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alvinlwh

Thunder Dragon advice?

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Planning to pre order a Thunder Shot, the "new" one. Planning to put a TZ motor in. I know about the A5 weakness and will get the upgrade part to protect it. Since it already comes with CVA OOB, wondering what else to upgrade, especially the essential ones? Oh, ball race obviously, what else? 

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Maybe a spare set of wheels/tires to suit pavement versus dirt so you don't wear out your pin-spike tires as quickly. But in general I'd drive it "as is" for a bit so you appreciate how it performs out of the box. Then you can tell whether hop-ups (later on) make a difference.

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1 minute ago, Unknown Driver said:

Maybe a spare set of wheels/tires to suit pavement versus dirt so you don't wear out your pin-spike tires as quickly. But in general I'd drive it "as is" for a bit so you appreciate how it performs out of the box. Then you can tell whether hop-ups (later on) make a difference.

I know what you mean, but I prefer to stick in any hopups from the get go as I am afraid of wearing out the screw holes. A blasted TT01 chassis put kind of a phobia into me about worn screw holes. 

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ADDITION: What pinion size will suit the TZ motor I got planned for it? 

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For what it's worth: if you don't over-tighten, and lightly lubricate your screws, you shoudln't run into that issue. Really only the transmission-to-bathtub interfaces use self-tapping screws. Most other key locations on the buggy use machine screws and nuts.

I get it though.

 

I'd stick with the stock pinion but replace it with a steel one. Those Tamiya aluminum pinions are worthless.

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1 minute ago, Unknown Driver said:

For what it's worth: if you don't over-tighten, and lightly lubricate your screws, you shoudln't run into that issue. Really only the transmission-to-bathtub interfaces use self-tapping screws. Most other key locations on the buggy use machine screws and nuts.

I get it though.

Yes, that's what I do these days. I first built my TT01 12 years ago and there wasn't much forums to learn from back then! 

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13t steel pinion from fusion hobbies (if in the UK) would be best, I've ran super stock tz,rz and bz for years in a thundershot and 13t is the best for keeping the motor cool and reducing maintenance.

My showroom details how to fit steel shafts to the upper arms to reduce the gearboxes from splitting because of the screwpins

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1 minute ago, taffer said:

13t steel pinion from fusion hobbies (if in the UK) would be best, I've ran super stock tz,rz and bz for years in a thundershot and 13t is the best for keeping the motor cool and reducing maintenance.

My showroom details how to fit steel shafts to the upper arms to reduce the gearboxes from splitting because of the screwpins

Thanks! :)

 

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I tried a 15t with my Sport Tuned and 2.2 rally tires. I almost burned up my motor. Trying out a 13t and heat sink later to see if that helps…

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Search for my Super Mega Fire Dragon thread for over the top Dragon hop up action…

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16 minutes ago, Frog Jumper said:

Search for my Super Mega Fire Dragon thread for over the top Dragon hop up action…

I was actually reading that. 

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Realised I made a mess of my thread title and the first post. :P

Anyway, next question. Thunder Dragon or Fire Dragon?

(Double checked this time before hitting post ^_^)

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4 hours ago, Frog Jumper said:

TD vs FD:  The only difference is the body.

 

I thought FD has 2 front shocks while TD has 1? Which is better? And oh, from my usual supplier, the FD is £10 cheaper than the TD even though it got 1 more shock. 

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On 8/25/2021 at 5:03 AM, taffer said:

My showroom details how to fit steel shafts to the upper arms to reduce the gearboxes from splitting because of the screwpins

Please tell this noob (me) how to find this because it's defeated me. :blink:

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11 hours ago, alvinlwh said:

Realised I made a mess of my thread title and the first post. :P

Anyway, next question. Thunder Dragon or Fire Dragon?

(Double checked this time before hitting post ^_^)

Thunder dragon

I prefer mono shocks on this chassis, works well, just seems to feel better when driving, also if you have the loud gearbox that causes initial vibration there's less to threadlock to stop coming loose 🙂

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9 hours ago, alvinlwh said:

I thought FD has 2 front shocks while TD has 1? Which is better? And oh, from my usual supplier, the FD is £10 cheaper than the TD even though it got 1 more shock. 

Oh you’re right. My bad.

Looking through the manuals quickly, here are a few things I see:

1. The TD uses the TShot rear shock mounts on Sprue B, while the FD has a separate one on Sprue G.  The FD Sprue G is different from the TScorcher Sprue G and if you intend on adding the TS camber arms, you’ll need the TS Sprue G.

2.  The TD uses a different front shock setup (duh).  The parts for this are included with the FD (except the front shock), but if you want add a second front shock, you’ll need Sprue G.

3.  The TD has (3) Y shocks (long) while the FD has (2) Y shocks and (2) W shocks (short).  It may be tricky to find a third long shock if you want something special (like the VQS hicaps).

4. Both TD and FD use dog bones and the same front and rear body mounts.

5.  The TS rear body mount is on the TS Sprue G as is the wing mount.  I think the TS front body mount is on there too.

IMO, you should get the TD.  Getting a third long shock with the kit means getting two shorts later. That’s an easier fix than getting two shorts and having to find a third long.  If you get the TS Sprue G, you can then switch between TD, FD, and TS fairly easily,  Don’t bother with the FD Sprue G, the TS one has the parts the FD needs.

Definitely download all (3) manuals and study so you can see the subtle differences.  I used mainly the TS manual when I built my FD, switching over to the FD when appropriate.

And definitely talk to Taffer and ThunderCy.  Both of those guys are TS Jedi Masters…

Terry

 

 

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@Frog Jumper

Thanks for the long post. I am leaning towards the TD for the single shock (less common) but less keen on the silver body. But I guess I will just go for it anyway. 

I think in the current release, they all comes with CVA OOB, so I am sorted for shocks. 

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Just got the confirmation from FH that it is on its way so I went ahead and ordered the A5 brace and a set of bearings. Got a question about the bearings, some sets are 22, some are 21 (mine). I had seen somewhere that really only 21 are needed even though 22 appears in the instructions. Can someone tell me which one can stay plastic so that I do not end up with insufficient bearings? Thanks!

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Just bought a fire dragon (even though I'm waiting for the Saint dragon) because it's taken so long to get to the UK properly it will already be rare

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1 hour ago, taffer said:

Just bought a fire dragon (even though I'm waiting for the Saint dragon) because it's taken so long to get to the UK properly it will already be rare

I preorder the TD, the order moved, as in stock arrived, ready to ship by FH, before I heard about the SD, which I prefer, being rere. Too late to cancel and I was told above that the single front shock on the TD is better for this chassis. Ah well, I will just stick with what I have, it looks interesting with that shock anyway. If I win the lottery, I can get the whole family of dragons. 😁

Also, thanks for the tip about step 6. 👍

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1 hour ago, taffer said:

Stage 6 can stay plastic, the e1 and washer will be fine

You know, it is quite strange, I counted 21 bearings, just like the set I bought, but the instructions only state 20 is required and then there are sellers with sets of 22. 🤔IMG_20210921_212402.thumb.jpg.e1fa3a2a104fd06c5e9deeb3fe567038.jpg

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The e1 plastic bushings with washer can be replaced with 1150 ball bearings (23 I thought, it has been mentioned before) but they are not critical to replace unless you are going with a fast brushless

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