TT-02 Chassis build tips/advice..

[Rinskie]

38 minutes ago, RC_Hobbyist said:

On another note, I did buy the CVA shocks yesterday and paid for overnight shipping, should be here sometime this morning.

I plan on building the stock spring shocks that come with the kit and keeping them as spares.

I also ordered steel bearing kit with my tt-02 order, which should be here sometime next week (The hobby shop places orders on Thursdays).

Note: CVA shocks have already been delivered.

Awesome on the CVA's. Not sure if the CVA package contains ball studs to mount the shocks but if it doesn't and if the kit doesn't have enough spares then you will need 8 of them. The CVA's snap onto ball studs where as the stock bouncers use step shoulders screws. A couple things, don't worry about spares. Your kit will have so much plastic bits left over after you finish you will think three is enough to make another car. Also don't get hung up on M3 screws verses self tappers. Build it with self tapping screws and if you find yourself working 0on the car a lot and taking things apart and putting them back together only to do it again then M3's might be in your future as they are just easier to work with. I initially build mine with the self tappers then about a year later wanted to upgrade to sexy stainless screws. No worries, you can easily do that but to do it right requires replacing the parts you self tapped but that's only the chassis ($7) and the front and read diff covers and maybe something else along the way. That's one area where the TT02 shines above all. You can replace the chassis deck every year if you want for a fresh new start and it will set you back about $15 all said and done. It's also a fun process. Here is a pic of my TT-02R after a chassis refresh. This car has been run a lot and the bottom of the chassis had a lot of scratches where it found every pebble in the parking lot. A pleasant afternoon with a tapping die, a bag full of stainless screws and some new shiny plastic parts from Tamiya and a new car was born. This is why I wouldn't worry about getting it perfect when you build it. Most TT02's will be a thousand things before they die as they are easy to work on and modify. 

[Pylon80]

2 hours ago, skom25 said:

This is why I am so surprised. I have never seen different manual for TT-02.

Sigh... You still won't believe won't you. 

The motor comes with a supplemental leaflet of instructions regarding the 17/19 pinion.

[FuzzyFlynn]

Interesting. I did not even know Tamiya made M0.6 steel pinions. 17T and 19T appear to be the only sizes, though.

[FuzzyFlynn]

Interesting is also Tamiya's attempt to seal the gear box with AW grease. That isn't part of the regular TT-02 manual either.

[Rinskie]

13 minutes ago, FuzzyFlynn said:

Interesting is also Tamiya's attempt to seal the gear box with AW grease. That isn't part of the regular TT-02 manual either.

Not sure why but it won't seal the gear box. The motor and the mount still have holes. My guess is for some sort of hazing as AW is plenty fun to wash off your hands. 

[RC_Hobbyist]

@skom25 in case you missed it...😀

 

16 hours ago, RC_Hobbyist said:

I am going to go with CVA shocks as well. My Hornet Evo has them and they work well.
I already have a lot of spare parts & shock oil from my Hornet Evo build, except the rears on the Hornet Evo were slightly longer in comparison to the front due to the large diameter wheels.

 

[JimBear]

1 hour ago, Pylon80 said:

Sigh... You still won't believe won't you.

"I want to believe" ...

(just as I guessed - that the information was somewhere else than in the actual manual - thanks for showing us!)

[Eric Bloodsmith]

I really want to see if the rally tt02s come with a steel pinion.

[skom25]

4 hours ago, Pylon80 said:

Sigh... You still won't believe won't you. 

The motor comes with a supplemental leaflet of instructions regarding the 17/19 pinion.

It is not about believing you, because I had no doubts. I was just surprised, because I downloaded manuals from many different sources and never seen anything like this. It was not even mentioned on official Tamiya page.

Thanks!

[RC_Hobbyist]

2 hours ago, Rinskie said:

Awesome on the CVA's. Not sure if the CVA package contains ball studs to mount the shocks but if it doesn't and if the kit doesn't have enough spares then you will need 8 of them. 

@Rinskie Good to know.
I checked the contents of the CVA kit I received and they do indeed come with more than eight ball studs. Will have to wait until I open the package to find out how many there are.
Also checked my toolbox to see if I had any extra ball studs from my Hornet Evo (Which morphed into the Hornet Hopper Evo, as I purchased a Grasshopper II body for it :D) build, which I don't, as I used all of them from the kit.

[RC_Hobbyist]

14 hours ago, Pylon80 said:

Rally kits do come with 17 and 19 steel pinion. These kits have larger diameter Rally Block tires. The 17t makes the car very punchy with the kit included Torque Tuned motor. Not slow by any means.

@Pylon80 Thank you for clarifying the information on the pinion gear.
Now I do not have to worry about getting a steel pinion.
In the manual I downloaded, it makes mention of a 22T pinion gear. I am assuming that is for your on road/Touring cars?

Is there a download link for the addendum you posted a screenshot of?

 

[Pylon80]

17 minutes ago, RC_Hobbyist said:

@Pylon80 Thank you for clarifying the information on the pinion gear.
Now I do not have to worry about getting a steel pinion.
In the manual I downloaded, it makes mention of a 22T pinion gear. I am assuming that is for your on road/Touring cars?

Is there a download link for the addendum you posted a screenshot of?

 

I think the TT-02 manual is generic, for all the many kits they made. I don't know of any download links for the supplemental leaflet.

About the CVA's, the TT-02 CVA will come with the ball studs and ball nuts by the way. And very good springs, short but very soft. Well suited to rally.

Note that if you ever upgrade to carbon shock towers, the Super Mini's will be too short as the carbon towers are about 4mm taller than the kit plastic ones. Then you would be better off with Mini's instead. I like the CVA's for off-road as they are not prone to damage from grit and sand like threaded aluminum shocks are. With TRF pistons and perhaps TRF o-ring the CVA's are surprisingly good dampers.

[RC_Hobbyist]

2 minutes ago, Pylon80 said:

About the CVA's, the TT-02 CVA will come with the ball studs and ball nuts by the way. And very good springs, short but very soft. Well suited to rally.

Note that if you ever upgrade to carbon shock towers, the Super Mini's will be too short as the carbon towers are about 4mm taller than the kit plastic ones. Then you would be better off with Mini's instead. I like the CVA's for off-road as they are not prone to damage from grit and sand like threaded aluminum shocks are. With TRF pistons and perhaps TRF o-ring the CVA's are surprisingly good dampers.

I have some experience with CVA shocks, as my Hornet Evo kit came with them and they work well.

The reason above is why I decided to go with CVA shocks on the TT-02 Chassis

[1132 Design]

On 4/29/2025 at 1:16 AM, skom25 said:

I really recommend to buy CVA shocks.

You can live with aluminium pinion, but once you find that gearing is fine, I think you should go for steel or hard coated version.

Unfortunately TT-02 straight from the box is rather poor car and needs some upgrades.

I've been an RC hobbyist since 1988, and only in my mid-40s now, so I have had the (dis)pleasure of seeing the evolution of Tamiya kits throughout the years.  With the industrial might that Tamiya have, I am surprised that they have not been able to come up with something better, even for the price.

In any case, the high-speed gear set (Tamiya #54500) is one I would highly recommend if you are even remotely thinking about using mild brushless motors in the range of a 17.5T or 21.5T--it allows you to gear the car high enough to take advantage of the brushless torque and convert it to more wheel speed.

[Crucial]

32 minutes ago, 1132 Design said:

even for the price.

All tamiya kits are half the price in japan, they (TT02 kits) are probably going out of the factory gate for £20-30, they only look bad value with several importer distributor and retailer 30% margins tacked on .

[Rinskie]

I personally think it's in pretty poor taste to ******* in someone's Wheaties when they are excited about a decision they made but what ever, that may just be me. 

[skom25]

53 minutes ago, Rinskie said:

I personally think it's in pretty poor taste to ******* in someone's Wheaties when they are excited about a decision they made but what ever, that may just be me. 

I do not see anything bad in this topic. Few tips how to make car much better from the start.

You can agree or not, but it is hard to say that TT-02 is good RC straight from the box. I think it is just honest, to show what is wrong with kit and help to make it better, than pretend that everything is perfectly fine.

We are not talking about 60 Euros steering set, steel universals or any other expensive Blue parts. It is about totally basic upgrades, which in fact, should be included in kit.

[Rinskie]

We are talking about a guy that's excited about taking his first few steps in the world of RC. Everyone starts somewhere. If you think back to your first car I am sure there would be things that you wish were different but that's part of the journey..To have someone that's further along in their journey stop by to throw a stink bomb in the room is just poor taste. I doubt you would have appreciated that had it happened to you. Not the time or place. Be happy for someone starting out their journey and stop eating your own. Other hobbies I have long since left do this for sport and the end result are folks complaining that there are not enough new people in the hobby. 

Also understand that what you think something may be doesn't change what it is and how the product is mostly used. I read somewhere a long while ago that most TT02's wind up sitting on a shelf after the builder spent too much time applying 7000 stickers. To which an aluminum pinon matters little nor does the number of teeth required for an upgraded motor that wasn't included in the kit. 

I tell you what, from here on out when ever anyone inquires about any product I will tell them how they would be much better off with something else. It might be fun......I mean why else would everyone do it? 

[Kowalski86]

I've owned too many TT02s to count, rallied some, ran some on RBP, etc.

Silicone grease on the screws will make the initial assembly smoother. Anytime that you tighten the screws afterward, reverse-thread to avoid stripping threads.

I strongly reccomend building it stock with just bearings, shocks, and a steel pinion. Don't worry about hop-ups until you've worn out a pair of tires or two. Heck the kit plastic driveshaft is perfectly fine. Otherwise it's a simple build that shouldn't be too troublesome.

My only reccomended "hop up", outside of the usual, is a halfway decent servo, even a cheap Futaba should be fine. A lot of people buy cheesy off-brand stuff that tends to be slow and inconsistent quality.

 

[Juggular]

I agree that getting CVA from the start might be a good idea. Once you go self tapping, machine screws aren't stable.  

On the pinion?  I would recommend the "coated aluminum" pinion. (I don't think they are coated. I think they are 2000 series copper/aluminum alloy, which is much harder without getting heavier).  Steel pinion is 400% as heavy.  Weight could be good if you want to maintain a constant speed.  But not so good if you want to change speed.  Granted, few grams isn't much for the 540 motor.  But the point is staying away from cheesium, not adding weight to the rotational mass.  (If you want to move bricks, carry them on your back, not on your boots--which is equivalent to rotational mass).  

I would choose the aerospace aluminum.  

Below are two pinions of about the same size (0.6m and 0.8m).  They are stopped nicely on a dime. Despite different teeth, they are about the same size.  

The steel pinion is 8 grams.  It might be heavier than all 3 plastic gears in DT-03.  

The 2000 series aluminum is 4 times lighter, since 4 of them together weigh 8 grams.  

The copper-aluminum is very hard.  In a very subjective test, I tried to carve with a stainless steel knife.  It feels just as hard as trying to carve on a steel pinion which was supposed to be "hardened steel."  

Not all aluminum is bad.  High end 7075-T6 aluminum's tensile strength is twice that of grade 2 Titanium.  Even some 2000 series aluminum are harder than soft steel.   

The steel pinion was $2 a piece.  The copper-aluminum was $1.70.  Nearly as hard, 15% cheaper, and 4 times lighter. 

I recommend avoiding Tamiya cheesium (it's okay on a silver can for a few packs).  But if there is an option, I would absolutely go for the aerospace aluminum.  I think it's perfectly fine up to about 10.5T brushless, Super Stock, or 4000kv on 2S (maybe even 5000kv on 2S).  If there is no option, then you'd have to go with much heavier steel.  

 

[skom25]

9 hours ago, Rinskie said:

We are talking about a guy that's excited about taking his first few steps in the world of RC. Everyone starts somewhere. If you think back to your first car I am sure there would be things that you wish were different but that's part of the journey..To have someone that's further along in their journey stop by to throw a stink bomb in the room is just poor taste. I doubt you would have appreciated that had it happened to you. Not the time or place. Be happy for someone starting out their journey and stop eating your own. Other hobbies I have long since left do this for sport and the end result are folks complaining that there are not enough new people in the hobby. 

Also understand that what you think something may be doesn't change what it is and how the product is mostly used. I read somewhere a long while ago that most TT02's wind up sitting on a shelf after the builder spent too much time applying 7000 stickers. To which an aluminum pinon matters little nor does the number of teeth required for an upgraded motor that wasn't included in the kit. 

I tell you what, from here on out when ever anyone inquires about any product I will tell them how they would be much better off with something else. It might be fun......I mean why else would everyone do it? 

Did you read first post of OP or not?

He asked for tips and advices.

What should I offer? Hug and cup of tea to have fun during build?

It is not my fault, that standard TT-02 kit is poor, but can be upgraded to fine level with 3 basic Hop Ups (OP ordered bearings together with car)

OP also has Hornet, so it not first car.

I will not continue and to be honest, once again I see that I totally do not understand this Forum.

If someone ask for advices/ tips and I need to check every word, because maybe I will kill his/her excitement, this is not place for me.

OP: sorry if I killed your excitement. I thought that my experience with TT-02s and tips based on that will make your "journey" bit better, but it seems I was wrong.

 

[OoALEJOoO]

@skom25 I think your advice on the TT-02 upgrades were great. Perhaps other members were commenting about your posts stating that the TT-02 is a poor car that needs upgrades, that 22T pinion speed is below any expectations, and the standard TT-02 it is a poor chassis. The issue with these opinions is a lack of context. The OP did not mention what was the TT-02 being used for or what his/her expectations were.

If the OP does not specify the use of the car, it is good practice to answer the question either asking for the usage/expectations, or to provide an answer based on what usage your recommendation is for.

As an entry level car, the TT-02 is fantastic. As a competitive top-tier racer it is indeed poor. As a TT class racer it is great. As a rally car, the TT-02 even bone stock is good, upgraded even better. For short circuit rallying, 17T pinion is great. For open space running 22T or higher is better. It's all about context. My first Tamiya RC was a XB TT-01E bone stock. I fully enjoyed it even with its plastic bushings and pogo shocks for a whole year.

Being a beginner is a fantastic period in the RC hobby. I certainly remember my beginner days fondly. Last thing we want to do is ruining a beginner's magic by overwhelming with a mountain of options & upgrades. The RC hobby is vast and wide, definitely offering a huge amount of options to keep you entertained for decades. None of this is needed to enjoy your first few builds though.

The OP was about tips/tricks/advice, which is a broad question. Many of the answers that followed focused on upgrades & hop-ups, which I would think is perhaps only a portion of what the OP was asking. @RC_Hobbyist great choice in picking-up a TT-02 kit, my general tips/tricks/advice would be:

• If this is your first, or among your first models, it is perfectly fine to build the TT-02 kit 100% following the manual with zero upgrades. You will have a great time both building and running the car. As an entry-level chassis, the TT-02 can then benefit from upgrades that can either make it more reliable or increase its performance. My recommendation for beginners, assuming you are one, is to always build 100% to the manual, feel the car, and only after that consider doing any upgrades. Otherwise, there are so many things you could upgrade that it could be intimidating, frustrating and even pointless, given many upgrades can be useless depending on the use case.
• Tamiya manuals are globally known as the gold standard of quality manuals. Follow the TT-02 manual by the letter and you will likely have zero issues. Be organized, separate the parts needed on each step and assembly should go smoothly.
• If you plan to run the car in a variety of surfaces, I recommend building the car under the "high ground clearance" option.
• Self-tapper screws are great. I tell you this after building 60+ Tamiya models. All screw types have their pros/cons and the self-tapers included in a TT-02 chassis work well with the type of plastic the TT-02 is built. My advice is not to overtighten them so that you minimize the chance of stripping the hole. Be mindful and feel the torque as you make-up the screw. Once the screw head touches the mating part, it will quickly become tight. Just leave it snug, nothing more. If you need to undo and redo a screw, once removed and before turning the screw in again, turn the screw counter-clockwise to "catch" the first thread (you will hear a small pop and/or drop) and only then screw clockwise to redo. This way you would not damage the hole by self-tapping another round of threads.
• TT-02 kits are robust and easy to build. Even in the slim chance you manage to mess-up the build, they are easy to repair and spare parts are cheap.
• Once you are ready to jump into upgrades, as others have mentioned, the most basic upgrades are:

1. The included soft aluminium 22T pinion gear will probably only last about 5 to 10 NiMH battery packs. It could last less if using longer-lasting or more powerful LiPo batteries. Once it wears, it will chew the spur gear. This is why we members here recommend upgrading the pinion. Nothing wrong with using the included pinion, just be mindful that it will soon need replacement. You can have a headstart by installing a better pinion from the getgo.
2. Ball bearings. If you plan to seldom run the car, or run it in very clean environments, the included plastic bushings are ok. If you run the car a lot, or in dusty places, they will wear out causing general looseness and precision drop. Again, nothing wrong with using the included bushings. Eventually you might need to change them if the car is run a lot. Advanced members here recommend putting bearings from the start, which is what we all do on new kits once you have more experience in RC. Bearings have less friction, thus also increasing performance. Since you already bought the bearings, then it would be best to use them.
3. CVA shocks are an upgrade that dramatically increases the handling of the car. Tamiya TT-02 CVA kit 54753 is a great all-round cost/performance shock set for the TT-02. The shocks will eliminate the bounciness of the stock suspension and increase its road-holding ability. The car will corner better, be more predictable and be more enjoyable to run. The relative low-cost & great impact of a CVA upgrade is why it gets recommended by almost everyone.

The above upgrades are usually referred to as the "big three" and offer a marked increase in performance/reliability without breaking the wallet. Upgrading the car further than this is entirely optional and it really depends on how often you run the car (improving its reliability), how rough you will be on the car (improving its toughness) or what expectations of performance do you have (aim to be competitive and/or race with timed laps against other people).

• If you are not a beginner, and would like to know more tips & tricks, there are numerous build threads in TamiyaClub and the internet in general. I've built a few that you might want to look into, but again I would only recommend to do so once you have more experience & mileage. Links: TT-02 Ford Escort or TT-02R Ferrari F12 TDF 

Enjoy your TT-02. Happy times ahead

[skom25]

32 minutes ago, OoALEJOoO said:

I think your advice on the TT-02 upgrades were great. Perhaps other members were commenting about your posts stating that the TT-02 is a poor car that needs upgrades, that 22T pinion speed is below any expectations, and the standard TT-02 it is a poor chassis. The issue with these opinions is a lack of context. The OP did not mention what was the TT-02 being used for or what his/her expectations were.

If it was understood like this: sorry. Probably I was not clear enough with my posts.

TT-02 is great chassis and needs just a "Holy Trinity" of upgrades ( bearings, CVAs and steel pinion) to be fun, durable and just good car. It is also easy to maintain, parts are cheap and possibilities to upgrade in future are almost unlimited. I have one and plan to build second.

I am more than sure that @RC_Hobbyist will be more than happy with this chassis.

[Rinskie]

7 hours ago, skom25 said:

Did you read first post of OP or not?

Sure did. 

19 hours ago, 1132 Design said:

I've been an RC hobbyist since 1988, and only in my mid-40s now, so I have had the (dis)pleasure of seeing the evolution of Tamiya kits throughout the years.  With the industrial might that Tamiya have, I am surprised that they have not been able to come up with something better, even for the price.

In any case, the high-speed gear set (Tamiya #54500) is one I would highly recommend if you are even remotely thinking about using mild brushless motors in the range of a 17.5T or 21.5T--it allows you to gear the car high enough to take advantage of the brushless torque and convert it to more wheel speed.

I also read this which provides no useful advice to someone just starting out. Might as well point out the chassis has no aluminum bulkheads, carbon chassis or active toe. Nothing I wrote was directed to you apart from my responding that you didn't see anything abrasive. You are mistaken if you thought I was picking on any of your suggestions. 

 

Now just for fun, let's quickly look at the quote from above. His first sentence starts with a false statement. A guy in his mid 40's that has been involved in RC since 88 would be in his mid 50's not mid 40's. Let's just assume in his mid 40's means 45 years old. 45 plus 1988 gives us 2033. So I will check back in 2033 to see if his false appeal to authority has any validity to someone just starting out. 

[FuzzyFlynn]

1 hour ago, Rinskie said:

 

Now just for fun, let's quickly look at the quote from above. His first sentence starts with a false statement. A guy in his mid 40's that has been involved in RC since 88 would be in his mid 50's not mid 40's. Let's just assume in his mid 40's means 45 years old. 45 plus 1988 gives us 2033. So I will check back in 2033 to see if his false appeal to authority has any validity to someone just starting out. 

 

Your calculation assumes he started with RC right when he was born. I do not think this is realistic. Assume this: Born in 1980. Started RC in 1988 when he was 8. Now he is 45.