Best Tamiya chassis for Rally car?

[biggmn100 2]

I am looking to build a 1/10 or 1/8th scale rally car, but, due to budget constraints, as well as personal reasons, i would prefer to not spend the money on the way more expensive stuff, so, i started looking into Tamiya vehicles, and all i did was get lost, so, i figured i would ask here. What i am looking for is a chassis or vehicle with the following requirements. 4WD, able to run fairly decent in grass, decent ground clearance, durable, reliable, wont break the bank, able to handle a brushless 2S system. After doing a ton of research, as well as looking at different forums that highlight mods that can be done, i have narrowed it down to the TT-02 Subaru Rally car, the XV-01, the DT-03 (to convert to a rally car) (this is the one im leaning most towards), and the DF-03. What i am basically looking for are personal opinions and pros/cons of each vehicle, as well as what might be the best vehicle for what im trying to do. I run in grass, mud rocks, and basically very unsmooth areas, so i need something that will get through that kind of stuff, and since my wife prefers rally cars, i figured i would build her something she could mess with. I tried a Redcat, as well as an Exceed RC vehicle, and neither one really did what i wanted. So far, the only Redcat/Exceed stuff i found that kind of works, is to get one of their cheap SCT's and convert it to a rally car, but, its breaks an awful lot, and parts are typically out of stock, so, im looking for something better. My research has shown Tamiya stuff has better parts and aftermarket support, and seem to be better overall, so, i figured, why not see if i could find something that would work. The last Tamiya vehicles i had were an original GrassHopper, an original Frog, and i have a pair of 20 year old semi's, but i haven't had a new Tamiya in more than 20 years.

[Nicadraus 6197]

The XV-01 is the best bet for rally purposes. Because of it's front motor layout, it's a big factor. I built an FF-03 rally car. It's basically an on-road FWD car but I converted it by doing minor modifications under the chassis to add height and installed 55mm shocks to extend the damping play of the suspension arm. I am very pleased with the result and it's very balanced as a rally car.

There are a few other non-Tamiya kits that are being converted to a rally car such are the Traxxas 4-Tec, HPI Sport 3, LRP S10. You might also want to check them out.

Going back to your question, XV-01 is the way to go.

[Juls1 1661]

The XV01 is the only one on the list that’s “ment to be a rally car” and has a driving feel like a modern 4wd rally car. Where the rear wheels follow the front, and it slides more naturally tail out pivoting off the front wheels. The car comes standard with oil filled diffs and has options for front one way or a spool in front of rear. This is a high tech chassis with very high levels of adjustability and tuning. Overall it’s fairly tough too.

TT02 can be modified into a decent rally car with mods and work. It’s relatively tough. It’s driving feel is more mid centric like a rc touring chassis, in that slides pivoting more around the centre to rear of the car, so slides look and feel less natural. That being said you’ll still have lots of fun. 

DT03 being rear motor or rear drive might suit a project for an old 2wd rally car that was rear motor. Issues here the 287mm wheelbase is 30mm longer than any 1/10 body. Not to mention it’s also at least 20-30mm too wide. The generally handling of this buggy is rear centric, and handles more to suit jumping and rough ground as opposed to scale rallying. 

The DF03 was available in a RA version, these where a better rally car than a TT02 with similar rear mid centric handling. They are long discontinued and getting hard to find parts for. The ball diffs mean higher amounts of  maintainence. 

Juls

[ThunderDragonCy 7876]

Having converted a rear motor buggy to a rally car i would say don't get a DT03! It's not cheap, easy, and given how the DT03 arms attach i am not sure it's even possible with this platform. Mine is based on a TRF201. 

For grass running you are going to need a good 20mm ground clearance. As mentiomed above the XV01 is spot on out of the box with no modifications required aside from maybe playing with different length eyelets on the end of the shocks (included in the kit) to play with ground clearance. 

A TT02 is fairly easy to convert, but once you have sprung for some oil filled dampers (the cheap kits come with friction shocks) and rally block tyres it's not going to be far off thr price of the XV01

[78Triumph 2610]

XV-01.  Period.  End of discussion.

[biggmn100 2]

I dont mind if it isnt actually meant to be a rally car, but, from this and other forums i have been on, it seems the XV-01 and TT-02 are the best bets. Im looking into the TT-02 because that comes with a Subaru WRX body already, and i havent found an XV-01 with a Subaru WRX body, and, her only requirement is that it have that body, but, those bodies are way pricey from Tamiya, and, having never messed with the newer Tamiya stuff, im not sure if any of the cheap Subaru bodies i found on Ebay will fit either Tamiya chassis. Im not looking for total realism, as in how it drives and handles, since it just something for her to bash around with, and chase my SCT's with, but, she has RC drift experience, so the TT-02 might be easier for her to get comfortable with. I am also looking more at the TT-02, because they also make the TT-02B, and since i am big into buggies (i already have 6, but a few more never hurts), it would makes at least stocking some parts easier, i hope.

[biggmn100 2]

16 hours ago, ThunderDragonCy said:

Having converted a rear motor buggy to a rally car i would say don't get a DT03! It's not cheap, easy, and given how the DT03 arms attach i am not sure it's even possible with this platform. Mine is based on a TRF201. 

For grass running you are going to need a good 20mm ground clearance. As mentiomed above the XV01 is spot on out of the box with no modifications required aside from maybe playing with different length eyelets on the end of the shocks (included in the kit) to play with ground clearance. 

A TT02 is fairly easy to convert, but once you have sprung for some oil filled dampers (the cheap kits come with friction shocks) and rally block tyres it's not going to be far off thr price of the XV01

I have a pile of buggy, on -road, and smaller SCT shocks, mainly from Exceed RC, and the shorter ones i have all fit the Exceed Drift King i modified, so that part isnt as much a concern for me. What is, is after looking at several different posts on different forums strictly about the TT-02, that even after i mod it a little, i wont get the needed ground clearance, no matter what i do. I found one post where a guy modded a TT-02, and to get more ground clearance, he cut off the limiters for the hubs, but, i think he was only able to get a maximum of 17MM clearance. I also have at least 20 complete sets of Rally Blocks, since i use them on all my buggies, so, i always buy them in sets.

[78Triumph 2610]

I have both the TT-02 rally car, as well as the XV-01 (which by the way you can fit a subaru body on no problem) and the XV-01 will drive circles around the TT-02 all day long.  Just my two cents...

[biggmn100 2]

12 minutes ago, 78Triumph said:

I have both the TT-02 rally car, as well as the XV-01 (which by the way you can fit a subaru body on no problem) and the XV-01 will drive circles around the TT-02 all day long.  Just my two cents...

I just found an XV-01, and they are way above what i was looking to spend. The cheapest i have found so far is around $300, and, the reason i even started looking at Tamiya cars is because i found a whole bunch of the TT-02's for roughly the same price as what i pay for Exceed cars, while doing a search for something else. I also found a couple MF-01X's, but neither of those come with the WRX body either, but, they look like they may work for what im trying to do.

[NobbySideways 113]

I just had this exact same conversation with myself. I like upgrading slowly over time, especially as it suits my monthly budget! 

I got the TT-02 Audi Quattro and its a cracking bit of kit for the money (in my limited experience). However if you want it on grass new tyres would be needed (partially just to raise the ride height, even jacked up its still quite low), and I fitted bearings and oil dampers straight out of the box as they seemed like a natural starting point.

In the end I'll probably end up spending more than the XV-01 costs (and ending up with an inferior bit of kit) but as its spread over a longer period so its more achievable. I know the XV-01 is a better bit of kit, but I couldn't justify the extra expenditure.

Bear in mind I'm a novice with not many cars. Just telling you my specific experiences.

[Juls1 1661]

XV01 is done ready to go out of the box, you can get the xv01 with 2008WRX, if you wanted an older body they are only about $40, not a big deal. 

By the time you put oil shocks, bearings and some basic hopups on a standard TT02 your almost at XV01. 

The MF-01X is a M sized chassis (1/12 scale) 

it can be made into a reasonable off road vehicle, but unless your into VW beetles the handling is... pretty darn terrible. I made one into a 1/10 257mm chassis for a Porsche project. But you need a cut down TL01 driveshaft to do it, these driveshafts don’t exist to buy, you’ll have to gut a whole second hand TL01 to get one. Which would be stupid because the TL01 is a superior vehicle for a rally car. 

[Honza 936]

43 minutes ago, Juls1 said:

But you need a cut down TL01 driveshaft to do it, these driveshafts don’t exist to buy, you’ll have to gut a whole second hand TL01 to get one

No need to buy driveshaft, it's easy to get 5mm steel/aluminium rod and drill two 2mm holes in it. But MF01 has heavy rear end, so handling is far from ideal. Also, conversion to fullsize 1/10 makes it more expensive.

My opinion on other mentioned cars:

XV01 - easiest way to get rally car. Dustproof, good handling. But it's on heavy side and suspension mounts tend to crack easily.

TT02 - cheapest, but needs some improvements. I'd go for TT02S, longer arms work pretty well offroad, they need just some filling to reach full potential, and CVA shocks, although shorter than ideal, are better than no shocks.

Nobody mentioned TA01/02. Those make pretty good rally cars. However in times of square lithium batteries, they are a bit obsolete.

I think that TB-series is worth mentioning, too. Although since 02, they are strictly onroad cars, they are pretty easy to convert (some filling here and there) All gears are covered, so they are able to run in dust. And front motor layout of TB05 is definitely interesting.

[nbTMM 433]

I would completely rule out any 1/10 road chassis based car like the TT-02 and XV-01 if "run decent on grass" is a hard requirement. In my experience, with narrow 1/10 rally tyres (like Tamiya rally blocks), you will struggle to make forward progress with <20mm ground clearance on most grass. If you have an excessive amount of motor power (>4000kV motor, 2S LiPo), you can hit the grass at speed and as long as you don't stop, keep moving, but forget that if you plan on running the silver can brushed motor. With >30mm ground clearance, things will go better but then the car will traction roll easily, and it's a bit too much droop for the drive shafts to run smoothly. A 1/10 rally car will be great on dirt and gravel, but I think you will be seriously disappointed with it's ability on grass.

[smirk-racing 253]

Agree with nbtmm. I recently got my first xv-01 and grass of any length (apart from golf course putting green) is a no-go. 

 

I am experimenting with Losi 1/14 Desert Buggy tires. They are just a bit taller and might help lift the chassis a little without causing too much body roll or issues with the driveshafts. 

 

But the car is fun on street and other hard surfaces. 

[frameskip 63]

OP also mentions "very unsmooth" surfaces, which makes me question if a 1/10 rally car is best for the need or a good playmate for his SCTs.

I have a 2WD Slash that will fly over mixed terrain, but none of the rally-prepped cars I have (TL01, TB01, XV01) can keep up. There's also a pretty significant difference in scale, so I never run them together as a crash would clearly favor the SCT.

[Juggular 4964]

NOOOO ~~~ !

I knew I should have saved money for XV01.  I spent $170 on M07.  It won't get here for weeks.  Right after ordering that, my wife took a trip with her parents.  I wanted build something while she was gone.  I ordered 2CV M05 Rally (of course with her graceful permission to spend my money).  I couldn't dare spending another $300 after M07.  2CV was only $130.  

What was I thinking?  M05 Rally?  lol...   but really, I just needed a 2CV in my life.  Unlike some other midlife-crisis, the older I get, the older models I seem to like. (I'm talking about cars, of course)   

I guess it could run on dirt like this Honda S800.  

Look how hard it is to control M05 and compare it to XV01! 

While it can't run on heavy grass, from what I can gather, XV01 is the best in its class.  If you want a realistic rally car, there is noting like XV01.   

 

[frameskip 63]

@Juggular I quite like the idea of the front wheels pawing away at the dirt for traction! And who can't appreciate the legacy of the 2CV?!

If you end up reconsidering the XV01, rcMart has 58528 for $160 (where I got mine), although shipping might be a deal breaker...

[Juggular 4964]

20 minutes ago, frameskip said:

@Juggular I quite like the idea of the front wheels pawing away at the dirt for traction! And who can't appreciate the legacy of the 2CV?!

If you end up reconsidering the XV01, rcMart has 58528 for $160 (where I got mine), although shipping might be a deal breaker...

Thank you, I looked it up at RC Mart.  I realized that I must have Lancia Delta.  $180 + 72 = $252.  A bit too high after ordering 2 cars.  

But I'm hoping with MAP taken down, Hong Kong sellers might lower it a bit to stay competitive.  

Just about 5 minutes ago, this arrived.  

It says "RALLY READY!"    (lol... probably not )  

I'll put in gobs of sticky grease in the diff, almost locking it.  One of these should help, probably.  

 

[biggmn100 2]

2 hours ago, frameskip said:

OP also mentions "very unsmooth" surfaces, which makes me question if a 1/10 rally car is best for the need or a good playmate for his SCTs.

I have a 2WD Slash that will fly over mixed terrain, but none of the rally-prepped cars I have (TL01, TB01, XV01) can keep up. There's also a pretty significant difference in scale, so I never run them together as a crash would clearly favor the SCT.

When i say not smooth terrain, its rocks, gravel, tree stumps, big jumps in places, and my SCT's are perfect for it, but, she wants a rally car, and i cant find a cheap 1/8th Subaru WRX body anywhere, or i would just build her one using a DHK Hunter or Crosse chassis as a starting point. I attached a pic of the area i play in, so you can see what i mean.

[DK308 219]

XV-01.

Next question.

[biggmn100 2]

2 hours ago, DK308 said:

XV-01.

Next question.

Find me one for under $150 new. The cheapest i have seen them is in the $300 range. I can find TT-02's for $150 shipped, and have even seen them for under $120 shipped on Ebay.

[Juggular 4964]

TT02 isn't bad at all, for bashing. 

It's just that when you frame it as "rally," everybody would jump to the best in Rally class.  

I even got an M-05.  Compared to that, TT02 will perform A WHOLE LOT better, I can tell you that.  Ignore what we say about XV01 and get what's best for your situation.  TT02 will be a bit better on taller grass and rougher surfaces also.  If you had framed it as "best Subaru WRX for this lot" and shown the photo of your lot, TT02 might have come up on top.  "Rally" was the trap, and it usually means dirt tracks which your lot isn't.  So I'd say go with your instinct.   

 

[biggmn100 2]

3 minutes ago, Juggular said:

TT02 isn't bad at all, for bashing. 

It's just that when you frame it as "rally," everybody would jump to the best in Rally class.  

I even got an M-05.  Compared to that, TT02 will perform A WHOLE LOT better, I can tell you that.  Ignore what we say about XV01 and get what's best for your situation.  TT02 will be a bit better on taller grass and rougher surfaces also.  If you had framed it as "best Subaru WRX for this lot" and shown the photo of your lot, TT02 might have come up on top.  "Rally" was the trap, and it usually means dirt tracks which your lot isn't.  So I'd say go with your instinct.   

 

I mostly phrased it that way because i saw a few different Tamiya chassis with Subaru WRX bodies that said they were rally vehicles. My ultimate goal would be to convert a 1/8th SCT, like someone else i know did, but, the body he used hasnt been available for quite awhile, even with how popular the WRX is, so im trying to come up with something she would be interested in, without spending a ton of money. Ive done a few Exceed RC conversions to run out back in the area in the pic, but, everytime i break something, its a struggle to get parts, and even those are converted from on-road cars, since the only bodies i find that arent outrageously priced are the cheap ones from China, and they only fit 190-200MM chassis.

[Nicadraus 6197]

7 hours ago, Juggular said:

Thank you, I looked it up at RC Mart.  I realized that I must have Lancia Delta.  $180 + 72 = $252.  A bit too high after ordering 2 cars.  

But I'm hoping with MAP taken down, Hong Kong sellers might lower it a bit to stay competitive.  

Just about 5 minutes ago, this arrived.  

It says "RALLY READY!"    (lol... probably not )  

I'll put in gobs of sticky grease in the diff, almost locking it.  One of these should help, probably.  

 

I'm running one of my FF-03 converted to rally. The FWD works but of course it's not a quick as 4WD during take off. But when speed picks up, it's great. Cornering is no problem at all. It's very easy to turn even on hairpins and can easy drift if I want it to. I applied AWG in the ball diff and it works very well too. The car just follows where you want to turn or drift on corners. I'm going to a local track today and I will try to take some videos.

[biggmn100 2]

1 minute ago, Nicadraus said:

I'm running one of my FF-03 converted to rally. The FWD works but of course it's not a quick as 4WD during take off. But when speed picks up, it's great. Cornering is no problem at all. It's very easy to turn even on hairpins and can easy drift if I want it to. I applied AWG in the ball diff and it works very well too. The car just follows where you want to turn or drift on corners. I'm going to a local track today and I will try to take some videos.

FWD More than likely wouldnt work where i run, since RWD barely does, and neither do any of my "converted" FWD SCT's (i say converted, but what it really was was a Redcat racing Blackout, as well as an Exceed RC Racing Terrain) that blew the rear diff, so, until i could get parts, i ran it on just the front diff). I wonder if i could get longer body posts for the TT-02. That way, i could raise the body, and use the Exceed RC's smaller 1/10th "SCT" wheels and tires. For anyone that doesnt know, the Exceed SCT wheels and tires are basically rear buggy wheels on both the front and rear of the truck.