Tamiya Gravel Hound DF-02 Forum

[bakabaka]

Hi scoob!

I can't blame you there, as that's what I've done. Aside from trying an XRS for a little while, and the stock ESC at first, I haven't wanted to try any others in my Gravel Hound since I bought the brushless.

Have fun! :)

[raytracer]

I just bought myself a mint cond 2nd hand gravel hound. I like the rstorm better but for $80 I get 2 gravel bodies, 4 sets of tires and wheel, tuned spring, alum motormount, lightweight kingpins, alum prop shaft, some spares, sport tuned motor and speed tune gears. I'll post some pics soon. I'll be using 67/19 for the sport tuned with a mc230 to see how it accelerates. :D

[bakabaka]

Hi raytracer,

Cool, sounds like a good deal. The only difference between the Rising Storm and the Gravel Hound is the body and decal set, so picking up the shell and decals would effectively get you both cars. Tamiya USA doesn't list the shell as in stock at the moment, but you can have them notify you when they get one in.

Have fun! :)

[Combatcm]

These was one of my selling pics, but I think I'm going to keep it

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/combatcm/67.jpg

I hate that rear suspension. I cut the rear shock tower and put the shocks in those 2 holes on the tower.

What's a good shock setup. I was thinking longer shocks in the stock mount, but I don't want to blindly order shocks.

[bakabaka]

Hi Combatcm,

The stock plastic dampers aren't very good, especially in the rear. The pistons have too small of a diameter to be effective. You really want a set of aluminum dampers to get it going without bottoming out. Some people have had good luck with 1/8 scale dampers in the rear, although I haven't tried that myself.

FWIW, I'm using Tamiya's aluminum dampers and Yeah Racing's rear damper tower with the outer setting, a few of the adjustment clips and hard springs. Others are using GPM's dampers and seem happy with them, these dampers use Losi springs which gives you a pretty good variety. GPM's damper tower matched with a good set of 1/8 scale buggy dampers would probably be the best bet for a strong rear tower with effective damping.

Have fun! :)

[XSFalcon]

Has anyone had this problem?
The rear wheel joints rubbing against the lower arm?

I have installed the GPM Rear lower arms & the GPM Rear Knuckle arms.

[vmaxcruzer]

Hi vmaxcruzer,

I tried using regular plastic model paint, but it didn't work very well. The paint started cracking and chipping off rather quickly, even though it was painted inside the chassis. I've since painted a few lexan bodies with Tamiya paint for polycarbonates, and it works much better. The bodies have hit walls a few times at a local track, and the paint still adheres without cracks or chipping. Based on my mistake, I'd strongly recommend getting paint designed specifically for lexan bodies.

Have fun! :)

Bakabaka,
Thanks for the tip I'll order some up. Hate redoing things the right way the second time.
I just ordered another RS for my wife, now I can have mine back. I've gone through this entire thread and managed to get some really good info with blood shot eyes. My RS is stock but I plan to drop in a 15 turn and a Novak that will compliment it, besides the obvious what up grades do you think I should do to keep me out of trouble with this motor? Been drooling over the Yeah and GPM parts but wanted you opinion on the most important hops for the money. VMX

[bakabaka]

Hi vmaxcruzer,

Definitely get bearings for the wheels, and I'd advise going for a better set of dampers (perhaps the GPM set) and universals for front and rear. A metal driveshaft can't hurt either, but I haven't really heard of anyone breaking the stock one so you can probably hold off on that. The Tamiya one's quite inexpensive though, so it's not a bad idea. If you haven't looked at the FAQ you might want to look there too:

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

FWIW, I have one more Rising Storm body but I've been practicing painting on other Lexan bodies before I try painting it. The horrible job I did by using the wrong paint has made me a bit averse to just winging it, esp. considering I spent about $30 after shipping for each shell from Japan ;)

Have fun! :)

[raytracer]

Which GPM shocks do you guys use? Maybe you can upload a pic on imageshackt, etc, so I can have it ordered in my lhs. The plastic shocks I have are not good even with tamiya blue springs it doesn't work.

[bakabaka]

Hi raytracer!

The following GPM dampers are intended for the DF-02:

http://www.rcmart.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=595_424_744_712&products_id=15020

http://www.rcmart.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=595_424_744_712&products_id=15024

The links are to RCMart, but they include pictures and enough info to purchase them through your LHS.

Have fun! :)

[vmaxcruzer]

Hi vmaxcruzer,

Definitely get bearings for the wheels, and I'd advise going for a better set of dampers (perhaps the GPM set) and universals for front and rear. A metal driveshaft can't hurt either, but I haven't really heard of anyone breaking the stock one so you can probably hold off on that. The Tamiya one's quite inexpensive though, so it's not a bad idea. If you haven't looked at the FAQ you might want to look there too:

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

FWIW, I have one more Rising Storm body but I've been practicing painting on other Lexan bodies before I try painting it. The horrible job I did by using the wrong paint has made me a bit averse to just winging it, esp. considering I spent about $30 after shipping for each shell from Japan ;)

Have fun! :)

That's exactly what I'm thinking on the paint. Not worth skimping. I'll make sure I get the right stuff. Forgot to mention I had a set of bearings to pop in. I've been to your info site. Nicely set up! My C card is smoldering in my wallet. Wish they had some of the same alloy in red, like the rear shock tower with optional mounting holes. Only in the blue. :-( oh well. I've ordered the lower arms and dampers already just didn't want to invest in the whole shebang if I didn't need to. I don't think my 15 turn will have any problem with the increase in weight if I decided to alloy everything. LOL. Looks cool at any rate.
Do the CVD's help to keep the dog bone wobble down? What are your thoughts on the ball diff's?
Also I was wondering about the bearings that look like they go beneath the mount screw (alloy set) on the two steering arms that come off the servo arm.

[raytracer]

Thanks bakabaka. Are you japanese? That's stupidstupid in japanese. Hehe.
Which of these hopups are the best overall? Maybe I should get ALL those gpm,yeah parts ang pimp my gravel hound but I heard some of the parts are poorly made.
Which is better?
Yeah Racing (#DF008) Alloy Front Shock Tower For DF-02/(51075)
Yeah Racing (#DF009) Alloy Rear Shock Tower For DF-02/(51075)
or
GPM (#DF2028) Alloy Front Shock Tower -1pc (BU)/(51075) GPM (#DF2030) Alloy Rear Shock Tower -1PC (BU)/(51075)
These hubs
*Yeah Racing (#DF005) Alloy Bearing C-Hub For DF-02/(51076)
*Yeah Racing (#DF007B) Alloy Rear Knuckle For DF-02/(51076)
or
GPM (#DF2019) Alloy Front C-hub -1PR (BU)/(51076)
GPM (#DF2022) Alloy Rear Knuckle Arm -1pr (BU)/(51076)
They're almost the same price but which one is better quality ang fits perfectly? I dont like making the Front steering knuckles alloy coz they should give in a crash same with the allou suspension arms they're easily tweaked.
The tamiya swingshaft is cheaper than the gpm. Hmm...?
Tamiya (#53791) Assembly Universal Shaft For DF-02
GPM (#TDF2264C) *** Swing Shaft (64MM CVD) For DF02

I think I'll get this also
GPM (#DF2126) Alloy Battery Holder -1pc (BU)
GPM (#DF2048) Alloy Steering Assembly -3pcs Set (BU)
GPM (#DF2010) Alloy Drive Adaptor -4pcs Set (BU)/(51076)

[rczmjls]

Has anyone had this problem?
The rear wheel joints rubbing against the lower arm?

I have installed the GPM Rear lower arms & the GPM Rear Knuckle arms.

After rising the suspension with motherboard stand-offs, mini did the same with the standard lower arms. I dremeled the cup joints a little.

Br.
MS

[XSFalcon]

thanks rcmjls. I'll hit the hardware store for a small table vice & do some dremel action tonight.

[kampat]

Hi there,

I just received my GPM front, rear arms, front c hubs and knuckles WITHOUT any instructions. The connecting parts are not the same as those in the standard kit. It is reasonably intuitive how to assemble the parts?

Thanks

[MattRX]

Hi All

I have decided to move into nitro on road due to the lack of decent tracks around me.

If anyone is interested I have put my brushless powered Gravel Hound up on ebay. The auction ends on wedsesday.

Do a search for DF-02 and you can't miss it.

Thanks to all who have helped me here in the past.

Happy Jumping

Matt

[XSFalcon]

I see 1 - Blue Gravel Hound ending on Sunday March 5.

Kampat - No instructions with any GPM, Yeah Racing and 3Racing. Its just more fun that way!

[MattRX]

Hmm, should have mentioned it is Aus. Will post if anyone is keen.

Try item no 6038596522.

Enjoy

Matt

[bakabaka]

Hi raytracer,

I'm not Japanese, although my wife is. As for the parts, most people have found the GPM parts to be more durable than the Yeah Racing parts. The Tamiya universals require extra parts to be used, which brings their total price higher than the GPM parts. There's an overview of the various universal shafts available for the DF-02 in this article:

http://xyzzy.dyn.dhs.org/df02/index.php?action=artikel&cat=2&id=30&artlang=en

If you get the GPM shafts, I'd be interested in how well they work for you. FWIW, I'm also considering getting the RC Square center driveshaft, since it comes as a set with replacement cup joints for the center driveshaft.

Have fun! :)

[bakabaka]

Hi vmaxcruzer,

Yup, the CVDs help with the wobble. They especially help with the front wheels when turning.The Tamiya aluminum steering arms come with a set of bearings, and the Yeah Racing set seems to require you purchase the bearings. I haven't heard back from Yeah Racing yet as to which bearings it takes, although it looks like they're about 9mm assuming the center hole is about 3mm. RC Square also has a set, although I haven't actually seen them yet.

Have fun! :)

[bakabaka]

Hi kampat,

If you want to document the process of installing the GPM parts, we could certainly put the instructions in the FAQ. I've been considering going over the Yeah Racing parts I installed and writing a set of instructions for them as well. All things in time I suppose.

Have fun! :)

[raytracer]

Tnx bakabaka. I'll check it out.

[raytracer]

What haven't I done? :) So far, I have the Tamiya aluminum dampers; Tamiya hop-up turnbuckle set; Tamiya Aluminum driveshaft; Tamiya 67t spur gear; Every Yeah Racing DF-02 hop-up, in one package off ebay; Tobee universals on all 4 wheels; Tobee outdrives; HPI wheels; Pro-Line Dirt Hawg tires; Novak Super Sport brushless system; Futaba 2PL radio; a Futaba metal gear servo; and I purchased two Rising Storm shells to try my hand at painting. Quite a bit really, and I've replaced a few hop-ups that I didn't mention, but it's been hopped up over quite some time.

Have fun! :)

I see you bought the $65 set from yeah. Did you use the alloy suspenstion arms? With everything alloy did you see any tweaking in the metal? I think the yeah is anodized like the tamiya blue. GPM is darker from the pics so I might go with the yeah.

[vmaxcruzer]

Bakabaka,
You like any particular brand of CVD's?
Q's. Why would a guy want to toe in or out the rear tires? I see this set-up and don't understand the gain. Also, I noticed that my servo saver pop's when I turn on the carpet (even short carpet) while stopped and steering falls way short of full travel, but it turns lock to lock on the move. Seems that the car is too heavy for the steering servo, even at full batt charge? Anyone else have this problem?
Has anyone found a way to hide the antenna without effecting range? Hate bending the tubes!!
Finally got it painted and will post pic's soon. L8r VMX

[paulicat]

Toe in on rear wheels helps with stability at high speeds.
I personally don't run with toe in, but a lot of people do.

[kampat]

Hi there,

On the GPM rear lower arms, where do the 2 small metal tubes fit?
Also are you supposed to put those small white plastic tubes anywhere or are they spare. They seem too big to put in the holes in the arms anyway, is there a special technique to this?

Thanks
Kampat

[viper7016]

Hey everyone:

The Yeah Racing steering set uses 3x8x3 bearings, although the metal is so weak that I have already broken my front tower, stripped out 3 holes in the rear tower and the screws that come with the set aren't long enough. I also noticed limited steering movement and switched back to the stock piece and all the problems were corrected.

[XSFalcon]

bakabaka - Where did you order your Tobee universals from? Don't see them on RcMart.

Skip the drive adaptors (DF2010). I ordered a set and only 1 out of the 4 actually worked, the rest the small screw stripped out.

?? Did anyone install the front & rear differential joints(DF2041) & wheel joints(DF2039) along with the dogbones(DF2264D)?

[vmaxcruzer]

Not sure if this has been circulated yet but not bad on the info.
http://tinyurl.com/ejc2y

[vmaxcruzer]

Could I cut my antenna tube down by half and wrap the exposed wire around the outside of the tube without hindering the range? I hate how tall it stands.VMX

[raytracer]

Hey everyone:

The Yeah Racing steering set uses 3x8x3 bearings, although the metal is so weak that I have already broken my front tower, stripped out 3 holes in the rear tower and the screws that come with the set aren't long enough. I also noticed limited steering movement and switched back to the stock piece and all the problems were corrected.

So you dont suggest yeah parts. GPM better?

[raytracer]

I emailed rcmart if they delivered door to door they haven't replied. :(
Is the EMS(4-5days) shipping door to door?

[szan]

bakabaka - Where did you order your Tobee universals from? Don't see them on RcMart.
Hi XSFalcon,

Tobee Craft (Square too) goodies can be found on Jason's store Ebay, but they're on holidays until March 4th.
I use theses universals too, they're not bad at all !

Bye

[heynow]

Has anyone else had this issue :
I was installing the Tamiya Steering set (I bought the Tamiya steering link also). when I was installing the steering arms, the screw that you use needs a hex key (supplied) and it was tough screwing them in. In fact half way though, the hex grove on the top of the screw slowly got chewed and I ended up taking them back out (with a plier!) and will now replace them with standard phillips 3 x 18mm.

anyway take this as a potenial warning. I assumed they used Hex screws as these steering arms need to be held in place really well and they don't want the plastic thread on the body to deteriorate?

Thanks,
Kamal


I also purchased the Tamiya steering set and last night I had the same issue with the head of the hex screw becoming chewed out. I took my time but as the screw became tighter the screw head became rounded out. The screw still had some ways to go before it was seated properly.

Now what should I do??? Any advice on a replacement screw (size) and pics of your solution? Sorry I'm always asking questions but I'm a little frustrated.

Kampat, what did you finally do to solve your problem?

[XSFalcon]

Raytracer - there are 2 shipping options from rcmart, standard & expedited. I live in Woodbridge, Ontario and use the standard shipping to save on the costs. From order entry to receving the order, it usually takes about 10 business days. My friend asked me to order all the alloy hop-ups from RCMart so I'll be doing that shortly for him.

[kampat]

Hi there Heynow,

I ended up using a plier to unscrew the screws, it took a long time. Then i went to the local tamiya store and got some 3*20mm philips screws (they didn't have 3*18). they are a bit longer but they fit. Be careful taking out the original chewed up screws, I accidently scraped the steering set with the pliers, didn't do any functional damage, but the small scratches are annoying to look at.

[mo679]

Not sure if this has been circulated yet but not bad on the info.
http://tinyurl.com/ejc2y

Cool link, many good infos!

Yesterday night I went bashing, threw 3 pack on a very rough terrain full of stones, and I broke the rear left knuckle! looks like since I'm running the tamiya super stock tz my chassis got weaker :eek: and dogbones are twisting a bit! I already replaced the front right knuckle with yeah racing alloy and just ordered the rear set, is the alloy more durable then plastic or should I expect it to break as easily?

[mo679]

By the way
I just wanted to point out how important rebuilding shocks is: I did not rebuild and refilled with oil since a month, and lately I've been disappointed with the work of the stock shocks, after disassembling them I realized they were not completely full with oil anymore so not efficient damping :mad:, after changing O-ring, refilling with oil I definetly saw an improvement on handling. I also Checked the lenght with a caliper: 95 mm total lenght, I thought they were 100mm long, is there something wrong?

Thanks all :)

[kampat]

Hi Mo679,

how is the superstock TZ?, I have got one but haven't installed it yet. I am waiting to burn out the standard motor that comes with the kit. what gearing are you using?, I got a 67spur gear with 19T, 20T and 21T pinions.

Is the car still easy to control?

Thanks,
Kampat

[raytracer]

Raytracer - there are 2 shipping options from rcmart, standard & expedited. I live in Woodbridge, Ontario and use the standard shipping to save on the costs. From order entry to receving the order, it usually takes about 10 business days. My friend asked me to order all the alloy hop-ups from RCMart so I'll be doing that shortly for him.

I see. Thanks. They finally got back to me and said EMS is door to door. Which hopups are better to get, yeah or gpm?

[raytracer]

Hi Mo679,

how is the superstock TZ?, I have got one but haven't installed it yet. I am waiting to burn out the standard motor that comes with the kit. what gearing are you using?, I got a 67spur gear with 19T, 20T and 21T pinions.

Is the car still easy to control?

Thanks,
Kampat

Mabuchi motors are almost indestructible, you'll never wear out one completely. :D
The 23turns like TZ,RZ,RR are almost as fast as 19turns. Only thing is they have bushings so oil them sometimes. RPM is around 27000, so I think 67/19 would be best if you gear up you loose torque.

[viper7016]

Hey guys:

My Rising Storm is up for grabs: http://forums.radiocontrolzone.com/showthread.php?t=215137

[XSFalcon]

Raytracer - Refresh my memory - gear up is to use a larger pinion?

Not sure on the hop-ups. I'll have to look at mine tonight. The only difference could be the shade of blue between GPM & Yeah. I'll have to check my order account @ RcMart, but I think I may have order Yeah bearing hubs & GPM Knuckles and noticed a different shade of blue. But, I could be wrong.

[mo679]

Hi Mo679,

how is the superstock TZ?, I have got one but haven't installed it yet. I am waiting to burn out the standard motor that comes with the kit. what gearing are you using?, I got a 67spur gear with 19T, 20T and 21T pinions.

Is the car still easy to control?

Thanks,
Kampat

Hi Kampat
I have the Rz but I think the Tz is very similar, just a little bit more torquey. I like it a lot, much better than the Venom fireball 19T I have, it works well with the stock esc and the car is fast, nothing compareable to brushless, but still easy to control. I would go for 19t pinion 67T spur for off-road/grass and 20t/67T for smooth off-road and pavement. More will overheat both esc and motor!

Have fun :)

[raytracer]

XSFalcon
gear up is adding more teeth. I'm using a Tamiya type-s now and use 19/70 for offroading. I only use 20,21 when I run on asphalt and relatively flat terrain or I loos torque and the car is too sluggish.
I think the yeah parts are closer to tamiya anodized blue. But I'm already reading people that yeah parts easily break compared to gpm.

[XSFalcon]

RayTracer - the only Yeah part I have is the bearing hub so we'll see what happens. This is considering that this car makes it to a track in the GTA. Usually just tear up the pavement.
I changed to the 67T Spur and will try getting that 19T pinion off the stock(they must have superman screw those in). When I hit the pavement next week, we'll see how the 20 or 21 pinion runs.

I purchased a Tazer 15T ESC last week at the local hobby shop. The off/on switch is tiny compared to the stock esc. Setup was trial and error but didn't take too long.

I'll be looking for a 17T or 19T motor.

[kampat]

Hi there,

On the GPM rear lower arms, where do the 2 small metal tubes fit?
Also are you supposed to put those small white plastic tubes anywhere or are they spare. They seem too big to put in the holes in the arms anyway, is there a special technique to this?

Thanks
Kampat

[XSFalcon]

hmm. I think I have extra small metal tubes. 2 came with the lower arms & I think 2 came with the shocks or shock towers.

[anotherBryant]

I picked up a few GPM parts from rcmart a couple weeks ago. I had the day off so this morning I put the parts on my rising storm. The wheel joint on the rear right wheel bent within 10 minutes of running this afternoon. The joint snapped in half when we tried a piece of brass tube that was in my box to bend it back. BRASS TUBE!! Needless to say I'm not to happy with the strength of those parts and probably wont order them again. I put the stock joint back on the rear for now and will probably just keep that until they break. I also picked up the GPM dogbones. They seem fine so far but I will keep posted if they warp abnormally fast. I may end up with the Tamiya universals or something next.

The GPM front C Hubs are nice and seem very strong. I replaced yeah ones with those. I used the Tamiya king pins from rcmart with it and they work great. There is a little space for wobble caused by the aluminum top being a little longer than the GPM part, but it tightens great and allows for smooth turning.

I also had the yeah front/rear shock towers, those snapped pretty quickly also. The plastic kit towers are serving their purpose well there too! Next on deck I will probably order the Square carbon fiber towers. I just cant stand the shiny plastic that Tamiya uses.

This is my first post on this forum. I like how there is such a large DF-02 community here!

[anotherBryant]

I purchased a Tazer 15T ESC last week at the local hobby shop. The off/on switch is tiny compared to the stock esc. Setup was trial and error but didn't take too long.

I'll be looking for a 17T or 19T motor.

I have the same ESC running a 17T Trinity SpeedGem Amber and 19T Reedy Quad Mag in another vehicle and it is a very good ESC for the money. I can't say it is as good as a really nice Novak or such, but for $29.99 it is excellent. I think you will be very happy with that ESC and a motor of that turn. You could easily use the Tamiya on/off switch that came with the buggy and that ESC also.

[XSFalcon]

anotherBryant - Where do u live? $29.99? I purchased mine in the GTA for $39.99. I haven't soldered in about 15years, so I am a little apprehensive to butcher my $40 purchase. I'll have to start tinkering so I can upgrade to 'dean' connectors.

[raytracer]

I picked up a few GPM parts from rcmart a couple weeks ago. I had the day off so this morning I put the parts on my rising storm. The wheel joint on the rear right wheel bent within 10 minutes of running this afternoon. The joint snapped in half when we tried a piece of brass tube that was in my box to bend it back. BRASS TUBE!! Needless to say I'm not to happy with the strength of those parts and probably wont order them again. I put the stock joint back on the rear for now and will probably just keep that until they break. I also picked up the GPM dogbones. They seem fine so far but I will keep posted if they warp abnormally fast. I may end up with the Tamiya universals or something next.

The GPM front C Hubs are nice and seem very strong. I replaced yeah ones with those. I used the Tamiya king pins from rcmart with it and they work great. There is a little space for wobble caused by the aluminum top being a little longer than the GPM part, but it tightens great and allows for smooth turning.

I also had the yeah front/rear shock towers, those snapped pretty quickly also. The plastic kit towers are serving their purpose well there too! Next on deck I will probably order the Square carbon fiber towers. I just cant stand the shiny plastic that Tamiya uses.

This is my first post on this forum. I like how there is such a large DF-02 community here!

Thanks for the info. I think I'll have a hard time picking which parts to get from both gpm and yeah. But so far gpm shocktower,c-hubs,rear hubs seems to be good for the money. For the shocks I'm going for tamiya brand coz they have it in my lhs and only $35. Only thing is that they're not threaded like the gpm shocks.

[raytracer]

This is my df02 with basic hop ups. Hopefully I'll spend tons of money pimping it. :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v678/geoattack/gravelhound02B.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v678/geoattack/gravelhound01B.jpg

[anotherBryant]

anotherBryant - Where do u live? $29.99? I purchased mine in the GTA for $39.99. I haven't soldered in about 15years, so I am a little apprehensive to butcher my $40 purchase. I'll have to start tinkering so I can upgrade to 'dean' connectors.

I picked it up at one of my LHS's in the Overland Park, KS area. I did notice though that the place I go to most often had it marked for $39.99. The day I bought mine this place just got them in stock. I noticed them sitting on the counter and said I will give you $29.99 for the tazer 15t, the same price they had the older tazer 19t limit esc for. They went for it, but I may have gotten lucky. But at $39.99 it is still a great deal IMHO!

[anotherBryant]

Thanks for the info. I think I'll have a hard time picking which parts to get from both gpm and yeah. But so far gpm shocktower,c-hubs,rear hubs seems to be good for the money. For the shocks I'm going for tamiya brand coz they have it in my lhs and only $35. Only thing is that they're not threaded like the gpm shocks.

I would stick with one brand in a general area. There is a big difference in shade (if you go blue) between the Yeah and GPM stuff. The Tamiya king pins and GPM C hubs don't match exactly but look good enough for my tastes. In my opinion the best hopup I have done to this buggy is the Tamiya turnbuckle set. It allows for so much more fine tuning.

I'm using the Duratrax Evader ST shocks. They are great but I have snapped the plastic ball-ends several times on them. The Tamiya shocks should be pretty good though.

[bakabaka]

Hi anotherBryant!

I picked one up for $29.95 that's sitting in one of my TB-02s now, the other one actually has the Tazer 19t. I had a Novak XPS in there but I put it in a Mini-T since it was so small. Cheaper than any of the mini ESCs at the LHS anyway. The Tazer 15t seems to be the replacement for the 19t, the servo voltage is a bit lower but I haven't noticed much difference otherwise. Great ESC for just under $30.

Have fun! :)

[bakabaka]

Hi raytracer,

The GPM parts seem sturdier than the Yeah parts. The Square parts are tougher than either but more expensive, and their rear tower is only a brace. Nice job with the body BTW, it really looks nice.

Have fun! :)

[heynow]

Some updates if anyone is interested:

The screw head that got chewed when I was installing the Tamiya steering set I replaced with 2 screws that I no longer needed when I installed the Tamiya turnbuckle set. They were the 3x20 or 3x22 philips head that came with the kit. They seemed a little big but worked fine...so far....but then again I haven't driven the car yet!

I also installed the Tamiya alum. prop. shaft. Some stated they had a problem with it fitting and others stated they didn't. Since I didn't run the car yet (snow and ice) I can't comment....but when I push the car on the floor it is much smoother going forward then when I push it backwards. It actually has an odd sound going backwards too. Time will tell and I will post my results. If it is a problem I could always replace with the plastic shaft that came with the kit.

All in all this car has been fun running and working on it.

[vmaxcruzer]

Its been three weeks since I put my RS together and the wing is splitting on both sides by the screws. Must be happening in my RC bag. CRAP! I'm going to find a way to make it quick disconnect with pins. Anyone have this problem bashing? VMX

[szan]

Hi,

Here are some update photos of mine...

The chassis with some hopups and brushless ss5800

[szan]

Here are hpi wheels and evil twin tires from pro-line tires and my RS body !

[szan]

Here are hpi chrome wheels and dirt hawg tires from pro-line tires !

[szan]

And my news painted GH body from Jason's store !

[szan]

The last one, bye...

[nitro_n00b]

where did you get those graphite shock towers from?

[anotherBryant]

Those can be purchased on ebay from Jason's Store. Search for user jr-rc and you will find his store. He should be open again tomorrow, his store has been closed for holiday the past month.

[fsh_62]

Some pics of my GH with HopUps installed. GPM Dampers....

[fsh_62]

Yeah Racing Lower Arms and Uprights....

[fsh_62]

Tamiya Turn Buckles....

[fsh_62]

Yeah Racing Shock Towers, GPM CVD Shafts....

[fsh_62]

Still have silver can motor...undecided which motor to try

[fsh_62]

Turn buckles, and Tamiya steering set made major improvement in handling

[fsh_62]

Also very happy with all the extra ground clearance...I would like to take the chance to thank everyone for such a great forum, by reading all the posts is how I made my decisions on purchases. Thanks again.

[Maxxcrazy]

This is my df02 with basic hop ups. Hopefully I'll spend tons of money pimping it. :D
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v678/geoattack/gravelhound01B.jpg

Where did you get the TRF decal that is on the wing?

[raytracer]

Nice new pics of rc's. I see you guys purchased the $65 yeah alum set. I dont suggest using all alum for the suspension. If you hit something hard you wouldn't know that there's a tweak. If the arms were plastic they would give which is good. I'd use the c-hub,steering knuckles, rear hubs in alum. The gpm blue looks different than tamiya blue. :(

Maxxcrazy - Its at my lhs. They're the distro for tamiya stuff.

[szan]

Nice new pics of rc's. I see you guys purchased the $65 yeah alum set.

Hi,

I tried the shock towers from Yeah in front and rear and they broke all the time, so I came back on carbon square one, which really have a better durability.
Goodbye the blue tuning :)

Bye

[bakabaka]

Hi szan!

Based on my experience, I've found that the Square RC and Tamiya parts are generally much better than the Yeah Racing and GPM hop-ups. They're finished slightly better than the Tobee parts as well, but the Tobee parts are good quality and unlikely to break.

Have fun! :)

[bakabaka]

FWIW, It's official, and not just from a Japanese trade magazine: The Dark Impact's chassis will be called the DF-03, as per their website:

http://tamiya.com/japan/news/news0604/news1.htm

It'll have a ball diff in a "compact" gear box, full bearings, and a variety of suspension settings (obvious from the previous pictures.) The blurb doesn't mention a slipper clutch, but based on the way the gearbox is placed in the rear one could most likely be added.

Have fun! :)

[vmaxcruzer]

Has anyone played with changing the number of holes in the piston inside the shock's? Book reads two.VMX

[raytracer]

Hi,

I tried the shock towers from Yeah in front and rear and they broke all the time, so I came back on carbon square one, which really have a better durability.
Goodbye the blue tuning :)

Bye

Jason's store is still closed on ebay. Its the only place to get that CF shocktower.
I heard some people are having probs with rcmart since january. Orders not being sent. Anyone ordered from them recently?

[anotherBryant]

His store appears to be open now. I want to grab the rear carbon shock tower support brace, but he doesn’t appear to have any. :( He doesn’t have any of the carbon front shock towers left either FWIW, only the steering stiffener and a rear skid plate.

[fsh_62]

Jason's store is still closed on ebay. Its the only place to get that CF shocktower.
I heard some people are having probs with rcmart since january. Orders not being sent. Anyone ordered from them recently?
I ordered from RCMart on Jan. 31st. They didn't ship until Feb. 13. Got my stuff on Feb. 18.

[szan]

Jason's store is still closed on ebay. Its the only place to get that CF shocktower.
I heard some people are having probs with rcmart since january. Orders not being sent. Anyone ordered from them recently?

Hi,

I've ordered recently, no prob with them ! They kept me informed of any step in the order process.

Bye

[szan]

His store appears to be open now. I want to grab the rear carbon shock tower support brace, but he doesn’t appear to have any. :( He doesn’t have any of the carbon front shock towers left either FWIW, only the steering stiffener and a rear skid plate.

Yes, many people must have ordered as the re-open, just wait a few days for they restock the items...

Bye

[strong22]

I recently ordered another batch of Yeah and GPM replacement parts from them and they shipped them out pretty quickly.
The first order back in December also went rather smoothly - I got the parts in Israel within a week or so.
Unfortunately, they're much slower answering your emails and their customer service rep called Joey can be a bit rude at times, maybe it's a lang barrier issue.

[raytracer]

Tnx for the info guys, I thought rcmart was still having their post holiday thingy.
strong22 - did you say another batch of yeah and gpm parts? Which ones broke already?

[kampat]

you can get rc-square parts from rc-champ.co.jp. I just got the center shaft set STG-22s, front damper stay stg-3 and rear damper support stg-4 from them. It took 3 days! from Japan to N.Z. and they stock all kinds of stuff.

I also ordered some stuff from rc-mart and after 8 days, they still hadn't shipped, I called them up (number on website) and they shipped it within 1 hour of my call!!, so if you have any issues, call them and they will post it straight away.

Thanks,
kampat.

[kampat]

Hi all,

I just got the rc square center shaft set and front shock stay and rear shock brace (not a replacment but addition to the standard rear shock tower).

I was initally having problems with the length of 2 center shafts (a Tamiya TT-01 and the Hot Racing). They were ever so slightly longer (point between the two metal pins) than the plastic standard kit one but it was enough. However the new RC-Square set replaces not only the shaft but also the two cup joints and it fits absolutely perfectly!!!

So for any of you out there with that issue, the RC sqaure STG-22S is perfect (for me anyway)

Hopefully I will finish my car this week and post some pics.

Kampat

[bakabaka]

Hi Kampat,

Great to hear that the Square driveshaft part fixes the issue, hope to see the pics soon. Incidentally, does the Square driveshaft seem shorter than the Tamiya and Hot Racing shafts, or is it just the cup joints that appear to be different?

Have fun! :)

[kampat]

Hi Bakakbaka

It's definitely the shaft that is different, the space between the two pins is shorter
than that of the alum tamiya and hot racing, but pretty much the same as the plastic standard shaft. The cup joint parts look and feel great though. The shaft weight seems to be the same.

[bakabaka]

Hi kampat,

Thanks, I guess that means I should recommend the Square RC driveshaft instead of the Tamiya. ;)

Have fun! :)

[szan]

Hi,

Look at what happened yesterday to three universal shafts on the four I use for a few months. They broke at the limit of the hex hub and 3 in one day, it's incredible ! And no big shock or hard crash when that happened.

I thought they were strong, but now I can say, they're weak, I don't recommend Tobbe craft any more !

Have you experienced such a damage with Square ones, they are much expensive so... I'm back to stock shafts for the moment !

Bye

[bakabaka]

Hi szan!

Wow, never a dull moment here. I haven't had my Tobee universals break yet, but if yours broke after just a few months that's not good. How much are you tightening down the wheel nuts?

They do sell the Tobee universal's various parts separately BTW, so you wouldn't need to buy the whole shaft set if you wanted to keep using them. The part you've broken, the universal shaft wheel axle, is DF02-03 in Tobee's part numbers.

Have fun! :)

[szan]

Hi bakabaka,

I tight the nuts quit a lot, if not the wheels go out during a pack :)
and a retight between each pack of course !
Thanks for the parts tips but I think, I'll try Square soon.

Bye

[Combatcm]

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/combatcm/posuer.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/combatcm/DFarty.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/combatcm/art3.jpg

Finally I got mine done.

The alternate shock placement works really well. In the rear I actually get full down travel and full up travel. In the front I had to cut off the outer shock mounting hole on the front shock tower to get better up travel. In the front I get a lot better down travel and a little better up travel.

I don't know if articulation is good for a buggy, but it sure has enough of it.

[bakabaka]

Hi combatcm!

That's pretty impressive. I doubt that articulation is all that useful on a track, but if it sits high enough, handles well and doesn't bind too much then it can't hurt to have it. So, how long until you release the Houndzilla kit? ;) Just add some larger wheels and a small pinion...

Have fun! :)

[Combatcm]

Haha, I was thinking of getting axle wideners and running ST wheels. It's a good excuse to get my 16T pinion out.

I was running it outside on the grass and on top of the snow and it felt like it was on rails. The steering is so precise and smooth, the turning circle is really tight.

I did the same mod to my baja king to race. I ultimately ditched the baja king for the DF-02 because the TL01B's inner camber mounts were the weak point. And when they broke it was time for a new chassis.

Does anyone know if the gpm steering uses 4x8mm bearings?

[anotherBryant]

Hi,

Look at what happened yesterday to three universal shafts on the four I use for a few months. They broke at the limit of the hex hub and 3 in one day, it's incredible ! And no big shock or hard crash when that happened.

I thought they were strong, but now I can say, they're weak, I don't recommend Tobbe craft any more !

Have you experienced such a damage with Square ones, they are much expensive so... I'm back to stock shafts for the moment !

Bye

Ouch! I was considering those too. That is the exact break that happened to the GPM parts I decided to try on my first run!

[szan]

Ouch! I was considering those too. That is the exact break that happened to the GPM parts I decided to try on my first run!

I thought GPM was stronger because of titanium :(

[anotherBryant]

Well, it was a gorgeous day yesterday. A buddy of mine and I gutted a wal-mart boat and put the stock 540 and Tamiya ESC in it. She went pretty fast. Needless to say it eventually sunk...Great!

His truck was out of commission, and I only brought my buggy. We decided we had a few rounds of batteries to run it on. I gave him control first. It wasn’t ten seconds and something glitches, the buggy took off forward at full force. We were in a huge empty parking lot at a community college, and sure enough the buggy figures out a way to ram into one of the few light poles in the parking lot. Of course these poles had the huge cement cylinders on the bottom of them. The end result could have been worse, but will require a new frame.

http://www.bryantmiller.net/Forum_Photos/RC_Zone/Bottom1.jpg
http://www.bryantmiller.net/Forum_Photos/RC_Zone/Bottom2.jpg
http://www.bryantmiller.net/Forum_Photos/RC_Zone/Top1.jpg

[szan]

Bad crash ! a lot of damages :eek:
A chance that df02 chassis is only 8$ on Jason's !

[anotherBryant]

I thought GPM was stronger because of titanium :(

Well they certainly do look nice, but their made of aluminum. I can't tell anybody to buy those over even the stock parts anymore.

The broken one (which is bent so bad I will have to drill it out) next to an unroken GPM wheel joint.

http://www.bryantmiller.net/Forum_Photos/RC_Zone/GPM_WheelJoint_Broken.jpg

[anotherBryant]

Bad crash ! a lot of damages :eek:
A chance that df02 chassis is only 8$ on Jason's !

Thankfully the chassis is cheap. I ended up getting it directly from Tamiya though, as I also needed part 51082. It's that little aluminum u shaft up on the front that holds the lower arms in. I should have taken it out when I was taking pictures, that thing bent up REALLY bad! As for the front bumper, well you don’t even want to see it.

[szan]

Ok, I was confusing with GPM Titanium Swing Shaft 64mm CVD, do someone know about their durability ?

[anotherBryant]

Ok, I was confusing with GPM Titanium Swing Shaft 64mm CVD, do someone know about their durability ?

Oh yeah, my fault to saying the exact same break. I didn’t realize that GPM was making the titanium universals. With the aluminum parts not working for me I was going to go with Tobee. I just think that the blue Square Universals would be too much blue. I just ordered the GPM Titanium Universals. I probably wont get them on for a couple weeks, but will let you know how they are when I do.

[strong22]

I bought a whole bunch of Yeah upgrade parts for the RS I bought on eBay, which came with several GPM items in the first place. I ended up with an nearly all alloy car
On the very first trial run, the Yeah main shaft's forward head completely screwed itself out and then broke off, taking with it the large forward large bevel, which warped and had to be straightened back into its former shape using a flat nose pliers.
(side note, this large bevel, of which the car has two, is a hard to find item and apparently only one UK eBay shop stocks it and for a hefty price tag so LOOK AFTER IT)
I appealed to both Yeah & Dinball for a return & replacement on the main shaft, which they finally approved after TWO MONTHS...yep that's two months to answer an email regarding a 7$ item... However, the item was then shipped out rapidly enough. At that time, I wasn't aware that Tamiya had a similar main shaft, otherwise I would have bought that part instead of the Chinese copy.
On another trial run, the left horn of the Yeah front shock tower was warped backwards by a mild rollover, although I was again able to repair the damage using my trusty flat-nose pliers. The alloy sure looks thick and solid but I think it's actually somewhat weaker than the original plastic part.

The extenders on the Yeah lower rear arms, front tower and rear shock tower are additional weak spots and will warp or break off almost immediatelly. I recommend replacing all of them as best you can with long screws and much shorter metal / plastic spacers taken from the spares box. Better yet, switch to GPM lower rear arms. On the other hand, GPM shock towers have fewer holes resulting in fewer mounting options... Another thing I dislike about the Yeah lower arms (both front and rear) are the small white plastic tubes. They kept coming off the U-shaped holders, resulting in vibration, wobble and handling problems so I superglued them.

Same goes for the steel shaft/3mm e-ring combos that are used on the Yeah wheel hubs. The e-rings are very delicate and can easily break off or even get lost during assemly / maintenance. I lost a whole bunch of them both ways. Yeah doesn't include any spares so take care of them. Tamiya replacements are expensive and not easy to come by.
I recommend that you loctite / super glue at least the front e-rings or better yet, replace this combo entirely with similar shafts that can be screwed off - the shaft of the stock Tamiya plastic shocks (disused in many cases after replacement with upgraded alloy Tamiya, GPM or Duratrax shocks) is perfect for this purpose - you only need a 3mm nut. I'll upload photos that depict this nice workaround later this week.

The DF-02 chassis front is somewhat weak, especially in the lower joints (that hold the lower front arms), which are liable to break or warp even after mild collisions or rollovers, as others have witnessed. This is because the bumper is too short and too small, resulting in partial frontal protection for this part of the car including chassis, joints, outer arms and wheels at extreme impact angles. I recommend superglueing the lower joints BEFORE this happns and don't worry about the the reaction between glue and the plastic since this is actually a sign for a good bond. Also always use the U shaped holder rather than the original black still screws since it holds the arms together during impact and prevents seperation, which can easily lead to the loss of diff-end cup joints and even dogbones (unless you're using universals), which can be an expensive ordeal.

Generally speaking, original Tamiya parts are superior to Chinese copies like GPM, Hot Racing or Yeah, which suffer from inferior design, materials, manuals and especially QA. Coupled with lacking customer service, the experience can be a disappointing and frustrating one. On the other hand, Chinese copies are usually cheaper and therefore provide a better value for money for novices like myself. you can even get bargains like the GPM alloy shocks, which in my humble opinion are better than the much more expensive Tamiya ones. However, this is a rare example.

This is true for Chinese products in many industries, not only the RC one of course. TVs, radios, computer, power tools, mp3 players, cell phones etc made in China will break down much quicker than those made in Europe, Japan or the US because of the reasons mentioned above.

[bakabaka]

Hi strong22,

I've come to a similar conclusion about the quality of GPM and Yeah Racing parts at the moment, although I'm sure they'll improve over time. I've been giving Yeah Racing feedback as I hear about flaws in each item, and have been promised a redesign in at least the rear suspension arms. I think the GPM CVDs might be a good part based on what I've seen, but it's difficult to tell without trying them or hearing about others' experience. The best parts IMO come from Tamiya and RC Square.

As for the bevel gears which sit on either side of the driveshaft, I know that Tamiya USA stocks them for a reasonable price. I bought two when I last purchased directly from them, since I noticed the gears were starting to wear down. I believe they were US $2 apiece, which isn't too bad considering how long they lasted. If you're talking about the gear diff itself, well, that's a bit more.

FWIW, the e-clips (Tamiya calls them e-rings) aren't that hard to find. Tamiya part number 50380 will get you several of various sizes including 3mm for US $1.70 at Tower Hobbies, and other RC manufacturers also produce 3mm e-clips that you can use. Tamiya's seem to be stronger than the ones that Yeah Racing includes, as Yeah's seem to have a tendency of snapping.

Have fun! :)

[kampat]

In my last shipment from rcmart, i got the df02 chassis but it was rubbish. When I put the diffs in then put the casing on, the diff didnt move freely, ie the chassis had some imperfections there. That's not all. The metal shafts that come with the front and rear GPM arms didn't fit either!, but they did on my original chassis. You can still use the U bars from the standard kit. This was the Tamiya original replacement chassis!, so much for consistency in the moldings!

Anyone else had any issues?

[JDT]

I had an excellent day bashing my RS today, but I broke the frame where the left front arm attaches, sheared it off, the u clip actually held everything up tight and I ran it back to me with a broken frame clicking all the way, I thought I had destroyed the diff or something but it was just the broken frame piece rubbing on the outdrive cup, I ordered another RS kit today as I want the spares anyway, frames are getting harder to find, only TamiyaUSA showed then in stock, tower, horizon everyone else has discontinued this frame, I am hoping TamiyaUSA will reorder them and get them back to vendors like tower as three out of four LHS deal with tower and Horizon both. No LHS deal with Tamiya anymore, associated or losi buggies rule the midwest nowadays. I need to make a Dinball order anyway so I will get some more frames then just to ensure I always have one.

[kampat]

Hi there,

Is anyone using the standard U shape shaft for holding GPM or yeah racing lower front/rear arms to the chassis rather than the parts provided? I believe using the u shape shaft will hold the arms better. Does anyone share this?

thanks,
Kampat

[bakabaka]

Hi Kampat,

I've been using the standard U shape shaft right along, I don't see any reason to change it at the moment since it braces against the bumpers to keep the arms in pretty well. I'd rather replace a cheap bent shaft than a suspension arm or the chassis any day. Actually, I didn't see any parts in the Yeah kit that I purchased for holding the arms to the chassis, but it might have been my mistake. I actually bent the front U shaft a while ago, but bought another one when I purchased an extra chassis and a few other parts direct from Tamiya.

FWIW, I haven't tried my extra chassis yet, but since I should have enough parts here to build a second buggy, diffs, shell and all, I might give it a whirl. Just need to get another set of screws to hold it together. If there appear to be issues with the new chassis, I'll post here about it.

Have fun! :)

[sim600]

Hi guys,

I just got a used DF-02 Gravel Hound for entering into Tamiya's Asia Cup qualifiers. Because of the rules, I'm going to have to stick with Tamiya hop-ups only.

First off, there are things I absolutely love about the buggy (the sealed drivetrain, the 6-cell inline possibility - with some dremelling) but there are also things I'm not too keen about (lack of a slipper clutch, those huge diff cups, the intergrated chassis/gearbox/hingepin holder), and some things I'm not so sure if I love or hate yet (bevel gear diffs).

I love tinkering with things and trying to make them work "better" with my own custom mods. In fact, I'm actually kind of looking forward to the whole Tamiya cup thing to be over so I can start work on the buggy. 4WD buggies are starting to look like they will make a comeback at my local track and I'm very interested in pushing the DF-02 to put up a good show next to the XXX-4's and Yokomos. I've already got enough people telling me I'm wasting my time and money trying to do this and I should get a Kyosho or a Losi instead but for me, since I love redesigning things, the time spent on this wouldn't be "wasted" at all.

What are your experiences running and racing the DF-02? Apart from bearings and shocks, what other hop-ups are important for performance? How important are ball diffs or one-ways? The reason I ask is that since I'm thinking of beefing the car up with some UJ's, I'll need to find some diff cups to fit them and it seems which diff cups I get depend on whether I am running bevel gears, ball diffs or one-ways.

What do you guys think?

[bakabaka]

Hi sim600!

I'd get two sets of the Tamiya universals and the smaller diff cups that are used with it. That'll knock out one of your initial concerns. Next, I'd get some OFNA diff lock grease and put a thin layer on your gear diffs to get some Posi traction. The TT-01 ball diff fits, but the gear diff is much more durable and you're more likely to finish races that would kill the ball diff. Others will probably have their own opinions.

Aside from that, I'd get the full set of Tamiya steering upgrades. The turnbuckles, steering arms and aluminum steering link combine to give you much more precise steering and adjustability. The aluminum hop-up dampers are useful to prevent bouncing, since the stock CVA dampers aren't very useful especially in the rear. Tamiya makes a set of springs for them, I'm using hard in the rear and medium in the front to avoid bottoming out. There might be a better way, but it works for me.

You might also want to have a look at the DF-02 FAQ. There's lots of information on hopping up/modding/mangling the DF-02 in there that you might find useful.

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

Have fun! :)

[szan]

No LHS deal with Tamiya anymore, associated or losi buggies rule the midwest nowadays. I need to make a Dinball order anyway so I will get some more frames then just to ensure I always have one.

Hi JDT

You'll find some new frames on ebay search entering "tamiya 51074" and it's cheap.
Dinball/RcMart is also a serious shop in my opinion.

Bye

[szan]

Is anyone using the standard U shape shaft for holding GPM or yeah racing lower front/rear arms to the chassis rather than the parts provided?
Hi kampat,

I use standard U-shapped with Yeah arms (front and rear) too, because Yeah doesn't provide custom shaft with their arms ! I haven't tried the GPM arms.

bye

[sim600]

hey bakabaka,

Thanks. I've already been to your site and read everything there twice! Plenty useful! I guess I was lurking a bit here before writing my first post too.

The Tamiya smaller diff cups sound great. I think I'll be getting those for sure. I've got some other plans for the universals though. I'm actually thinking of redoing the entire front suspension with parts from another car (plus maybe an extra pair of rear arms for the front). I don't really like the short stumpy stock arms and the 1 1/2 inch high C-hubs. They just look wrong to me.

Also will try and get the aluminium steering bellcranks and cross bar although those seem to cost a bomb so I might just get the bellcranks and make my own crossbar. I had a feeling the ball diffs wouldn't last too. Thanks for confirming that. I guess I'll try the diff lock grease trick. Thanks for that suggestion. But it does like maybe it's thicker than I need. Heheh.

Is there a way to keep the diff cups from sliding off the diffs (apart from having long dogbones/UJs push them back in like the stock design). Can I just stuff some threadlock or something to keep them in?

[strong22]

My experience with the Tamiya ball-diffs 53791 is a negative one. Not only is it very expensive (you need to buy two of them, one realy doesn't cut it), the actual improvement in performance and handling compared to the regular bevel type gears is marginal at best. Furthermore, the ball-diffs are difficult to adjust, wear out quickly (regardless of ball-diff grease application) and if you plan on pairing universals of any kind with them, you also need to purchase Tamiya's special ball-diff-end cup joints 53806 * 2. The ball-diffs sets themselves actually include diff-end cups that which are suitable for regular dogbones but not for universals and the other way around - the Tamiya cup joints for universals 53790 are incompatible with the ball-diff sockets. All in all, a waste of good money. BTW, I have two sets of each 53791 and 53806 for sale cheap. Bought as a spare, they are assembled and tested on a bench but never actually driven. Anyone who's interested in a bargain, let me know.

[sim600]

strong22,

Wow that sounds pretty bad. I guess I'll be sticking to the bevel gears and will experiment with all kinds of goop to put in them.

The funny thing about this buggy is I go from loving it to hating it and back again every time I look at it. :P

[bakabaka]

Hi sim600,

The OFNA diff lock grease comes in several weights, I'd probably go with 5000 or so and apply it _very_ thinly in layers until it gives you the effect you want. I suppose you could threadlock the diff cups, but I haven't really felt the need so far.

Have fun! :)

[Combatcm]

Hey, what are the bearings used the the gpm BB steering. Are they 4x8mm?

[kampat]

Hi there,

Sorry about this but after finally getting all my parts together I have started building and and hitting some barriers. Please help if you can, I would be extremely grateful!

I have the following which are causing some problems:

1. TAMIYA aluminium rear uprights.
2. GPM Front/Rear arms, GPM C Hubs and Front Knuckles

Problems:

I am using the U shape shafts to hold the arms to the chassis (for both front and rear) and not the GPM provided shafts (The GPM shafts do not go though the holes in my chassis!!)

When I tried to attach the TAMIYA rear uprights to the outer of the rear arms, the GPM provided shaft is too big for the uprights. Can I use the standard long screws that are used with the standard plastic rear arms to hold the upright? The small white plastic collars may provide some traction for the screw but will it hold?

A simpler way to ask. Has anyone out there not used the GPM provided shafts for the outer part of the arm (i.e. where the knuckles/uprights sit)?, if so what and did it work well?

Thanks so much.
Kampat

[kampat]

thanks Bakabaka, I decided to go with your advice and use the u-shape shaft.

[vmaxcruzer]

I replaced the steering turn buckles with a set of titanium rod's and RPM cups on advice from a previous post, but they were so tight on the 5mm ball that my servo wouldn't turn the tires. I even greased the ball joint and no change. I had to go back to the stock ends on the *** arms. Any ideas. Also how long has the GH and RS been out? VMX

[Combatcm]

I lost my manual, is there anyone that knows a link to one?

I need to finish my rear wing, but I can only find the angled part that screws to the chassis. Is there another piece because I don't know how the wing attaches to it.

[vmaxcruzer]

You'll have to use the Gravel hound manual...Same thing

http://tamiya.com/english/rc/manuals.htm

[Combatcm]

Thanks, they were pretty hard to find

[JDT]

I replaced the steering turn buckles with a set of titanium rod's and RPM cups on advice from a previous post, but they were so tight on the 5mm ball that my servo wouldn't turn the tires. I even greased the ball joint and no change. I had to go back to the stock ends on the *** arms. Any ideas. Also how long has the GH and RS been out? VMX

I did it with Losi ball studs as the Lundsford were $8.95 a pair, I used Lundsford Ti turnbuckles, I got them as a set of six 1.5 inch, I would however recommend getting 1.25 inch as the 1.5 are nearly all end cap, I used the RPM caps, the Lois ball studs are 4-40 thread so if you have a new kit use that tap instead of 3mm on everywhere you want a ball stud, if you have allready had the Tamiya studs in then you will just have to try and retread, this worked fine on my car for a long time but they eventually stripped on the steering arms and shock tower for the upper arms so I used what are called blind nuts, Dubro makes them, they are for plains but work well to repair stripped holes, hobby shops have been heating them up and pushing them into plastics for years, you could also try to buy ball studs that are 6-32 thread, I have seen associated brand but that may be to much material removed and make the parts weak. PM if you want more details on the blind nuts, I bash hard with a 12 turn and doing this has made the car alot tougher as the ball studs take quit a bit to come off but I have not broken a steering arm since I did this and I had went through four or five prior to this, I did it mainly for adjustability but it did make it stronger also.

[bakabaka]

Hi JDT,

Interesting, I've been pushing fluted tubes in the steering arms and various other points in the chassis for a while now. Looks like the "blind nuts" are similar, albeit threaded. I bought a set of Team XRay tubes when I cracked the stock steering arm on a track and held it together for a while with CA glue, until the aluminum steering arm set came in. Tamiya ones worked well too, although you could put a screw in the XRay version (the Tamiya ones seem to be brass).

Have fun! :)

[JDT]

I am just now getting paypal so I have not tried to retap any aluminum but I know someone who could weld in the studs if I have a problem with stripping once I upgrade to aluminum as I will be retaping to 4-40 thread to run my current setup with RPM cups. But the bling nuts do work great, my first chassis had them on both steering pivot bolts as I was constantly fidling with the steering to try and make it drive straight and to eliminate some of the play and quickly stipped the threads, just ran a small drill bit clear through the chassis put the blind nuts in the bottom and they were still fine when the chassis finally broke at the rear arm mounting point. I threw away my last chassis but now since I have another broken one I may look into trying to stand the servo up with them in the bottom of the chassis. I hate to loose the cg by standing up the servo but I think the stock setup sucks and I would be able to run a big kimbrough saver with a turn buckle to the steering. If the mock up works I will let everyone know.

[Combatcm]

Anyone have their gears wear out? Usually tamiya metal gears wear out quick.

I would rather put nylon gears in it, they would last way longer than the metal gears. Do you think the TT-01 gears would fit?

[heynow]

I would appreciate if some of you could do me a favor and check this out on your GH or RS and let me know if this happens to you.

When I slowly roll my GH forward by hand it seems to be smooth with hardly any sound. BUT, when I slowly roll it backwards there is a fairly loud clicking sound. I think it is coming from the motor but I'm not really sure. I still have the stock silver can in it. I'm not sure if this was always the way it sounded or if this is new. Unfortunately, I don't have anything to compare it with.

Thanks for your feedback and advice.

[sim600]

heynow,

take the motor out and roll again. if the clicking is still there, you might have a problem somewhere. then you will need to work out where it is by removing one part at a time. (for e.g. you can remove the front diff and roll again, etc).

[Combatcm]

Heynow, it could be the pinion, tamiya pinions have been known to wear out causeing the car to be loud rolling in reverse.

I got my old baja king body to fit on it with some cutting. I think it looks great. A more scale buggy look ready for the track.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/combatcm/buggy1.jpg

[bakabaka]

Hi Combatcm,

I bought a TT-01 a while ago purely to compare it to the DF-02. The gears all seemed identical except for the spur gears, which were smaller. The diff cups were also a bit different, they seemed stronger/heavier than the DF-02's but I already had aftermarket metal diff cups by that time.

You might want to consider getting a set of Robinson Racing metric pinions as well, they seem to be more durable than the stock pinion and are definitely stronger than Tamiya's aluminum hop-up pinions.

Have fun! :)

[sim600]

So do you guys think the plastic gears will be better than the metal gears?

[heynow]

I removed the motor and rolled the car forward and backwards....smooth as silk, no sound at all. This made me look at the spur, pinion, and motor. So I put the motor back. While I was fiddling around I noticed if I put pressure on the pinion with my finger and pressing it toward the motor the clicking stops. There is play with the shaft that the pinion attaches to (moves slightly in and out of the motor). I assume this is causing the clicking sound. I guess I will just live with it if this is normal.

[bakabaka]

The plastic gears will probably produce less noise, maybe less friction, but I like the durability of the metal gears myself. I'm not sure how well plastic would hold up to some of the things to which I've subjected my DF-02, but I could be wrong.

Have fun! :)

[thundershot]

Got a question, Is it ok for me to ask my friend to order the dfo2 parts at rcmart coz i dont have a paypal account but the shipping address will be different I want it EMS at my address. My friend says they might not ship coz the paypal address which is the verified address is different than the shipping address.

[bakabaka]

Hi thundershot,

It might be easier to make your own PayPal account, or use a credit card instead. They shouldn't ship to an alternate address if they don't want to be defrauded. Alternately, your friend could have RCMart deliver it to their place, and bring the package to you once it arrives.

Have fun! :)

[vmaxcruzer]

Any idea what weight oil comes in the GPM shock's? VMX

[kampat]

Hi there,

For anyone using the GPM C hubs and front knuckles, what kin pins are you using?, I tried both the stock and the tamiya hopup ones
and there is a gap between the kinpin and the c hub so in effect, the knuckle moves slightly up and down. Is there an obvious way around this?

Thanks,
Kampat

[anotherBryant]

Hi there,

For anyone using the GPM C hubs and front knuckles, what kin pins are you using?, I tried both the stock and the tamiya hopup ones
and there is a gap between the kinpin and the c hub so in effect, the knuckle moves slightly up and down. Is there an obvious way around this?


I'm using the Tamiya hopup king pins with my GPM C Hubs and just living with the small gap. I've been wondering what size these (http://www.rcmart.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=595_424_744_712&products_id=16535) are.

[vmaxcruzer]

I'm using the same set-up and find that I can't tighten the pins down all the way, they pinch the C hub so I backed them off a bit and used thread lock to keep them from jumping out onto the track.VMX

[raytracer]

Hi there,

For anyone using the GPM C hubs and front knuckles, what kin pins are you using?, I tried both the stock and the tamiya hopup ones
and there is a gap between the kinpin and the c hub so in effect, the knuckle moves slightly up and down. Is there an obvious way around this?

Thanks,
Kampat

Have you tried using the gpm c hubs with the stock plastic knuckles instead? Maybe the prob is with the fitting of the 2 gpm parts.



I installed pc stand offs for the shock. Half an inch at the rear and quarter of an inch on the front. What a big difference. It doesn't bottom out anymore. Now I'm looking for shocks that are these long and I dont think the tamiya allum shocks are as long as what I have now. Can anyone measure the gpm shock from end hole to end hole?
By the way I installed a one way from an old tlo1/mo3 one way assembly and changed the outdrives to metal and found that tamiya tlo1b,wildagger universal are useable for this kit.

[vmaxcruzer]

Bakabaka, or anyone else,
Can you give me a brief lesson on setting up springs for sag and rebound. Thought maybe I could cut some time instead of going through all my oil grades and damper loads. Running GPM shock's with the stock oil. Thanks VMX

[vmaxcruzer]

Have you tried using the gpm c hubs with the stock plastic knuckles instead? Maybe the prob is with the fitting of the 2 gpm parts.



I installed pc stand offs for the shock. Half an inch at the rear and quarter of an inch on the front. What a big difference. It doesn't bottom out anymore. Now I'm looking for shocks that are these long and I dont think the tamiya allum shocks are as long as what I have now. Can anyone measure the gpm shock from end hole to end hole?
By the way I installed a one way from an old tlo1/mo3 one way assembly and changed the outdrives to metal and found that tamiya tlo1b,wildagger universal are useable for this kit.


PC stand-off's won't work on the GPM shock shafts. Different thread pitch. Not certain what pitch it is, just know that course and fine metric are not it. You may be able to find a different pitch than me and make it work but I thought you should know before you purchase GPM and be disappointed

[Eotz]

Have you tried using the gpm c hubs with the stock plastic knuckles instead? Maybe the prob is with the fitting of the 2 gpm parts.

Hi.

I have the same problem with the 2 GPM parts but I solved it using some plastic spacers betwen the C-Hub and the King Kins to avoid the gap. Next sunday (If finally don't rain here) I'll test in a race.

Bye.

[kampat]

are these the spare spacers that come with the C Hubs?, I might try them tonight!

[raytracer]

PC stand-off's won't work on the GPM shock shafts. Different thread pitch. Not certain what pitch it is, just know that course and fine metric are not it. You may be able to find a different pitch than me and make it work but I thought you should know before you purchase GPM and be disappointed

The plastic shocks with pc stand off I have now are from hole to hole rear=10.5 mm, front=7 mm. If the gpms dont equal or exceed it I dont want it. I'll look at other monster truck or buggy shocks instead. Can anyone measure the tamiya, gpm shocks? Thanks

[quori]

Hi all...some feedback/advice is welcome.

I bought the Rising Storm Kit. Placed a Futabe MC330 esc with a P94 13 turn double. The buggy was almost too fast to control. A friend unfortunately slammed it into a parked car and snapped the front shock tower.

So, I decided while I was in need of replacing that to also make some other upgrades. I got the new Traxxas XL10 esc along with a P94 10T double. Should I get the Yeah aluminum hopups or the GPM hopups?

And which ones are the best bang for the buck. I figured the threaded shocks, CHubs & knuckles, and Towers were musts. Tie rods, arms, & bones would be second. What about the wheel & diff joints and the Swing shafts in lieu of the bones? Is the Alloy main shaft worth it at all?

Your feedback and comments are appreciated.

I can't wait to get the motor in...the 13 turn pushed this little bad boy up to 35mph. I would love to break 40.

[XSFalcon]

Thundershot - I order parts for a friend of mine online from time to time. I ordered a credit card with a $500 limit from the bank which I solely use for internet transactions. That way, if anything bad happens....the card only has a $500 limit. I'll have to double check with the bank as I just recently ordered some baby stuff & some rc parts and my balance is now floating @ $515. I think give or take $15-20 is ok as my Rising Storm friend asked me to order all the GPM parts which will come to around $100. At that point the transaction wasn't authorized.

Quori - I've mentioned to my Rising Storm friend that such a low turn would be hard to control. He says Nah. Oh, well, we'll see what happens. I have a 15T esc still with the stock but I'll probably go as low as 17T or 19T.

We may finally have some good weather (11degrees) up here this weekend, so I can test the car out without my hands freezing!

[JDT]

I tried a 10 turn for about 3 minutes, it was a tuned Reedy Ti motor my buddy has, it got hot, almost as hot as the epic 12 x 2 did when I tried to run it on 67/19 gearing (Do not do this) I have ran an epic intense 12 x 2 and an orion revolution 12x2 both worked good but got a little hot(not bad just hot) as the 70/16 gearing may be just a touch short for a 12, the epic brushes seemed to last alot longer but in defense of the Orion it was tuned by a local racer I borrowed it from so it may have had soft brushes for racing, I ended up running the brushes down so far it ruined the comm so I bought him another, I have not had a trinity motor in a long time but the Speed Gem Extreme 13 x 2 I got last weekend is really nice, ran my 3300's nearly full throttle the entire pack and it was much cooler than the 12 x 2 would have been.
In iowa this weekend they are saying 60! I don't stop bashing for winter but outside runs are brutal when you crash cause you can't feel the wheel anymore!! Do you guys have motors rebuilt or just throw in new brushes? the P 94 brushes for the epic are $13.99 at the LHS and they want $10 to true the comm etc so I don't rebuild, I run these cheapy $30 motors until the brushes are toast and them buy a hole new motor for $6 more. I was thinking of just throwing in a set of brushes and not turning the comm but I figured the performance would not be that good. Anyone try just brushes without turning the comm?

[quori]

Quori - I've mentioned to my Rising Storm friend that such a low turn would be hard to control. He says Nah. Oh, well, we'll see what happens. I have a 15T esc still with the stock but I'll probably go as low as 17T or 19T.

We may finally have some good weather (11degrees) up here this weekend, so I can test the car out without my hands freezing!

Yeah...the 13T was difficult at first, but I took it slow and got used to it. As I built up to top speed, I was able to get a feel for it. My friend however decided to open it up even though he had no experience with RC vehicles. Not a big deal...things break, you fix them and move on.

Plus, I really wanted to get the 13T into my Stampede...so I figured Id upgrade the RS and move that setup to the Stampede.

Its starting to get warm here too....my kids cant wait until its nice out and they can drive the RC's outside.

Rising Storm for Dad
My Stampede for my 5 yr old girl.
and a min-monster truck from Toys R US for my 3 yr old boy.

[vmaxcruzer]

Yeah...the 13T was difficult at first, but I took it slow and got used to it. As I built up to top speed, I was able to get a feel for it. My friend however decided to open it up even though he had no experience with RC vehicles. Not a big deal...things break, you fix them and move on.

Plus, I really wanted to get the 13T into my Stampede...so I figured Id upgrade the RS and move that setup to the Stampede.

Its starting to get warm here too....my kids cant wait until its nice out and they can drive the RC's outside.

Rising Storm for Dad
My Stampede for my 5 yr old girl.
and a min-monster truck from Toys R US for my 3 yr old boy.


I feel your pain! Had one good week of sun last month and now six + inches of snow. living room gets mighty small with RC's running around. My wife and I each have RS and my grandson (6) has a grasshopper II, that boy needs to learn throttle control.
Just dropped in a BUNCH of GPM alloy (red) parts and a 15turn/16t set-up. oh well...Snow will melt sometime. L8r VMX

[strong22]

Early in this discussion thread people were debating methods of increasing ground clearance and preventing bottoming-out... After a few racing sessions at the local RC track and long discussions with fellow drivers including a Kyosho master and other drivers with 10 to 15 years experience, I can report that we have it all WRONG.

Attaining maximum ground clearence is important but not by much and the vehicle is supposed to bottom out during jumps. The ideal pro set-up has your vehicle laterally stabilized so that the shafts - whether stock dogbones or universals / CVDs - are LEVEL with the wheel and diff end cup joints. This means lesser ground clearence but far more important - maximum power going out evenly to all wheels, minimum friction, mininum noise, minimum wear etc. This set-up does wonders to DF-02 ball-diffs, which otherwise lose much of their effectiveness if the vehicle is "pump up" so that the shafts are not level. About bottoming out, this is a marginal issue at best. All the XXX-4, SB Sports, BJ-4 and Kyosho Lazers I've seen over the past few days easily bottom out - only they are much more robust vehicles than Tamiya and therefore can handle jumps and landing, without expensive parts and bits flying all over the place. Many DF-02 are hellbent on prevent this by filling their shocks with spacers and/or 50-80 wt oil. This is completely wrong! It may prevent the vehicle from bottoming out but makes it way too bouncy and uncontrollable, especially at high speeds, leading to crashes, cartwheels etc. The ideal pro set-ups has 25-30 wt oil in the rear shocks and 30-35 wt oil in the front shocks (I'm assuming that you have decent Duratrax, Tamiya alloy or GPM shocks, not the Tamiya stock ones). 50 and above are good for on-road racers only or for really good off-roads pro racing tracks, not the one in your backyard club. Combining these different elements creates a much more competitive DF-02 that won't shame you when and if raced against better cars.

[Combatcm]

Yeah, I plan to rock some of the other buggies this year with my DF-02.

Last year I raced a baja king and would place good and the only limiting factor was the limits of the car. It was just unstable always.

I've been running the DF-02 around the yard and I have yet to flip it. I could probably if I tried, but you can push it harder than most other cars, it's very low.

Imagine the possibilities if GPM or Yeah made a carbon fiber chassis.

[JDT]

Data gathering is your best friend, shock oil is cheap, you just have to keep trying, its easy for the Losi guys around here as they all run nearly the same set ups because someone did the homework, its harder for us as not many people try to race the DF 02, I wish the LHS still carried Tamiya I think this would be a great car for spec class as it could be done with just a few hundred bucks, I had XX-4 and sold it when the XXX-4 was new, the xx was way better in my opinion, I ran the xxx for a few months and broke a ton, sure the graphite arms are only $11 on the wall at the LHS but I was sick of charging a pack and not getting more than three or four minutes in the yard without breaking, My neighbor was laughing at me the other day said the only time I smiled while running the car was when it crashed, I said of course its the best to see it cartwheel like six times then drive away. I don't race so the cars to me are just for my fun, broken is not fun, carbon chassis would be okay but I wish someone would start making chassis out of aluminum so I could quite busting them. Could you imagine a $199 billet chassis for a $100 kit!! Just my 02, needless to say each track is different and if you just bash stiff is best just a little squirly.

[bakabaka]

Hi Combatcm,

I'd think Square RC would be most likely to produce a carbon fibre chassis, since they already have some CF parts for the DF-02. Incidentally, do you know if any of the parts for the Baja King are compatible with the DF-02 chassis aside from a slightly modified body? I imagine it's worth a FAQ article if some parts are compatible.

Have fun! :)

[bakabaka]

Hi strong22,

I guess it's a matter of what you want to do with the vehicle. Some people want to race, some want to bash. For my purposes, which mostly involve tearing through whatever sort of terrain I can throw it at (be it grass, rocks, etc) a bit more ground clearance is good. Grass is particularly unforgiving if you don't have enough ground clearance, you'll do nothing but spin. Jumping the car just for the sake of jumping, which I know more than a few DF-02s are subjected to, also works better if you have more clearance.

If you're racing, you're certainly better off with a lower chassis. You'll be able to turn faster and with less danger of flipping the buggy over. Clearance isn't likely to do much for you if you're upside down. I guess it just works out to tuning the chassis for what you want to do with it. Since most people with a DF-02 aren't in it for racing, you'll probably find more information on how to turn it into a better basher. Feel free to contribute more info on making it a better racer though. The DF-02 FAQ is also open to article submissions. ;)

Have fun! :)

[sim600]

The trouble with the DF-02's clearance stems from those huge axle cups, which can only fit in those big spindles, which in turn have to fit in very tall spindle carriers (they're 41mm from top to bottom!). The lower arms attach to the bottom of these carriers, so by the time you have them level, your DF-02 is maybe 5mm closer to the ground than other cars that have maybe 30mm spindle carriers (with arms level as well).

Or another way of saying it is, if you set the DF-02 to have the same ground clearance as a race-designed buggy (with arms level), the DF-02 will look like it has its suspension slightly "pumped up".

It's really not a very good design to have a lot of possible suspension arm travel and then slam the buggy down low with some soft saggy springs because when the buggy turns, one side of the suspension will push down and the other will lift up and you will have a lot of roll.

Once me and my DF-02 get kicked out of the Tamiya Asia Cup qualifiers here in Malaysia this year (they have buggy class here) or if I get bored of racing it, I'll no longer be bound by Tamiya rules and I'll redo the whole suspension my way.

So wish be bad luck in the race.

;) Just kidding.

[Combatcm]

Baka, I actually discovered that Baja king/dagger driveshafts work with it.

This means that if you realy want you can use the dagger full metal dogbones if you use the optional diff cup joints and regular tamiya cup joints for the wheel hubs.

But this also means if you want CVD's for your baja king or dagger, all you need is the optional internal diff gears to make them work.

So finally a easy CVD option works.

Aside from that, nothing, not even the hubs are the same.

[sim600]

Hey Combatcm,

That's a great find. Especially for Baja King/Dagger owners. Do you think it's possible to get rid of the hub/spindle/knuckle and carrier on the DF-02 by switching the whole thing over to Baja King ones? I know they're not the same, like you said, but if they're just a bit narrower or wider, we can add spacers or grind some plastic away, maybe. The crucial part is that they shouldn't make the buggy any wider or narrower because the diff cups depend on the universals to stay in place. Thanks.

[bakabaka]

Just another data point, I got a bit bored since it's raining out and installed an aluminum rear damper from my XX-T onto my Gravel Hound. It's definitely a bit longer, and has an adjustment screw on the side to allow changing the height of the damper. They can be shorter or taller than the stock dampers depending on how you adjust them. I also have two sets of rear springs (pink and yellow) that I'll be trying with a few different weights of oil. Losi stadium truck springs are fairly readily available in any case, so different rates should be easy to find.

In order to mount the damper, I had to use the damper mounting block from the XX-T for the top with an M3 machine screw since the Yeah Racing shock tower is threaded to M3. It took a little bit of force to re-thread the plastic to M3, but it seems to work well. I also had to use a Losi machine screw to hold the bottom of the damper to the chassis, since the ball that the screw goes through is too narrow for an M3 machine screw. It's currently mounted to the middle hole in the suspension arm.

I'm not sure if the XXX-T dampers are the same as the XX-T dampers, but if so it might be possible to use them as well.

Have fun! :)

[raytracer]

Baka, I actually discovered that Baja king/dagger driveshafts work with it.

This means that if you realy want you can use the dagger full metal dogbones if you use the optional diff cup joints and regular tamiya cup joints for the wheel hubs.

But this also means if you want CVD's for your baja king or dagger, all you need is the optional internal diff gears to make them work.

So finally a easy CVD option works.

Aside from that, nothing, not even the hubs are the same.

Yup, I already posted in the previous page that you can use tlo1b,dagger universal and you can even use the mo3,tlo1 one way assembly and use the metal outdrives also.
Can anyone measure the gpm or the tamiya shocks end to end? :D

[bakabaka]

Hi raytracer,

The Tamiya aluminum rear damper is about 105mm from tip to tip (measuring from the ends of the damper mounts.) It's easy to measure since it's off the buggy for the moment. ;) If you measure from the center of the damper mounts, which is how the damper would sit, it's about 98mm. I'm using the longer damper shaft lower plastic connector FWIW.

Have fun! :)

[raytracer]

Hi raytracer,

The Tamiya aluminum rear damper is about 105mm from tip to tip (measuring from the ends of the damper mounts.) It's easy to measure since it's off the buggy for the moment. ;) If you measure from the center of the damper mounts, which is how the damper would sit, it's about 98mm. I'm using the longer damper shaft lower plastic connector FWIW.

Have fun! :)

Thanks bakabaka. I see its not longer than the plastic shocks with pc standoffs. Mine is center to center rear=105mm and front=70mm. The only thing with tamiya plastic shocks is that piston hole is bigger. So you have to go with really thick oil. One cheap way to mimic the performance of tamiya trf alum shocks is to buy the teflon coated piston which has a smaller hole. Works for touring cars so it should be the same here. I just have to find the part number for the dfo2 teflon coated pistons.
Maybe the gpm is longer. Anyone using gpm shocks? :D

[vmaxcruzer]

GPM fronts are 75mm center to center on holes. 85mm overall. Sorry, don't have the rears. VMX

[gravelhound]

Yup, I already posted in the previous page that you can use tlo1b,dagger universal and you can even use the mo3,tlo1 one way assembly and use the metal outdrives also.
Can anyone measure the gpm or the tamiya shocks end to end? :D

Hi,

how are you making tl01b universals fit the gravel hound, I have tried this and the drive at the end of the universal is to small for the gravelhound drive cup. Maybe I need to replace the cup with a different part? The universals from my baja king also seem to long.

Hope you can help, regards gravelhound.

[fsh_62]

Thanks bakabaka. I see its not longer than the plastic shocks with pc standoffs. Mine is center to center rear=105mm and front=70mm. The only thing with tamiya plastic shocks is that piston hole is bigger. So you have to go with really thick oil. One cheap way to mimic the performance of tamiya trf alum shocks is to buy the teflon coated piston which has a smaller hole. Works for touring cars so it should be the same here. I just have to find the part number for the dfo2 teflon coated pistons.
Maybe the gpm is longer. Anyone using gpm shocks? :D
GPM rear shocks are 110mm overall length, 101mm center to center.

[raytracer]

Hi,

how are you making tl01b universals fit the gravel hound, I have tried this and the drive at the end of the universal is to small for the gravelhound drive cup. Maybe I need to replace the cup with a different part? The universals from my baja king also seem to long.

Hope you can help, regards gravelhound.

http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/5336/019it.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img466.imageshack.us/img466/3871/021ko.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

vmaxcruzer, fsh_62 - Thanks guys, the gpm shocks are longer than mine and tamiya alum shocks so its a better deal then. The 70-75, 105-110 shock length is just right for this buggy to clear some doubles and even triples in large nitro offroad track. :D

[kampat]

Hi there,

anyone using the Tamiya aluminium rear uprights with GPM rear lower arms?, the shafts that come with the arms are to big to go through the Tamiya uprights.
I did try to use the standard rear arm pins (the long brown pin with a small amount of thread at the base) and it gripped into the plastic collars, but I wasn't sure if it was going to hold so at the moment I am using the standard rear arms instead.


Great if someone could help.

[gravelhound]

http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/5336/019it.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img466.imageshack.us/img466/3871/021ko.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

vmaxcruzer, fsh_62 - Thanks guys, the gpm shocks are longer than mine and tamiya alum shocks so its a better deal then. The 70-75, 105-110 shock length is just right for this buggy to clear some doubles and even triples in large nitro offroad track. :D

Ahh,

Its like turning on a light, thankyou I shall give this a go when I get a chance ( i.e. next time I take my gear box apart).

By the way has anyone noticed that Jason's Store ebay store has started selling Option No.1 parts. Does ;anybody know anything about them?

Regarsds Gravelhound

[bakabaka]

Hi Gravelhound,

It's always good to hear of another third party parts manufacturer. I've found a URL which appears to list what Option no.1 currently makes for the DF-02:

http://www.nihonbashimokei.co.jp/OP-df.html

They make an undercowl for the chassis, presumably to keep out dirt and rocks; Steel universals, which appear to have price similar to Tobee's but unknown durability; and aluminum (they don't say alloy!) suspension arms. It appears that Option No.1 is a Japanese company; Hopefully that bodes well for the durability of these parts. I may end up picking up a set of their suspension arms at some point, the blue looks like a better match for Tamiya's than Yeah's at the very least.

Have fun! :)

[szan]

Hi,

Notice that Option No 1 aluminum arms are available on Jason's store, but very expensive :(

Bye

[gravelhound]

Hi Gravelhound,

It's always good to hear of another third party parts manufacturer. I've found a URL which appears to list what Option no.1 currently makes for the DF-02:

http://www.nihonbashimokei.co.jp/OP-df.html

They make an undercowl for the chassis, presumably to keep out dirt and rocks; Steel universals, which appear to have price similar to Tobee's but unknown durability; and aluminum (they don't say alloy!) suspension arms. It appears that Option No.1 is a Japanese company; Hopefully that bodes well for the durability of these parts. I may end up picking up a set of their suspension arms at some point, the blue looks like a better match for Tamiya's than Yeah's at the very least.

Have fun! :)

Wow bakabaka you are really on the ball, I tried to find some info on this and came up with nothing. Your website is an invaluable resource for us df-02 owners.

Those option no 1 arms are expensive, how ever they do look almost bomb proof.

Regards gravelhound

[sim600]

Ya those arms look really beefy. Have many of you guys upgraded to aluminium arms already? They all look really heavy. Are the stock arms no good? They look quite meaty to me too.

[sim600]

Are the TT-01 ball diffs really unreliable? I just saw them today and they had some pretty big (looked big to me) steel balls. I would have thought the diffs would be quite durable. Can somebody please discourage me from buying them? :D

[raytracer]

Are the TT-01 ball diffs really unreliable? I just saw them today and they had some pretty big (looked big to me) steel balls. I would have thought the diffs would be quite durable. Can somebody please discourage me from buying them? :D


I wouldn't say its unreliable but its unnecessary for offroad bashing or mild racing. Balldiff are for racing rc's which needs a lot of tweaking and the dfo2 is more of a fun rc offroader :D. Gear diffs will do and no one can say how inefficient they are since onroad, offroad nitro use gear diffs more than ball diffs.

[bakabaka]

Hi raytracer!

I don't think it's really a question of efficiency, but more of adjustability. The ball diff can be set such that the car doesn't accelerate immediately when you punch the throttle, which improves traction, while also providing an adjustable differential action. Since the DF-02 lacks a slipper clutch, which can also be used to provide traction, the ball diff has to slip a lot when you accelerate hard. The diff balls are ground down as the diff slips, so they effectively destroy themselves during use.

The gear diffs OTOH are extremely durable, they can be adjusted using compounds such as OFNA's diff lock grease if desired, and come stock with the buggy. For most people's purposes they'll do fine. The fact that a ball diff is available is great though, I'd rather have the choice than not.

Have fun! :)

[bakabaka]

i sim600,

Generally the stock arms seem fine. I purchased the Yeah Racing set mostly because of the price, and the extra adjustability of the Yeah Racing shock towers. Pity they're so easy to bend.

Have fun! :)

[bakabaka]

Those option no 1 arms are expensive, how ever they do look almost bomb proof.

Regards gravelhound

Hi gravelhound,

Yup, they're expensive. The website I listed shows them for slightly less than $30 or less than $60 for the set of four. That's significantly cheaper than Jason's store. They also have a deal where you get the entire set of Option no.1 parts for around $95, but they seem to ship only to Japanese addresses. I may ask the RC Champ staff if they carry Option no.1's parts.

Have fun! :)

[sim600]

Bakabaka,

I'm really keen to run my DF-02 with a brushless motor. I know you've been running the SS5800. As mentioned on your site, the Novak Instructions for the SS5800 motor is to go about 9 final gear ratio for a buggy but my friends have gone with the lowest possible gear ratio 11.38 (with a 16 tooth pinion and the 70 tooth spur) and are still complaining about their esc getting hot.

I just want to double check with you what pinion and spur you are using with your SS5800 now and do you go with a smaller pinion in the summer or something because me and my friends are in the tropical equator where it's either blistering heat or pooring rain all the time. :(

[bakabaka]

Hi sim600,

The SS5800 runs quite warm with the 67t spur gear and the 19t pinion, although I've been running it without too many issues in California. If I put the 70t spur in there with the 19t pinion I still get a reasonable amount of speed without the ESC getting too warm. The temperature difference between here and there is no doubt significant though. Unfortunately it sounds like you have the worst case scenario to deal with. If your friends are running DF-02s with the 11.38 ratio, maybe an ESC fan's in order.

Novak does have a stronger magnet with a larger bearing that you can install on the SS5800, which apparently gives the SS5800 more torque. If you install that, you might be able to get away with taller gearing without the ESC getting too warm. I've been considering picking it up to see how it performs, but as it's the rainy season here I haven't been able to take my Gravel Hound out much.

Have fun! :)

[szan]

Hi Sim600,

I use a SS5800 recently too, I use the 67T spur and 19T pinion (ratio 9.17), and the ESC is warm and the motor a very little warm. It seems to be a good deal with this configuration. (but I haven't tried a smaller ratio myself).
I haven't ordered yet the kit upgrade, but I will in a near future :)

Bye

[raytracer]

Hi raytracer!

I don't think it's really a question of efficiency, but more of adjustability. The ball diff can be set such that the car doesn't accelerate immediately when you punch the throttle, which improves traction, while also providing an adjustable differential action. Since the DF-02 lacks a slipper clutch, which can also be used to provide traction, the ball diff has to slip a lot when you accelerate hard. The diff balls are ground down as the diff slips, so they effectively destroy themselves during use.

The gear diffs OTOH are extremely durable, they can be adjusted using compounds such as OFNA's diff lock grease if desired, and come stock with the buggy. For most people's purposes they'll do fine. The fact that a ball diff is available is great though, I'd rather have the choice than not.

Have fun! :)

Yup, I run onroad more these days and that's where you need balldiffs. It just wont be necessary for a dfo2 chassis as you pointed out there's no slipper clutch. If this was designed like a losi, ae buggy it would definitely need a ball diff. As of now the gear diff with thicker grease is more practical.

[kampat]

Hi Bakabaka,

What is the part number for the Tobee Undercowl for the DF-02?

Thanks,
Kampat

[sim600]

Thanks for all the replies. You've all convinced me to keep off the ball diffs. What bakabaka said about the lack of slipper clutch makes a lot of sense. On our DF-02s we probably have to adjust the ball diffs to be quite tight to keep it from slipping after jumps and burning up, and that would defeat the purpose of having diffs.

As for the brushless systems, I'm still undecided. I'll give a performance report later if I go with a different system than your SS5800. :)

[bakabaka]

Hi Kampat,

The undercowl is actually made by Option no. 1, the part number's NO-500. I don't know if it's easily available outside of Japan at the moment, Jason's Store is stocking some of their parts though. I just posted the link after digging a bit for their parts, so others could see what's available.

Have fun! :)

[bakabaka]

Hi sim600,

I'd be interested in your experience with any other brushless. I've actually been considering getting an LRP Sphere to toy with. It has a nice selection of motors, and it also has plugs so you don't necessarily have to hard wire the motor. Since I'm quite terrible at soldering at the moment, that would be great for me. On the other hand, it's a bit pricey compared to Novak's selection. The gearing is also an unknown quantity, but the testing could be interesting.

Have fun! :)

[raytracer]

How durable are the gpm shocktowers? I'm thinking I should order 2 of the shock tower each to maximize my shipping cost. As for now I'm getting these

1 GPM (#DF2028) Alloy Front Shock Tower -1pc (BU)/(51075) USD$5.90
1 GPM (#DF2030) Alloy Rear Shock Tower -1PC (BU)/(51075) USD$8.90
1 GPM (#DF23100R) Alloy Rear Damper (100mm) -1pr (BU) USD$19.90
1 GPM (#DF2375F) Alloy Front Damper (75mm) -1pr (BU) USD$17.90
1 GPM (#DF2019) Alloy Front C-hub -1PR (BU)/(51076) USD$11.50
1 GPM (#DF2022) Alloy Rear Knuckle Arm -1pr (BU)/(51076)

[gravelhound]

How durable are the gpm shocktowers? I'm thinking I should order 2 of the shock tower each to maximize my shipping cost. As for now I'm getting these

1 GPM (#DF2028) Alloy Front Shock Tower -1pc (BU)/(51075) USD$5.90
1 GPM (#DF2030) Alloy Rear Shock Tower -1PC (BU)/(51075) USD$8.90
1 GPM (#DF23100R) Alloy Rear Damper (100mm) -1pr (BU) USD$19.90
1 GPM (#DF2375F) Alloy Front Damper (75mm) -1pr (BU) USD$17.90
1 GPM (#DF2019) Alloy Front C-hub -1PR (BU)/(51076) USD$11.50
1 GPM (#DF2022) Alloy Rear Knuckle Arm -1pr (BU)/(51076)

Hi,

the gpm alloy parts look good, the dampers are especially nice and functional, however the shock towers especially the front one (as its in the line of fire most I guess) is very susceptible to bending. Its a shame as it provides adjustability, however I feel you might be better served by gpm.

Has anyone tried squares carbon fiber brace with alloy shock towers? and does this provide more durability?

Regards gravelhound

P.s. I did not read the post correctly, for some reason I thought you were asking about yesah racing shock towers which are susceptible to bending.

[bakabaka]

Hi raytracer,

You might want to get the Square RC front shock tower if you're looking for durability. They make a brace for the rear shock tower as well, although it doesn't replace the tower itself. The Square parts may not be blue aluminum, but CF also looks rather nice.

Have fun! :)

[TRF-Inferno]

I remember seeing a post about the Yeah Racing shock towers being susceptible to breaking and bending, so I thought "Hey, I'll order the GPM ones!". Heh.

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/8333/gpm12bj.jpg

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/5717/gpm24qr.jpg

I landed the buggy slightly nose down from a 5-6 feet jump on a dirt track and that happened. Luckily I still had the plastic stock piece so the buggy is still seeing active duty. Any other recomeendations for shock towers?

[bakabaka]

Hi TRF-Inferno,

Try the RC Square Carbon Fiber front shock tower and their rear shock tower brace. I've (quite accidentally) landed the buggy directly on the Square front shock tower in a jump with no adverse effects.

Have fun! :)

[raytracer]

Thanks guys for the reply. Even though the gpm parts are not as durable as the square cf, the cf is just too expensive almost the cost of another kit. But I read that its the most durable.
I dont think I'll be jumping my hound 5-6 ft high like TRF-Inferno :D . Its not made to jump that high. Even the elec racing buggies I see at the track would rather do long jumps just to clear doubles and triples but not that high. Higher jumps equals slower laptimes.
The only high jumpers I see are nitro monster trucks. :D

[anotherBryant]

Well I got her back together Sunday and took it out for a pretty intense bashing session in the evening.
http://www.bryantmiller.net/Forum_Photos/RC_Zone/3_14_06-df02/wholecar.jpg

The titanium GPM universals I picked up seemed to perform flawlessly. They didn't break anyway! I examined them pretty closely before I installed them and they seemed to be constructed very well. I cant compare them to the Tobee or Square universals, but I will keep everyone informed long term how they do. I'm pretty rough on my bashing vehicles. The picture doesn't do much, but...
http://www.bryantmiller.net/Forum_Photos/RC_Zone/3_14_06-df02/gpmuniversal.jpg

For the rear shocks I'm using pre-filled shock from Sportwerks (http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=SWK5112) They go to the Raven RTR. I picked them up at my LHS about 2 months ago for 20 bucks. After quite a bit of time with them I absolutely love these things. Their front shocks are too long, but I don't see why they couldn't be shortened accommodate the buggy. They can be bought unassembled too. The combination of the Duratrax Evader shocks on the front with these on the rear is near perfect for my needs.
http://www.bryantmiller.net/Forum_Photos/RC_Zone/3_14_06-df02/rearshock.jpg

[heynow]

I've been driving myself crazy and need some input.

I really enjoy my GH. Sure it has some issues but all I do is bashing and it does suit me fine. I've upgraded to all bearings, alum. steering and turnbuckles. Everything else is stock.

I need to get new tires soon and I will probably just get the stock tires for front and back. I'm thinking about getting the sport tuned motor so I don't need to upgrade the esc, a new 67t spur gear, and pinion.

Tamiya USA has the tires for 10.00 and 10.50, and pinion for 3.20 with shipping I'm looking at approx. 30.00. Tower has the motor and spur gear for a total of about 28.00 with shipping.

Grand total of 58.00 for the parts......then I was thinking I could just get another kit with every part for only 50.00 more. Spare chassis, new body, new gears, everything. Something breaks go downstairs into the workshop and fix it with parts on hand. Then I think "what the heck are you crazy it's more $$$ spent on this buggy" The next minute I say "just get the tires" but with my luck I'll bust the chassis and then wish I had a replacement.

Any ideas? Thanks for listening.

[bakabaka]

Hi heynow,

The motor is something you can use in any 540 can-using buggy, so it's a good investment even if you decide to buy a different RC later. That's a large chunk of the $58 right there. I'd probably just get the parts, and if you're doing a lot of bashing on pavement do yourself a favor and get a set of Pro-Line's Dirt Hawgs. They seem to last forever, so it'll save you quite a bit on tires. Tamiya USA has a complete set of four dish wheels which can be had for about $10, so you could switch between the stock tires when you're running on dirt and the Dirt Hawgs when you're on pavement. That's what I'm doing anyway.

Have fun! :)

[bakabaka]

I dont think I'll be jumping my hound 5-6 ft high like TRF-Inferno :D . Its not made to jump that high. Even the elec racing buggies I see at the track would rather do long jumps just to clear doubles and triples but not that high. Higher jumps equals slower laptimes.
The only high jumpers I see are nitro monster trucks. :D

Hi raytracer,

My DF-02's had its share of the 5-6ft high jumps on the track. OTOH, this was on tracks where everyone else was running nitro buggies and monster trucks. I actually haven't been able to find an electric outdoor track in the area (meaning within about 100 miles.) I was using the Square CF front shock tower at the time, I definitely wouldn't subject the Yeah Racing towers to that kind of abuse.

Have fun! :)

[Fenris]

Hello people
I have been lurking here since I got my RS in Nov last year. I have made a few mods to it, I built a replacement rear spoiler out of 3mm aluminium plate which works extremely well at protecting the top of the blue GPM rear shocks while sliding upsidedown and it also works well as a carry handle. It is attached to the rear shock mount btw.
I made some bash plates out of the same material to cover the front shock tower to absorb impact, they are working well.
I run a superstock RZ and a few other bits and pieces. I could start rambling but I think there is something else that people might be interested in.
Recently a friend of mine bought a GH and all the yeah racing parts and then a whole bunch of GMP parts after he wasn't overly happy with breakages and quality of fit. Having said that, the GPM turnbuckles keep breaking on him and he has gone back to the original steel ones. Any way he came over on the weekend to show me his setup. He has put a GTB 6.5 in it :eek: and how does that thing fly, I was simply amazed it must do about 60-70 Kmh or 35-40 mph (I am guessing here). I asked what gearing he was using and it was just the stock gearing, 19/70. He wasn't even running CVDs' at all just the stock dogbones. The stock rear dogbones twisted with my superstock RZ until I got the tobee craft ones which I highly recommended he get. He was using venom 3000 mah packs and after a 7 odd minute run they were roasting, and I would say hotter than the motor or controller. I live in Perth West Australia and it was a 35 Deg C (80 or 90? F) day and fairly humid, the motor and controller handled the heat fine.
The GTB 6.5 was so quick I swear I could hear the grass rip under the torque force of the wheels.
Then we went down to the skate park to get some airtime which is where he broke the GMP turnbuckles. Launching the GH at the halfpipe He was clearing 6 feet of air, unfortunately landing the poor thing on its lid on the concrete. The noise of the 6.5 revving out fully when he cleared the pipe and didn't release the throttle, I thought he was going to destroy something.
Anyway He is ordering some tobee craft CVDs' and went back to the stock turnbuckles.
I have never wanted to go brushless more than when I saw that GH rip although I think I would treat my RS a bit kinder.
He managed to bend his GPM alloy lower front arms and we agreed that the stock ones would probably handle the abuse much better plus his plastic spacers kept sliding out of place leaving huge ammounts of slop.
Well I thought people might be interested because I have not read a report of a DF-02 with a GTB 6.5 in it before.

[anotherBryant]

Hey Fenris, you may be a bit conservative on the speed with the 6.5 in there. With a GPS strapped on my RS with a 5800 my average max speed of 5 runs is 33.7mph. Keep in mind the weight of the GPS too! I'm happy with the 5800, I can’t imagine it any faster.

I have a Sphere Neo 3 star I've been tempted to throw in the RS for kicks. I doubt I will but there is the part of me that is just curious. It sure is fun doing 40 without blinking with it in my truck though!

[quori]

You all keep mentioning : Square RC carbon fiber. Where can they be located online? I would like to see what selction they have of CF before I order the GPM alloy parts.

Also, if I am running a 10T double what Spur/Pinion size would you all recommend.

[anotherBryant]

You all keep mentioning : Square RC carbon fiber. Where can they be located online? I would like to see what selction they have of CF before I order the GPM alloy parts.

Also, if I am running a 10T double what Spur/Pinion size would you all recommend.

There are a couple places you can pick them up at. They are made by SquareRC in Japan. Jason's Store (http://stores.ebay.com/Jasons-Store_W0QQssPageNameZstrkQ3amefsQ3amesstQQtZkm) on eBay sells them. Search for user "jr-rc" if the link doesnt work and search for "df-02" in his store. RC Champ (http://rc-champ.co.jp/) sells them also. If it is an international order with RC Cham you need to email them and give them the model numbers and they email you bakc a price quote. They ship express mail and a priced somewhat close to Jason's Store.

[kampat]

Hi all,

has anyone used the alloy wheel adapter set from GPM. They are rubbish. they use small screws to tighten the adapter to the small shaft and with one of the four i got, the screw wouldn't go into the thread.

My question is:

Is there a functional advantage of using alloy wheel adapters rather than the standard plastic ones you get standard with the kit?

BTW Quori,
RC Champ prices are much cheaper than Jason's store, about 20% in some cases. The carbon fibre parts are great:

STG-3 - front damper stay
STG-4 - Rear damper stay stiffener
STG-11F - rear carbon underplate (rear bumper)
STG15R - steering stiffener

They are top quality great looking parts.
I also have the STG-22S - the center drive shaft set, really recommended.
It seems next to Tamiya, that Square RC have the best quality and best looking/finished parts (IMHO)

Thanks,
Kampat.

[Combatcm]

I got some wheel adapters and torqued the screw head right off the shaft. Those were some cheap screws.

Does anyone have the STG15R rear under plate. I skipped that one cause it was real expensive.

[raytracer]

I cant' image anyone putting a 5.5 brushless without stripping the pinion and spur! :D

Alumimun hex adapters are great especially the tamiya alum clamp hex. If your wheels pop off in race atleast the hex are intact. :D

[Combatcm]

The tamiya ones I assume are the only good quality.

I was thinking of putting in unsensored BL system in the RS, but it's fast enough with the novak. I'm pretty sure it can handle it.

One thing I did to keep the mesh straight was put a thin piece of lexan in the top channel where the motor mount goes. This puts a little more pressure on the metal motor mount and it doesn't wiggle as much.

[kampat]

Hi Raytracer,

Do you know what the part number is for the Tamiya Aluminium Hex Adapters for the DF-02?

thanks,
Kampat

[sim600]

quori,
Wow a 10T double would be a very powerful motor indeed. I would start with the smallest pinion (16T) and biggest spur (70T) and go from there. It might still be overgeared, and if so, you really cannot use that motor effectively without some heat issues on the motor, battery and esc.

Also, the tamiya AV pinions are reported to be not durable at all. Lots of people with powerful motors (particularly the Novak 5800 brushless motor, which I think isn't as powerful as a good 10T motor) have worn out their Tamiya AV aluminium pinions after 1 day. Try and find steel ones like the ones from Robinson Racing or RW Racing. You want metric sizes or 0.6 module.

(Somebody correct me if I got that wrong)

[bakabaka]

Hi sim600,

It all sounds about right from what I've heard. It's worth mentioning that .6 module is the measurement used with metric pinions, there are other metric pinions (e.g. .4 module) that won't mesh properly. Robinson Racing's pinions definitely work. I replaced my worn 19t pinion with one, and ended up buying every pinion they make that works with the DF-02 (16t - 22t) based on the experience. They're definitely tougher than the stock pinion, which is now pretty sharp on the tooth edges.

Have fun! :)

[raytracer]

kampat
This is the clamp type wheel adapter I use for my fast cars. They're pricey but really worth it and you can use it again for other kits not just the df02.
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/WTI0095P?FVSEARCH=53570&FVPROFIL=++

Yup, robinson racing makes metric pinions that are a lot better than tamiya alum pinions. I think square also makes metric pinions.

[sim600]

raytracer,

Those are 4mm thick. Tamiya also has another set like this (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXDLV1&P=7) which is 6mm thick. I've not tried them but they might work well too. Anyone?

[sim600]

Oh ya, bakabaka. I chickened out on the LRP Sphere and ended up getting a Super Sport Plus 5800 on clearance, so I guess my DF-02 is growing up to be just like yours haha. Too many horror stories on the LRP Sphere on the internet, but also some great endorsements so I don't know what to make of it. I'll wait until my friends have tried it out for a bit first.

I've got Robinson 16T and 17T pinions coming in too, so I'll keep the new toys in their nice orange packaging for now. :D

[bakabaka]

Hi sim600,

I don't think you'll need the 16t or 17t pinions for the Novak SS Plus 5800. It has a lot of torque, and the 19t seems a perfect fit.

Have fun! :)

[sim600]

Hi guys,
I know we've all been waiting for the Dark Impact to be released. Still no news on when but I was shopping on rcmart for DF-02 parts and today I suddenly saw some tires there that I've never seen on that list before. On closer inspection, they were the ones that were on the Dark Impact in Nuremberg. They look like they come with inner foams too. Sweet!
There's also a set of rims on RC mart for them that look like white versions of the ones in Nuremberg. Gonna dig a little deeper before I buy them.

Could this be the sign of good things to come soon?

:)

[heynow]

Does this look familiar to anyone else or is it my imagination?

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4661189

[JDT]

Familiar yes but not close enough, I think this is a DF 01 chassis, baja king etc, Tamiya did a cheasy type of thing like this called the Gravel Hound QD they sold cheap for like $100, it has been addressed on this forum before. If I am wrong please let me know, Think of all the spare parts we could get from jokers breaking them and not knowing how to get parts, if you took it into any of my local LHS they would be hard pressed to even recognize a Tamiya car as none have dealt Tamiya since the mid 90's.

[JDT]

local LHS??? duh, green beer really does affect you!

[TRF-Inferno]

Does this look familiar to anyone else or is it my imagination?

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4661189
I noticed that. In fact, there is a kid by my LHS that got one and some people mistaken my RS for that Hot Wheels/Mattel clone. *Sigh* I actually met the kid and he let me look "under the hood", and while there are some variations in the way some pieces looks, the layout is identical to the DF-02. Looks like the toy makers are starting duplicate the hobby grade stuff, in fact if you look at the other one Hot Wheels/Mattel has for $45 called the Flash FTX, it is basically a Mini-T clone.

[raytracer]

I noticed that. In fact, there is a kid by my LHS that got one and some people mistaken my RS for that Hot Wheels/Mattel clone. *Sigh* I actually met the kid and he let me look "under the hood", and while there are some variations in the way some pieces looks, the layout is identical to the DF-02. Looks like the toy makers are starting duplicate the hobby grade stuff, in fact if you look at the other one Hot Wheels/Mattel has for $45 called the Flash FTX, it is basically a Mini-T clone.

What are the differences? How can they sell it a much lower price? Might good for spares. :D
The Fury FTX Vehicles looks like a mini-t. Anyone compared them to an original.
They're so cheap.

[bakabaka]

Interesting, I'd imagine they probably licensed the designs if they're nearly identical. These are more or less reputable companies. The electronics don't sound like anything to write home about though, more or less like the aforementioned Tamiya QD cars. I imagine anything that brings more people into the hobby is good. Assuming the primary manufacturers don't provide spares or hop-ups, that might even give Tamiya and 3rd party DF-02 parts support companies some extra business.

I haven't seen the Fury up close, but the picture does look a bit like my Mini-T. The shell on the other hand is quite different, and the description says it's 4wd and uses a 9.6v battery. There are certainly some significant differences.

Have fun! :)

[wanttorace]

Hey everyone it has been awhile glad to be back now the winter is gone it is time to break out the hound :D i want to put a new 27 turn motor in just to tide me over until i can get a brushless here is what brings me to my problem i have narrowed it down to a trinity p2k2 pro or a green machine so i was wondering if anyone has run one of them and can give me some feed back also on towerhobbies where i will be placing my order on th p2k2 it says (recommend to use a 21 pinion gear to start out with and work up from there)do you really think you have to go that high with the pinion would 19 not be alright :confused: please help bash hard :)

[kampat]

Hi there



I want to purchase some Tamiya 1150 (4 pack) and 1280 (3 pack) ball bearings (sealed), not the unsealed variety that comes with the kit, as they don’t seem to run as free as the sealed ones. The part numbers are 53008 and 53066 respectively. Now at my LHS they sell them for $49.95 each which is about $35US.

But on the USA tamiya website, they are around $5-7. On a UK site (I cant remember) they were selling them for 18 Pounds, which is the same as what they sell at my LHS.
Rc-champ sell them for 832 YEN which is $7US,

Are there two different types of these sets with the same part number or is someone doing a dodgy and making a hell of a lot of profit?

Please let me know how much you paid. I am talking about the dark blue cased sealed ball bearings. I already have some, but need one more packet of each to complete the set.

Thanks,
Kampat

[sim600]

it says (recommend to use a 21 pinion gear to start out with and work up from there)do you really think you have to go that high with the pinion would 19 not be alright :confused: please help bash hard :)

Actually, that recommendation is dumb and outright misleading for most people. What pinion you use depends on what spur and in which car/buggy/truck etc. For example, a DF-02 with a 19T pinion has a final drive ratio of 9.58 while a XXX-4 with a 19T pinion has a final drive ratio of 10.39, and that's assuming they're both running the stock spurs.

I think Tower just assumes everyone is driving a RC10B4 or something. Haha.

[vmaxcruzer]

OK...I'm stupid! Can someone please show me how to upload pic's? Thanks.
VMX

[sim600]

Wow guys,

I finally got the Tamiya oil for the Tamiya upgrade aluminium shocks. I got the soft set and used the hardest of the 3 oils which is number 400 (yellow) on both front and rear. The rear is way too soft. The piston is the 3 hole one because my shocks were bought used and didn't come with the 2 hole pistons :( Right now, I just drop the car from like 4 inches up and the chassis slaps the floor with such a loud Kraaaaack, I check the suspension mounts each time to see if I broke anything.

I might go and buy the hard set and use the hardest of the oils. The other day I saw one guy who was using oil 800 with 2 holes and he was still landing small jumps with a chassis slap. It's so painful to hear the car do the jumps. This is nuts.

[wanttorace]

thanks Sim600 have you tried either the p2k2 or the green machine?Any reccomendations on either they both sound great but i do not know to much about them from what i can see on the net these would be the best choice with the stock ESC any info would be great see ya :)

[kampat]

have you tried the df-02 spring set?, comes with soft and hard springs.

[fsh_62]

You need to select advanced reply, then manage attachments from the additional options dialog box.

[fsh_62]

OK...I'm stupid! Can someone please show me how to upload pic's? Thanks.
VMX
Sorry if that last post did't make a lot of sense. Here are the directions.

• Images must be JPEG, Windows BMP or GIF file types
• File size must be 60 kb or less
• Dimensions must be 1000 pixels or less in either dimension

Image files often need to be reduced in size in order to meet the file size requirements. A raw image from a typical digital camera might be 200 to 5000 kb in its raw form, so it will need to be edited before it can be posted on the forums The two most effective ways to reduce image file size are 1) to cut its physical dimensions either by cropping of trimming the pixel width and height, or 2) reduce the “quality” of the image. Most imaging software allows JPEG image quality to be increased or reduced, often on a scale of 1 to 10 or 1 to 12. It’s best to reduce image quality to level 4 or 5 to cut down on the file size. Level 3 can also be used but the image starts to become pixilated if the quality is set too low.

Once you have the image(s) edited down to an acceptable size, place it somewhere on your computer where you will be able to find it. Select “Go Advanced” when posting a reply - you cannot upload images through the “Quick Reply” window. Post any text that you want to accompany the image in the reply window, and then click the “Manage Attachments” button below. Next, click the “Browse” button and find the image file on your computer that you would like to attach. Once you’ve found the file, select it and then click the “upload” button. Once the image is accepted, click the “Close this Window” button and then submit your post.

Please note that only one image can be attached per post. If you wish to post additional images, you must attach each to a new post. An image can only be uploaded once, so if you desire to display the image again in another thread, you’ll need to just link to the original image (right click the image and select “properties” to copy the URL where the image is located) or upload it again with a different file name. The first option is preferred so additional server space is not consumed by uploading the same image more than once.

[sim600]

have you tried the df-02 spring set?, comes with soft and hard springs.

Oh ya, forgot to mention I havethe spring set and am using the hardest springs (blue). :(

[bakabaka]

Hi sim600,

I put AE 80 weight oil in the rear with the hard springs, it seems to work pretty well as far as jumping goes. Definitely a lot of damping.

Have fun! :)

[sim600]

Thanks bakabaka,
The race organisers for the coming race on Sunday are really **** about using Tamiya stuff only so I guess I'll try that hard oil set with that hardest #1000 oil and hope for the best. I can't imagine what that oil is like. Probably a bit thinner than peanut butter. Haha.

Btw, are you using the 2 hole piston or the 3 hole? Thanks. My 2 hole pistons are missing :(

[bakabaka]

Hi sim600,

IIRC (it's been about a year since I put them together) I'm using 3 hole pistons in the rear. Oddly enough, I wasn't able to find Tamiya damper oil in any of the local hobby shops, which is why I'm using AE oil.

Have fun! :)

[vmaxcruzer]

Sorry if that last post did't make a lot of sense. Here are the directions.

• Images must be JPEG, Windows BMP or GIF file types
• File size must be 60 kb or less
• Dimensions must be 1000 pixels or less in either dimension

Image files often need to be reduced in size in order to meet the file size requirements. A raw image from a typical digital camera might be 200 to 5000 kb in its raw form, so it will need to be edited before it can be posted on the forums The two most effective ways to reduce image file size are 1) to cut its physical dimensions either by cropping of trimming the pixel width and height, or 2) reduce the “quality” of the image. Most imaging software allows JPEG image quality to be increased or reduced, often on a scale of 1 to 10 or 1 to 12. It’s best to reduce image quality to level 4 or 5 to cut down on the file size. Level 3 can also be used but the image starts to become pixilated if the quality is set too low.

Once you have the image(s) edited down to an acceptable size, place it somewhere on your computer where you will be able to find it. Select “Go Advanced” when posting a reply - you cannot upload images through the “Quick Reply” window. Post any text that you want to accompany the image in the reply window, and then click the “Manage Attachments” button below. Next, click the “Browse” button and find the image file on your computer that you would like to attach. Once you’ve found the file, select it and then click the “upload” button. Once the image is accepted, click the “Close this Window” button and then submit your post.

Please note that only one image can be attached per post. If you wish to post additional images, you must attach each to a new post. An image can only be uploaded once, so if you desire to display the image again in another thread, you’ll need to just link to the original image (right click the image and select “properties” to copy the URL where the image is located) or upload it again with a different file name. The first option is preferred so additional server space is not consumed by uploading the same image more than once.


Thank you that was very helpfull....My RS pic's on the way.

[sim600]

Okay, this is getting ridiculous. The rear shocks have #1000 oil in them with 3 hole pistons and the car is still bottoming out from about a 1 foot drop. I think at this point that I will just let the car bottom out and the chassis absorb the rest of the shock. I saw some TRF 2-hole pistons I could buy which do look at lot like the ones that came with the DF-02 aluminium shock set, but gosh, that would make the shocks harder than those of a 1/8 buggy and I'm not sure if the plastic mounting points can handle that kind of strain.

Bakabaka, from what you're experiencing and from what I'm experiencing, it seems the Team Associated 80 weight oil is thicker than the Tamiya #1000 oil.

So currently, I have #800 oil in front with #1000 oil in the rear with both blue springs and innermost mounting points on both and 12 Tamiya red o rings on each rear shock shaft. Also I bought the low friction shock V parts tree and am using the long shock ends in the rear (they are already used in the front shocks and they are maybe 1mm longer than the original shock ends on the aluminium set).

The only real thing left to do is build my own shock tower and shock mounting point to change the suspension layout but all that will have to wait until after this years Tamiya Asia Cup (or at least the qualifiers) unless I get really lucky and win another DF-02 :D

I still do have big plans for this buggy. :D

[kampat]

Best of Luck Sim600! kick some butt for ALL of us!

[sim600]

Thanks Kampat,
I'll do my best. I'll guarantee you that the winner of the race will be a DF-02 though. It's the only chassis that's legal. Haha.

[kampat]

Hi there

Does anyone notice the difference between the included ball bearings and the Tamiya sealed ball bearings?, the sealed ones rotote almost twice as freely. I tested them by putting the included ones on the diff housing, holding the bearings with my finger tips and turning the diff housing. I then did the same using the blue sealed bearings and noticed the HUGE difference. That’s why I am ordering all blue sealed ones!
kampat

[sim600]

Kampat,
I dont have the sealed bearings but usually bearings shouldn't have a big difference between them in terms of friction (unless they are damaged or worn or dirty of course).
The cause of the extra friction of the stock bearings might very well be from the thick grease inside. I think Tamiya likes to "idiot-proof" their metal-shielded bearings with a very thick grease to make them virtually maintenance-free and last a lifetime. However, this makes the bearings quite slow so most people just degrease the bearings (spray out with WD-40 or motor cleaner spray) and oil them again (use a very thin oil or oil specifically made for lubricating bearings) which should flow through the gaps between the metal shield and the bearing case. This thin oil will run out quite quickly though, so you'll need to clean and oil your bearings quite often after that (before and after each run if you are hardcore). That's the disadvantage of having no grease.

Otherwise, you could just use the sealed bearings. They cost more but should be a lot less of a headache for off-road. Lastly, Tamiya bearings are ridiculously priced I think. You might want to try some aftermarket sealed bearings like those from Yeah Racing. I have a set of Yeah Racing sealed bearings in my XXX-T (different sizes from Tamiya btw) that seem to be holding up very well and were dirt cheap. I've run them for maybe 30 battery packs so far and I've not oiled them or anything. :D

Long story short: Find the bearing sizes you want, buy sealed bearings but non-Tamiya ones. That's my opinion.

[bakabaka]

Hi sim600!

You might want to try putting some RC nitro fuel tubing on the rear damper shafts. Push the chassis to the ground and measure how much of the shaft is showing on the rear dampers, then cut two pieces of the tubing maybe a few mm longer than that. The tubing will prevent the chassis from hitting too hard, which might help on the track.

Incidentally, which holes on the suspension arms do you have the dampers mounted on? You might want to try a different setting to see if it helps. BTW, given that there are enough people there racing a DF-02, you'll probably see a reasonable variety of setups. Maybe there's a setting that works particularly well for racing on the track.

Have fun! :)

[sim600]

hi bakabaka,

I'm finding the innermost holes on the arms to work the best so far so that's what I am using. The outer holes puts the springs further from the fulcrum (arm hingepins) but it also lays the arms down more and mostly, it takes away some of the ride height and suspension travel length. Without modifying the shock tower, I find the innermost holes give the least amount of chassis slap.

The fuel tubing idea is good but because of the Tamiya only rules, we can only use O-rings and I've already got so many on there that almost the whole shaft is covered with O-rings. Haha.

I'll live with the chassis slap for now and see how that goes. If something breaks, I'll replace it and stiffen up some more. I'm thinking I really shouldn't be doing anything more to the shocks because they're already very stiff and already transferring a lot of the stress of the jump landing to the shock towers.

Thanks for all the help. I'll let you know what other setups work after I see what the other guys do at the race.

[vmaxcruzer]

Finally pic's of my "slapper", yellow one is my wife's.

[vmaxcruzer]

One more time...

[Eotz]

Hi.

Last sunday I take part in the first race of the year. First at all I must say that I get the pole position after the classification but after the finals y finish at the 3th position. I'm going to give a little list of the optional parts that I used for the race: RW Racing's 17T pinion, the tires were Losi Ifmar Stud (Red) in the front, and Proline 8081 in the rear. Ofcourse with the TT-01's front one-way and ball diferential and metal motor mount. For the main shaft I use the Square one. I used Yeah Racing! Shock towers and GPM front and rear lower harms and shock (With a different setting), then I used all the Tamiya's steering parts and universal shafts. I discarted the GPM front C-Hub and Knuckle because I didn't like the way I solved the gap betwen those parts so finally I used the original parts.
As I say before I made a little changes in the GPM shocks following the advise of a friend that has race for many years. First I used Schumacher's 25 shock oil in the front and Trinity's 35 in the rear. Then I replace the GPM rubber cups from inside the shocks and I use the caps from the stock plastic Tamiya's shocks that works much better than GPM's and with no oil lost. I also replace the GPM's yellow dampers by "Losi" dampers, the red to be exact. I must admit that I get a great suspension sistem for the car without botton at all, without anything to envy to other more spensive car :D .
I have another small (But very important) modification in the chasis but I'll talk about it in the future ;) . I hope this result useful for you and please, forgive my bad english. As Bakabaka says. Have fun for all. :)

Bye.

[vmaxcruzer]

OK I'm done, this forum doesn't like my pic's. I'll stick to text. I've got my camera turned down as far as it will go and the files are still too big, oh well. WAIT!! I got an idea.... OK I used my grandsons cheap Disneyland camera.

[vmaxcruzer]

Now my RS...

[vmaxcruzer]

The guts...

[vmaxcruzer]

Last one.

[fsh_62]

Nice ride vmx. What motor is that. Method R?