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Scipunk

Thinking of getting into TC road course racing

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Title says it all, did some reading here but it's a touch confusing. I don't want to jump into a 800+ dollar kit. 

Tamiya preferred but am willing to branch out (i own a Yokomo YZ2 CA buggy) 

Looking at about $200-$275 US budget for the kit , maybe a bit more if it really is a good reason. I will most likely run 17.5 or 21.5t depending on class. 

2 or 4 wheel drive, im flexible but need pros and cons of each on various surfaces.

Low maintenance cost 

Varied body style available (not sure if certain classes require certain bodies) 

Any other info you think might be important. 

Thanks in advance!

 

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That budget gets you a TA07 Pro or TB05 Pro. I found my TA07 needed a few upgrades to make it drivable so you're really looking at more than the kit price, probably an extra $100 I'd guess. The TA07R doesn't really solve the problem since it was chassis flex that needed fixing, so that means a TA07MS or TRF419XR, which are $500 kits.

The TT02 Type S may work, I don't have one but have heard good things.

I would look at the Express XQ1S clubracer. Its about USD120 and appears to have everything you need other than swaybars

I race 21.5T blinky and its plenty fast, but 17.5T should be manageable. Do any of your local clubs run VTA or USGT? I believe they are slower more fun classes which could be a good place to start?

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1 hour ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

That budget gets you a TA07 Pro or TB05 Pro. I found my TA07 needed a few upgrades to make it drivable so you're really looking at more than the kit price, probably an extra $100 I'd guess. The TA07R doesn't really solve the problem since it was chassis flex that needed fixing, so that means a TA07MS or TRF419XR, which are $500 kits.

The TT02 Type S may work, I don't have one but have heard good things.

I would look at the Express XQ1S clubracer. Its about USD120 and appears to have everything you need other than swaybars

I race 21.5T blinky and its plenty fast, but 17.5T should be manageable. Do any of your local clubs run VTA or USGT? I believe they are slower more fun classes which could be a good place to start?

21,5T on your TA07

any videos, what gearing? Blinky or?

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10 minutes ago, Fabia130vRS said:

21,5T on your TA07

any videos, what gearing? Blinky or?

Yep 21.5T blinky. FDR is about 4 from memory but I would have to go and look. I think about  64t spur and 35t pinion, 48p gears. I have just been running a Speed Passion motor while sorting the handling but have a Trinity Monster max to go in which will liven it up a lot, its been tuned to 3050kv.

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3 hours ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

That budget gets you a TA07 Pro or TB05 Pro. I found my TA07 needed a few upgrades to make it drivable so you're really looking at more than the kit price, probably an extra $100 I'd guess. The TA07R doesn't really solve the problem since it was chassis flex that needed fixing, so that means a TA07MS or TRF419XR, which are $500 kits.

The TT02 Type S may work, I don't have one but have heard good things.

I would look at the Express XQ1S clubracer. Its about USD120 and appears to have everything you need other than swaybars

I race 21.5T blinky and its plenty fast, but 17.5T should be manageable. Do any of your local clubs run VTA or USGT? I believe they are slower more fun classes which could be a good place to start?

Thanks for the info Jonathon. The TT02 S is avail on ebay for $202 You also mentioned the TB05 Pro which i can get right now for $188 +shp from rc mart but everywhere else its over 300...lol Any reason you didn't give more info on it? 

the clubracer looks like a nice kit for 100 bucks, i may go with that one. Like i said i don't mind spending a bit more if its a chassis i can use for more than a week before it's outdated. 

EDIT what are your thoughts on the XV-01TC its going for a steal right now, i know its a bit outdated however as i wanted a XV-01 rally so i had done some research

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7 hours ago, Scipunk said:

Thanks for the info Jonathon. The TT02 S is avail on ebay for $202 You also mentioned the TB05 Pro which i can get right now for $188 +shp from rc mart but everywhere else its over 300...lol Any reason you didn't give more info on it? 

the clubracer looks like a nice kit for 100 bucks, i may go with that one. Like i said i don't mind spending a bit more if its a chassis i can use for more than a week before it's outdated. 

EDIT what are your thoughts on the XV-01TC its going for a steal right now, i know its a bit outdated however as i wanted a XV-01 rally so i had done some research

I don't have a TB05 so can't really comment. It looks good to me with the multiple motor positions but I have heard it is very flexible too. Check out RCTech as that has a thread on both the TA07 and TB05 with a lot of user experience.

I don't know anything about the XV01 but doesn't it hve the motor hanging out the front? High end TC all seem to have a mid motor somewhere at the rear, so not sure if the XV01 would work.

One option worth considering is a TA07 with Exotek RS7 carbon chassis conversion. There are other conversions from RC Lab HK, PSM and bound to be more. That will probably work out about USD150 less than the TA07MS and be pretty competitive. 

The hop ups I've done to my TA07 pro are:

Swaybar from TRF418 and the stoppers

Carbon fibre stiffeners, including extra centre one (essential)

Carbon reinforced stiffener where carbon not avaiabke, K parts

Alloy servo mount

Alloy suspension blocks (essential)

 

It was all about removing flex. The carbon chassis kit costs about 10% to 50% more than the carbon stiffeners do hence the suggestion. I bought mine unused but secondhand so got them cheap and carbon chassis kits weren't available then. 

The alloy suspension blocks were added after a few race meets. I needed to shim the plastic ones and still had play, switched to alloy and no shims and no play.

Swaybars are obviouslt for tuning.

There is a little bit of flex in the plastic servo mount, not enough to be a massive problem, but I picked the mount cheap so why not. Also the TRF steering bridge could be worth looking at.

Effigy did a very detailed build thread on his TA07 if you want to have a good look at them

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3 hours ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

I don't have a TB05 so can't really comment. It looks good to me with the multiple motor positions but I have heard it is very flexible too. Check out RCTech as that has a thread on both the TA07 and TB05 with a lot of user experience.

I don't know anything about the XV01 but doesn't it hve the motor hanging out the front? High end TC all seem to have a mid motor somewhere at the rear, so not sure if the XV01 would work.

One option worth considering is a TA07 with Exotek RS7 carbon chassis conversion. There are other conversions from RC Lab HK, PSM and bound to be more. That will probably work out about USD150 less than the TA07MS and be pretty competitive. 

The hop ups I've done to my TA07 pro are:

Swaybar from TRF418 and the stoppers

Carbon fibre stiffeners, including extra centre one (essential)

Carbon reinforced stiffener where carbon not avaiabke, K parts

Alloy servo mount

Alloy suspension blocks (essential)

 

It was all about removing flex. The carbon chassis kit costs about 10% to 50% more than the carbon stiffeners do hence the suggestion. I bought mine unused but secondhand so got them cheap and carbon chassis kits weren't available then. 

The alloy suspension blocks were added after a few race meets. I needed to shim the plastic ones and still had play, switched to alloy and no shims and no play.

Swaybars are obviouslt for tuning.

There is a little bit of flex in the plastic servo mount, not enough to be a massive problem, but I picked the mount cheap so why not. Also the TRF steering bridge could be worth looking at.

Effigy did a very detailed build thread on his TA07 if you want to have a good look at them

Awesome thank you for you input. I think i might go with the pro and a exotek upgrade the stiffeners are the front TAM54720 and rear TAM54789? Are they not needed if i use the exotek? Do you happen to have part numbers for the alloy blocks, servo mount ?

Thanks again!

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2 hours ago, Scipunk said:

Awesome thank you for you input. I think i might go with the pro and a exotek upgrade the stiffeners are the front TAM54720 and rear TAM54789? Are they not needed if i use the exotek? Do you happen to have part numbers for the alloy blocks, servo mount ?

Thanks again!

The stiffeners that you don't need with the Exotek conversion are parts 54788, 54789 and 54755. The Exotek conversion comes with top and bottom decks, and these parts are essentially the top deck of the TA07.

54720 are the damper stays. Some people say that these are necessary due to the flex in the kit ones but I don'tfind the kit ones bad.

The R comes with 54070, 54072, 54172 and 54173 which are the suspension blocks, they would be a good place to start. I just replaced the kit ones with alloy but can't remember the part numbers, or even which ones they are. Rcracer has a good write-up on the suspension blocks.

I use 1M oil in the front diff but others swear by a spool. I've heard if you run a spool then you need double cardan joints too which are pricey. I think the 1M or 2M oil approximates a spool anyway and is heaps cheaper.

The alloy counter pulley 54706 is worthwhile, its really cheap, as would 54725 which are alloy mounts for the motor plate.

The Tamiya servo mount is 54724 which by all accounts is excellent. I actually have the Active Hobby carbon/alloy onebut would have bought the Tamiya one but got this NIP but secondhand.

I also have a spring set as a tuning aid, and bought an extra gear diff which I have used to try out the best oil in the rear. Ended up at 2,000 rear on asphalt. The extra diff isnt essential but allowed me to take 2 built to the track and test back to back without much time to change them. 

Check out the TA07 Pro, R and MS and work out what will be best for you. The R comes with the alloy suspension blocks and servo mount already which may make up the price difference for you. The Pro was the only one available when I bought it.

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4 hours ago, Fabia130vRS said:

What about the TA06, is it anywhere between the TA05 or TA07?

Numerically yes :D i kid i kid, it's a good question

10 hours ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

The stiffeners that you don't need with the Exotek conversion are parts 54788, 54789 and 54755. The Exotek conversion comes with top and bottom decks, and these parts are essentially the top deck of the TA07.

54720 are the damper stays. Some people say that these are necessary due to the flex in the kit ones but I don'tfind the kit ones bad.

The R comes with 54070, 54072, 54172 and 54173 which are the suspension blocks, they would be a good place to start. I just replaced the kit ones with alloy but can't remember the part numbers, or even which ones they are. Rcracer has a good write-up on the suspension blocks.

I use 1M oil in the front diff but others swear by a spool. I've heard if you run a spool then you need double cardan joints too which are pricey. I think the 1M or 2M oil approximates a spool anyway and is heaps cheaper.

The alloy counter pulley 54706 is worthwhile, its really cheap, as would 54725 which are alloy mounts for the motor plate.

The Tamiya servo mount is 54724 which by all accounts is excellent. I actually have the Active Hobby carbon/alloy onebut would have bought the Tamiya one but got this NIP but secondhand.

I also have a spring set as a tuning aid, and bought an extra gear diff which I have used to try out the best oil in the rear. Ended up at 2,000 rear on asphalt. The extra diff isnt essential but allowed me to take 2 built to the track and test back to back without much time to change them. 

Check out the TA07 Pro, R and MS and work out what will be best for you. The R comes with the alloy suspension blocks and servo mount already which may make up the price difference for you. The Pro was the only one available when I bought it.

Thanks again Jonathon. I'll have a look at the R and MS and see where it all falls :)

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12 hours ago, Fabia130vRS said:

What about the TA06, is it anywhere between the TA05 or TA07?

The TA06 was popular in Japan but nowhere else. Apparently the gearbox rear/ belt front drive worked well on Japanese tracks. In the US people stuck with the TA05 until the TA07 was released. I know down here quite a few people ran the TA05 in touring stock but had to retire them a few years ago as they couldn't keep up with more modern designs. A few TA07 are being used now but Tamiya missed an opportunity when they released the TA06 as people moved away from Tamiya.

In the US they have the Tamiya races where you have to use everything Tamiya, including all hopups, @Scipunk thats another thing to consider - what are you racing in, are there any restrictions?

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40 minutes ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

 

In the US they have the Tamiya races where you have to use everything Tamiya, including all hopups, @Scipunk thats another thing to consider - what are you racing in, are there any restrictions?

that sounds like a hop up paradise :)

 

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1 hour ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

The TA06 was popular in Japan but nowhere else. Apparently the gearbox rear/ belt front drive worked well on Japanese tracks. In the US people stuck with the TA05 until the TA07 was released. I know down here quite a few people ran the TA05 in touring stock but had to retire them a few years ago as they couldn't keep up with more modern designs. A few TA07 are being used now but Tamiya missed an opportunity when they released the TA06 as people moved away from Tamiya.

In the US they have the Tamiya races where you have to use everything Tamiya, including all hopups, @Scipunk thats another thing to consider - what are you racing in, are there any restrictions?

Jon, if i may call you that? I will ask on Tuesday when i go there, and let you know the details. :) That all Tamiya race would be great!

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3 hours ago, Scipunk said:

Jon, if i may call you that? I will ask on Tuesday when i go there, and let you know the details. :) That all Tamiya race would be great!

Its the Tamiya Championship Series I think, but usually referred to as TCS. I don't think it runs every week or anything, but something to consider if there is one near you as the Tamiya hopups are all good, they can just cost a bit more, but overall it would be worth sticking to all Tamiya if you get to enter that as well. Of course it means the Exotek conversion is out...

Oh and I answer to pretty much anything that vaguely resembles my name!

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10 hours ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

Its the Tamiya Championship Series I think, but usually referred to as TCS. I don't think it runs every week or anything, but something to consider if there is one near you as the Tamiya hopups are all good, they can just cost a bit more, but overall it would be worth sticking to all Tamiya if you get to enter that as well. Of course it means the Exotek conversion is out...

Oh and I answer to pretty much anything that vaguely resembles my name!

Good to know Joinathin ;) \

I know my LHS does a once a year vintage/re re Tamiya race and a TT02 Truck race but ill have to see about the road racing which they do every Sunday. 

Without the Exotek wouldn't the chassis flex be a issue on the 07 Pro? I wish i had a grand to just dive head first into one of the high end chassis, then sort it out from there...lol. 

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Are there any TRF416/7/8 older race models for sale on rc forums or on ebay? There are still tonnes of spares available for the touring cars and most are upgradable to the latest spec suspension arms and the like as far as I know. 

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On 1/29/2019 at 7:14 AM, ThunderDragonCy said:

Are there any TRF416/7/8 older race models for sale on rc forums or on ebay? There are still tonnes of spares available for the touring cars and most are upgradable to the latest spec suspension arms and the like as far as I know. 

This is a really good suggestion.  Check out RCTech as the TRF419 come up for sale on there a bit and for about the price of a TA07

The other one is look into the TT02 Type S.  By all accounts they are very capable in the right hands (mine aren't the right hands) and you may have more fun in the entry class?  My onroad club runs a TT02 class and its got to be a base level kit (no S, R, D or RR) and everyone seems to have a lot of fun.  I should have probably bought one of those and the F1 but wanted to run 21.5T stock.

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6 hours ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

This is a really good suggestion.  Check out RCTech as the TRF419 come up for sale on there a bit and for about the price of a TA07

The other one is look into the TT02 Type S.  By all accounts they are very capable in the right hands (mine aren't the right hands) and you may have more fun in the entry class?  My onroad club runs a TT02 class and its got to be a base level kit (no S, R, D or RR) and everyone seems to have a lot of fun.  I should have probably bought one of those and the F1 but wanted to run 21.5T stock.

This might not be a bad shout. There's this great review of a TT02 Type S which I found when looking for rally chassis

https://www.thercracer.com/2018/08/58600-tamiya-tt02-type-s-build-review.html?m=0

Couple of cheap hop-ups and he has been competitive, and if there's some budget left some TRF dampers would properly finish it off. 

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9 hours ago, ThunderDragonCy said:

This might not be a bad shout. There's this great review of a TT02 Type S which I found when looking for rally chassis

https://www.thercracer.com/2018/08/58600-tamiya-tt02-type-s-build-review.html?m=0

Couple of cheap hop-ups and he has been competitive, and if there's some budget left some TRF dampers would properly finish it off. 

The rcracrer.com is qatmix who is on these forums a bit and knows a huge amount. He really rates the TT02, but then also has the skills to be competitive in any car

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When I was looking into my first proper on-road kit, I too considered the TT-02 Type S, and even started a thread asking about it. Here it is if you fancy a read.

Based on that thread and other research, I decided to look at the TA and TB ranges instead as they offer a lot more car for the money. In the end I decided on a TB-03, not the latest design but simpler, lighter and more reliable than the TB-04 and considerably more affordable than the TB-05. 

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Thanks all, for the new info, not sure why but i only just got the notification about Turnips response and nothing from Jon or Thunder :( I'll have a look at the want ads on RC tech and ebay etc. 

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I realized something else as a factor, I live in the US so i want to make sure parts availability will be good. I assume the TT-02s has good support still, my LHS will order direct from Tamiya if need be (how he ordered my XV-01) but would be good to know parts wont be a hunt.

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3 hours ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

the TA07 Pro comes with a carbon chassis or is this upgraded?

I also like the position of the motor, can all TA07 be setup like this? reminds me a lot of my TA05.

Definately I would leave out the TT02s and go for the TB03 or TA05 as they are pretty cool. :D

 

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2 minutes ago, Fabia130vRS said:

the TA07 Pro comes with a carbon chassis or is this upgraded?

I also like the position of the motor, can all TA07 be setup like this? reminds me a lot of my TA05.

Definately I would leave out the TT02s and go for the TB03 or TA05 as they are pretty cool. :D

 

The TA07Pro (and R) come with the plastic chassis, the skeleton frame one like the M07. The TA07MS comes with the carbon chassis. This one has heaps of upgrades and looks like a bargain to me. The steering, servo mount, suspension blocks, shocks and shock towers are also all hopups - I'm picking the roller would have cost about USD500 to get to that point, which is the same as the MS. Throw in the servo, ESC and motor and it must be around USD800 worth of bits and it all looks pretty new.

Funnily enough the onroad club i run at has just made that Reds motor the spec motor for 21.5T, so that car would be perfect. Its a pity that ths shipping is only to the US!

All TA07 have the motor mount that can be moved into 3 positions. I think that's the forwrad position but I may be wrong, it may be the middle. I run middle based on what most people say about it, have tried rear and mid, mid seemed to turn in better and still be pretty stable. 

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