Cheap off road rally car?

[Zannu]

Hi Everyone,

I have been in RC for quite some time, but avoided tamiya's for no real reason. I currently have an over powered HPI Bullet, a HPI Savage Xl and a second less powerful Bullet, but want another project. I have always wanted a tamiya, and now is the time. I have been looking at the TT-02, MF-01X or XV-01 to be used as a rally car on off-raod trails through a forest. Are these best for a rally type project or are there better chassis to use?

What are your experiences with these chassis being used for off roading and bashing? Any advice? Built tips for each chassis?

Thanks

[TurnipJF]

A standard size touring chassis would give the most options for rally body shells. The shaft drive TB-01 and belt drive XV-01 are both highly rated as rally chassis.

 

(That said, I am having a lot of fun on rally type terrain with my little M-03 Suzuki Swift, and my mate made a brilliant rally car out of a TT-01.)

[TwistedxSlayer]

TB01, solid but coming harder to find. TT02, newer, lots of spares out there. Very good chassis. XV01 with extended shocks, I think would be your best option,

[Losi XXT-CR]

5 hours ago, Zannu said:

Hi Everyone,

I have been in RC for quite some time, but avoided tamiya's for no real reason. I currently have an over powered HPI Bullet, a HPI Savage Xl and a second less powerful Bullet, but want another project. I have always wanted a tamiya, and now is the time. I have been looking at the TT-02, MF-01X or XV-01 to be used as a rally car on off-raod trails through a forest. Are these best for a rally type project or are there better chassis to use?

What are your experiences with these chassis being used for off roading and bashing? Any advice? Built tips for each chassis?

Thanks

I’d think a rally car wouldn’t have the ground clearance for off road bashing tbh. Obviously it depends on your terrain exactly. 

I have a 1/8th scale Porsche 959 (Carisma M48S). Which has much bigger wheels over a 1/10th. And while it can run on grass, it’s no where near as good as a 1/10th buggy on shortish grass. 

As for Tamiya models. I bought the XV-01T which is the truck version of this chassis. Not run it yet. The tyres are the same size as the 1/8th Porsche and with similar ground clearance. 

I’m looking forward to running it. But harder dustier surfaces are likely to be its home terrain as opposed to proper off roading. 

Look how small it is compared to a 1/10th stadium:

[Blista]

You'd really need to think about the terrain you're running on.  Forest trails can mean anything from perfectly smooth gravel to mud with large rocks, tree roots and leaves.

Of the three options you've mentioned and where you're running it, I'd go with the MF01X.  Good ground clearance, cheap, and fairly rugged.  Some oil shocks and bearings are all it really needs out of the box.

I haven't driven a TT02 offroad, but I'd pick an XV01 over it anyway.  The XV01 is great on smooth or over mild bumps but wouldn't be much fun over rougher stuff.  The chassis sits lower, especially towards the front with the large front bumper, and is longer.

The MF01X has a higher ride height, shorter wheelbase and overhangs (although it would also depend on the body choice) so it'd be my pick on rougher terrain.

XV01 Long Damper ride height:

MF01X ride height:

It's only about 5mm but the body sits higher and the chassis is much narrower.  The XV01 chassis in these photos sits right at the level of the body and is quite flush with it due to the width of it, so there's no benefit in raising the body.

As you can see the MF01X (at least with the Jimny) is able to sit higher up and there's lots of room for the chassis to approach and clear obstacles.

[nowinaminute]

Another vote for the GF-01x, surprisingly capable off road, I've even seen people do light crawling with it using bigger tyres etc.

A lot of people use the Tl-01 chassis for off roading too.

[Zannu]

Thanks for all your replies. When I said I wanted it for off roading it is more fairly smooth gravel tracks through a forest, not lots of mud, root and things like that. I know that it will not be as good as a 1/10 truggy or mt like my bullet, i just want something that can run over gravel and that I hope will provide an enjoyable build and be a bit more reliable than my HPI Bullet or Savage XL. Every run I seem to break something with one of them, which often leaves me with no car to bash with. That needs to be changed.

At the moment I am leaning away from the XV-01 then, it looks like whilst it could be a good rally chassis it is just a bit too low to the ground for what I want.

One of the things pulling me towards the TT-02 is that if I don't like it as a rally car I can make it into a touring or drift chassis. I don't know how much I would use it like that, but it would be a bit of fun converting it and take me into another side of the hobby I have not yet been. Having said that the MF-01X does look good, and if it has greater ground clearance like you said then it should perform better. The only things I don't really like about it is that the battery hangs out the side of the chassis. I feel like it may end up catching on things on the ground or hanging lower than the rest of the chassis.

Thanks for your help so far.

[ThunderDragonCy]

If you seqrcg in The Builds, @Effigy3 built a TT02 rally car and there were some tips on removing the suspension travel droop stop tabs to improve ground clearance and suspension travel. Worth a look?

[Zannu]

34 minutes ago, ThunderDragonCy said:

If you seqrcg in The Builds, @Effigy3 built a TT02 rally car and there were some tips on removing the suspension travel droop stop tabs to improve ground clearance and suspension travel. Worth a look?

 

Ok, thanks for mentioning that, I will have a look for it now,

Have you got a link for it? it is a bit hard to find

[Jonathon Gillham]

50 minutes ago, Zannu said:

 

One of the things pulling me towards the TT-02 is that if I don't like it as a rally car I can make it into a touring or drift chassis. I don't know how much I would use it like that, 

The TT02 also comes as a buggy, the TT02B, so you can convert it into the buggy version too which will definitely do the trails. Of course for the price of them it may be cheaper to buy another kit, I have no idea...

[Jason1145]

That reminds me... put a MF01x on the shopping list, great example there @Blista

[Zannu]

At the moment I am thinking the TT-02 to begin with, as I can use it for many different terrains, and I think it will so well enough in the gravel trails. That having been said I like the look of the MF-01X, especially the Beetle so much that I think that will probably be my Tamiya no.2 if I like the Tamiya experience.

Having said that @XV Pilot I know you have had a lot of different tamiya's. Have you had both these chassis and how do they compare?

[KING_TUBBY]

Why not buy a cheep TA02 rolling chassis from eBay?  There's normally one for sale between £20-£30. Have fun fixing it up, put on the rally body of your choice, run it as hard as you want- spares and hop-ups are cheap and readily available as it's still a current model. Ground clearance and suspension travel are respectable if you build it with long shocks and it's fairly capable off road, being based on the Manta Ray.

 

[Zannu]

7 minutes ago, KING_TUBBY said:

Why not buy a cheep TA02 rolling chassis from eBay?  There's normally one for sale between £20-£30. Have fun fixing it up, put on the rally body of your choice, run it as hard as you want- spares and hop-ups are cheap and readily available as it's still a current model. Ground clearance and suspension travel are respectable if you build it with long shocks and it's fairly capable off road, being based on the Manta Ray.

That is an intersting idea that I will look into. Thanks for the suggestion

[Jason1145]

20 hours ago, TurnipJF said:

A standard size touring chassis would give the most options for rally body shells. The shaft drive TB-01 and belt drive XV-01 are both highly rated as rally chassis.

 

(That said, I am having a lot of fun on rally type terrain with my little M-03 Suzuki Swift, and my mate made a brilliant rally car out of a TT-01.)

That TT01, did he just add rally block tyres and longer shock eyelets to extend the shocks as much as possible? I’d like to rallyfi my TT01 one day.

[TurnipJF]

58 minutes ago, Jason1145 said:

That TT01, did he just add rally block tyres and longer shock eyelets to extend the shocks as much as possible? I’d like to rallyfi my TT01 one day.

From what I recall, he trimmed some plastic bits on the underside to allow the suspension arms to drop lower, fitted longer shocks, rally block tyres and a rally bodyshell.

He also made some foam inserts to keep stones from blocking the steering mechanism and made a fabric cover for the chassis tub to keep debris out.

He may have done some other bits too -  I'll ask next time I see him. 

[ThunderDragonCy]

8 hours ago, Zannu said:

 

Ok, thanks for mentioning that, I will have a look for it now,

Have you got a link for it? it is a bit hard to find

Here you go.

https://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?/topic/82565-tt-02-subaru-crosstrek-xv-item-58567/&do=findComment&comment=670131

[Zannu]

Thank you.

Any other links to good rally build threads based on any chassis would be appreciated. I just want to see what can be done to get ideas ready for when I start.

[Juggular]

Tamiya DF02 is almost the same as TT02B, except it's made for off-road from the start.  DF03 is a step beyond that.  TL01B is not fancy looking, but also a good off-roader.  

 

 

[TurnipJF]

There are all sorts of projects on here based on the TL-01 platform, from shortened 4WD minis to scalers to rock buggies, as well as the more conventional rally cars, drift cars and tourers. If you are looking for something to tinker with, it is a very flexible/hackable platform.

 

[Losi XXT-CR]

 

[Juls1]

The TT chassis’s need a lot of grinding and modification to get decent rally level suspension travel.  Of the few I’ve done I’ve never thought they where particularly good for that application compared to other tamiya chassis. 

Of all the touring chassis there is to convert to rally the TL01LA is probably the best as it can be setup for rediculous amounts of suspension travel. There is also no flat chassis to get hung up on anything.  (The normal tl01 isn’t as good as the LA)

The mf01x is essentially a miniature TL01 with the motor moved backwards.

the xv-01 is from the ground up a rally car, but it’s ment to handle road too, as with a TT chassis a little grinding Can increase its travel further. 

The df03ra is basically a short arm df03, so a buggy converted backwards. It’s also a option. 

What is it exactly that your wanting here? Are you after a rally car specifically? Or just after a small fun vehicle?

Juls

 

 

[Zannu]

I don't mind doing some of my own modifications to a chassis to make it better, whatever I get will probably end up with my own twists on it.

So would a TL-01LA be better than the MF-01X?

I would like a rally car. I am not as bothered on the chassis but I want it to look quite scale, not silly. A small fun vehicle would fit the bill but I do want it it be a rally car. I already have other cars that are for more off road capable but don't look as good. To me the benefit of a tamiya is still being a good car, but one that looks really good as well.

 

If you are thinking the ground clearance may be an issue, I have a Domida sc4.18 that has about 22mm ground clearance (From reading around I think the TT-02 can be modfied to have this sort of clearance) and I am very happy with how it performs on the terrain I plan to be using this on. Also, I imagine the TT-02 may be a bit more stable as it is bigger than the Domida, and the tyres should bite into the surface better than the dromida's pretty smooth tyres. This is not me saying I want a TT-02, but using the chassis to deomstrate that it probably will be good enough to satisfy me when out bashing it.

I just think the XV-01 is a bit too low for me, but if it can be modified to be higher and is a specific rally car it might be worth a go. What are peoples experience with the forward motor config and the belt drive system used on it?

[Badcrumble]

This is a good topic on the XV-01 as a rally car and there are rally specific threads on the Internet (I found one in Oz) which detail the car and some mods that make it look great as a rally car.

I bought the Asterion as my garden (where it will be mainly used) has some rougher terrain and bigger wheels give a little more clearance).

Having followed this thread, if I was after a cheap rally car now, I'd be going for the MF-01x rally bug or the Jimny.

[TurnipJF]

If you want a realistic rally car, I'd start by looking for the shell you want to use, and choosing the chassis format that goes with it.

The MF-01X is a M-size chassis, shorter and narrower than a standard touring size chassis such as the TT-01/TT-02/TB-01/XV-01. Shells that fit it will be too small for a touring chassis and touring size shells will be too big for the MF-01X.

There are some rather nice rally shells available in both formats. In M-size there are the classic Beetle, Mini Cooper and Renault Alpine shells, as well as the more modern Suzuki Swift for example, while in TC size there are several versions of Subaru and Mitsubishi Evo rally cars amongst others.