Tamiya Gravel Hound DF-02 Forum

[bakabaka]

Hi again.

I have not even decided if it will buy the car. By a side the local distributor of tamiya has assured to me that the mechanics can support without problem a modified motor on the other hand but a friend mine, who won the Tamiya Cup in Europe some years ago, comments to me, that he doesn't think that the spur held that motor because is made of plastic. Do you know about any supplier who make the spur in another material and the pinion in steel, not in alumminiun like the original?.

Thanks!!! :confused:

That's a valid point, I haven't yet found a steel spur gear that fits without modification. Anecdotal evidence from these forums suggest that the plastic spur is quite strong enough to handle the torque, although I have not yet tried such a motor in my Gravel Hound. The hardened steel pinions OTOH are available from Tower Hobbies, Robinson Racing makes them. Here's a URL for a search which should turn them up:

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0095p?FVPROFIL=++&FVSEARCH=metric+pinion&FVPROFIL=++&search=Go

Hope this helps!

[_Future_]

I also added an LRP AI super reverse ESC to my GH ...Seems to be more responsive and maybe a little faster acceleration than the stock ESC..Also got a Reedy spec 19 turn quad..yoou guys think it will be any good ?..Havnt put it in yet will update you all wen its in !

A wee pic of the schumi wheels !

I just got my DF02 with the Rising Storm body. I haven't run it yet, but after I give it some wear and get the feel of it I plan to do some upgrades as needed.
I am glad to hear that you are happy with your LRP product. I am waiting on the LRP Vector brushless motor and LRP's Sphere speed control to come out. I like the idea of this system being able to run brushed and brushless.

[Aluma]

yup...just waiting for that LRP brushless...mmmmm gooood! I used to have the novak brushless in a XXX4G+ a while back... DANG that was SCARY fast! I can only wait and dream of the Vector power :D

[Eotz]

Hi there!

During the 2004 I participated in the championship of 4x4 of my province being 4º with a Schumacher CAT 3000, the case is that it gave many technical problems me, mainly the drive belts and that in the end is not nothing amused. By I am looking for a simpler car and with shaft transmission. The case is that I only know 3 candidates. The BJ4 but is quite expensive, Academy's SB and SB PRO but this is not sold at my country and the DF-02. The importer of Tamiya in my country assures that he can compete against the Yokomo, Losi XXX4 or Schumacer without any problem, but i'm not very sure because with my old Manta Ray I destroyed some Spur Gears and pinions using only 19 turns stock motors, so I supose that DF-02 spur and pinion will be made with the same material. Some other chassis exists but that has not mentioned?. Is better Df-02 transmision system than Manta Ray's?

Thank you very much. ;)

[UK Hound Basher]

yup...just waiting for that LRP brushless...mmmmm gooood! I used to have the novak brushless in a XXX4G+ a while back... DANG that was SCARY fast! I can only wait and dream of the Vector power :D

What will be the price difference between the novak and LRP systems ?
I can get a novak for £180 in the UK

PS adding a few hop ups to my Hound ..will post some pics soon :D

[Aluma]

geesh...here the novak system is 240 or less dollars...the vector system is still being speculated, but said to cost over 100 for the motor and about almost 200 for the speed control...so maybe $280 dollars. I hope its worth it.

[bakabaka]

Hi there!

... By I am looking for a simpler car and with shaft transmission. The case is that I only know 3 candidates. The BJ4 but is quite expensive, Academy's SB and SB PRO but this is not sold at my country and the DF-02... with my old Manta Ray I destroyed some Spur Gears and pinions using only 19 turns stock motors, so I supose that DF-02 spur and pinion will be made with the same material. Some other chassis exists but that has not mentioned?. Is better Df-02 transmision system than Manta Ray's?

Thank you very much. ;)

I'll have to defer the experience card to others around here, since I haven't owned a Manta Ray. I can give you the digest of what I've read on the matter however. Others have used a smaller pinion when putting in a high powered motor, 17t pinions were mentioned by at least one poster. The Novak 5800 is supposed to perform approximately like a 11-12 turn motor, which seems like a rough approximate of what you want to use. Aside from disintegrating aluminum pinions and bent dogbones, there haven't been any drivetrain complaints about using high powered motors such as brushless in this forum. Hopefully someone who's tried it will be able to give you more information on the subject. You might want to read through the entire thread before deciding on the purchase, there's a lot of good info already here.

Incidentally, I hope to purchase one of the Novak SS 5800 kits soon. I might have first hand info on this in a few weeks if you still haven't decided.

[UK Hound Basher]

geesh...here the novak system is 240 or less dollars...the vector system is still being speculated, but said to cost over 100 for the motor and about almost 200 for the speed control...so maybe $280 dollars. I hope its worth it.
I would wait and see if it is worth it. Look out in the brushless section on here. Everyone seems to rave about Hacker on there but they are well pricey!..I'm drawn to the Novak as its fairly priced and lower maintanance = more runtime. Com laithes are about the same price as a Brushless system. It kinda makes sence!!

[Aluma]

yeah... I HATE cutting coms...:P dang shavings everywhere!

[UK Hound Basher]

Never cut a com still a RC n00bie..Wish I knew about brushless before I went and got my ESC and brushed motor. Your supposed to get more runtime with brushless aswell.

[The Plopster]

Hey. I got a link to this forum whilst looking for hop-ups for my Rising Storm.... I know of the bearings and springs etc.... just wondering if there's anything else?

Cheers http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the_plopster_1/Smileys/Grin.gif

[UK Hound Basher]

Hey. I got a link to this forum whilst looking for hop-ups for my Rising Storm.... I know of the bearings and springs etc.... just wondering if there's anything else?

Cheers http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the_plopster_1/Smileys/Grin.gif

Hi Ploppy lol
There are more hop up options coming soon but if you look on ebay you should find them allready available. I have the turnbuckles and steering posts and 67 teeth spur hop ups..
Look here for a start :
http://search.stores.ebay.com/search/search.dll?query=df+02&srchdesc=y&sid=8173167&store=Jason%27s+Store&colorid=5&fp=0&st=2&submit=Search

[The Plopster]

Wow, thanks for the link, that's perfect. Ships worldwide too..... perfect!

[bakabaka]

...I have the turnbuckles and steering posts and 67 teeth spur hop ups..


Hi,

How is the steering with the new turnbuckles and steering posts? I'm using teflon tape to tighten the ball joints and the screws holding the suspension for the moment, but I'm curious as to how much improvement you see with the hop-ups.

[tdkclass]

Hi Eotz,
there've been quite some people who have run brushless setups besides the novak one in the Gravel Hound.
It seems to mange quite well, mine didn't break when using 6 or 8 cells and a Hacker C40-8s (offroad). Quite some parts of the drive train are already metal and there's an aluminium shaft upgrade.
I couldn't say what would happen if you tried driving on carpet or something like that but I don't really think that it would be a problem.

felix

[UK Hound Basher]

Hi,

How is the steering with the new turnbuckles and steering posts? I'm using teflon tape to tighten the ball joints and the screws holding the suspension for the moment, but I'm curious as to how much improvement you see with the hop-ups.

Not had a chance to run it yet ..when I do I will let you know. :)

[Eotz]

Hi!

It could say somebody to me as it is I the reference number of the of the ball differentials for DF-02 chassis?.

Thank you. :)

[bakabaka]

Not had a chance to run it yet ..when I do I will let you know. :)

Thanks! I've been considering purchasing them, but I guess the suspension really needed to be taken care of first. The aluminum suspension kit is nice, my GH no longer flips itself over when I jump it :)

[Aluma]

you got aluminum arms?...WhY? it just needs different shocks and softer springs...actually, just switching to losi orange rear springs and 80wt oil fixes the flip over itself problem. You just added a BUNCH of weight to the car like that. :P I think the TT01 ball diff fits and it might be lighter than the original.

[bakabaka]

you got aluminum arms?...WhY? it just needs different shocks and softer springs...actually, just switching to losi orange rear springs and 80wt oil fixes the flip over itself problem. You just added a BUNCH of weight to the car like that. :P I think the TT01 ball diff fits and it might be lighter than the original.

Well, no, not yet anyway. I was just curious as to how much better the steering is with the hop-ups. Not sure if it's worth getting the steering arms yet, perhaps I should get a better motor and esc first.

I ended up buying Tamiya's DF-02 aluminum dampers and hop-up springs, since the lack of damping was causing the car to flip after the rear rebounded from the higher jumps. The walawala store at ebay had a nice deal on them, about US $49 for the dampers and about US $10 for the springs. After mounting the rear dampers to the outmost hole on the bottom mounts, the blue (hard) springs in back with a 3 hole piston work fine with the stock oil. Whatever Tamiya "Soft" weight may be. I'm quite happy with it. :)

[Aluma]

hey guys...how long do the Proline R3 Hole shots last? I got the front/rear set and glued them to the original rims, but the little pins look like they'd run out by the end of a 5 min. race!

[UK Hound Basher]

Ran my GH briefly in a car park ..Hop ups have improved the steering its alot more responsive. Think a faster servo might help.abit...Not gonna get one yet tho..

Hope this helps

[_Future_]

Can anyone tell me what other parts I would need to get in order to install the aluminum dampers on the XB Rising Storm? This RTR comes with the friction shocks with philips screws to mount. Based a pic in this forum they look to be mounted by the 5mm ball connectors. Is this correct and are there any other parts I need?

I am also looking into ball bearings and I found these ball bearings. What do you guys think? Any recommendations over these?

http://cgi.msn.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=44022&item=5916058001&rd=1&ssPageName=WD1V

[tamiya4x4dryver]

Does Tamiya or anyone else offer an upgraded drive shaft for the gravel hound and rising storm?

[bakabaka]

Can anyone tell me what other parts I would need to get in order to install the aluminum dampers on the XB Rising Storm? This RTR comes with the friction shocks with philips screws to mount. Based a pic in this forum they look to be mounted by the 5mm ball connectors. Is this correct and are there any other parts I need?

I am also looking into ball bearings and I found these ball bearings. What do you guys think? Any recommendations over these?

http://cgi.msn.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=44022&item=5916058001&rd=1&ssPageName=WD1V

Hi _Future_,

All the parts needed are included in the kit. The ball connectors are included, although the shocks fit the screws that come with the RTR also. I added them to my Gravel Hound RTR recently and didn't need to purchase anything else, although I did buy the hop up springs.

As for the bearings, I ended up using Duratrax 5x11 bearings from Tower Hobbies. They work much better than the bushings, but it seems you're getting more bearings for the money than I did. Here's a link to what I bought:

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXD125&P=C

Hope this helps :)

[bakabaka]

Does Tamiya or anyone else offer an upgraded drive shaft for the gravel hound and rising storm?

Hi tamiya4x4dryver,

Square has quite a few upgrades for the DF-02, have a look at the following page:

http://www.rc-square.com/parts002.htm

If you search for the string STG-22S it'll take you to a picture of the "Tamiya DF-02 Gravel Hound Aluminum Center Shaft Set". They also have an aluminum universal shaft set and several other very nice looking hop-ups for the DF-02 chassis on this page. It's in Japanese only, but there are product numbers and pictures for most items.

Hope this helps! :)

[bakabaka]

Ran my GH briefly in a car park ..Hop ups have improved the steering its alot more responsive. Think a faster servo might help.abit...Not gonna get one yet tho..

Hope this helps

Thanks! I'll have to add the steering arms to the list of things that I intend to get. I think I'll get a faster motor first, but I'm willing to bet that the motor will only obviate the need for the hop-up arms. :)

[UK Hound Basher]

I have a 17t Venom fireball in at the mo...moves pretty fast ...What esc have you got bakabaka ?

[tamiya4x4dryver]

bakabaka, thanks for the info!

[_Future_]

Hi _Future_,

All the parts needed are included in the kit. The ball connectors are included, although the shocks fit the screws that come with the RTR also. I added them to my Gravel Hound RTR recently and didn't need to purchase anything else, although I did buy the hop up springs.

As for the bearings, I ended up using Duratrax 5x11 bearings from Tower Hobbies. They work much better than the bushings, but it seems you're getting more bearings for the money than I did. Here's a link to what I bought:

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXD125&P=C

Hope this helps :)

Thanks bakabaka! That was a big help! I do plan on getting the spring set also. How have they worked for you? Have you noticed a significant difference over the friction shocks?

[bakabaka]

I have a 17t Venom fireball in at the mo...moves pretty fast ...What esc have you got bakabaka ?

I still have the stock ESC that came with the RTR for the moment, but I'm eyeing the Novak Super Sport as its replacement. The price is very compelling for a brushless system, and Novak apparently has a reputation for making excellent ESCs.

[bakabaka]

bakabaka, thanks for the info!

Certainly, I'd be interested to hear about your experience with the buggy. I've been searching high and low for various parts myself. Not that I'll be able to get them all yet mind you, but it's nice to know what's available.

Thanks bakabaka! That was a big help! I do plan on getting the spring set also. How have they worked for you? Have you noticed a significant difference over the friction shocks?

Definitely, I can't say enough about the improvement. The friction shocks might as well just be springs, even a 1 foot jump would make the bottom of the body hit the ground. The back springs were incredibly bouncy to boot, launching the rear upward again after jumps. The dampers, bearings and new wheels/tires have fixed pretty much all of the issues I had with the Gravel Hound save for the steering. Perhaps coming from the plastic oil shocks in the kit it's not as big of an improvement, but it's really noticeable on the RTR.

[_Future_]

Can anyone tell me how long a runtime I should get with on a 3300 pack, 21T Venom Fireball and stock ESC? Beside upgrading the ESC to use lower than a 19 turn motor. what would I need to get/do to get lower turn motors to run properly?

I don't quite understand the gearing issues and I would appreciate any input you guys would have that will help me simplify what I would need to do and change for variations in motors with higher/lower turns to prevent over heating, low run times, damage, etc. I know that a lower turn spur gear results in higher top speeds with the same motor (ie, 67T spur gear vs stock 70t). In what cases would I need to change the pinion gears along with the spur gear with the same motor? & With a higher/lower turn motors? What types of pinions should I be looking for depending on higher/lower turns? Do the pinions and motors have to match exactly or be in a certain range? Stock=19T, but I have a 21T motor that I want to try, but does the pinion have to, at least have low enough turns in order to handle a given motor? (I think I know some of this, but I'm a noob so please bear with me.) How do I know and change the gearing ratios of this vehicle? When do the gearing ratios need to be altered depending on the wheel/tire size? Does wheel size make the motors run hotter also? What would I need in order to increase speed while still having decent runtimes?

Unfortunately, the BL Reedy NEO One/LRP Sphere system has been delayed again, so I'd like to play with some cheap brushes a bit to understand what I would need to do to run the BL when I get it.

Thanks.

[bakabaka]

Hi _Future_,

I can't help you with exact numbers when it comes to matching batteries and motors, but there are a few bits re: gear ratios and motor turns that I could probably help clear up. I'm relatively new to RC as well, so any corrections are appreciated.

The t in the spur gears and pinions refers to teeth rather than motor turns; 19 teeth on a 19t pinion and 70 teeth on a 70t spur gear. The quotient between the pinion and the gear gives you your gear ratio. With a 19 tooth pinion, it takes approximately 3.69 (70/19) turns of the motor's shaft to complete one turn of the 70 tooth spur gear. With a lower ratio, you get more speed because each turn of the motor's shaft transfers more turns to the drivetrain. With a higher ratio, you get more power because it takes less energy to turn the shaft .

This forum seems to hate long posts, so I'll continue in another post...

[bakabaka]

Continuing from the previous post...

The issue with pinions on this chassis, and Tamiya kits in general I understand, is that they use Metric pinion gears unlike nearly everything else. You'll want to ensure that the pinion you buy is marked as 48 pitch metric, or the gears won't mesh properly. There is evidence in this forum that Robinson Racing's metric pinions are a good bet.

Lower turns in a motor give you more power. The stock motor as I understand it is about 27 turns. If your motor doesn't have enough power to ramp up speed, or the motor gets excessively hot, it's probably a good idea to increase the gear ratio. If it's going too slow and the engine stays cool and has too much power, you decrease the gear ratio. Very large or heavy wheels would make a difference, but if you don't make a huge change you'll probably be ok.

My understanding is that increasing speed while having decent runtimes comes down to having an efficient drivetrain and electronics. Putting in a motor with lower turns will take more electricity, but if your drivetrain is efficient (bearings help!) and well lubricated the motor will not need to work as hard. The less hard the motor has to work, the less electricity it consumes i.e. longer runtimes. That means that stickier tires would probably decrease runtime as well, and there are certainly many other ways to increase/decrease runtime, e.g. aerodynamics, some of which I'm probably not aware...

Hope this helps! :)

[_Future_]

Bakabaka,

Thank you! I appreciate you explaining and clarifying the motor, pinion and spur gearing issue. This is a whole new world for me and it just became more interesting. I'm sure I'll have more questions in the future. Thanks again!

[Aluma]

hey guys, I got my TT01 alum. motor mount along with a 67T spur/19t pinion combo. It seems to be too tight on the mesh...its in the indicated position too. Although, some spots seem to be okay. you dont think it will mess up the spur do ya?

[bakabaka]

hey guys, I got my TT01 alum. motor mount along with a 67T spur/19t pinion combo. It seems to be too tight on the mesh...its in the indicated position too. Although, some spots seem to be okay. you dont think it will mess up the spur do ya?

Hi Aluma,

Does it fit ok with the plastic motor mount? It meshes perfectly here with a 67t spur and the stock 19t pinion, but my TT01 motor mount hasn't come in yet. You did put it in the "A" position as shown on the documentation that came with the 67t spur I assume? (1 o'clock and 7 o'clock approximately)

[Aluma]

yes...A position...didn't try it with the normal one though.

[bakabaka]

yes...A position...didn't try it with the normal one though.

You might also want to ensure that the pinion and gear are both clean. If you haven't done this already, I'd further recommend lubricating the gears with a light grease. I used Tamiya's ceramic grease on all the gears. Apparently some racers don't lubricate the gears at all because it adds drag, but I personally would rather the gears last a bit longer. I'd be interested to hear from others who have done this already, esp. since I will hopefully have that brushless soon and the metal mount will probably be necessary at that time.

Good luck! :-)

[Aluma]

well, I tried the B position and it was great! still snug in a few areas, but much better overall. You know, I didn't compare the positions from the TT01 A position to the DF02 A position, maybe they're different. Cuz the instructions on the 67Tspur says the A position for the 19T pinion is at the 45 angle.

[bakabaka]

well, I tried the B position and it was great! still snug in a few areas, but much better overall. You know, I didn't compare the positions from the TT01 A position to the DF02 A position, maybe they're different. Cuz the instructions on the 67Tspur says the A position for the 19T pinion is at the 45 angle.

I'll compare the measurements between the two once mine arrive. Have you taken a test drive since you put in the new motor mount/spur gear? I'm pretty happy with the speed increase that comes with the 67t spur. It magnified a few handling issues that I have had, but my amateurish gluing of the tires may be more at fault than anything else.

Have fun! :)

[Aluma]

no, havent driven it. :D... I bought new holeshots and I'm afraid that if I run them on asphalt in the street, I'll wear'em out before I get to the race. :P Oh yeah, I got a XXXNT body for my gravel hound! It fits rather nice! the wheelbase is spot on, so is the width. with the TA04 bodymounts that I'm getting friday(hopefully) it should be great....now...for a paint design...:D

[UK Hound Basher]

I took a pic of the steering posts ..you can see the turnbuckles in there to...Havnt run my car for a while hopefully I get some time to soon..

[Alex8027]

Hey all-

For the motor gearing, generally speaking (this is not hard or fast) but you can get away with the stock gearing (19T/70T = Overall Drivetrain ratio of 9.58) for motors down to 15T-16T. You should probably drop down a tooth for motors in the 13-15T range, and then drop down to a 17T pinion for 12T-13T and a 16T pinion for 10T-11T. This is typically the range you would run for most buggies, and when in doubt dropping a tooth on the pinion will be easier on the motor. All the numbers above should roughly correspond to run times around 5 minutes (typically race length).

For the main drive shaft, you have a couple of options. Tamiya makes a replacement main shaft for the TT01 which will fit the DF02. It's pretty inexpensive (~$6). There are other options out there, and most would work fine, I would recommend people to stay away from GPM parts for the drive train though. I purchased a drive shaft and it was too long (by about 3-4 mm); enough so that it was unusable. I actually made my own main shaft after that debacle using some brass tubing and roll pins. Stronger than the regular shaft (no flex) and about the same weight. Altogether that probably cost maybe $3-$4.

Also, after the various discussions on ESC's and motors, if you're thinking about upgrades for the car, I would recommend bearings first. The car will run longer and smoother, and a set of 5 x 11 bearings cost about $10. After making that upgrade, I'd recommend a different motor and ESC if you want to get crazy. If you are going to go brushless, there are a variety of different options out there. I personally am an old school brushed guy myself. If I was going to recommend any speed control, I'd recommend a Tekin G10 (on their website its $50). It can handle any motor, tunable, and doesn't require a schottky diode on the motor. Only downside is that its forward-only.

[bakabaka]

Hi Alex8027,

How should the motor be mounted on 70t gear (which angle on the motor mount) when using a 17t pinion gear? The RTR comes with no documentation for the 70t spur gear, and the 67t spur's documentation doesn't mention anything lower than the stock 19t pinion.

Incidentally, I just received my TT01 motor mount and a 21t Robinson Racing pinion from Tower today. With the 67t spur I'm blowing the ratios completely out of the realm of reasonableness according to your figures. I'm still using the stock motor though, so it probably won't matter. I picked up a 17t pinion for when the brushless gets here...

BTW, an interesting note for anyone purchasing the Robinson Racing pinions; Although the pinion's pitch is metric, it seems that the hex driver required to seat it is not.

[bakabaka]

no, havent driven it. :D... I bought new holeshots and I'm afraid that if I run them on asphalt in the street, I'll wear'em out before I get to the race. :P Oh yeah, I got a XXXNT body for my gravel hound! It fits rather nice! the wheelbase is spot on, so is the width. with the TA04 bodymounts that I'm getting friday(hopefully) it should be great....now...for a paint design...:D

I picked up a set of Dirt Hawgs for asphalt as recommended by a few people here. They run quite a bit longer, if you have an extra set of rims (I bought the HPIs to go with them) you may want to keep a set of street tires on one, and off-road tires on another. Works great here. Perhaps the tires might be a bit much for the RTR's stock servo though.

As for the body, that sounds interesting. I've been looking to get another body for my GH for some time, Perhaps one of the XXX-series buggy bodies might also approximate the DF-02 chassis geometry?

Finally, about the metal motor mount.. It looks to fit almost exactly like the plastic one on visual inspection. I haven't actually measured it, since I'm going to take it out for a quick run to see how things go with the larger (21t) pinion and metal motor mount.

Have fun! :)

[bakabaka]

I took a pic of the steering posts ..you can see the turnbuckles in there to...Havnt run my car for a while hopefully I get some time to soon..

That looks nice. I've been eyeing the steering on the GH for some time since the buggy seems to veer a bit to either direction depending on which way I last turned. I just re-glued the wheels last night, hopefully that helps. If not, it's either a stronger servo or the steering arms get hopped up. Anyway, thanks for putting up that picture.

[Aluma]

I'm actually only using it for racing purposes....thats why I chose the holeshots. I didn't get a ready to run either...my car has a IPC speedcontrol that I bought way back when I started R/C, a Reedy 19T motor, TRF DF02 shocks, opt. spring set, and a 625MG servo. The reason I'm doing the Truck body is because I'd hate to scratchup the new shocks/towers...plus the turnmarshals have this stupid habit of turning the buggy over by the wing...I keep telling them that its not a 1/8th scale...but nooo....:P
I figure, the truck body will force them to grab it by the chassis or body and turn it over, plus provide protection to all components inside and the towers too, since all 4 will be basically connected by the body.

[Alex8027]

bakabaka-

For the stock 70T spur gear, the motor should be mounted in the following order (counterclockwise)

12:00 - 19T (Final Ratio - 9.58)
10:30 - 18T (Final Ratio - 10.11)
9:00 - 17T (Final Ratio - 10.37)
6:30 - 16T (Final Ratio - 11.38)

I'm not sure what the correct mounting positions are for the 67T spur gear, as they are not mentioned in the manual that comes with the kit. The 21T/67T should be right around where you would want it for a stock motor. I guess I didn't really break down ratios for larger than 16T motors. Typically, the "final ratio" you would want to run for a buggy for a newer stock motor is 8-8.3. I think Trinity recommends 8.2-8.25. For older stock motors (Slot Machine, Green Machine 2, X-Star; non-rebuildable) you can go as low as 7.8 on the final ratio and should still be safe. It kind of gets a little hazy below stock motors for a little while, as you can usually get away with pretty similar ratios up to about a 17T motor.

I have the TT01 metal mount and it fits just fine. I installed it right away, so I'm not sure how much play the plastic mount has, but this has a little play at some of the ratios, so if you don't feel comfortable with it, just put a little strip of electrical tape around the edge and that should be enough to remove the play.

[bakabaka]

I'm starting a FAQ page to keep track of everything I've learned about the DF-02 chassis. If anyone's interested, the URL follows:

http://xyzzy.dyn.dhs.org/df02/

The basic structure been put in place and an initial article has been put in the system. I'm hoping to flesh it out a bit this weekend, any input is welcomed.

[bakabaka]

bakabaka-
For the stock 70T spur gear, the motor should be mounted in the following order (counterclockwise)

12:00 - 19T (Final Ratio - 9.58)
10:30 - 18T (Final Ratio - 10.11)
9:00 - 17T (Final Ratio - 10.37)
6:30 - 16T (Final Ratio - 11.38)


Hi Alex8027,

Thanks for the information, the 67t spur comes with similar documentation. Basically, it allows 19t-22t pinions in a similar pattern:

12:00 - 22T (Final Ratio - 7.92)
10:30 - 21T (Final Ratio - 8.30)
9:00 - 20T (Final Ratio - 8.71)
6:30 - 19T (Final Ratio - 9.17)

Have fun! :)

[bakabaka]

I'm actually only using it for racing purposes..


Hi Aluma,

How competitive would you say the buggy is? I've heard good and bad things about it. I'll probably never race myself, but I'm curious as to how well you do with the chassis.

Have fun! :)

[Aluma]

not sure really, I dont race against other4wd buggies. :P I just race gas trucks, electric trucks, monster trucks...etc. we all get bunched in as the misfit class. :D There aren't very many...its either 1/8th scale or misfit class at our track. Just got back from racing right now too... LOL...boy did I make a HUGE mistake on tire choice! Dang Holeshots got all gummed up immediately at the start cuz they watered the track....I drifted most of the way to the end on all 3 qualifiers. I tell you what though, with the Reedy19T motor I put in it, the 67spurwith 19T pinion...DANG...its fast. I was at 1/4 throttle most of the time cuz of the tires, but on the straight...woohooo I'd catch up to everyone really quick. ;)

[Aluma]

oh yeah...WHAT BAD things? the car is great..haven't broken anything...and sure you can't adjust as good as the PRO cars, but seriously, its offroad, setting dont matter too much. ESPECIALLY at my track...geesh, its soo rutted, broken, muddy,dusty,hardpacked,(yes all of the stuff you can think of in one) that you cant get on the throttle almost anywhere cuz you'll be flung into oblivion, thrown upwards, cartwheel on a whim, Its SCARY! Oh, and we'll be hosting offroad Nationals this year too...april something or other. hehehe...good luck fellows...hehehe This years nationals wont be about the power or the handling...it'll be about survival. :D Anyone who finished is a winner.

[Aluma]

hey bakabaka, nice site...add the academy buggy wheels/tires to it...I saw a picture a while back with them on it. Hey, I wonder if they make 2 or 3mm offset HPI wheels or buggy wheels to get a wider track?

[bakabaka]

Hi Aluma,

That's pretty impressive, I was under the impression that 1/8 scale vehicles would generally outperform 1/10 scale vehicles. I suppose it has more to do with how you drive it on a track like that though.

Most of the bad I've heard about the chassis had to do with various parts coming plastic as stock, the suspension being bouncy, and sloppy steering. There are hop-ups to fix nearly every complaint though, and for the price of the Gravel Hound, I'm surprised they could put in it what they did.

About the site, I'll add the Academy SB wheels. I haven't found a good place to purchase them from though. Incidentally, there's an "Add Content" link on the top that lets you submit articles for review and possible addition to the FAQ. If anyone here has some information that I haven't covered yet and is feeling industrious, you're welcome to submit FAQ entries.

Have fun! :)

[Eotz]

Hi!

I found another company that makes steel pinions for Tamiya cars :p :

www.rwracing.co.uk

¡Ah!. Finally I bought a Rising Storm at ebay for 89'75$ ;)

Bye

[Aluma]

great Eotz, join in on the fun...
bakabaka, found the wheel part numbers...
MRC/academy dish wheels #98cp335 and #98cp331 ....$5.90 each set of 2.

I also found the Tamiya #53728 of 4 pack dish wheels that just came out for 4wd buggies. I ordered them a minute ago thru ebay....I think this would probably be the best ones to buy...only $6.50 for the 4pack!!

[bakabaka]

Eotz: Great! I wonder if anyone here has tried them. The Robinson Racing 21t pinion works great, although I had to buy an SAE 1/16 inch hex wrench just to tighten the set screw :) Anyway, I added an article about the RW Racing pinions to the FAQ I'm compiling. Have fun with your Rising Storm! If I can find information about steel spur gears for the DF-02 I'll post it here and on the FAQ.

Aluma: About the Academy SB wheels, do you know which part number is for the rear wheels and which is for front wheels? Or is the part number distinction for something else? It seems difficult to get any hard information on this buggy. I found the SB's stock tires tires on MRC's website though, they look quite a bit like the hole shots you were using.

As for the dish wheels, that's quite a good price for 4 wheels. Half of what I paid for the full HPI set. I might end up getting myself a set if I can find a deal like that. I've decided to keep the stock tires on the stock wheels for now, so if I want to try another set from Pro-Line or another manufacturer I'll probably end up getting new wheels to go with them. This tire gluing thing really isn't my forte heh. Unless I have a good reason, I'd rather not unglue them.

Have fun :)

[Mad Bout Aus]

Hey guys :) I'm new to this so forgive me if it doesn't work! A mate and I bought a GH each. We're just waiting for our batteries to turn up from ebay so we can go thrashin'. So far we've only gone for the alu drive shaft, sealed bearings all round are coming soon too from Dinball on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5916058001&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT
"What next?" we're asking ourselves. As a lot of you guys have said the rear shocks are really soft so we might start there, does anyone have any recommedations as to what brand or particular shock to try? Any help would be appreciated.

Aluma: I tell you what though, with the Reedy19T motor I put in it, the 67spurwith 19T pinion...DANG...its fast...........
Do you know of the Tamiya Super Stock TZ and RZ motors? We're using these, is there much difference compared to what you are?

Cheers :D

[Mad Bout Aus]

My rig...

[Aluma]

MadboutAus....get the alumn. tamiya shocks thru your favorite hobby store...or ebay... They are great! Oh, and the optional springs too..you need the red soft rear springs and something around 40-50wt oil rear. well atleast thats what I need at my track...its sooo bumpy if the rears aren't soft/damped correctly, it'll bounce the car rear over front while at speed. I dont know too much about tamiya specialty motors...but I do remember that most of them have bushings instead of bearings...so I dont like them too much.
BakaBaka... oh man, i forgot which was which... I think the 335 is the rears and 331 the fronts...I found it on the modelrectfier.com link to parts of SB buggy.

[The Plopster]

Ok, so now I have a 27t stock motor to get me started (using supplied ESP), some great shocks that I picked up from my loacal store.... can't remember the make byt the seem to do the trick. Waiting for racing steering, pinions etc.. right now.


http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the_plopster_1/2005%20Folders/Photos/Stuff/New%20Shocks.JPG

[bakabaka]

Ok, so now I have a 27t stock motor to get me started (using supplied ESP), some great shocks that I picked up from my loacal store.... can't remember the make byt the seem to do the trick. Waiting for racing steering, pinions etc.. right now.


http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the_plopster_1/2005%20Folders/Photos/Stuff/New%20Shocks.JPG

That looks quite nice, I just might end up calling Tamiya to see if they will sell me a Rising Storm shell and wing. Have you taken it for a spin yet?

Have fun! :)

[bakabaka]

BakaBaka... oh man, i forgot which was which... I think the 335 is the rears and 331 the fronts...I found it on the modelrectfier.com link to parts of SB buggy.

Thanks for the pointer, it's in the FAQ now. I ended up finding the PDF of the price list and got the information from there.

Have fun! :)

[snud]

hey guys!
i got my gravel hound 3 months ago and ive modded it up.....its faaaaaaaaaaaaast!!!
so far i have:
teflon sealed bearings
aluminium turnbuckle set
aluminium damper set
aluminium steering
aluminium rear uprights
carbon fibre battery strap
aluminium kingpins and wheel locking nuts..
alumium centre prop shaft..
front and rear universal shafts by square..
tt-01 rear ball diff..
carbon fiber front and rear shock towers by square
novak SS5800 brushless system!!!

its been a labour of love!!!

i really need some decent wheels and tires...i live in london and i cant get hold of the academy sb wheels and tires.....
does anyone know where i can get these from the uk?

ill try and post a pic up of my hound....its sweeeet!

i know i shuoldnt but ive been using the stiff springs for the rear dampers....seemed to have resolved the bottoming out problem..
there is so much torque from the brushless that the rear of the buggy would touch the ground under acceleration!

[Jules2672]

:D Hi Guys. I have been reading all of your comments about the Gravel Hound. I intend to get one very soon. I see Stella Models has the best kit deal available. "Agreed?" I have been flogging my Rex X in the local skate parks and suitable dirt flying areas. But Now I want to build a electric jumper from Scratch. Considering my intentions with the Gravel Hound. Would someone be kind enough to suggest a good setup. Engine, Shocks, Tyres Etc. This Gravel Hound I intend to be a flyer.. "And good lander as well I hope"

Regards
Julez - Sunshine Coast Aus..

[The Plopster]

That looks quite nice, I just might end up calling Tamiya to see if they will sell me a Rising Storm shell and wing. Have you taken it for a spin yet?

Have fun! :)

Yeah, had a few blasts on it..... seems a bit unbalanced when in the air at the mo and has taken a few tumbles. The extra ground clearance is great.... before, any little stone would send it skyward.

Mor pictures when the parts are delivered :cool:

[szan]

Hi folks,

I picked a lot of good things in this forum !
I have my rising storm since a month. I mount a 12T motor with 67T spur gear,
it's a rocket, very fun !
I'm going for the 22T pignon gear, and the alum shocks soon.
Thanks to bakabaka for his new FAQ, that helped me to find carbon damper stay. They can be found on Ebay Jason's store.
Well, do someone know if rising storm's body and stickers are available as spare part ? I asked etamiya.com, but no answer, not fair at all. If yes, where can I buy one ?

bye bye

[UK Hound Basher]

I think the rear B4 wheels would fit to...you would need to remove the hex and just use the pin with it !

NW btw baka ;)

[UK Hound Basher]

Well, do someone know if rising storm's body and stickers are available as spare part ? I asked etamiya.com, but no answer, not fair at all. If yes, where can I buy one ?

bye bye

We all wish we knew the answer for that one ...If you find out let us know too ..Thanx

[bakabaka]

I'm curious, if I were to find a way to get a few of these bodies/decal sets, how many here would be interested in purchasing them? I've been wanting one or three myself, but the lack of availability has been rather frustrating.

[bakabaka]

FWIW, I looked into it and it seems that Tamiya USA has some Gravel Hound bodies, but no decals. They haven't received bodies for the Rising Storm yet. Oddly enough, Tamiya Japan has decals but is low on bodies for the Gravel Hound. It seems they're ok with both the bodies and stickers for the Rising Storm though. Tamiya Japan's price for the bodies is 2550 yen each, a bit more than Tamiya USA charges, and about 900 yen for the sticker sets (the Rising Storm sticker set is about 100yen more than the Gravel Hound set.)

[bakabaka]

NW btw baka ;)

Thanks, it's just information I've gathered here and there though. Comments on the articles (there's a link near the bottom of each article page) are welcome from anyone browsing the site btw, criticism will help me to make it better for everyone.

Have fun! :)

[rdenyer]

Cool, progressive springs :)

I switched to the Tamiya aluminum shocks, running the white pistons with 30wt. their great. I added sections of fuel tubing to the shock shafts to help with bottoming out.

I just added some carbon shock towers i found on ebay. should be nice seeing as i broke a stock front tower.

Dave.

Dave,
Pretty new to this, brought my son Gravel Hound RTR (DF02) for xmas, unfortumeatly broke the front shock mount too :( Seems pretty easy to do.
Can you post details of the carbon ones you found on e-Bay.
I have tried ordering the original Tamiya part A kit which includes the shock mount, but no one here in Australia can give me a delivery date.

Regards,
Richard

[UK Hound Basher]

Dave,
Pretty new to this, brought my son Gravel Hound RTR (DF02) for xmas, unfortumeatly broke the front shock mount too :( Seems pretty easy to do.
Can you post details of the carbon ones you found on e-Bay.
I have tried ordering the original Tamiya part A kit which includes the shock mount, but no one here in Australia can give me a delivery date.

Regards,
Richard

Look here http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=44022&item=5954292600

Hope this helps

[Alex8027]

If you are impatient, or want to build something stronger, you could also purchase some carbon fiber plate, fiberglass G10 plate, or aluminum plate from your local hobby shop and cut out a new shock tower.

[The Plopster]

Had a great blast with my RS yesterday, no photo's from then but here you can see the state of it this morning:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the_plopster_1/2005%20Folders/Photos/Stuff/Muddy%20Car.JPG

It handles beautifully on rough, loose terrain! :D

[UK Hound Basher]

Managed to get evader shocks on my GH ....looks pretty natty ...

[_Future_]

Bakabaka,

How is the Final gear ratio calculated?

[szan]

How is the Final gear ratio calculated?

Hi,

As I anderstood in the previous posts, the formula is :
2.6 * spur gear teeth(70 or 67) / motor pinion teeth
2.6 is the differential ratio.
ex : spur gear of 70t, pinion 19t gives 2.6*70/19 = 9.58

Right isn't it ?

[bakabaka]

Hi szan!

Yep, that seems to be correct. I'll add the additional information to the FAQ gearing information since it only explains the spur/pinion ratio at the moment. Might be tomorrow though, work comes first.

Have fun! :)

[snud]

hey guys...
im using the 67t spur and 19t pinion.....to thats a final gear ratio of 9.17?
(67/19)x2.6
how do i calculate the speed of my hound?
im using a novak ss5800 brushless system..

[KREATOR1]

whats the different between Gravel hound and the rising storm?

[snud]

the only difference between the rising storm and the gravel hound is the body shell and wing......
the chasis and parts are exactly the same...
people have had problems with the rising storm shell....apparently its too low?

[KREATOR1]

what do you mean its to low? its more aerodyamic

[microrcdude]

Maybe he means its too low to clear the electronics people put in it.

[snud]

yeah i meant low for the electronics...
im running a brushless system so its really tight anyway for the gravel hound body...
my mate had to cut out a hole in the rising storm shell so that the fins of the ESC could protrude out...it was the only way the body fitted onto the chasis.
think he waterproofed the hole with a goretex patch over the esc

[relayer]

Hey guys, I've just purchased a Rising Storm and should be getting it in a week or two, just one question - is the standard body clear or is it pre-painted?

I'd read somewhere that it's already painted though I'm not sure if they were referring to the kit version or the RTR version (mine is the kit version)

Thanks.

[The Plopster]

Hey guys, I've just purchased a Rising Storm and should be getting it in a week or two, just one question - is the standard body clear or is it pre-painted?

I'd read somewhere that it's already painted though I'm not sure if they were referring to the kit version or the RTR version (mine is the kit version)

Thanks.

The body comes clear and is supplied with decals though you'll have to buy the paint.

[KREATOR1]

anybody got the DF-02 manual in .pdf?

[relayer]

The body comes clear and is supplied with decals though you'll have to buy the paint.

Thanks for that.

Just a note for anyone looking for compatable wheels. Any Kyosho wheels designed for the Ultima/Optima/Mid Optima/Lazer will fit as they use the same 12mm hex. However some of the offsets may be a little different (Using kyosho wheels may make the car a little wider).

Check tower hobbies as they have the Yellow 2.2 Lazer wheels and some beautiful black spoked 2.2 wheels as well.

Also try stellamodels on ebay who have some optional tamiya white dished 2.2 wheels :cool:

[Mad Bout Aus]

anybody got the DF-02 manual in .pdf? Hey I found this (somewhere!) on the net a while ago. It might help...: http://www.cx4.de/rc/gh_manual/

[The Plopster]

Hey, built my first ramp yesterday..... simple thing but loads of fun. Only got one decent pic though. Making another ramp later which will be steeper.... will post pics then...

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the_plopster_1/2005%20Folders/Photos/Stuff/AIR%20TIME.JPG

I was wondering, does anyone know the best motor that the supplied ESC can handle? I have a 27 turn stock motor at the moment and a 67t spur but I crave more speed.

[szan]

I was wondering, does anyone know the best motor that the supplied ESC can handle? I have a 27 turn stock motor at the moment and a 67t spur but I crave more speed.
The tamiya ESC can handle down to 23T motors like tamiya sport-tuned motor.
So, it's necessary to buy a real ESC to have fun !
I have a 11T motor with LRP bullet ESC, no comparison with stock equipment !

a+

[The Plopster]

The tamiya ESC can handle down to 23T motors like tamiya sport-tuned motor.
So, it's necessary to buy a real ESC to have fun !
I have a 11T motor with LRP bullet ESC, no comparison with stock equipment !

a+

Cheers for the info.... I'll grab one this week!

[Mad Bout Aus]

My freind and I took our cars out for the first time last night. We're just running the stock gearing at the mo', have got the Tamiya Super Stock RZ motors in so they go quite well. Had a few head on prang's and popped out the little disk that goes on the shaft of the shocker! How wierd hey? Anyway, got another one today so back on track for some more fun times!

[Eotz]

Hi!.

I've heard that the TT-01's ball fifferential fits well in DF-02, but anyone knows if TT-01 Front One-Way #53671 fits well too. :rolleyes:

Thanks.

[The Plopster]

Here are photos from tonight when I tested my new, improved ramp. Damn that was fun, wait until I get my 11 turn on friday..... :cool: :D
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the_plopster_1/2005%20Folders/Photos/Stuff/RAMP%207.JPG http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the_plopster_1/2005%20Folders/Photos/Stuff/Ramp%205.JPG

[Mad Bout Aus]

Plopster whats goin on in that 2nd pic?!!!!!!!! Looks like it might've hurt?

[The Plopster]

Plopster whats goin on in that 2nd pic?!!!!!!!! Looks like it might've hurt?

It's fine, the DF-02 is made of sterner stuff than that!

[bjford93]

Got a question.... I have an AirTronics MX-3 radio. However, the stock esc for the GH is not compatible with the MX-3 (connections don't match up, plus the manual for the esc does not list AirTronics). Will I have to upgrade the motor too, or will the stock handle a new esc?

What esc should I upgrade to so I can use my radio?

Any help would be appreciated!

[Mad Bout Aus]

Got a question.... I have an AirTronics MX-3 radio. However, the stock esc for the GH is not compatible with the MX-3 (connections don't match up, plus the manual for the esc does not list AirTronics). Will I have to upgrade the motor too, or will the stock handle a new esc?

What esc should I upgrade to so I can use my radio?

Any help would be appreciated!


Not sure about the radio or the ESC, but you will probably want to replace the motor. The stocky is pretty lame!

[bakabaka]

Got a question.... I have an AirTronics MX-3 radio. However, the stock esc for the GH is not compatible with the MX-3 (connections don't match up, plus the manual for the esc does not list AirTronics). Will I have to upgrade the motor too, or will the stock handle a new esc?

What esc should I upgrade to so I can use my radio?

Any help would be appreciated!

Hi bjford93!

If your radio uses Airtronics STD sockets, the adapter at the following URL might help you plug in other devices:

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/WTI0001P?&I=LXLX66&P=V

The stock ESC (TEU-100BK) has Futaba J-type sockets, which are fairly common.

Have fun! :)

[bakabaka]

Plopster:

Looks like you're having quite a bit of fun with that, I might have to build a jump. I'm using the speedbumps in our parking lot for the moment :p My brushless is supposed to come in today, can't wait to try it!

Have fun! :)

[bakabaka]

I ended up putting the brushless in my Gravel Hound last night. What a difference! I used to run it full throttle all the time, definitely can't do that now given the limited space I have for running. I'm going to have to get some method of clocking the speed on this setup. It is a bit tight under the hood with all those wires though.

[snud]

hey bakabaka......what brushless set up are u running in ur hound?
im running the novak ss5800...its hauls ass!
have u found any creative ways of fitting everything in?
what kind of gearing are u running?
im using 19t pinion and 67t spur..
u think a 20 or 21 t pinion would be over gearing?
u have any pics of ur brushless system in the hound?? just need to know decent configuration, at the moment the fins of the esc and wires are tight against the body

[snud]

oh yeah....need new tires and wheels...any suggestions? i live in the uk...
been trying to find academy sb wheels and tires..but cant find them anywhere here in the uk...
would the proline velocity dish rims fit in the hound??

[Liko]

Hey guys. Im seriously considering putting my next big wad of discretionary income into a DF02 chassis car. Always been a fan of Tamiya kits, and they've been making buggies as long as they've been making R/C, so I trust em. Your testimonials about the pure fun factor of this car are also a definite plus. I love the Rising Storm body, and since I can pick the color (which was the main concern - looked prepainted from most of the pics I'd seen of it), that'll probably be the kit for me. Maybe road-cone orange or candy red, I dunno yet.

I'm probably going to stay pretty low-end with it: Rooster ESC, kit motor (maybe upgrade to a sport-tuned stock), and Futaba radio/servo kit, but looking at some of the problems you guys have had, I'll probably upgrade the shocks and shock mounts, maybe the dogbones and cups if I can find metal. Stainless dogbones and diff cups came with my TL-01 kit; for the relatively brutal treatment this car is gonna take I'll want em there too, and the sacrifice in speed isn't too big a deal unless I have to peg the trigger the entire time. Of course I also want to get rid of any bushings for bearings.

I'm kinda picky about the car looking jury-rigged, and I'm also far more experienced with on-road, so what do you guys recommend for relatively inexpensive but effective drop-in upgrades to these types of parts? Tamiya's hop-ups are notoriously expensive, but if they're the best I'll go ahead and get their shock kit or the like.

My Japanese isn't real good, but Square's shock mounts and dogbones look pretty good. Any American resellers of these parts? What are the odds I could go to my LHS and have em special order this kind of stuff (I can usually get a decent deal that way)? Which shocks do you recommend?

I don't need part numbers, but if your hop-up wasn't designed for this car, I'll need to know what car it came from and where it was originally designed to go (i.e. using some other buggy's rear shocks as your front shocks) in order to have em order it for me. Money issues and lack of other kits to cannibalize dictate that I have to get an upgrade right the first time, so simplicity and effectiveness are key, with price being less important if it works well. Thanks for any help.

[bakabaka]

Hey guys. Im seriously considering putting my next big wad of discretionary income into a DF02 chassis car. Always been a fan of Tamiya kits, and they've been making buggies as long as they've been making R/C, so I trust em. Your testimonials about the pure fun factor of this car are also a definite plus. I love the Rising Storm body, and since I can pick the color (which was the main concern - looked prepainted from most of the pics I'd seen of it), that'll probably be the kit for me. Maybe road-cone orange or candy red, I dunno yet.
...


Hi Liko,

I put up a FAQ about the DF-02 chassis vehicles which might help with some of your questions. It includes my best effort translation of Square's site (with a bit of help from my wife, who's Japanese.) The URL is as follows:

http://xyzzy.dyn.dhs.org/df02/

Typically, I find parts on ebay through the jr-rc, stellamodels and walawala sellers. One of the sellers (jr-rc) seems to be taking a trip and will not be selling for a few weeks, but they tend to post quite a few items. Tower Hobbies, at http://www.towerhobbies.com/, also has some DF-02 items and has more on order.

Have fun! :)

[bakabaka]

hey bakabaka......what brushless set up are u running in ur hound?
im running the novak ss5800...its hauls ass!
have u found any creative ways of fitting everything in?
what kind of gearing are u running?
im using 19t pinion and 67t spur..
u think a 20 or 21 t pinion would be over gearing?
u have any pics of ur brushless system in the hound?? just need to know decent configuration, at the moment the fins of the esc and wires are tight against the body

Hi snud,

I'm running the SS5800 also, with the same gearing. Novak released an addendum on their website which recommended a final gear ratio around 9 for buggies. The 67t spur and 19t pinion fit most closely out of all the pinions I have. Putting in a pinion with more teeth would likely heat the ESC up quite a bit, and putting in a lower one would just make the car slower. It hardly lacks for power now :) Anyway, the final ratios are in this forum a few posts ago, and were also posted in the FAQ I'm maintaining. Here's a direct link:

http://xyzzy.dyn.dhs.org/df02/index.php?action=artikel&cat=4&id=2&artlang=en

Unfortunately, I've only just put the brushless system in and haven't finalized my configuration. I was in a bit of a hurry to see how the vehicle would perform, so it's currently sitting where the old ESC was. I put in a few plastic zip ties to keep the wires down, but I'll probably be reconsidering the location of the ESC this weekend.

Have fun! :)

[The Plopster]

Got my new no limit ESC today and a 15 turn motor.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the_plopster_1/2005%20Folders/Photos/Stuff/New%20Stuff.JPG

Hopefully it will be dry enough later to jump it :D

One thing I was wondering about, I don't actually know what 'brushless' implies. I only got into this in january so I'm still new, any info would be appreciated.

Cheers

[bakabaka]

Got my new no limit ESC today and a 15 turn motor.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the_plopster_1/2005%20Folders/Photos/Stuff/New%20Stuff.JPG

Hopefully it will be dry enough later to jump it :D

One thing I was wondering about, I don't actually know what 'brushless' implies. I only got into this in january so I'm still new, any info would be appreciated.

Cheers

Hi Plopster!

Brushless just means that the magnet is attached to the rotor, and the wires are wrapped around inside the motor's "can". Basically the opposite of a brushed motor. This means you can deliver electricity directly to the wires without needing metal brushes touching an armature, so it's brushless. It also means less friction, thus less wear, more power and longer runtimes given otherwise similar specifications. It's a good but expensive thing for the moment.

Have fun! :)

[Alex8027]

Got a question.... I have an AirTronics MX-3 radio. However, the stock esc for the GH is not compatible with the MX-3 (connections don't match up, plus the manual for the esc does not list AirTronics). Will I have to upgrade the motor too, or will the stock handle a new esc?

What esc should I upgrade to so I can use my radio?

Any help would be appreciated!

Sorry, it's taken me a while to get back. I've been really busy lately and every time I've sat down to write a response about this I've gotten interrupted. You can use the MX-3 just fine, and you shouldn't have to even by an adapter; if you don't want to. The connector plug on the stock ESC is a Futaba J type, and the MX-3 is an older Sanwa type. The "major" difference between the two is the order of the wires, and the J-type has a flange on it. Follow this link

http://www.teamtekin.com/Manuals/Command10.pdf

(Actually any of the manuals would have this), and it shows you how to modify the connector appropriately.

Good luck.

Alex

[deanjamesholly]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v300/deanjamesholly/9.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v300/deanjamesholly/Picture8.jpg A couple of action pics!, Everything is stock except a p2k2 motor, will post some serious jumps soon!

[Alex8027]

Liko-

As far as recommended hop-ups go, I would recommend purchasing a metal motor mount, 8 more 5 x 11 bearings, a clip on motor heatsink (TC3 style will work), and a metal drive shaft (make your own or purchase the aluminum upgrade). Sounds like a lot but the cost is less than $30. I would also recommend replacing the front shocks, as the kit supplied shocks are a little short imo.

CVD's are available, but are not necessarily required - when you see the size of the dog bones and drive cups, you will understand (quite large/thick). The CVD's would be more to reduce the friction in the drive train. I would recommend staying away from GPM products. People have observed fit problems with the motor mount, and the main drive shaft I purchased was too long (by at least 3 mm).

[bjford93]

Sorry, it's taken me a while to get back. I've been really busy lately and every time I've sat down to write a response about this I've gotten interrupted. You can use the MX-3 just fine, and you shouldn't have to even by an adapter; if you don't want to. The connector plug on the stock ESC is a Futaba J type, and the MX-3 is an older Sanwa type. The "major" difference between the two is the order of the wires, and the J-type has a flange on it. Follow this link

http://www.teamtekin.com/Manuals/Command10.pdf

(Actually any of the manuals would have this), and it shows you how to modify the connector appropriately.

Good luck.

Alex


Thanks for the advise. I will look into it.

bjford93

[Liko]

So which front shocks would you recommend? Tamiya hop-up? third-party DF-02 hop-up? something from another car?

[bakabaka]

So which front shocks would you recommend? Tamiya hop-up? third-party DF-02 hop-up? something from another car?

I like the Tamiya DF-02 aluminum shocks myself, but others have recommended Duratrax buggy shocks as an inexpensive replacement. The Tamiya shocks can be purchased for about $50 off ebay FWIW.

Have fun! :)

[snud]

hey guys...
does anyone have problems with the rear gear case?
keep stripin the screws....dont even screw the in that hard...
u think i should glue it shut?

[bakabaka]

hey guys...
does anyone have problems with the rear gear case?
keep stripin the screws....dont even screw the in that hard...
u think i should glue it shut?

I haven't had that problem yet myself, but I did note that the plastic is relatively soft and haven't tried to put the screws in very hard. Probably the best thing you can do is use a compound or tape designed for stripped screws. I picked up some teflon tape made for this at a hardware store a while ago.

Have fun! :)

[snud]

yeah thanks bakabaka...
ive started using washers on the gear case screws to spread to load a bit...

what do u think of the new tamiya dish wheels and proline road rage combo?

i run my hound a lot on tarmac and pavement....need good hard wearing tires..
any recommendations?

oh yeah..bakabaka...ur site is coooool!!....u have any pics of ur hound?

ive been tryin to solve my ss5800 glitching problem and i think i may have found a solution that works for me...

ill put up a pic later, but ive placed the esc on my servo....and believe it or not ive strapped my reciever to the battery strap!!

ive also covered my reciever in aluminium foil and lined some fuel tubing with foil and fed my antenna wire through there to the aerial mount.

completely glitch free!!!!!

hope this is useful guys...

[bakabaka]

Hi snud!

I don't have a set of the dish wheels yet, but they do look nice. Can't complain about the price either.

As for the tires, I'm using Pro-Line Dirt Hawg I 2.2 buggy rear tires using four HPI 2.2 mesh wheels (two sets of HPI 3037 wheels) as recommended by a few people in this forum. If you want to use the narrow stock wheels, Dirt Hawg III tires should fit. The Dirt Hawg I tires at least are wearing very well. They still look nearly new despite being run mostly on pavement and concrete. Even the brushless at full tilt isn't ripping them up. They may not have the grip of the stock tires, but sometimes it's more fun to slide. :) Incidentally, I just looked at the Road Rage wheels. I don't see it in 1/10 scale (2.2in) on their website, only 1/8 and 1/18 scale. Are you sure they'll fit the dish wheels?

I'll put up some newer pictures of my GH soon, but the page is mostly there because this forum always gives me trouble when I try to write a long post. At least now I can write the article/set of articles and then direct someone to it :P Incidentally, the site icon (shows up next to the URL bar) for the FAQ is actually a scaled down picture I took of my Gravel Hound.

BTW, everyone should feel free to submit articles to the FAQ. If you have some information on the DF-02 chassis that you want to share, but doesn't fit in a post or two here, submit it and I'll get it on the site after a quick review. Thanks to szan for being the first contributor with the ball bearing article!

Have fun! :)

[bakabaka]

My mistake, looks like the previous post did get edited. :)

[relayer]

Well I got my Rising Storm today and its close to being finished now. No problems with assembly as Tamiya cars are always so easy to build :D

Just a few observations:

I had to grind out some of the chassis so that my cells would fit. I run saddle pack cells with corally plugs and the chassis has little moulded parts blocking some of the cell slots. Took a while but it's all fixed now.

I was a bit disappointed at the amount of slop this car has straight out of the box, especially the front arms :( I might try replacing that U-shaped pin with some regular hinge pins.

Battery strap seems way too flexible - Not sure if you can get a better one - will have to make one from carbon fibre.

Otherwise no problems. Looking forward to getting it running this weekend.

BTW what is a decent setup with the standard shocks. The 2-hole pistons look very big, I am thinking of running 1-holes all round with between 30-40w oil.

[snud]

hey bakabaka..
ordered in some hpi super star wheels....should look good.
ordered in the dirt hawgs as well...
i noticed that the wheels are same width all round...that means the front wheels are wider than stock...would this effect my turning circle? have u experienced any extrea understeer from this set up?

[bakabaka]

i noticed that the wheels are same width all round...that means the front wheels are wider than stock...would this effect my turning circle? have u experienced any extrea understeer from this set up?

I didn't see understeer so much as I heard the tires screeching in the turns. My guess is it has a lot to do with the tires being more flat than the stock ones, but the extra width probably contributes as well. I ended up dialing down the steering on the transmitter such that the tires don't make a lot of noise during the turns. This also prevents the servo saver from hitting the shell in tight turns.

I'm actually considering getting a better servo at some point to clean up the steering, but I think I need to get the hop-up turnbuckles and steering arms first to really see an improvement.

Have fun! :)

[Alex8027]

relayer-

I noticed the same things with the cells, too. I have a fair amount of stick packs, but I test fit a side-by-side pack and saw the same thing. I'm not really sure why they molded portions of the lower drive train into the cell slots.

Also, saw the same thing with the front suspension and rear suspension. Before you decide to swap out the U-pins with hinge pins, I would highly recommend purchasing some 3 mm washers; and then placing them between the arms and the molded mounts. This greatly reduced the slop I was seeing at the joints and I would recommend this to any GH or RS owner. It takes about 1 washer per joint, so roughly 8 3 mm washers should be enough. Some of the play is also due to the fact that the U-pins are slightly smaller than the "standard" hing pin size (outer hinge pin size). I think when Tamiya designed the molded the arms, they molded both the outside and inside hole sets to the larger size ( :confused: ). This creates some slop that is magnified when there is a gap between the arms and the mounts. This can also be fixed by using some epoxy. You can lube up the U-pin with silicone; fill the holes with epoxy, and then push the "lubed" U-pin through the epoxy filled holes. After it dries, you should be able to pull the U-pin free, and the slop "should" be almost gone (R/C Car Action has outlined this method a couple of times).

I'd also recommend some shims for the wheels as well (5 mm shims). Adding these (between the roll pin and the bearing/bushing) further reduces a lot of the slop at the corners.

The battery strap is flexible, but you can reduce some of the play by placing some foam between the strap and the cells. The more long term solution is a fiberglass/graphite strap; or if you could still find them the velcro straps for a LTO on-road car might work as well (with a little dremeling). I've been looking on tower but haven't had any luck; kinda makes me wish I would have purchased some Lightspeed battery straps when they were still around.

As far as shock setup goes, I'd recommend going with 40 wt (1 hole piston) for the front shocks and for the rear 40-50 wt (1 hole piston). This is a good place to start. If you plan on making the battery strap, I would recommend making a lower shock mount similar to that used on BloodClod's website or by Egressor. This will help the cars handling and is more responsive to changes in shock oil weight/spring rate than the original mounting positions.

Let us know how the test drive goes. Good luck.

Alex

[relayer]

I set up the shocks with 2 hole pistons, 60w rear, 80w front - suspension feels good, very similar to my Losi XXX, but yes, I have noticed there's not much down travel in the rear (and too much up travel). I think i will make up some shock towers soon.

My front arms are still loose even when shimmed - due to them wobbling on the tapered end of the u-shaped pin. Definately going to put normal hinge pins on!

[dirtdevel]

Just finished my new GH

I am in need of a new speed control for my 19 turn motor cus the old one has completely gone :(

I want to spend around the £30-40 mark what do you guys suggest??????
not sure on the following

Mtronik sonik 4 sport RV15

or

Nosram magnum revers

or any other suggestions would be great

I will put up pics as soon as i have decided on the paint and decals im going to use....

[The Plopster]

Just finished my new GH

I am in need of a new speed control for my 19 turn motor cus the old one has completely gone :(

I want to spend around the £30-40 mark what do you guys suggest??????
not sure on the following

Mtronik sonik 4 sport RV15

or

Nosram magnum revers

or any other suggestions would be great

I will put up pics as soon as i have decided on the paint and decals im going to use....

I bought the Ripmax Xtra no limit from my local Antics store. It's £45 but I've no problems with it. Decent ESP.

Here's my hopped up car flying a few minutes before a rough landing that snapped the front suspension uprights.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the_plopster_1/2005%20Folders/Photos/Stuff/Huge%20Air.JPG

Thanks, as ever to my friend for his fearless photography, always willing to stand in the path of 1.5kg of hurtling R/C car.

[dirtdevel]

nice thanks mate

yea looks mad :D

[Liko]

Just finished my new GH

I am in need of a new speed control for my 19 turn motor cus the old one has completely gone :(

I want to spend around the £30-40 mark what do you guys suggest??????
not sure on the following

Mtronik sonik 4 sport RV15

or

Nosram magnum revers

or any other suggestions would be great

I will put up pics as soon as i have decided on the paint and decals im going to use....


My personal favorite is the Novak Rooster Reversible. Simple yet effective, and it handles mild modifieds including 19T (can't remember exactly how far under 19 it'll handle). Though I don't know how useful some of the features (like smart braking) are in off-road uses. My most recent one was US$83, so it'll probably be just over what you wanna spend, but I've NEVER had a problem with em using em for 4 years in various on-road bashers.

EDIT: The Rooster handles down to 15 turns, so it has plenty of headroom for your motor, and it's about GBP50 retail based on the price I got. My LHS has a 10% discount for special orders (keeps their inventory down), so you might get a deal depending on what your LHS does.

[snud]

Just finished my new GH

I am in need of a new speed control for my 19 turn motor cus the old one has completely gone :(

I want to spend around the £30-40 mark what do you guys suggest??????
not sure on the following

Mtronik sonik 4 sport RV15

or

Nosram magnum revers

or any other suggestions would be great

I will put up pics as soon as i have decided on the paint and decals im going to use....


hey man........ive got a brand new lrp f1 pro reverse esc that im looking to sell......
its brand new and boxed and sealed.....if ur interested then let me know...
i would be willing to sell it to u at a good discount....
my email is suraj_dhanani@hotmail.com

[dirtdevel]

Just went out and got a Ripmax Xtra
sorry man...maybe next time
oh im in Reading Berks btw

working on a design for the paint it's gona b wicked :D

[The Plopster]

Just went out and got a Ripmax Xtra
sorry man...maybe next time
oh im in Reading Berks btw

working on a design for the paint it's gona b wicked :D

Good stuff... make sure you post some pics when you paint it.... I want to get a new shell as mine is battered to hell now :cool:

[snud]

my dirty dirty hound!

[snud]

more pics..

[bakabaka]

snud: That really looks nice! I really have to get a set of those carbon shock towers. Do they improve the clearance of your hound at all?

Incidentally, after having done quite a bit of research I'm going to order at least one each of the Gravel Hound and Rising Storm lexan shells and decal sets. I'll probably ebay the ones I don't use since there seems to be a bit of interest in the shells, how many others would like to get a new clear Lexan shell and decal set assuming the price is good? If I don't get a response I'll probably order two of each.

Have fun! :)

[dirtdevel]

Nice hound!!!!

[snud]

the front carbon shock tower improves the shock geometry vastly....
it raised the front ride height a fair bit and improved stiffness...
i reccommend that u get the front one atleast...
the rear one doesnt change anything really...it just acts as a brace to the stock rear shock tower...

[snud]

hey bakabaka...lemme know when u put ur risin storm shell on ebay.....
just saw my mates rising storm and its looks sliiiicck

oh another view of my hound

[dirtdevel]

whats the bast place to order those carbon shock towers from?

actually what is the best place for all the hop ups im only running standard chassy at the mo cus it is new but im sure in a few months time i will hop it up

[The Plopster]

whats the bast place to order those carbon shock towers from?

actually what is the best place for all the hop ups im only running standard chassy at the mo cus it is new but im sure in a few months time i will hop it up

All my hop-ups I've bought so far I've bought off ebay. Some great bargains to be had. I have to order some carbon shock towers myself as my plastic ones weren't hard enough for my ABUSE!! :cool:

[dirtdevel]

ebay's a bit low at the moment for df-02 parts so im probably going to go on stellamodels get them shipped over.

Have you sorted the amount slack in the wheels with any particular part?
bit to wobbly for my liking :(

[snud]

i got my shock towers and tobee craft universals off ebay.....
all the other tamiya hop ups i got off www.stellamodels.net

the slack in the wheels in my hound was corrected using alumnium clamping hexes...
they seem to be a tighter fit for the wheel therefore reducing slack..

the hinge pins made my rc-square removed most of the slop from the suspension....
yep..ur right about ebay..its a bit low at the moment for df-02 parts....although i think i read somewhere that jasons ebay store is gonna be replenished on the 6th of march? thats where i got most of my hop ups..

[bakabaka]

Hey snud,

It looks like I'll be able to put a clear Rising Storm shell and wing on ebay for about $30 given the price they will sell it to me and projected (probably expensive) shipping from Japan to California. A bit more than I'd hoped, but Tamiya USA still doesn't have Rising Storm shells... Did you still want one?

Also, they sell the decal sheets separately. It's about $10 for the Rising Storm decal sheet and $9 for the Gravel Hound decal sheet. I wonder if I should go get a business license so I can get better prices on these things :P

Have fun! :)

[Liko]

Hey guys, dunno if you've seen this page yet: http://www.tam.ne.jp/nic/gravelhound/gravelhound-e.html

It has some useful tips for tuning the car's stock parts, and reccomendations for damper settings. I'd still add shock tower reinforcements, but this looks like it would reduce binding and make the upper limit of the shocks instead of the dogbones the limiting factor on suspension travel, which will be better for the shock tower itself. It's also got a swiss-cheese weight reduction mod and tips for reducing slop in the steering.

Speaking of reinforced shock towers, I can't find ANY kits in CF, graphite or aluminum available online. I could make my own with the right size plate of CF, or if you guys know where one can be found right now, I'd appreciate it.

[bakabaka]

Hey guys, dunno if you've seen this page yet: http://www.tam.ne.jp/nic/gravelhound/gravelhound-e.html

It has some useful tips for tuning the car's stock parts, and reccomendations for damper settings. ... It's also got a swiss-cheese weight reduction mod and tips for reducing slop in the steering.

Speaking of reinforced shock towers, I can't find ANY kits in CF, graphite or aluminum available online. I could make my own with the right size plate of CF, or if you guys know where one can be found right now, I'd appreciate it.

The mods he made looked interesting, but the weight reduction really looks like it weakens the chassis. For my part, I bought the GH based on its ability to hold up to a lot of abuse. For someone who's racing though I suppose it might not be a bad idea. The body parts are certainly cheap enough.

As for the carbon shock towers, Jason's store on ebay (userid jr-rc) usually has them. I'm not aware of other vendors with English web sites that carry them though. If you can't wait until he returns in early March, I'm about to place an order with a Japanese vendor that also has them. I could tack them onto my order and put them on ebay for my cost and a bit of the shipping, about $20 for the front damper stay and $18 for the rear damper stay. Any extra small parts reduces my shipping cost per item.

Have fun! :)

[Liko]

The mods he made looked interesting, but the weight reduction really looks like it weakens the chassis. For my part, I bought the GH based on its ability to hold up to a lot of abuse. For someone who's racing though I suppose it might not be a bad idea. The body parts are certainly cheap enough.

As for the carbon shock towers, Jason's store on ebay (userid jr-rc) usually has them. I'm not aware of other vendors with English web sites that carry them though. If you can't wait until he returns in early March, I'm about to place an order with a Japanese vendor that also has them. I could tack them onto my order and put them on ebay for my cost and a bit of the shipping, about $20 for the front damper stay and $18 for the rear damper stay. Any extra small parts reduces my shipping cost per item.

Have fun! :)

Yeah, I wouldn't do the swiss cheese mod either, especially not on some of the parts like the drive shaft cover and skid plate. I mean, how's a skid plate going to pass a rock underneath it if there's a big hole the rock gets caught on? Just thought someone might find it interesting. 40 grams isn't a huge benefit to me.

I think I can wait till Jason gets back, considering my kit isn't even here yet :rolleyes:. Thanks anyway though, and thanks for the info.

[relayer]

Fibrelyte in the UK will do any custom carbon fibre work and ship internationally as long as you can supply them with suitable autocad files.

Once I've given my car a couple of runs I will be taking off the shock towers and will design some new ones aimed at improving shock angles, travel etc.

I will send these to fibrelyte once finished. :D

[dirtdevel]

thanks mate but it ok i can wait the mrs wasnt greatly impressed when i said i wanted to buy another £50's worth of RC parts. Being that she is pregnant and all :rolleyes:

The conversation went a little like this

Hi babe i have seen some great stuff for my new car
Oh really
Yea
How much
well to do every thing about £50
do you more stuff so the car can run then
well no but
so you already have the other parts that do the same job
well yes but
And i thought we could buy some baby things this weekend
well ok and
so you dont need to buy new stuff for your dam car
well er

ok then :(


:D :D :D :D

[KREATOR1]

how many of you guys race with the Gravel hound?

[Liko]

thanks mate but it ok i can wait the mrs wasnt greatly impressed when i said i wanted to buy another £50's worth of RC parts. Being that she is pregnant and all :rolleyes:

The conversation went a little like this

Hi babe i have seen some great stuff for my new car
Oh really
Yea
How much
well to do every thing about £50
do you more stuff so the car can run then
well no but
so you already have the other parts that do the same job
well yes but
And i thought we could buy some baby things this weekend
well ok and
so you dont need to buy new stuff for your dam car
well er

ok then :(


:D :D :D :D

Just wait a year or two. Your kid has ~ an 80% chance of getting hooked on R/C even if only to watch the car go around the track REALLY fast and do all the cool jumps and flips. Then your wife will be outvoted :D. In the meantime though, depending on how you arrange your finances, just save your pocket money. Around my house, everyone gets an allowance, even the bread-earners, and that's the discretionary income unless bigger spending is planned in advance. Just sock that away under your mattress for a week or two and you'll have the hopups in no time. Sounds like something a teenager would do, but I swear it works with a lot less frustration than budgeting EVERYTHING.

[dirtdevel]

Its ok i have a plan




dont tell her :D

[bakabaka]

dirtdevel:

That conversation sounds awfully familiar. Luckily my wife has a few hobbies of her own, so I tend to get a little something when she gets a little something. :D That, and I found a used monster truck RC for a good price (a Clod Buster) which she now plays with while I'm running the Gravel Hound. It's slower and turns easily, so it's not difficult to control. She's taken to it surprisingly well.

Have fun! :)

[The Plopster]

I made my first video yesterday..... took a bunch of video clips, edited them together with quicktime pro, then added a soundtrack.... and behold!!!

Clip is in mpeg4 format and is about 10.8mb

Video Clip (http://www.geoffburkeflooring.co.uk/Stuff/Finished.mp4)

Enjoy!

[bakabaka]

I made my first video yesterday..... took a bunch of video clips, edited them together with quicktime pro, then added a soundtrack.... and behold!!!

Clip is in mpeg4 format and is about 10.8mb

Video Clip (http://www.geoffburkeflooring.co.uk/Stuff/Finished.mp4)

Enjoy!

Looks nice, there were some pretty serious tumbles in there though. Break anything along the way?

Have fun! :)

[The Plopster]

Here's a brand new one..... I actually put some effort into this one :D

Video (14.1mb) (http://www.geoffburkeflooring.co.uk/Stuff/FinishedMP4b.mp4)

Even more tumbles in this one..... haven't bust anything on the care in the making of these..... it's a damn robust model, I am very impressed! I've convince my friend to buy one now! :cool:

[KREATOR1]

Here's a brand new one..... I actually put some effort into this one :D

Video (14.1mb) (http://www.geoffburkeflooring.co.uk/Stuff/FinishedMP4b.mp4)

Even more tumbles in this one..... haven't bust anything on the care in the making of these..... it's a damn robust model, I am very impressed! I've convince my friend to buy one now! :cool:


i cant open your mpg. my windows cannot support the mp4.
any other way can i view them ?

[bakabaka]

Plopster:

This one looks even better. Nothing wrong with the GH, but I'm going to have to order a Rising Storm shell for my DF02 for sure now. Your car really does look nice on the track.

i cant open your mpg. my windows cannot support the mp4.
any other way can i view them ?

It's an MPEG4 stream in a Quicktime file, you need an MPEG4 codec installed in order to view it. A recent version of Quicktime should be able to view it and download the necessary codec, if WMP with recent codec updates can't.

Have fun! :)

[KREATOR1]

Plopster:

This one looks even better. Nothing wrong with the GH, but I'm going to have to order a Rising Storm shell for my DF02 for sure now. Your car really does look nice on the track.



It's an MPEG4 stream in a Quicktime file, you need an MPEG4 codec installed in order to view it. A recent version of Quicktime should be able to view it and download the necessary codec, if WMP with recent codec updates can't.

Have fun! :)

what i meant was, i cannot download the file, the server time out.
Can anybody also convert it to.mpg?
im using a dialup, and it took me for ever to dnload it.

cant wait to see a gravel hound in action..

[bakabaka]

Just in case anyone is interested, I put up a few pictures I've taken of my Gravel Hound. A few are before all the hop-ups, a few are recent ones, and a few show how the electronics are mounted when using a Novak SS Brushless. Thanks to snud for the idea of attaching the receiver to the battery strap! I really should put some foam under it before I run too hard, but the electronics are no longer crowded in there.

http://xyzzy.dyn.dhs.org/camera/gravel-hound/

Have fun! :)

[Eotz]

Hello!

My idea is to participate this year at my province's championship with the DF-02 that I have ordered. I would like to know if somebody has run in some championship having used a DF-02, How I behave throughout the race and that possibilities have the car against rivals such as a Losi XXX4, Yokomo and similars. :cool:

A greeting and thanks. :)

[snud]

hey guys...
bakabaka...nice set up......is the shell fitting nice and low now? what about the rising storm shell??
i just took out my hound and it started snowing......hehe, so i changed my wheels n tires to my old stock ones that have become slicks....there was some seerrriioouuus drifting going on!!! it was joookes!
finished assembling my 7 cell gp3700 pack.....quite a bit of difference from using a 6 cell pack..the hound goes like stink!
plopster nice clip!!! hehehe it definately proves the robst qualities of the hound!

out of interest....does anyone know how to use autocad?

just a thought..but if someone could do accurate drawing of the hound chasis, i was thinking would a carbon fibre chasis have a big weight saving over the tub stock chasis? any thoughts?

[Alex8027]

hey guys...

out of interest....does anyone know how to use autocad?

just a thought..but if someone could do accurate drawing of the hound chasis, i was thinking would a carbon fibre chasis have a big weight saving over the tub stock chasis? any thoughts?

snud-

I'm fairly proficient in a couple of different CAD programs (Mechanical Desktop, Pro/E, Solidworks); I could draw something up fairly easily in Solidworks if you would like, and save the dimensioned drawings in jpeg format. Anyone want some front and rear shock tower drawings while I am at it? I could probably draw up the whole car if anyone wants things like knuckle arms/A-arms, too.

I'm currently in the process of moving so it might be at least a week before I get to this. I was thinking about drawing up the chassis in CAD anyways (had the same thought).

The major difficulties for making a carbon fiber plate chassis is the drivetrain b/c the motor mount and gear boxes are molded into the main chassis. However, it might be possible to mold the entire chassis out of carbon fiber (might be a little expensive though). Once I have the stock chassis in CAD, I'll see what seems feasible. If anyone else has done this or would like to work in conjunction, etc. let me know.

Alex

[bakabaka]

Hi snud!

The shell fits quite well now, with room to spare. I put rubber rings on the body mount to keep it level though, since it was tilting while just sitting on the pins and there seemed to be too much play. I haven't ordered the Rising Storm shells yet, but it looks as though it should fit fine as well. The electronics were pushed toward the back of the car, out of the way of the lower portions of the shell. Today's payday, so the shells should be ordered soon. I hope the shipping costs are sane!

Incidentally, how did you fit the 7 cell pack in there? Did you leave off/modify the battery strap, or was the pack assembled in a particular way to fit?

[snud]

hey guys...
alex if u could do the cad drawings that would be great....yeah i thought the diff mounting would be difficult to fabricate in carbon fibre....
maybe use the existing stock diff mounting, cutting it off and screwing it onto the carbon chasis like a seperate bulkhead?
anyway..it was just a thought...

bakabaka...yeah im using a velcro strap to strap down the batteries......it runs down the centre of the battery pack through the ventilation slots in the chasis...i would take a pic but my camera is at the bottom of the thames!!!!!!!!!!! (drunken mishap)
my battery is 6 side by side and one cell in a hump configuration between the 5th and 6th cell....
if ur using the novak ss5800 u gotta see it run it on 7 cells...the difference is worth it....

[relayer]

Well my car had it's first run today :D Car handled well, and will look better when I actually get time to paint the body! But man I've got to ditch that 540, theyre just so slow :(

I'm looking at putting some old Kyosho Gold shocks on the car to get more travel out of the suspension.

The slop in the arms is still annoying me, though I've discovered what is causing it. The U-Shaped pin is 3mm diameter, and so is the part of the chassis where the arms mount, however the holes in the arms themselves are 1/8" diameter, which is causing the slop. I took some Losi hinge pins and they were a perfect slop-free fit in the arms, so all I need to do is ream out the mounts on the chassis and it'll be fixed :)

BTW I discovered that if you want to remove slop and free up the steering a bit then 3mmx6mm flanged ball bearings fit into the stock steering bellcranks, you just have to replace the step screws with normal m3 screws and tighten them down just right.

Speaking of carbon fibre and autocad, I will be doing shocktowers too in the next few weeks but I would forget about the whole moulded carbon tub idea - it will cost so much that you'd be better off with another car :eek:

[dirtdevel]

I would like some different decals to the ones in the box does anybody know where i can get some off the web???

[Liko]

I would like some different decals to the ones in the box does anybody know where i can get some off the web???

Well, for starters, you can use the decals that come with various parts. I got a Novak decal sheet with my ESC that'll probably make its way onto a basher shell sometime. Tamiya also has a generic sticker sheet of various Tamiya logos.

Beyond that, I suggest talking to the guys in the painting and photography forum. A lot of them paint their bodies using custom masks. More durable than decals, but for a lot of detail you have to work at it. For a basic paint job that you put a few decals on top of though, it might work for you.

Looking on google, I found http://www.xxxmain.com/stickerz-screen.shtml. Some of em are kinda risque, and all look like they're for touring bodies, but check em out and see if you find something you like.

[bakabaka]

I would like some different decals to the ones in the box does anybody know where i can get some off the web???


If those weren't enough options for you, Tower Hobbies has probably more decals than you even want to sift through. Just search for the word "decal" on their home page.

Have fun! :)

[The Plopster]

Ok, so my rising storm has had some serious abuse lately, as some of you might have seen in the videos.

Damage report so far is:

Front damper stay (A-7) broken. Fixed by putting screws in the redundant holes connecting part with A-1.

Screws connecting rear damper stay (A-4) to gear casing (A-11) were torn out. Tempory remedy was to replace the MA2 screws with larger screws.

All in all, I am utterly impressed with how robust this kit is. 2 easily fixed problems in about 10 ramping sessions (3 battery packs each time).

[bakabaka]

Plopster:

I'd have to agree. I've had my Gravel Hound for a few months now, and I have yet to break anything on it. I don't run it through quite the same sort of torture tests, but I do hit a few speedbumps that definitely launch it skyward. I do give it a reasonable amount of maintenance though.

Incidentally, it seems that Jason's store is back on ebay today. I placed an order including two Rising Storm shells and one RS decal set a few days ago as well, albeit from a different vendor. I wonder how long it'll take for the package to arrive...

Have fun! :)

[relayer]

Hey guys my body is finally finished :D
Now it looks like a car!

[relayer]

Here's Another:

[Bloodhound]

Hi everyone,

Years ago when I was a kid I had a RC car - Tamiya FROG (does anyone remember these??) Anyway, after 15 years I'm back into RC car racing, and a couple of day ago I got myself a new Gravel Hound.

It took me around 8 hours to assemble (I like to be careful & I'm new to all of this again). Anyway, I finished the car today - what does everyone think?

[The Plopster]

Hey bloodhound, nice one... it looks great.... I'm going to use white on my next rising storm shell. Good choice in picking the DF-02 chassis. Loads of fun and as hard as nails.

Get some nice action shots ;)

[The Plopster]

Damage update.

Raised my ramp by an inch or so to get some more air.... after about 20 great jumps, the rear drive shaft snapped. So my rising storm is out of commission now until I get a replacement!

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the_plopster_1/Smileys/Crying.gif http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the_plopster_1/Smileys/Crying.gifhttp://homepage.ntlworld.com/the_plopster_1/Smileys/Crying.gifhttp://homepage.ntlworld.com/the_plopster_1/Smileys/Crying.gifhttp://homepage.ntlworld.com/the_plopster_1/Smileys/Crying.gif

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the_plopster_1/2005%20Folders/Photos/Stuff/Broken%20Drive%20Shaft.JPG

[bakabaka]

Damage update.

Raised my ramp by an inch or so to get some more air.... after about 20 great jumps, the rear drive shaft snapped. So my rising storm is out of commission now until I get a replacement!


Hi Plopster,

Might want to consider a universal shaft (CV joint) rather than the standard dogbones, the shafts of which are a bit thin. The dogbones have started twisting on my gravel hound, and I suppose it's only a matter of time until they're gone.

Tamiya, Square and Tobee all make universal shafts for the DF-02. I've ordered a few sets of the Tobee "strengthening" ones, since they were the cheapest and don't require purchasing anything extra. Tobee sells replacement parts individually for them as well. The Tamiya shafts require that you buy two parts, since half of the assembly is shared with other cars (TT01). Anyway, I was able to find all of them on ebay by searching for "universal df02".

Have fun! :)

[bakabaka]

Hi everyone,

Years ago when I was a kid I had a RC car - Tamiya FROG (does anyone remember these??) Anyway, after 15 years I'm back into RC car racing, and a couple of day ago I got myself a new Gravel Hound.

It took me around 8 hours to assemble (I like to be careful & I'm new to all of this again). Anyway, I finished the car today - what does everyone think?

Hi,

Looks great! I think you'll have a lot of fun with it, it's quite a resilient kit. Not unbreakable, but quite tough nonetheless.

Have fun! :)

[snud]

wow!! u managed to snap a driveshaft!!
u must've been throwing it some serious abuse!
anyone got any thoughts about fabricating suspension arms out of carbon fibre? any CAD skills?
i think im obsessed with carbon fibre!!!
just got my hinge pins made by square for my hound.....it has solved a loot of the suspension slop problems...everything feels a lot tighter and nimble now.
anyone got any more vids of their hounds?? and pics?? would be cool to see what everyone has done to their hounds...
tried looking for rising storm shells on ebay...didnt find any still...

[bakabaka]

Hi snud!

I ended up getting a dremel, a hacksaw and some 3mm sheet aluminum. I still have to get a drill press attachment for my dremel to drill holes properly, but after that I'm going to be putting together rear extenders for my GH's suspension a'la bloodclod. It wouldn't be much of a stretch to build a better shock tower either, and aluminum's a bit cheaper than carbon fibre :) In order to draw up the part though, I just printed some 1mm graph paper and drew it out by hand after taking measurements of the chassis.

Tamiya USA still doesn't have the rising storm shells, but I special ordered two of them and one decal sheet through a vendor in Japan. Once they vendor has them they're going to tell me what shipping will be, and I'll have them perhaps sometime in the middle of the month. One of the shells (and perhaps the decal sheet) is going to ebay. If shipping doesn't make the cost too high, I might end up getting more later. I had to pay full Tamiya Japan retail cost for them though.

Have fun! :)

[bakabaka]

I'm considering getting one of these:

http://www.opticsplanet.net/busspeedrads.html

It's apparently meant for tracking the speed of baseballs and the like. I've been wondering what would be the best way to clock the speed of my GH, especially since I got the brushless. This looks like a nice way to do it. Ebay has a few good deals on them too, what do you guys think?

Have fun! :)

[Bloodhound]

Thanks for the positive feedback guys.
I took the GH down to the local BMX track today and it performed really well.
I kicked up pleanty of dust & gravel (I love watching the dust fly from the back if the car) and I made some pretty impressive jumps. I'll get a few action shots and post them for people to see. Overall, I'm really happy. No damage thus far!

[Liko]

So a couple of people have had issues with the dogbone shafts.

One mod I found which may help is to file the bottoms of the grooves in the diff and wheel cups to form a steeper angle (don't deepen the grooves though). This allows greater travel of the suspension arm without binding.

What do you guys think happens to twist these dogbones? Is it the high-torque stock gearing? Ham-fisting the throttle, which stresses the drivetrain from a standing stop? Or does this kind of thing just happen to off-road buggies for a multitude of little things due to the abuse? The shafts may be pretty thin, but they're steel. I could understand if they were aluminum or plastic.

In related news, this same thing happened to my real car. Right side front half-shaft just fell apart. Oh, to be able to fix it for 10 bux... :D :rolleyes:

[bakabaka]

Hi Liko,

The binding issue doesn't seem to be the cause, I'm pretty sure it is the torque. I didn't really notice it until I got the brushless system installed, but now the dogbones are obviously twisting. There's a good 20 degree twist on one of them. The amount of power that's in the brushless is pretty incredible for its size. Although the dogbone is made of a metal, it apparently isn't rigid enough to withstand repeated applications of this level of torque. The ends of the dogbones show a significant amount of wear as well, perhaps moreso than the plastic with which they come in contact.

I hear you on the real car bit though. I just replaced both front CVs on mine last month, definitely not cheap.

[dirtdevel]

Here's Another:


whats the tyres / wheels you are useing have you used a different hex hub?

[relayer]

whats the tyres / wheels you are useing have you used a different hex hub?

Sorry I don't know what wheels they are as I got them with a 2nd hand Lazer I bought. I think they are English, possibly Fastrax wheels :confused:

I do know that they are designed for the Lazer as they are the same offset as standard Lazer wheels so when you put them on the Rising Storm they make the car a little wider.

And yes, the wheels use 12mm hex hubs, as Kyosho run the same size hex as Tamiya.

[bakabaka]

Hi relayer!

Cool, I've added a blurb on Kyosho wheels to the FAQ I'm maintaining. Incidentally, which shocks are you running on your RS?

Back to the wheels though, has anyone tried adding wider/larger wheels to the DF-02? Kyosho makes a lot of wheels that should fit. I'm thinking something on the line of stadium truck, maybe even monster truck wheels (if they exist for 12mm hex) with reduced gearing. With a bit more clearance, the DF-02's durable chassis and tough drivetrain would seem to make for an even better off road vehicle. Perhaps the wheels are the easiest place to add this clearance?

Have fun! :)

[snud]

hey bakabaka

as u know im running the hpi super star wheels and proline dirt hawg tires....they've added about 1/3 of and inch of extra ride height....
its made such a big difference....the suspension can work properly now and my hound hardly bottoms out...
its really plush and absorbs almost everything i can throw at it....
went crazy yesterday......my friend got his hacker brushless system yesterday and he wanted to test it out.....hes probably the only person who buys an rc motor without actually owning an rc car!!
anyway...we installed it in my hound and use an 8 cell pack that he bought as well....
i put the hound on the ground and pinned the throttle....
DAAAMMMMMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the tires flew off!!!!!! i had to reglue them,.,....
that thing pull more power than ive ever seen so far!!!!!! i was lifting the nose under acceleration almost flipping out with the torque!!
did a speed run....came in at 51 mph! couldnt believe the radar gun!
guess u really get what u pay for with hacker...think he spent about 400 quid on the system....
guys...if u have the money.......go hacker....the power is incredible!!!!

im thinking when im a successful investment banker earning loads of dough (hoping i actually graduate!) that will be my first serious rc purchase!!!
my student bank account cant handle it!!!

[bakabaka]

Hi snud!

I'm running similar wheels and the same tires, they're definitely nice. I'm wondering if there's much to gain with bigger wheels though; considering how much the extra lift from the Dirt Hawgs helps, what could be done with more?

As for the Hacker brushless; wow! 50mph is supposed to be around peak for nitro buggies, isn't it? I can't imagine how quickly that thing must eat through batteries though. Even with 8 cells, that's a lot of amps to be drawing. How's your drivetrain taking to this abuse?

For the price though, I think I'll stick with the Novak. It unglued the tires from my GH the first time I pulled the trigger as well ;) Of course, that's due more to my inexperience with tire gluing and an incorrect assumption that the stock motor was all the tires would need to withstand.

BTW, make damn sure you graduate university. Believe me, it's worth it!

Have fun! :)

[relayer]

Hi relayer!

Cool, I've added a blurb on Kyosho wheels to the FAQ I'm maintaining. Incidentally, which shocks are you running on your RS?
Have fun! :)

I'm running Traxxas shocks that came off their old TRX Series buggies. Teflon coated and hard anodized, very smooth :cool:

Regarding wheels, any Kyosho wheel will fit except for the latest Ultima RB buggy and truck wheels (which are Proline B2/T2 wheels).

So you can use wheels from the old Ultima, Optima, Mid Optima, Lazer plus their large touring car range as well as their Ultima trucks. Almost ALL Kyosho wheels made between 1986 and around 2000 have the 12mm hex.

BTW Tower hobbies have a huge range of their wheels including the superb black spoked 2.2 rims from the TR15 gas buggy :D

[dirtdevel]

The painted unit

still got loads of stuff to get!!!!

anyabody know whwere i can get some red bull decals????

[dirtdevel]

I'm running Traxxas shocks that came off their old TRX Series buggies. Teflon coated and hard anodized, very smooth :cool:

Regarding wheels, any Kyosho wheel will fit except for the latest Ultima RB buggy and truck wheels (which are Proline B2/T2 wheels).

So you can use wheels from the old Ultima, Optima, Mid Optima, Lazer plus their large touring car range as well as their Ultima trucks. Almost ALL Kyosho wheels made between 1986 and around 2000 have the 12mm hex.

BTW Tower hobbies have a huge range of their wheels including the superb black spoked 2.2 rims from the TR15 gas buggy :D



NICE ONE :cool:
Thanks thats alot of help i will look into sorting out some new tyres and wheels soon cuz i know the standard units dont hold up for long. :)

[madhatter]

What's Jason's store URL?

[Liko]

The painted unit

still got loads of stuff to get!!!!

anyabody know whwere i can get some red bull decals????

Try Red Bull's PR department. I know they make stickers for promotional stuff, give em out to bars and the like. They'd probably be happy to send you something that should work. Only caveat is you need plastic stickers instead of the cheap paper ones some companies have.

[Liko]

Hi snud!

I'm running similar wheels and the same tires, they're definitely nice. I'm wondering if there's much to gain with bigger wheels though; considering how much the extra lift from the Dirt Hawgs helps, what could be done with more?



Depends. My take is that a larger tire among other things will have more surface area. At the same speed the tire isn't rotating with as many RPM. So, maybe your tires will last a bit longer, though it's pretty insignificant unless you want Traxxas REVO wheels on this buggy. Also, in off-road, larger tires on the same wheel will have a larger footprint, meaning more traction. As far as clearance, remember that a 1-foot jump is the equivalent of 10 feet in a real car, and these buggies take that at over 200 scale MPH, even kit stock. Not to soapbox, but these buggies are for flat dirt and stadium-type terrain. Fun as it would be, they really aren't rock-crawlers. That said, as easily as these cars bottom out, I suggest finding some taller tires for a standard buggy rim. Not only will you get increased clearance, but you can stiffen the shocks slightly and the tires will help take more of the impact. The Dirt Hawgs look real good for this (I'm planning on these with some white spoked rims), but there might be something even taller.

[bakabaka]

That said, as easily as these cars bottom out, I suggest finding some taller tires for a standard buggy rim. Not only will you get increased clearance, but you can stiffen the shocks slightly and the tires will help take more of the impact. The Dirt Hawgs look real good for this (I'm planning on these with some white spoked rims), but there might be something even taller.

That's more or less what I was thinking. I've seen some unusual conversions in the past, including oddities such as a grasshopper with monster truck tires. Since the DF02 has a significant amount of negative suspension travel but relatively little ground clearance, I thought larger tires would suit it rather well. Still, I think perhaps stadium truck tires might be a sweet spot for this vehicle. There's plenty of power even with the stock motor, one would probably just need a stronger steering servo and a lower tooth count pinion.

Have fun! :)

[bakabaka]

What's Jason's store URL?

It's an ebay store, but here's the URL:

http://stores.ebay.com/Jasons-Store

You might also want to look at the walawala store:

http://stores.ebay.com/WalawalaStore

There are a few others, but these are the two that I have purchased from and can vouch that they both had good service throughout the transactions.

Have fun! :)

[snud]

Hi snud!

As for the Hacker brushless; wow! 50mph is supposed to be around peak for nitro buggies, isn't it? I can't imagine how quickly that thing must eat through batteries though. Even with 8 cells, that's a lot of amps to be drawing. How's your drivetrain taking to this abuse?

Have fun! :)


hey bakabaka.....
i think the drive train in the hound is one of the most robust ive seen......
i dont think the stock plastic prop shaft would've lasted long though!
anyone going brushless has to invest in the aluminium prop shaft andgear joints...maybe even the universal shafts....

i dont think i would go bigger in tire size.....i think the dirt hawgs solve the issue of ride height and still keep the hound a buggy..instead of a stadium truck..

remember bigger tires...more rotating mass....huge impact on acceleration...
turning would also suffer....unless maybe u get a stronger servo

bakabaka...have u run 7 cells yet? im using an emaxx saddle/hump pack with gorilla maxx velcro strap to keep the pack in place...

has anyone picked up the tamiya dish wheels for their hound?

has anyone seen the new predator x10??? man its fllllyyyy!!!!
inboard shocks!! front wing!!! it must glide in the air! hhehhe it costs though!

[Eotz]

Hi there!!! :rolleyes:

Finally I have been receiving my DF-02 with the Rising Storm body 2 days ago. I have already finished mounting it. Still I have not proven it on the circuit but yes on the work table and it has given to me the sensation to be a little noisy car :confused: . It seems to you equal to you?.

Thanks :cool:

[snud]

hey eotz....

check ur motor gear mesh...it could be a little tight or loose....
check for any binding form the prop shaft joint into the diff...it could be rubbing on the transmission tunnel...
or it could just be the silver can!

[bakabaka]

Hi snud!

About the tires, I'd keep the current ones of course. I already have a nice metal gear high torque servo. It wouldn't take but a few moments to change the wheel size with the box wrench. Maybe pop a "Transformers" icon sticker on the front to indicate its polymorphic nature ;)

I haven't run 7 cells yet, but once I get the chance I'll look into the options. What batteries would you recommend? How well does the battery strap you're using fit the chassis?

As for the predator... Err... Their website doesn't seem to have any pictures. Not sure what to think of it, though I've heard it's about US $600 (~350 pounds?) so it's a bit out of my reach ATM.

On the Tamiya front though, it seems the DT02 (the apparent RWD complement to the DF02) has already been released in Japan. The first kit is called the Super Fighter G, already it's on ebay. Although it's on the opposite end of the RC spectrum from the Predator, I could pick one up and pretend :P

Have fun! :)

[The Plopster]

So, I was in the market today and I saw these wheels & tires in a stall for £7... couldn't pass 'em by. So Here they are on my Rising storm... can't test them as I'm still waiting for my drive shaft! Bought an 11t motor though..... anyone here envisage many problems with using tires this big?

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the_plopster_1/2005%20Folders/Photos/Stuff/Chunky%201.JPG http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the_plopster_1/2005%20Folders/Photos/Stuff/Chunky%202.JPG

Also, I took the spoiler off and fitted a front bumper off a TL-01b chassis to protect the top of the rear shock towers!

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the_plopster_1/2005%20Folders/Photos/Stuff/Shock%20Tower%20Mod.JPG

[snud]

wowww!!!
damn that looks mean!!!!
are those tires heavy?
only problem i see with that size of a tire is a knackered drivetrain and motor..
ur gettin an 11t motor...should have enough torque to turn them...
let us know how it drives!

[bakabaka]

Hi Plopster!

As usual, you're way ahead of me on these things. Do you know who manufactures the wheels and tires? Do they use the 12mm hex connector, or are you just putting the wheels on the pins directly?

The only gotchas I'd watch out for would be with the gearing ratio and the steering servo. You'll want to increase the gear ratio, so you'll probably want to use the stock 70t spur gear and maybe a lower tooth count pinion since these wheels are so much larger than the original. If you're using a standard servo, you'll probably want to bump it up to a stronger model. I bought a Futaba S3305 that would probably suffice, though it's sitting in my Clod Buster at the moment.

As for the rest of it, well... Let us know how it works out! I intend to do the same thing sometime, or at least get somewhat bigger wheels.

Have fun! :)

[bakabaka]

Plopster:

After doing a bit of research, it looks like those tires are similar to those on Tamiya's Twin Detonator and Wild Dagger kits, both of which use the 12mm hex hubs on their standard wheels. I guess that would be an easy way to go :) BTW, if it's not too much to ask, which ESC and motor were you using with the original wheels? How did you gear your car to take best advantage of them? I'd like to record it in the FAQ if possible.

Have fun! :)

[The Plopster]

Plopster:

After doing a bit of research, it looks like those tires are similar to those on Tamiya's Twin Detonator and Wild Dagger kits, both of which use the 12mm hex hubs on their standard wheels. I guess that would be an easy way to go :) BTW, if it's not too much to ask, which ESC and motor were you using with the original wheels? How did you gear your car to take best advantage of them? I'd like to record it in the FAQ if possible.

Have fun! :)

Hi, I'm still waiting for my drive shaft to come so I haven't had a chance to test it yet. I've been using the Ripmax X-tra No Limit ESC and a 15 turn motor and a 19t pinion with a 67t spur. To be honest I'm not all that clued up on the technical side of all this.... your DF-02 FAQ has been useful to me though.

As soon as my drive shaft comes I'll let you know how it runs and I'll post a video.

[The Plopster]

I was going to add these to my last post but the 'edit' button has gone..... so here goes:

Still no drive shaft but a new flag and a slight repaint on the shell because I got bored lol

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the_plopster_1/2005%20Folders/Photos/Stuff/Welsh%20Car%201.JPGhttp://homepage.ntlworld.com/the_plopster_1/2005%20Folders/Photos/Stuff/Welsh%20Car%202.JPG

[bakabaka]

Hi Plopster,

Looks nice, the darker shell suits the Rising Storm with those tires. I'm thinking of going for an olive drab green or black once the new shell comes in.

Anyway, thanks for the gearing information! It's been added to the FAQ. I'm new to hobby-class RC as well, so it's useful information for myself and likely to others who are getting their feet wet with this chassis.

Have fun! :)

[snud]

hey guys.....
plopster are those the tamiya dish wheels?
is anyone using these? im thinking of gettin them for racing....any tire suggetions?? somethin that would last long on a hard packed surface?
bakabaka...what pinion are u using with ur 67t spur?
im thinkin of goin to 22t....u think that'll be too tall for the brushless?

[microrcdude]

The hard packed surface. Is it clay? Is there dust on it?

[The Plopster]

The hard packed surface. Is it clay? Is there dust on it?

What hard packed surface?

[microrcdude]

im talking to snud.

[snud]

hey microrcdude...
its kinda a funny surface....
its packed clay with a layer of dust on it....crumbly in places...especially corners
weird...
good drifting action though!.....my friends dad constructed it in his back yard!!!
any suggestions with tyre choice?
ones that'll fit the tamiya dish wheels...

[bakabaka]

hey guys.....
plopster are those the tamiya dish wheels?
is anyone using these? im thinking of gettin them for racing....any tire suggetions?? somethin that would last long on a hard packed surface?
bakabaka...what pinion are u using with ur 67t spur?
im thinkin of goin to 22t....u think that'll be too tall for the brushless?

Hi snud,

Well, Novak recommends that you start with a ratio around 9 and test from there. I'm using the stock 19t pinion myself, I put up the following article in the FAQ based on what I've read:

http://xyzzy.dyn.dhs.org/df02/index.php?sid=273&lang=en&action=artikel&cat=7&id=16&artlang=en

So far I've been quite happy with the performance of the 19t pinion and 63t gear. I'd expect that a 22t pinion would heat up the ESC pretty quickly without giving much if any extra speed. Aside from the 19t stock I only have a 17t and 21t pinion, so I can't test anything else personally.

As for the tires, how are the Dirt Hawgs holding up? Are they already nearly gone? :eek: I've done quite well with them on the HPI wheels. Pro-Line makes a narrow version of the Dirt Hawg that should fit on the front dish wheels as well if that's what you're looking for.

Have fun! :)

[Mad Bout Aus]

Hey guys I found this diff at walawala. I think I remember one or two of you saying you have put these into your hound. Whats the deal? Are they stronger or something?
BTW, I was racing my hound with my mate the other day and had a lil bingle. the result was my rear left wheel and lower arm at about 30deg. His car hit mine right on the wrong spot and the lower arm pulled the side of the diff housing (chassis) open, thus pulling the cup out of the inner diff a bit and shreading the inside. Most upset I can garentee!

[Mad Bout Aus]

Better put the link in I guess!!!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=34063&item=5960031906&tc=photo

[bakabaka]

Hi Mad Bout Aus!

Apparently ball diffs are better for traction, and better for the rest of the drivetrain. They can slip a bit in cases where the wheels have a massive acceleration or deceleration, such as when you floor the throttle with a powerful motor or land from a jump. The gear differentials in the DF-02 are apparently tougher, but won't alleviate shock to the rest of the drivetrain. I actually picked up an extra set of the standard gear diffs off ebay just in case I destroy the originals, since durability is my primary concern esp. with a brushless in there.

Have fun! :)

[snud]

hey guys....
the dirt hawgs are holding up pretty wheel considering the amount of abuse im putting my hound through!
im using the ball diff as a rear diff.....the increased traction is apparent...although there is a bit of slop from the diff housing and the diff cups....but everyone i know who has this diff says its normal....
i do suggest gettin this if ur seriously considering racing....it makes a prettybig difference on loose surfaces.

[snud]

18 degrees outside!!!! wooooooooooohoooooooooo!!!!!

took my hound out for some speed runs......using a 22t..then 21t...then 20t pinion just to see if theres a noticable difference in speed..
using the 20t i did notice a slight increase...then 21 n 22 , there was a quite noticable increase.....with a slight decrease in acceleration.
bakabaka.ur right.....the esc was too hot to touch......i think the brushless needs is at its best at higher revs and smaller pinion.
ive cut out a ventilation hole for the esc heat sink..hopefully this should help cooling...

any word on the rising storm shells?

[rallyfanmx]

;)
I'm new to R/C cars, and a friend of mine said "If you drive the R/C buggy like you drive your car, you need 1.- Durability and 2.- Easy to fix parts. So, he steered me into a shiny new Rising Storm.

I've read this thread for like 4 hours or so, and found it immensely useful, but you all are experienced R/C'ers, so I'd like to know of any advice you might have for a tenderfeet like me.

Best regards from Mexico!! (I got a Petter Solberg autograph last week!!) :cool:

Carlos

[bakabaka]

18 degrees outside!!!! wooooooooooohoooooooooo!!!!!

took my hound out for some speed runs......using a 22t..then 21t...then 20t pinion just to see if theres a noticable difference in speed..
using the 20t i did notice a slight increase...then 21 n 22 , there was a quite noticable increase.....with a slight decrease in acceleration.
bakabaka.ur right.....the esc was too hot to touch......i think the brushless needs is at its best at higher revs and smaller pinion.
ive cut out a ventilation hole for the esc heat sink..hopefully this should help cooling...

any word on the rising storm shells?

Hi snud!

That's more or less what I would expect having read Novak's documentation. There's a point where adding more electricity doesn't work out to a faster speed, once you exceed this limit the ESC starts heating up. Especially during the summer, the ESC can overheat if you overgear it too much. At 18 degrees (centigrade presumably) you have a bit more flexibility with the gearing, just keep in mind that it'll be different when it gets warmer out.

About the shells, the vendor has received them and given me a shipping cost. I've asked if there's a cheaper way to ship the package (Air mail rather than their usual EMS) and hopefully I'll have a response tonight. Once that happens I'll pay for the shipping, and it should be here within about 10 days assuming worst stated case for air mail. After I get the package, up on ebay the shell goes along with a few other parts. Anyway, I'll let you know once I have it.

Have fun! :)

[bakabaka]

;)
I'm new to R/C cars, and a friend of mine said "If you drive the R/C buggy like you drive your car, you need 1.- Durability and 2.- Easy to fix parts. So, he steered me into a shiny new Rising Storm.

I've read this thread for like 4 hours or so, and found it immensely useful, but you all are experienced R/C'ers, so I'd like to know of any advice you might have for a tenderfeet like me.

Best regards from Mexico!! (I got a Petter Solberg autograph last week!!) :cool:

Carlos

Hi Carlos!

The first thing to do is to get full bearings. It's probably the best upgrade you can get for the price, you get both speed and runtime from them. You'll need 8 of the 5x11mm bearings for the wheels, the drivetrain already comes with bearings thankfully. You might also take a look at the FAQ I'm working on, when I learn something I try to put an article in there. It can be found at the following URL:

http://xyzzy.dyn.dhs.org/df02/

Others here will probably have more to add, since I'm relatively new to the hobby myself.

Have fun! :)

[Mad Bout Aus]

;)
I'm new to R/C cars, and a friend of mine said "If you drive the R/C buggy like you drive your car, you need 1.- Durability and 2.- Easy to fix parts. So, he steered me into a shiny new Rising Storm

Hey Carlos! Baka's right go for the bearings first. I got mine from RC Mart, check out this link:
http://www.rcmart.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=421_108_110&products_id=4284

The next step I'd take is a new motor and alloy drive shaft. Here's a few links for the stuff I've got (I'm Aussie by the way!),

Motor: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=34063&item=5963764584&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

Shaft: http://www.rcmart.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=595_424_374&products_id=7597

Baka's site has got some cool info so have a look at that (by the way, Baka do you know much about this motor?).

At the end of the day just have fun mate!
Mad

[rallyfanmx]

;) All right, bearings it is, come saturday.

Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.

I'm beggining the construction next sunday, as a rookie, I'll take my time and enjoy it!!

Cheers! :D

[snud]

MAD ABOUT AUS!!!!!

stay away from GPM products for ur hound!!!! trust me!!!

that shaft that uve posted the link for is too long for the hound....

i dont know why GPM products advertise these as df-02 hop ups....i bought a battery alloy cell holder from them for my hound....it was too long...and there was no way of fitting it...
ive heard similar things from other people about the alloy shaft by gpm....

i highly recommend getting hop ups by rc-square for ur hound...the finish and quality is amazing!!

[bakabaka]

Hi Mad About Aus!

I don't know very much about this motor other than the specifications. It is a 23 turn motor though, so it will *probably* work with the RTR's stock ESC. If you have information about gearing the DF-02 for it, along with which ESC was used, I'd be happy to add it to the FAQ.

One thing might be of concern though. I have seen no mention as to whether the RZ and TZ super stock motors use bushings or bearings. A motor with bearings, like every other moving part, will give better performance and efficiency and likely longer lifespan. If the Super Stock motors don't use bearings, it's probably better to use something by another manufacturer that does. I've heard good things about Reedy and Trinity motors, anyone feel free to chime in. ;)

Incidentally, I've heard the same thing about GPM parts as snud. They are generally a little bit off for the DF-02 chassis. A few people in this forum have had problems with GPM's TT-01 motor mount, battery strap and driveshaft. Tamiya, Square RC and Tobee all make parts that work well with the DF-02.

Have fun! :)

[Mad Bout Aus]

Hmmm timely warning guys, many thanks. I bought my car in kit form from a guy in Hong Kong over ebay, who offered the alloy shaft for US$9.90. I figured they were the same as those from RC Mart.

Baka I started running my car with the standard 70t spur which ran quite well. Did twist the rear dogbones though, changed them for the front ones the other day and tryin to stop the hamb-fist technique!!! Also changed the spur to a 67T with a 19T pinion. Lost a slight bit on take-off but gained some top speed. Haven't had a chance to test it against my mates standard set-up, will let you know when I do.

You know what I really like about the 4WD set-up is the ease of straightening up coming out of a corner. Its just so easy!

Thanks for the advise again guys, will check out the other stores when I get a chance ;)

MAD

[The Plopster]

Got my drive shaft today at last. So I took the car out and had a go..... after 5 minutes there was smoke coming out from under the shell LOL

Guess the wheels ARE too big after all!

[bakabaka]

Got my drive shaft today at last. So I took the car out and had a go..... after 5 minutes there was smoke coming out from under the shell LOL

Guess the wheels ARE too big after all!

Hi Plopster!

Is your ESC ok? At least some have a thermal shutdown circuit that prevents damage, but I don't know if it's true of all ESCs. Which pinion were you using when you ran it with the large tires? The DF-02's motor mount with a 70t spur accepts pinions down to 16t, which gives you an 11.38 final ratio. That might be enough to run within design parameters if you're still willing to give it a shot.

Have fun! :)

[bakabaka]

Baka I started running my car with the standard 70t spur which ran quite well. Did twist the rear dogbones though, changed them for the front ones the other day and tryin to stop the hamb-fist technique!!! Also changed the spur to a 67T with a 19T pinion. Lost a slight bit on take-off but gained some top speed. Haven't had a chance to test it against my mates standard set-up, will let you know when I do.


Hi Mad Bout Aus,

I've been finding the 67t spur/19t pinion to be an excellent combination actually. It's ideal for my purposes with the Novak SS5800 brushless, ridiculous amounts of power and nice top end speed. It was also probably the best balance between battery runtime and speed with the stock motor/ESC from the RTR. I have to agree about 4wd too, it's really nice how quickly the buggy corrects itself. I can run circles around the Clod Buster without fear that the buggy might end up underneath :p

Have fun! :)

[_Future_]

To Bakabaka and others running the Novak BL,

My local hobbyshop gave me some info about the feedback they have been getting on the Novak SS5800 system. I would like to know if anyone has experienced shutdowns due to dirt particles entering the motor while using this system.

Thanks.

[bakabaka]

To Bakabaka and others running the Novak BL,

My local hobbyshop gave me some info about the feedback they have been getting on the Novak SS5800 system. I would like to know if anyone has experienced shutdowns due to dirt particles entering the motor while using this system.

Thanks.

Hi _Future_!

I haven't had this problem yet, but then the DF-02 chassis doesn't expose the motor quite as much as other RCs I've seen. Since I bought the Gravel Hound I've had a Losi XXT for a short time (sold it to a friend) and still have a Clod Buster. Both of these vehicles put the motor in a place where it's quite exposed by the elements. Dirt particles would certainly be more of an issue on those vehicles. The motor is sealed up to the bearings though, and one of the bearings is right against the motor mount.

Still, I have considered taking a bit of metal screen (screen as in "screen door") and putting it over the ventilation slots. This would help keep out small rocks and larger clumps of dirt that might come in through these slots. I was thinking more along the lines of keeping the inside clean, but if you've had shutdown issues, you might want to see if that helps.

Have fun! :)

[twisted]

hello, i was thinking of getting one of these and was wondering whats the difference between the gh and rising star ?
thanks

[TRF Drive Hard]

Just the body and name ;)

[bakabaka]

Hi TRF Drive Hard!

Just the body and name ;)

Pretty much, although some have mentioned that the Gravel Hound has more space for the electronics than the Rising Storm due to the different body design. It's a small detail, but I've seen a few pictures here of Rising Storm shells with holes cut through them to cool off the ESC. I hope to be able to verify this shortly. :)

_Future_:

I wonder if perhaps your LHS was referring to thermal shutdown? A lot of dust would increase the temperature to be sure. The Super Sport ESC will detect when it's getting too hot and shut down, which is a good thing IMO. Increasing the gear ratio might help.

Have fun! :)

[Mad Bout Aus]

Argh I broke my front upright :mad: Guess it was comin though . A few weeks ago I noticed the upright was bent back some after a bingle so I got some small threaded allen key bolts and used the spare hole and the hole through where the upper susp. arm conects. Problem fixed :D , nice and stiff with no flex as the susp. compresses. Took the cars to the local bike track, 5ft of air, into the next jump even! (Note to self, ease trigger when approching jump) Snap, no more race :o Where did I leave that 6mm aluminium?.........

MAD

[tamiya4x4dryver]

I'm thinking about buying a gravel hound or rising storm kit. Are there any known problems and/or fixes, or anything special you guys are doing to them I should know about? I've built a ton of Tamiya kits and they all seem to have a couple of drawbacks unique to them. What about this chassis?

[bakabaka]

Argh I broke my front upright :mad: Guess it was comin though . A few weeks ago I noticed the upright was bent back some after a bingle so I got some small threaded allen key bolts and used the spare hole and the hole through where the upper susp. arm conects. Problem fixed :D , nice and stiff with no flex as the susp. compresses. Took the cars to the local bike track, 5ft of air, into the next jump even! (Note to self, ease trigger when approching jump) Snap, no more race :o Where did I leave that 6mm aluminium?.........

MAD

Ouch! Tower Hobbies has them FWIW, they're at the following URL:

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXGYR2&P=7

It's interesting that Tamiya has made aluminum rear uprights for the DF-02, but not yet front uprights. It seems that the front ones are more likely to break. Anyway, good luck on getting up and running quickly.

Have fun! :)

[bakabaka]

Hi tamiya4x4dryver!

Probably the most common complaint is that it bottoms out easily on jumps. The included oil dampers are plastic , upgrading to the aluminum set (and getting the extra spring package) helps. I'm running yellow springs in the front and blue springs in the back on mine, with a bit of tubing on the rear suspension shafts. That seems to work well.

As for breakables, the front shock tower seems to be a commonly snapped item. Square RC makes a carbon fiber shock tower for the DF-02 that is more durable. I've ordered one myself, mostly for the extra mounting hole on the top. The dogbones are also known to twist when paired with a strong motor. A good pair of CV joints/universal shafts helps here, there are at least three manufacturers making these.

The other complaint seems to be that there isn't much room for electrics under the shell. I put a 3mm slice of rubber tubing over each body mount to give it a bit more room.

The DF-02 probably isn't a racer out of the box from what I've heard, but it's a lot of fun for bashing. The parts are cheap if you break them, and the availability of parts from Tower Hobbies and a few ebay stores is generally quite good. There are also plenty of hop-ups available if you want to upgrade from the stock parts.

Have fun! :)

[tamiya4x4dryver]

sounds great. thanks for the info!

[twisted]

you have a web site for square rc ?

thanks

[bakabaka]

you have a web site for square rc ?

thanks

Hi twisted!

The site's at the following URL, although it's entirely in Japanese.

http://www.rc-square.com/

DF-02 items are found on this page:

http://www.rc-square.com/parts002.htm

The items you're looking for have "DF-02" in their names, and have part numbers which begin with "STG-".

This article has the translation that I (and my wife when I failed, can't take all the credit) came up with for the DF-02 items:

http://xyzzy.dyn.dhs.org/df02/index.php?sid=296&lang=en&action=artikel&cat=2&id=4&artlang=en

If you search ebay, you'll find most if not all of the items there.

Have fun! :)

[snud]

hey guys!

seriously....i do recommend gettin the carbon fibre shock tower if u can for the hound....ull notice better handling and shock geometry...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=44022&item=5962060588&rd=1

baka...do u notice ur novak brushless esc heatin up?? man...every since the weather got better here the esc has been heatin up a loot.....even though im running 19t pinion with 67t spur.....

anyway...ive been reading through a few forums and this one guy has been quite creative.......
he cut a hole in the front window of his hound body....took an empty toilet roll and sort of bent it at 60 degrees and stuck one empty end into the hole while the other faced downwards towards his esc fins......sort of like an air scoop..air ram thingy...

i tried it today....and my esc was much cooler than usual!!!!

forced directional ventilation......it works really well!!!
ill try and post up a few pics when i get my camera sorted.....

the tight fitting hound body doesnt aid to good ventilation..so any sort of forced ventilation short of an esc fan is a good idea i think....

anyway thought i would share this bit of info!

[bakabaka]

Hi snud!

My brushless is getting a bit warm now, but I was more or less expecting it to happen. I haven't been able to run it as much as I'd like though, since we're in the middle of the rainy season for a few more weeks in the San Francisco Bay area. It's going to get a lot warmer after that. One thing which might make a difference on my setup is that I put 3mm slices of rubber tubing around the body mount shaft, which holds the shell a bit higher. Not much to be sure, but it can't hurt.

Anyway, I was looking at the two air scoops molded into the side of the shell, it might be possible to redirect airflow from there. I might also put a few slits in front of the window where the ventilation slit stickers are, since the ESC is right behind there on my setup. Together they might be sufficient to keep the car a bit cooler given how fast it goes with the brushless. The TP roll mod sounds effective, but I quite like the buggy and don't want to rip the shell up just yet. If I can throw together a good cooling solution that looks good at the same time, I'll post pictures.

Have fun! :)

[Mad Bout Aus]

Hey Snud thanks for the heads-up. Just ordered one. Hopefully it'll be a fair bit stronger. My rear upright is bent forwards to make matters worse! After I put my new shocks and spur gear on, I took it out for a lil spin without the shell or wing on. Hit a lil lip coming from the concrete to the grass and the back flipped over! Grrrrrrrrrr :mad:
Looking forward to seeing the difference in geometry with the new upright.
So with the "Beast" up on blocks I was looking at a few things.
1. I put some small shims between the bearing and the pin on my front wheels. Seems to take most of the slop out and got better turning at the same time.
2. Tryed to put my rear wheels on the front to see if they'd fit but they don't. Do I remember you guys saying you'd put Losi rear's on your cars? I like the look of the fatter wheels on the front to match the back.
3. What did you guys pay for your Novak systems? I've seen them go on ebay for as little as US$199. Is this good? I have a mate who has freinds in Hong Kong so I might see if they can do better. (Still haven't decided how far into this RC thing I want to get!

[Mad Bout Aus]

4. What do you guys think of extending the lower susp. arms? I'm thinking 5mm would be good ea side. I think hardest part would be getting the dogbones. See you could make the arms from carbon fibre (6mm?) for the lowers and adjustable knuckles for the tops. If Team Losi can make them then hell, why can't I?

What do you think?

MAD