mattk 5 Posted February 16, 2016 Hey guys, Im a new member, new to the RC Car scene, I have always been interested in RC models, and I always liked the Tamiya Dark Impact and HPI Savage 4x4. The missus's dad bought himself a Holiday Buggy for Christmas, (he's a old RC racer and used to compete) and so the missus bought me a Tamiya DT02 Holiday Buggy for Christmas as something different and up my street ( Im a Mechanical Engineer by trade and have numerous Land Rovers Motorbikes etc haha) So, I spent Christmas day building the buggy, dead pleased with it - very quickly came to realized I needed the proper Tamiya Screwdrivers lol. Only I didn't have any of the radio gear so have had to wait for that to arrive ha. Ran the car a few times with the Father in laws to discover the out of the Box 380 motor was a bit slow compared to his GT tuned one haha. So, so far The car has got a Flysky 2.4Ghz system, a Overlander 3300Mah Nimh battery and a HK servo. I have also purchased some oil dampers, and have since discovered the springs are a bit stiff ha. Have purchased a 3racing ball bearing set and also some drive-shafts, now herein lies the problem. These are the drive-shafts and cups Ive ordered, the drive-shafts fit the standard cups fine, however the cups that I have ordered are too small, I have ordered the same cups that were quoted on TheRCRacer article. Sorry for the large first post, but thought you guys might like to know the story ha. heres some photos; Regards Matt 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
XV Pilot 1936 Posted February 16, 2016 Welcome! No need to apologise for long posts - we like details on here. The GPM universals are designed to work with the stock drive cups or GPM's own alloy cups that take the larger dogbone fittings. Tamiya universals use the smaller dogbone fittings as found on the Sand Viper and Desert Gator, and thus need the smaller drive cups if you want to run them on a Holiday Buggy. So since you have the GPM universals, if I were you I'd run them with the stock drive cups, and either return the small drive cups or hang onto them for another project. Although they look a bit clunky, the large metal/plastic drive cups supplied with the Holiday Buggy are quite tough and wear well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waterbok 1282 Posted February 16, 2016 Mmm and I thought those dampers I had on a used car where TRFs Dont forget to put a brace on the front damper mount. And i just discovered these 'new' carson offroad wheels, the standard setup on the DT02s wear fast on hard surfaces. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rb4276 803 Posted February 16, 2016 Would those shocks fit on a dt03 chassis? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattk 5 Posted February 16, 2016 Welcome! No need to apologise for long posts - we like details on here. The GPM universals are designed to work with the stock drive cups or GPM's own alloy cups that take the larger dogbone fittings. Tamiya universals use the smaller dogbone fittings as found on the Sand Viper and Desert Gator, and thus need the smaller drive cups if you want to run them on a Holiday Buggy. So since you have the GPM universals, if I were you I'd run them with the stock drive cups, and either return the small drive cups or hang onto them for another project. Although they look a bit clunky, the large metal/plastic drive cups supplied with the Holiday Buggy are quite tough and wear well. Thank you for the warm welcome, Im glad long posts with information are welcomed I agree with what your saying there, I'll keep the drive cups as they'll probably come in handy for another project as I get more intertwined in the RC world haha. The plastic cups are quite substantial - they'll stop in for now, especially as the type of plastic used is probably more forgiving to impact etc. Just out of interest, which GPM Cups would be the correct ones? - I only ask as I've read that you need to change the Differential internals from Flat drive to splines? Mmm and I thought those dampers I had on a used car where TRFs Dont forget to put a brace on the front damper mount. And i just discovered these 'new' carson offroad wheels, the standard setup on the DT02s wear fast on hard surfaces. Carbon Shock Tower Brace is on the order list ready to order Where can I get a set of wheels like these? They look spot on - Also how do I know if wheels will fit the Tamiya hubs? Would those shocks fit on a dt03 chassis? I believe they will fit - and suit it slightly better as its a heavier car I believe? I've got to find some softer springs for mine as the car just bounces rather than soaking up any bumps lol Cheers for the warm welcome guys 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rb4276 803 Posted February 16, 2016 I believe they will fit - and suit it slightly better as its a heavier car I believe? I've got to find some softer springs for mine as the car just bounces rather than soaking up any bumps lol Cheers for the warm welcome guys What weight oil are you using? I know with my dt03 the supplied soft in the rear is no good. In the front the soft seems to be fine Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
XV Pilot 1936 Posted February 16, 2016 Just out of interest, which GPM Cups would be the correct ones? - I only ask as I've read that you need to change the Differential internals from Flat drive to splines? You have a choice of two types - GPM3041# in aluminium (# denotes the colour) or DT3041SBK in blackened steel. Both fit the standard Holiday Buggy diff with no need to convert to splines. A tip for finding Holiday Buggy hop-ups: look for those sold for the DT-03. Since the DT-03 uses the same rear end as the HB-spec DT-02, and a very similar front end too, a lot of the hop-ups are interchangeable. This page may be of interest: http://www.asiatees.com/model?Tamiya-DT-03-Parts-Hop-Ups&brand=Tamiya&model=DT-03 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waterbok 1282 Posted February 16, 2016 Where can I get a set of wheels like these? They look spot on - Also how do I know if wheels will fit the Tamiya hubs? Carson.com but I am afraid they only are available in Germany, where are you located? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattk 5 Posted February 25, 2016 Carson.com but I am afraid they only are available in Germany, where are you located? I'm in the uk Could you send me a link to where you bought yours from? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattk 5 Posted February 25, 2016 So, Aisatees has sent me the missing ball joints to mount my 3racing dampers - they were the wrong size and subsequently spit the damper ball joint on the end of the damper rod. Does anyone know where I could get replacement ball joints that fit the damper rods on the 3racing dampers? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jupitertwo 1484 Posted February 25, 2016 I'm in the uk Could you send me a link to where you bought yours from? I've got a set on order from Tamico.de http://tamico.de/Carson-All-Terrain-2WD-Reifen-Set-4-Stk-Komplettraeder_1?lang=eng They ship to the UK quite reasonably. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattk 5 Posted February 25, 2016 I've got a set on order from Tamico.de http://tamico.de/Carson-All-Terrain-2WD-Reifen-Set-4-Stk-Komplettraeder_1?lang=eng They ship to the UK quite reasonably. Thats spot on cheers Now to find replacement damper ball ends lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Palfertronic 74 Posted February 25, 2016 I have just looked at the pictures..and the front end looks nothing like my 2008 Sand Viper! the appears to be a an upper suspension arm instead of just a tie rod...can I get the parts to upgrade my sand viper to this standard? or is it just something extra on the Holiday Buggy? (I have been out of the scene for a few years, only just come back here since Xmas!) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
XV Pilot 1936 Posted February 25, 2016 The adjustable Sand Viper front end is considered an upgrade over the fixed-geometry Holiday Buggy front end. You can put Holiday Buggy upper arms on a Sand Viper but most would say it is a downgrade. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Palfertronic 74 Posted February 25, 2016 thanks...is this because the ability to alter the camber is considered an advantage? I think the holiday buggy upper arms look nicer as well!!! One to ponder some more... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
XV Pilot 1936 Posted February 25, 2016 thanks...is this because the ability to alter the camber is considered an advantage? That is correct. Stock Tamiya suspension geometry is usually optimised for docile beginner-friendly handling, but more experienced drivers often prefer to adjust it to be a tad more responsive, hence the adjustable front end being considered an upgrade. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nobbi1977 1793 Posted February 25, 2016 thanks...is this because the ability to alter the camber is considered an advantage? I think the holiday buggy upper arms look nicer as well!!! One to ponder some more... I have a couple of sets of top arms taken from mine. I am away next week but couple let you have them if you wanted to go that way Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Palfertronic 74 Posted February 26, 2016 I am not a racer, just a "basher" so top end performance is not my main concern, I have a ton of slop in the front end, and I am trying to eliminate as much as I can. Eventually I will probably go down the full "hop up" route on the whole car, but for now, its step by step improvements.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattk 5 Posted February 26, 2016 Indeed I'll either go with some alloy suspension arms or go the tie rod route - in titanium lol Wheels and damper rebuilt kits ordered yesterday Bodyshell next Still have got the RS540 and TBLE 02s in it at the moment... it wheelies with that so I need to work out how to improve the weight distribution. ha Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GregM 1109 Posted February 26, 2016 Please no alloy suspension arms, they'll break the chassis' arm mounts on impacts. Such arms are usually called useless "bling" that costs you an arm and a leg (pun intended), but will make things worse due to their weight and the crash disadvantages. Alloy wheel hubs (front c-hubs and rear axle hubs) are alright, though, but you can wait for them until the plastic parts break. The plastic upper arms are great for impact durability. They're soft and flexible enough to absorb the force without putting hard strain on the chassis. The adjustable camber rods are good for camber adjustment, but also prone to slop over time. But the slop in the suspension also comes from the stock servo saver, steering tie rods and tolerances between screw pins and holes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
taliesin 260 Posted February 26, 2016 The DT-02 doesn't really need much for hop-ups and is tough as old boots in standard format. Fun buggy for a small price. The biggest bang for the buck is to add oil shocks, bearings, a better motor, steel pinion and some front tires with better grip for less under-steer. Otherwise about the only upgrade that I've found useful are adjustable turn buckles. Some people like a ball diff for racing but personally I found the gear diff to be better for bashing - less hassle and cheaper. I agree with GregM above that aluminum bling doesn't add anything except cost and fragility on this model. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
XV Pilot 1936 Posted February 26, 2016 I couldn't agree more regarding the alloy arms. Alloy has its uses, but suspension arms ain't one of them. There is a very good reason why even top-of-the-line racing buggies come with plastic ones... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Butler 338 Posted February 27, 2016 None of the TRF cars use metal arms even the inroad ones, though some use metal mounts. That says it all really. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattk 5 Posted March 1, 2016 look what came in the post today and look sooooo good haha 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nobbi1977 1793 Posted March 2, 2016 Those wheels look great Share this post Link to post Share on other sites