Christmas Present For Myself...dt-02

[kaiser]

so i had this feeling the misses didn't get me anything related to r/c for christmas so i bought a nib dt-o2 for myself on e-bizzle.

i know DT-02's aren't the best 2wd tamiya ever made, but dyna storm prices are too high for my budget.

what kind of hop ups am i going to need to keep up with my buddy's traxxas bandit? i don't mean motors but chassis and suspension upgrades.

it may not really NEED anything, i have a feeling he's a little heavy handed with the throttle, so i'll probably beat him on a track due to the ability to control myself and the car. lol

any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

pete-

[bigoggy]

these are great cars. i think you should run it standard for a while and see what hop ups you think you need. the only thing i would reccomend is some differant front tyres. the standard ones are useless and the car understeers like mad. i would put a set of mini pins on the front.

[matisse]

def go for the ball diff, makes such a difference over the standard gear one and the turnbuckle set will allow you to tune the handling easier.

other than that, i'd recomend better shocks ( the tamiya df-o3 ones are good), tyres (schumacher mini spikes are excellent) and if your feeling flush uprating the motor/esc combo.

all pretty basic stuff, have a look round the showrooms and check out what's been done.

have fun, i've had mine for a while now, and the old girl just keeps going.

matisse

[kaiser]

thanks for the replies!

so there's no real "weak link" or part that everyone replaces right away? if so thats great.

i already have some go fast goodies waiting for it and the ball diff is on order.

remember kyosho's "option house" motors ? well i stumbled across 2 of them NIB the other day, better yet they were free.

i think i'll try out the 24 turn 480wt motor in it.

cheers!

[MikeG8]

I got one of these a year ago: fantastic fun and very hardy too. Wheel base is a little short so it is very twitchy. Ball diff is a must and I agree on the front tyres: any type of spikes are good. A great kit. I run mine on the beach a lot and found that using Velcro strips around the tub sides and body instead of just the body mounts keeps the bulk of the sand out. I've also used monster sized rear tyres too: great in the sand. Good luck, you'll enjoy it!

Mike

[kaiser]

i noticed alot of "3racing" alloy parts on ebay, any need for that stuff? other than the "bling" factor.

i never needed alloy parts and any tamiya before so i doubt theres much value in those shiney bits.

[jozza]

3Racing alloy bits look nice but generally don't add much to the car. In fact, the plastic parts are sometimes better as they flex in the case of a shunt, whereas the ally bits are stiff and can end up sending shockwaves through the chassis, causing breakage down the line. However, I do run 3racing ally top arms on my TL01B and Twin Detonator, and they do offer an improvement over the original parts. Also, the aluminium steering block set on the Gravel Hound is a bit better than the stock parts.

I'd suggest you run it with the plastic parts, and if and when you break them you could consider whether it's worth "upgrading" to the ally blingy bits.

[taliesin]

I would be stunned if you actually break something and need to replace it - these things are built pretty solid.

Spiked front tires are a must. They really don't need much more.

If you are just dying to add hop-ups, maybe a set of tuned springs, adjustable turnbuckles and better servo saver might be useful, but not at all necessary.

Enjoy! Smoke the Bandit too!!!!

[kaiser]

ok, thanks guys.

i'll leave it alone and see what i think it needs. i can't wait to get it.

i've been running a hornet alot lately and have been yerning for something high performance and the

dirt thrasher isn't cutting it. i do have some stuff in mind to make the dirt thrasher come to life, but due to my history

with 2wd racing i think the viper is going to make me smile quite a bit.

[kaiser]

Enjoy! Smoke the Bandit too!!!!

i will, but i have to get him to put a normal motor in it. he's running a brushless right now.

i have a spare esc and motor, so when we run on my homemade track we'll be even in the power dept.

[matisse]

the only thing i've broken is the front shock tower, new tyres on wet tarmac, straight in to the curb, ouch!

replaced it though and it spends most of its time in the air and hasn't broken on the landings yet!!

have fun mate

[highflyer]

Have fun with the SAND VIPER!!!

[kaiser]

well i couldn't resist the allure of shiney blue alloy parts so i ordered all the 3 racing hop ups for the dt-02.

i'll post pics when it's all together. i'm a sucker for anything blue. lol

[28yoKid]

looking fwd to seeing the pics!

[pastimesteve]

Enjoy the Sand Viper! It's a very tough RC and fun to drive. Like others have said, the pin spike tires are a must on the front wheels. Also, if you're a fan of the Bear Hawk, the Bear Hawk body fits on the DT-02 chassis like it was made for it. Just a minor mod is necessary to the rear body mount and you're good to go.

Steve

[kaiser]

i have so many parts on order from hong kong, i can't wait. i may build it tonight and rebuild it when all the goodies arrive.