Hello there,

This is my first time to post here. I am currently making fun of different parts of Tamiya mini 4WD. Just want to hear your remarks about the following:

1. Anyone here who is a fanatic of rear sliding dampers? Any on how to use them?
2. Same question of #1 for One-way wheels, large and small (I am very fanatic on these but the car seems to run slower
3. Any successful Italian setup with rear sliding dampers? (I know it looks impossible but who knows?)
4. Anyone here who setup a mini 4WD with trimming / modifying the parts like me?
5. Please advise with using MA, Super XX and AR chassis without any trimming
6. How do you guys measure the speed of the cars on track? I saw some posts that the acceleration / speed of a car on a specific figure (ex. 7 m/s) but how can you get that measurement?

PS: English please? Thanks...

This post has been edited by Cim~: Jan 30 2015, 05:05 AM

I saw someone made a chassis out of popsicle sticks

So far with my observations, one way wheels are slower (Tried on speed tech and soft speed track). I am assuming it is due to the gears that slip when it turns? Or is it just the weight of the one way wheel?

Does this mean that you put a laptimer before the jump to get it's speed at that moment? O.o

PS: Thanks for answering all of my questions

That center damper... Some racer on our local race told me to check clearance of the damper when you push the screw forward the front tire. It kinda makes sense. The damper might cause the plate to bend during jumps and touch the front tire.

Does it wiggle before it lands? Is that why you say it is a bit weird?

This post has been edited by Cim~: Feb 4 2015, 03:39 AM

Aww... I was thinking of trying metal pinion gears on the one way wheels. Nevertheless, I'll try it to be fully contented

Another "Project"

I just bought a Gun Blaster Tusco. Want to know how overwhelming to use Super FM with a personal touch (rear sliding damper XD). People here are so fond of it because of the front motor. Got curious how good it is. Still having thoughts with the front setup. I bought this Front Bumper Guard for starters. Still checking for a good front damper setup that could match with it. Any experience using this bumper guard, anyone?

No ideas too on what setup should I do on the sides. Looking for suitable plates and reinforcements since it seems brittle.

PS: For Speed Tech Tracks

This post has been edited by Cim~: Feb 4 2015, 11:08 PM

Yes, I am from Pampanga, Philippines. I used to have a mini 4WD 10 years ago until my bag was snatched along with it. I recently knew that mini 4WD races are active on our area so I somewhat bumped to this site for brainstorming and looking for other setup other than the typical setup that I always see on our local area

I am using FUG's with the Super XX since my setup did not require front brakes. Somehow, with my trial tests on MA, it seems to need front brakes.

PS: I was referring to Front Bumper Guard<--- (Please click) for remarks and suggestions

This post has been edited by Cim~: Feb 5 2015, 02:17 AM

From where I am located, (not in Mla) SFM is high in demand. Some use MS(L)... It's even being over priced due to low in supply. I haven't noticed if people here used rubber tires as brakes. So far, they use the brake pad item with the popsicle plate.

Currently, I have 2 MA's, 1 AR, 2 Super XX, and 1 SFM. I guess I still fit in right?

Apparently, Tamiya forums in PH seems to be idle for years. On FB groups that I joined, they are mostly Buy and Sell parts. As I Google searched, I found some detailed info from your previous threads so I decided to join here. Hopefully, it's ok with you all

Noted

SFM Project

Surprisingly on my first test, I didn't expect that my setup would make the rear of the car land first on jumps O.o

This post has been edited by Cim~: Feb 6 2015, 03:46 AM

Can you provide me the link? I cannot find it which specifically in Google.

Does it mean there are 3 kinds of FM? (FM, Super FM and "Super 2 FM") I am not aware that there is a S2FM...

OMG! I haven't thought of that. I think d locals haven't too since Carbon FM is high in demand. I haven't bumped into those conversions when I search on the net.

Thinking about it, it requires chassis mod esp. for the cowl mount --- Modifying though is not my specialty but I can really imagine it's potential for the Super XX and AR

Found the pics of converted AR / Super XX / Super 2... Upon checking on your previous posts, it is unstable. Did anyone made a successful AR-FM?

Someone is telling me that Ultra Pro and Plasma Pro has come out. Any idea?

About Dampers

Other than making it near the tires, any other advise? Like when to use a light, heavy, block dampers. And how to determine the number of pcs. to install on front, rear, and somewhere middle?

SFM Project

I am planning to make it 95 mm roller width both front and back. Is there something I should check when I test it?

Front Bumper Guard does not match with the Gun Blaster Cusco cowl I changed it with FRP plate instead. (Still avoiding body / cowl mods)

This post has been edited by Cim~: Feb 8 2015, 01:13 AM

There was a restock of SXX EVO (a month ago, I think) as in alot of locals here in the Philippines were fanatic and hoarding. Try contacting our online seller if they can do international transactions (Search for Tamiya Tiangge Online on FB) They were being sold around 2000 to 2400 PHP (Around 50 - 55 USD)

Black Tuners also hoarded and had pix of it, taking a bath full of SXX EVO and VS EVO boxes.

For Singapore, try searching for Stargek.

Oh Yeah, Tamiya Underground also (c/o AF21)

This post has been edited by Cim~: Feb 11 2015, 12:37 AM

Hey guys, I'm back for new questions

1. In a high speed track (with straights and curves and 1 rainbow change lane), my car flies on the rainbow change lane lately (when the same track layout was transferred to another location). Any ideas what to adjust? I was thinking there was a problem with the change lane but Indonesian Mini 4WD's which are super fast did not fly off on the change lane.

2. I bought a 2nd hand 2 lane track for testing. The width between the walls seems to be narrow compared to 3 lane tracks. Is that the standard for two lanes?

3. In addition for 2 lane tracks, did anyone saw a 2 lane track with slopes / jumps?

Rainbow Change Lane:


My Car: (Ultra Dash with 3.5 gear ratio)


This is meant for tracks with no change lane right? Because the rollers will skid on change lanes. Hence, what do people do to lower the rollers on high speed tracks w/ change lanes (rainbow or standard change lane).

This post has been edited by Cim~: Feb 24 2015, 09:15 PM

Does the screw / lower roller skid on the slope track or you lower as low as possible while not skidding / braking on the slope of the change lane?

Got it. I almost thought of attaching skid brake (the stock part that came on AR / MA chassis) to lower the rollers like attaching brake pads in speed tech if lowering rollers is really needed.

Any ideas on my other questions? Plus, on high speeds, do you prefer the roller width to exactly touch the track walls or you put allowance?

This post has been edited by Cim~: Feb 24 2015, 10:31 PM

Some are strict with the holes, some are not. I was not reprimanded on my roller setup though. I just wonder, how can we adjust the roller width of the car if the rollers have distinctive holes and using side extensions is somewhat banned since it is outside the allowed roller width of Tamiya regulations?

The only rule on the fun race for high speed (just talking about a specific organizer here, not for the whole PH) we have here is that all parts should be Tamiya, batteries are 1.2 V, unmodified motor, 8 rollers allowed --- The organizer focuses more on Indo racing which is probably why he is not strict w/ Tamiya rules.

About the parts, I have limited budget and I am still verifying / can't verify if HG FRP is necessary since I can't indicate if my FRP does bend. 9-8 mm DA bearing costs around $10.00, HG FRP also around $10.00. I did notice on your country that you use small diameter rollers so I bought the cheapest small bearing which is 13 mm ball bearing $6 for 4 pcs. I tried this roller both front and back. However, the local racers here prefer large diameter rollers (19 mm) and somehow, it seems slower. I am still observing though. AO 830 ball bearing as roller seems to be not popular and not in stock here though.

My first setup was to follow the roller positions. I just played with it, trying to fit it with the track walls (probably will try to use side extension since it is allowed to touch track walls with this specific race organier)

This post has been edited by Cim~: Feb 25 2015, 01:25 AM

Wow... I was also thinking not using double rollers (though I used DA rollers instead).

So your conclusion why my car flies off the track intermittently is because of FRP is flexing? I do not have basis when I will need to change to HG or if my FRP's are starting to flex. But your conclusion might be possible.

Question about HG FRP's: Will combining 2 FRP's act as substitute? How about FRP-spacer-FRP?

Wow... Too much inputs

So far with all of the experiences and info. gathered, I come up to for this project for high speed:
Center Light weight MS chassis
N03/T03 (not in possession but looking for it)
Super Large Tires (same tires as I shown before), trimming it like Japan Style.
Gold Terminals (too lazy to clean copper terminals)
Mach Dash
3.5 gear

Still in question since it is my current possession (to make use of my current resources):
13 mm roller bearings
19 mm rollers
12-13 mm DA rollers
rear sliding damper (still wondering how to attach it on N03/T03)
I think, double FRP's with spacers would be needed here since I will be using N03/T03 to stiffen the double rollers setup, avoiding bending of screws.
2x5 wheel bearings (I think this is equivalent to 620)

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I'll try to invest on HG FRP. Btw, is this only for the front? What would be the indication if it is time to use HG FRP for the back or for the front?

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I cannot describe this well but, when I turn on the Mach Dash, on 0 degree, it revolves fine, but when I do a 45 degree or 90 degree, there's an unusual feel on the vibration of the motor. It feels like something is slightly preventing it to rotate. I tried comparing the performance with the other racers on the track, it's still fast. Maybe because the motor rests at 0 degrees most of the time since it is high speed and assume that it will compromise during slopes and jumps. --- Question is, in this situation, do you think that the motor is about to end it's life? Or it is just an improper break-in?

I haven't bought new motors except for my plasma dash (I accidentally dropped to the ground made of sand) I tried to clean it but when i test it on track, My Ultra Dash seems to be faster than my Plasma.

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On my last practice, my car did fly off on corners occassionally (single roller setup at the back). on the average lap of 21 secs. (Dunno the current distance of the track since they added more curves) but on 23 secs, it did not fly off. 1 person told me to try downthrusting. But I'll try ur suggestion first adding height of stabilizing screws (probably mixing it with rollers).

This post has been edited by Cim~: Feb 26 2015, 10:13 PM

Hello again,

On my last week race, our champ had a freaking 16 sec best time on the high speed track. My cars' best time was 21+ sec.

I ran out of options / ideas on what to do on my current resources:
MA and AR chassis
both in 3.5 gear ratio
both in super large hard tires
Mach Dash for MA
Ultra for AR
Both in rear sliding damper
Both DA 12-13mm in front
Both 19 mm at back (single roller)

Currently, I applied counter gears using small diameter washers. I think it improved performance since I did not charge my battery since the race (Sunday) and it was still able to get 21 secs.

My MS lightweight project is still on hold due to budget.

What I noticed is that every try I spray McKenic Contact Cleaner on the gears and motor, the results were erratic. Sometimes it gets 21, then 22, then 23 secs and go back to 21. I think it's time to use motor oils and grease. Up to now, I only used McKenice Contact Cleaner (orange) as the lubricant of gears and motor. Any advise on what to purchase and what to mix (magic formulas) for the oil? Does use of grease and motor oil make a very big advantage compared to McKenic / RP7?

PS: What does AKD mean?

This post has been edited by Cim~: Mar 4 2015, 09:41 PM

I have hard tires from the Super Large Tires. As the locals here saw my car run, they advised me to trim it since it is still bouncing on jumps.

Link of the Hard tire that I have:
http://www.rcmart.com/tamiya-95044-tirecar...14-p-58008.html

I do monitor the battery. My Eneloop 1900 battery volt reading is 1.47 to 1.48. I charged it the night before and let it charge again before the race.

BTW, the one who got 16 sec best time was a VS chassis

Do u think using McKenic (WD40 the like) both cleaning and and lubrication is not enough? Should I use a slightly thick oil for lubricating both gears and motor?

This post has been edited by Cim~: Mar 6 2015, 01:11 AM

Looks like I have a malpractice. I always apply McKenic (orange) hours before and minutes before the race. People were like advising me to apply it every now and then. I thought it is a practice to put lubricants on every race / practice. Even per runs. Most of us do that practice here. 1 person told me that these contact cleaner / lubricant evaporate easily which is why, they make their own formula (use of motor oils) to lessen evaporation of the lubricant between races.

When I used the McKenic (orange), I noticed that the tamiya plastic turns white. The white thing seems to be like a residue since I can scrape it off with my finger nails. I was worried at first. Reading the directions of the Silicone spray, it's a dry lubricant. Maybe McKenic has that composition also. If not, my car's chassis is starting to deteriorate XD

Singer Oils seemed to be not so advisable here because it destroys plastic (someone conducted tests on variety of lubricants). I do noticed some still apply it.

My progress about lubricant research
Since a lot were concerned of plastic deterioration due to lubricants, I tried to look for plastic compatible oils. A lot of forums said that silicone based were the safest on plastic as they use them on airsoft.

I searched deeper about the contents of Tamiya's oil applicator and found an article that it's PAO (Polyalphaolefin) content is highly safe on plastics. Apparently, when I look at a local store of motor oils, they do not mention what composition does it have (because it's their secret formula). I researched further about motor oils and all I see is that motor oils today even fully synthetic have petroleum (esters) additives which can deteriorate plastics.

Lithium based grease on the other hand is a bit confusing. Some says it is compatible, some are not. As one article mentioned, if the label says can be used on plastics, then use it.

I just bought Silicone Spray a while ago. I'll let you know what happens.

PS: Regarding roller height... We all know that the higher the roller height, the more stable the car will be. But does anyone know the pros and cons of having same roller height for front and back? Because my setup has middle height at the front, and higher height at the back.

This post has been edited by Cim~: Mar 7 2015, 02:40 AM

There is this post I saw who made an experiement by immersing tamiya plastic on different lubricants for a month. Maybe the post is outdated and the look of Singer oil container on your pic looks different on the singer oil 1 years back. Probably, it improved. Otherwise, it is a practice to clean or wipe off oil. I only researched for plastic safe oills for assurance. The post was in Filipino language... Look for the tabulation part --- Crazy huh?
http://tamiya.yuku.com/topic/8779/All-Tami...ide-by-nihilism

For Motor oils, some do it. But of course it is not pure motor oil. They mixed it with other oil to make it thinner which make it their secret formula. I haven't researched what additives can be compatible yet.

I also bumped to a Malaysian post who practices their own secret formula :
http://www.bigboystoys.my/2014/06/bigboysr...d-break-in.html

The Tamiya Oil Applicator (1 g content) costs around $8.00 also with the Tamiya Ceramic Grease. Comparing the prices of these to motor oils, I see 1 $5.00 1 liter Mobil ATM oil, also with 6oz. of Valvoline grease. But of course, Singer oil is the cheapest

I am just sharing my research, not contradicting to anyone. More like brainstorming. And I enjoy having your inputs to sum up. Experience is still best.

@AF21
I agree, as we are in a predicament here that local resellers (not official local distributors) are hoarding in demand items and sell them with a high price In demand items here now are the Strato Vector, Stargek Anniv., Carbon FM, Super XX Evo. Even the 5 spoke 19mm rollers. The prices of the kits are now almost double the price

Not only that, Tamiya Speedtech Race seems to be dead for abouth a month now, no race event held as there is no existing racing center here in our area. Unless we go to Manila (100 KM distance) I dunno why people are hoarding but there is no race nearby.

This post has been edited by Cim~: Mar 7 2015, 06:26 PM