]

12 hours ago, alvinlwh said:

Finally settled down from the travels and got the chance to properly read this. Turns out the adaptor is the same as the 3R MG Evo, which I got 2 along with spare spur adaptors and a bunch of 48dp gears to mess around with gear ratios. Just need to drill out the drive pin hole from 1.5mm to 2mm.

That's good then ~ any pictures of it fitted etc would be interesting. 

This picture below is of my modified TB03 one which I'm hoping will do the job now I've got it to fit but always good to have another option. 

[alvinlwh 5895]

15 minutes ago, GMballistic said:

That's good then ~ any pictures of it fitted etc would be interesting

Will do in a build thread but will be a while as it is at the back end of a long to build list. 

[alvinlwh 5895]

On 10/13/2022 at 12:08 PM, TurnipJF said:

the rest of the car is ballraced

Finally had a chance to properly ready through the replies. Just checking, ball bearings are supplied for this kit (haven't got the chance to properly look through all of them yet)? If so, there is no need to buy a full bearing kit but just the ones for the steering? 

[TurnipJF 9192]

1 hour ago, alvinlwh said:

Finally had a chance to properly ready through the replies. Just checking, ball bearings are supplied for this kit (haven't got the chance to properly look through all of them yet)? If so, there is no need to buy a full bearing kit but just the ones for the steering? 

Steering and IFS bellcranks, yes.