A Tamiya on an Off-Road Track

[Kowalski86]

Plenty of people here have ran M chassis and TTs in on-road races, but I've been curious if Tamiya makes anything suited for an outdoor off-road track. Think bumps and fairly high jumps.

Has anyone here tried to race their Tamiya in a "novice" class? Or just hit the track for a practice session? I'm curious to read your experiences.

[sosidge]

Tamiya don't make any competition chassis nowadays but any of the modern chassis will get around a 1/10th track. A 1/8th track might be a bit too much to cope with.

[El Gecko]

I go to the "local" (nearest) RC track a few times a year now, and have run a few different Tamiyas around. The surface is very loose, basically hardpack with dust on top. No big jumps to speak of, the biggest being maybe 36" or so. Many who run there have 4WD Slashes, one of the Traxxas rally cars, or something Aarma with wheels bigger than half the truck body. I even saw a 1/5 guy out there last time.

All my 2WD Tamiyas are difficult to control at high speed on the surface, lots of sliding, drifting, spinning out at first until I get really smooth with my lines and throttle application. I'm sure a 4WD would probably be easier but I like the challenge.

The DT02 hits jumps the best of the Tamiyas I've tried there, nice smooth launches and landings, but it doesn't have enough power to clear the big doubles (10-12' apart). It's definitely the fastest and easiest to handle around the track, though.

The Mad Blaster (ORV buggy with stadium truck tires) was pretty good around the track as well, but the more limited suspension meant that jumps were even trickier than the DT. I had to get exactly the right line, right speed, right throttle input, etc. I also had to be more careful through the bumpy/lumpy sections as it was more prone to getting thrown off its line.

And the Hornet, well. It's a Hornet.

[BuggyGuy]

TD2 wouldnt hold you back at club level unless your driving standard is particularly high. 

It needs a few hopups to be really race worthy though (clutch, diff nut).

Finding a motor that will fit is probably the biggest hurdle!

[rich_f]

I came second in a 4WD off-road regional BRCA event with a Top Force once (admittedly this was back in 2009 or so, but the Top Force was close to 20 years old by that point). So a novice class is certainly doable. 

[Kowalski86]

 

1 hour ago, BuggyGuy said:

TD2 wouldnt hold you back at club level unless your driving standard is particularly high. 

It needs a few hopups to be really race worthy though (clutch, diff nut).

Finding a motor that will fit is probably the biggest hurdle!

i haven't really thought about my "driving standard" to be honest, but a TD2 might fit. I find myself enjoying buggys for off-roaders more than anything else.

1 hour ago, El Gecko said:

The Mad Blaster (ORV buggy with stadium truck tires) was pretty good around the track as well, but the more limited suspension meant that jumps were even trickier than the DT. I had to get exactly the right line, right speed, right throttle input, etc. I also had to be more careful through the bumpy/lumpy sections as it was more prone to getting thrown off its line.

I almost want to run my Frog just for the novelty of it, problem is that I don't feel comfortable jumping anything made from ABS plastic, except maybe a Mad Bull.

32 minutes ago, rich_f said:

I came second in a 4WD off-road regional BRCA event with a Top Force once (admittedly this was back in 2009 or so, but the Top Force was close to 20 years old by that point). So a novice class is certainly doable. 

At the track I visited novice class was composed of one very fast "truggy", and a few brushed Slash's. It'd come down to my skill and if the buggy stays together.

[Juls1]

2 hours ago, BuggyGuy said:

TD2 wouldnt hold you back at club level unless your driving standard is particularly high. 

It needs a few hopups to be really race worthy though (clutch, diff nut).

Finding a motor that will fit is probably the biggest hurdle!

I run a hobbywing xerun v10 17.5T in stock class on my TD2. The chassis is actually very fast with this motor, I tend to catch up to most other cars on the straights. And I’m over clearing the biggest jumps by a large margin. So far it’s entirely me holding the car back. I’m generally sitting middle of the pack. 
 

the track I race at is dry dusty hardpack clay and is quite rough. I’m running all my roll centres low as possible to give more body roll and grip in these slippery conditions.  I will say though it is a touch tail heavy and you have to run the lowest wing setting, the option wing mount on the carbon tower is useless. And you need to pay attention on the big jumps to get the nose down. Got plenty of steering though.

may not be the best car for high grip indoor carpet. (which is just on road with jumps really). 

[El Gecko]

5 hours ago, Kowalski86 said:

I almost want to run my Frog just for the novelty of it, problem is that I don't feel comfortable jumping anything made from ABS plastic, except maybe a Mad Bull.

Do it! I might take mine out there eventually once I get a body for it. I've been bashing the Blaster around a long time now too, and it's still on its original chassis. Just go slow over the jumps if you don't think you can hit the landings, or go around if that's an option. If it's a track for 1:10 buggies, the Frog should be fine, it just won't be as fast of a lap time as a newer/better car, and you'll have to be a little more careful in how you drive it. If you find yourself spinning out a lot, a gyro can make a big difference to keep the car pointed where you want it on a loose surface.

[Kowalski86]

34 minutes ago, El Gecko said:

Do it! I might take mine out there eventually once I get a body for it. I've been bashing the Blaster around a long time now too, and it's still on its original chassis. 

It's for 1:8 buggies iirc, but novice class runs on a shorter section of the track. What motor do you run on your Frog?

Maybe I will run it just for the novelty, when I watch full size cars race it's always fun watching that one guy who shows up with a vintage racer.

[Gebbly]

I have zero experience of running cars on tracks but I thought I'd just throw something out there.

In response to @Kowalski86, I would think the answer is "it depends". If you are aiming to take a car onto an off-road track for fun and see what its like then I would imagine the best car to use is the one that gives you the most fun. As @El Gecko says "All my 2WD Tamiyas are difficult to control at high speed.....but I like the challenge."

However, if you are thinking of racing competitively and trying to win races then you want the fastest car you can find and discussions on this forum in the past tend to suggest Tamiya isnt quite as competitive as some other manufacturers these days in proper race environments, for example as @sosidge said "Tamiya don't make any competition chassis nowadays".

I would get a blast from pootling my little GF-01 around a track and may even brave a jump or 2 but I'm under no illusion that I would come anywhere but last in a race

[Kpowell911]

If you purely want the fun aspect, and absolutely HAVE to run a Tamiya (which I get the appeal of) Id imagine a TD2/TD4/TT-02BR COULD be fun and semi competitive in a Novice class. Just always accept that you would be more competitive (which could in turn be more fun) with a multitude of other chassis'. 
 

Obviously the other aspect is skill level. Im sure a world champion with a Grass Hopper would still beat an amateur with the latest and greatest Associated 

[Kowalski86]

5 hours ago, Gebbly said:

I have zero experience of running cars on tracks but I thought I'd just throw something out there.

In response to @Kowalski86, I would think the answer is "it depends". If you are aiming to take a car onto an off-road track for fun and see what its like then I would imagine the best car to use is the one that gives you the most fun. As @El Gecko says "All my 2WD Tamiyas are difficult to control at high speed.....but I like the challenge."

 

My goal is just to run something for fun, technically my Midnight Pumpkin gives me the most fun but I think I'd tire the poor marshals out!

[qatmix]

At a local indoor off road club someone took a big std TD2 but with club tyres and was either 2nd or third in the B..  the finals go down to G or H.. kit std (probably different shock oil etc). Obviously they are a good driver, and racing can have lots of ups and downs,  but it shows that the TD2 isn’t bad for the money. 

[El Gecko]

12 hours ago, Kowalski86 said:

It's for 1:8 buggies iirc, but novice class runs on a shorter section of the track. What motor do you run on your Frog?

Maybe I will run it just for the novelty, when I watch full size cars race it's always fun watching that one guy who shows up with a vintage racer.

I have a 17t Trinity Sapphire in there right now, which is honestly just a bit too much for the chassis from a handling perspective. If the suspension and tires were still stock, it would be even more of a handful. Mine is the first hobby RC that I ever built, so I definitely hold back when I drive it, but I would still trust it to handle certain (smaller, smoother) jumps.

I've been surprised at how robust the chassis on the Blaster is, since it's also an original chassis from when I was a kid (running a cheapo black can 21t brushed motor at the moment). Although it's got a lot of mods now as well. It was fine, and lots of fun, on the flatter parts of the track, and I would expect the Frog to be ok too. I definitely wouldn't race either of them, though. The speed and handling of modern cars would be too much different, and I'd be afraid of being a moving roadblock for the faster guys.

You'd probably be fine at a practice day, though. I haven't been to one of those yet, although there are some indoor offroad places around that I've been considering checking out. The track I always go to is outdoors in a public park, free to play, just turn up and start driving around. But on the flip side, anyone can move the barriers around, so the course is always different each time I go, which exposes some of the steel stakes they use to hold the barriers in place. Then sometimes it's too wet, but usually it's too dry and slippery and bumpy, and also there's always random plastic ramps set up in random places, and there's no timing system or anything. None of that is an issue for me just out there practicing for fun, except the one time I went a little wide on a turn and cut my brand new tire on a wayward barrier.

[droidy]

DT-03, TT-02B and Mad Bull are lots of fun but don't expect to attack a jump like a proper race buggy.

I also saw a brushless rere Blackfoot and it looked great, again not going for big air, taking jumps conservatively.

[RC_FunLand]

For the track, I take my WR-01 Twin Detonator (2x Core RC 15T), Tamiya Hotshot (8.5T brushless), and DT-03 (17.5T Brushless).

 

all three handle like champs. Only issue is with my WR-01, which has bump steer. Small bumps are problems, but massive jumps aren’t, ironically enough.

[Kowalski86]

Guess I'll explain some of the story why I began this thread.

I have a few 2wd Traxxas models, ideally these would have the durability needed for the track, problem is that none of them handle all that well (and I have tried to tune them).

I have a TT-02B that's pretty well hopped up, lighter, handles decently, and has a more modern/easier to work on design that I'd like to run instead.

[RC_FunLand]

23 minutes ago, Kowalski86 said:

I have a TT-02B that's pretty well hopped up, lighter, handles decently, and has a more modern/easier to work on design that I'd like to run instead.

Go for it! Maybe get some spare steel or carbon fiber parts first, or at least spares before you do so!

 

my friend launched his off a hill, didn’t end well. car was fine but wound up in the river. guess what he wound up doing? Cannonballing into the body of water and retrieving it before it sunk.

so, moral of the story: don’t launch your TT-02B (or any Tamiya for that matter ) off of hills that are located near bodies of water! 

 

but in all seriousness, you should be alright, so long as the jumps are a) relatively soft (on light dirt, sand, or even grass) and b) aren’t performed at too high of a speed.

 

cheers!