racing tamiya

[minijosh]

Is there a place in here where people who race their cars can go and talk about set ups and stuff. I now own a TA02, TA03, and TA04SS. I am such a [)]

[leadfoot]

id="Verdana">well if i needed to find out what everybody else was running on thier car. i would go to the races and just poke around look and listen... you wont get any info from these people because it cuts into thier tech and it makes other people as competive as thier are [)] ok it's exactly what i do when i see a good handleing/running car and if all else fails act dumb like you never seen one of them new fangled cars and ask away[][][]

[stulec52]

A Tamiya goes racing forum would seem to be the next logical step for the club, I think.

It would be great to have a bit of an advantage before getting to the track as a Tamiya Club member.

I still race my 04 pro, and have just got my EVO3, so I would love to share findings.

[WillyChang]

Setups generally differ between tracks... and personal

driving preferences.

Taking a setup sheet and believing its gospel, or

worse still thinking you "have" to buy all the fancy

bits that Surikarn runs on his, is a tad silly.

Tamiya's manual usually specifies a good base to start

wrenching from. In kit specs their cars (03, 04, 04PRO etc)

are generally neutral pushers and are easy to drive.

The racers (414, TB Evos) might be a bit more active.

Nothing beats taking the time to practice on your local track,

then experimenting with different setups and working out which

suits you the best. To save time and $$, just ask around what

tyres & inserts the others are using - and buy a set of those.

Read the rules on motor/battery allowed for your class too.

The "latest" radio and ESC don't really make much difference

to your lap times imho... not unless you're consistent enough

to lap every lap within 0.5s of each other. One clipped corner

and all your new-gear 'advantage' is gone, be man enough to

admit that.

The Tamiya Racers contingent is pretty active here in Melb.

There are quite a few serious TRF guys in Oz... so why not

post up what car you have, and we'll respond with what are

the best options to start with? [8D]

[minijosh]

I have a TA02, TA03, and a TA04SS that I would like to make race ready just in case my HPI Sprint breaks on me. That has happened in the past so this will be necessary.

[WillyChang]

I'd leave the 02 on the shelf, might be hard to get parts for

these days and its design is pretty antiquated now. That motor

mount design is also rather 'unique'... might be ok with a metal

mount in there, but it sure doesn't help cooling airflow.

With the 03... depending on the class you're racing, it might still

be ok if you know how to drive it. You can hop it up all the way

to TRF specs, or just leave it bog stock... works ok either way.

Are 03 parts getting harder to find too?

Definitely have full bearings in all cars! [8D]

TA04SS is a good bet... you've already got the BBs and turnbuckles

so that's a good start already. The SS shorter chassis should be

more lively than a full-length 04S; if you don't like it you can

buy "standard" 04 arms to get a std-length car which fits std shells.

For high-speed stability you might want the toe-in rear blocks.

The TA04 Racing Hub Carrier kit with the crossbar is good to stiffen

up the front/steering, or it might make the car too responsive for

your tastes. TA04 car is pretty race ready as is.

Motor heatsink is handy if you're running hot motors, but the other

bits like alloy steering, alloy gear carrier etc are mainly eye candy.

Graphite chassis (black or SSG!) also available, if you can justify

the cost. Ditto shock towers, which are genuinely useful for the

extra holes available for more adjustment choices.

Before you go buy all these bits for your 04 though... stop and

consider how far you want to go. Then toss up if its cheaper to

go for a TA04R NSX or the TRF TA04 instead... []

but honestly, the TA04 runs great as is.

Just take it racing, invest in good tyres and some decent

batteries and motor... and an ESC is great too.

[malcolm(2)]

With regard to the TA03, I used to run one in the Euro-cup for a couple of years. I was no A final specialist, but enjoyed running the car and racing it. I finally bought a TC3 to run at local clubs and got fed up with the cost of running the Tamiya motors so gave up on the Euro-Cup, plus I couldn't make the B when the TA04 came along.

I mostly ran the TA-03R. It's major problem was understeer. The handling is just a little too safe! That means softest front springs (RED) and hard rears (BLUE) and the same for anti-roll bars. Keep the front ride height as low as you can get it and you are getting there. Shock oil was about 30wt front and 60wt rear, with the alloy bodied shocks. Run about 1 degree of toe out on the front if you can live with it, it makes it a bit wandery down the straight but a bit sharper on turn in.

The short wheel base car (TA03-RS) is better, but the bodies are no-where near as stable as the good old Mugen NSX so they are a bit more of a challenge. It was fun racing in a heat of Porsche GT1's though!

Concentrate on that TA04, it's a much better car than it is given credit for.

[Stealthy Ninja]

I agree with Malcolm. The Ta04 seems to be one of the more underrated cars. Not only are they pretty much race ready from the box, but they have good handling and are majorly hopupable (what an adjective).

However, I constantly finding myself questioning my original purchase of my TA-04. Not because I am disappointed with it’s performance, it is fast and handles really well. But rather the lack of support for it. It seems that many people believe it’s “not a real racer†or not as good as the 414 or TB Evo III. This may be technically true, but the TA-04 is more than a respectable racer, and it can be made to be every bit as good (if not better) than other “top shelf†racers. This is what I have done/are planning to do to my TA-04:

Start = TA04 R chassis

Hopups:

Carbon Lower deck

SSG Carbon Front/Rear Carbon Damper Stay

Aluminium Suspension Mount (front/rear)

Aluminium Centre Pulley

Aluminium Centre One-Way Unit

(Purple) Eagle Racing Alum suspension arms (all) steering arms, hubs (all).

Alum diff pulley (front/rear)

Racing body mount

Ti turnbuckles

Alum Steering rack

Misc Alum parts.

Will get:

SSG Upper deck

Carbon lower deck with slots for saddle pack batteries (non-tamiya)

Alum front body mount

The new front anti-roll bar

Any other hopup that I deem worthwhile.

I call it the Tamiya surprise, because when people hear I have a TA04, they’ll probably judge it too quickly…then I’ll kick their butts (that’s the plan anyway). []

Then perhaps I have more money than brains [:I]

Problem is, to get it to top racing condition I have spent more money than I really need to. Oh well, at least I have the pose factor. []

[Stealthy Ninja]

I just worked out I spent somewhere between $600-1000us on my car so far!! [:0]

[WillyChang]

Too right, Mr Ninja!!

TA04 is a stealthy weapon that can do big damage in the right hands!

The only thing it lacks from a 414/e3 is the ability to

move the suspension shaft mounts, thus unable to experiment

with the roll-centre adjustments unless Tamiya or someone else

brings optional replacement shaft blocks with the holes moved.

(fyi the TA04's shaft blocks are bolted to the diff bulkheads,

whereas the 414/e3 has blocks that are independently screwed

onto the chassis. You can shim these to raise the shaft position.)

But for 99% of the typical users... it ain't necessary. [:0]

[WillyChang]

quote:

Originally posted by Stealthy Ninja

I just worked out I spent somewhere between $600-1000us on my car so far!! [:0]

---

id="quote">id="quote">

Oww... hmm, maybe you should have waited and bought a new

TA04-TRF box instead... that way you've got 2 cars, not just 1.

Curious... with all that aluminium bits... how heavy is your car?

Metal bits would usually be heavier than their plastic equivalents.

With Tamiyas they're already pretty heavy, and its near impossible

to get one under the minimum weight limits without major surgery.

[Stealthy Ninja]

Yeah, Willy, that's right.

To me the E3 is s shaft driven version of the 04.

You can adjust what you said a bit with the new rear Alum suspension arm mounts (0.5-1 degree) but it matters little.

Rock on 04!! [8D]

Oh and when I bought it the TRF wasn't even a twinkle in Mr. Tamiya's eyes. Heh heh. Actually the ALum parts seem to make it a bit lighter... or that could be my imagination/wishful thinking. I like ALum for it's strenth, looks and it seems to react quicker (imagination?). []

[snollan]

try ttlocals.com or look for tamiyaralley on yahoo groups.

[WillyChang]

quote:

Originally posted by Stealthy Ninja

To me the E3 is s shaft driven version of the 04.

---

id="quote">id="quote">

Um... more like TBe3 is a shafted 414? []

For you you're comparing TA04R arms (hard) and I've got hard arms

on my PRO too... but strictly speaking these are 414 items... []

Ditto the racing front hub & crossbar.

Had them both sitting side-by-side last night and its remarkable

on the similarities. TBe3 looks just a little bit wider though.

[Stealthy Ninja]

I'm the type of person who wants the best of everything. It's an expensive habit...

I wanted the best Tamiya car, and at the time it was the TA04 or 414. I couldn''t find the 414 at the time so I went for the 04. It sucks now that there are better ones out there (I have to admit it).

I have spent so much on my car now that I feel I can't buy another one, so I just keep trying to improve my 04.

That is why I make the 04 to be superior to the TB-e3...

[WillyChang]

quote:

Originally posted by Stealthy Ninja

I'm the type of person who wants the best of everything. It's an expensive habit...

---

id="quote">id="quote">

Tell me about it... [:I]

That's why vintage Tamiya is cool... there's less temptation

to bolt on every shiny object from the hopup racks!! []

quote:I wanted the best Tamiya car, and at the time it was the TA04 or 414. I couldn''t find the 414 at the time so I went for the 04. It sucks now that there are better ones out there (I have to admit it).

id="quote">id="quote">

Better?

Not really... which ones?

Looking at all the current tourers, its still a tossup between

stick vs string. There's nothing really groundbreaking on the

horizon; methinks the state of the industry is reaching maturity.

quote:I have spent so much on my car now that I feel I can't buy another one, so I just keep trying to improve my 04. That is why I make the 04 to be superior to the TB-e3.

id="quote">id="quote">

Guess it all depends on what you want from your car.

If its pure racing, the 414/TBe3 is built for it. An 04 is 'adequate',

but probably not at the top-notch pro mod levels. But its probably

harder to find bits at your LHS for these "racer" chassis.

If you just like something that looks good, nothing quite beats

a 04 with the full SSG set... maybe other than a 414M (not M2) with

mirror-polished bulkheads and SSG kit. (Haven't seen one of

*those* yet... but I'm sure they're out there somewhere!)

[Stealthy Ninja]

Ah, you make me feel better.

I guess if I ever get to an advanced racing level, I'll buy a "pure racer" but till then my awesome TA04 will be a "surprise package" for all who challenge me lightly. []

I was looking at my 04 and I conclude...it does look **** nice.

Actually though, if you add the right 3rd party and Tamiya hopups the 04 could possiblily compete at top level. It's just that the cost involved really would make it better to buy something else in the first place...

Oh well. I'll post a pic of my 04 here when I have completed my project. You can see the old version in my showroom though.

[terry.sc]

Here is a link to Tamiyas own setup sheets and tips. There's not a lot there, but it's a start. http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/rc/setuptips/index.html

[Stealthy Ninja]

Willy, I added new pictures (actually changed the old). To my showroom, check it out!! (click the thing below). []

[WillyChang]

Bling Bling! [xx(]

Haha, just remembered you're from HK.. now got me wondering

how you managed to spend so much (~HK$8000?) on your 1 car??

HK prices are so cheap and all that... and everything

"open for bargaining" heh heh heh.

News travels slow sometimes... I just hear the CROSS factory

has burnt down. This happened a few mths ago now I think.

[Stealthy Ninja]

Heh.

What I spent includes the inital cost of the car and electronics. $HK2000. Then mis upgrades which build up over time...$HK100 here another there....it builds up.

Carbon Parts 400

Ti turnbuckles 200

ALum kit 390

extra battery pack 200

new charger 400

extra body 200

one way diff 120

alum parts (misc) 500

Probably about 300 misc I can't think of now. That means:$HK4710

So close enough to $HK5000 = about $US650 or about $aus1000

That's a lot! [xx(] Oh well, it doesn't seem so much step by step []

[Stealthy Ninja]

WIlly and co.

Yesterday I bought the following:

Front body mount (alum)

Lightweight swing shafts

SSG upper deck

Today I ordered a carbon lower deck for saddle pack from Tower Hobbies.

I AM ALMOST COMPLETE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Heh ehh

[WillyChang]

You... are... crazy... [}][}][}]

[Stealthy Ninja]

My friend in Australia is buying a TA04 (I am getting it for him and sending it down). Therefore I will buy:

The new racing front oneway

The new spurgear holder

A blue Motor mount

And give him my old ones (good deal for him).

Oh and...I...am...not...sane...[)]