Tamiya DT-02 Thread

[pangRacer]

Hi again; Dont bother with pics, I just cancelled my DT-02 MS order, and ordered a DF-03 instead.

Not a bad idea as this is your second DF03 right? I posted in the DF03 thread my Keen Hawk, you may want to buy the DF02 U-shaft to have a stronger front suspension arm mount. Best upgrade for the stock DF03 is the white spring set and the center one-way, make the stock more drivable.

You are right NEXZZT about the DT02 not for competitive racing. My MS is my first 2WD and learning buggy. I have also a DF03 with loads of Tamiya Hop-up which I am preparing for up coming TCS race in our area. Both I considered money pit and costly learning machine. I have not done club racing yet nor any competitive race, still developing my driving and set-up skills and I can already see the logic that it is better to invest on a good kit to start with, it is much cheaper in the long term. Given the chance to buy my next 2wd buggy, I'll go for the D2.

[Cole Trickle]

Thanks for the tips - I've already ordered extra springs, namely the set with red and blue springs. I dont understand about "DF02 U-shaft to have a stronger front suspension arm mount" - I'll try to find your post. If I still dont understand, I'll ask again ;)

Yeah, in general it's cheaper in the long run, to buy a good car from start, than to hop op later on. Or as somebody else have stated: Buy cheap, and cry all the time. Buy expensive, and cry only once.

However, most likely, I'll never be racing those 1/10 el buggies - we dont have a track around here :D

But I like to have a reasonably car to begin with, and the DF-03 handles great out of the box. And if a weak spot show up, like the need for a slipper clutch, I can buy one. If the shock towers break a lot, I can buy graphite ones.

And that's the reason for why I cancelled the DT-02 MS order - it's already hopped op, and the weak turnbuckle mount on the gear case makes me worry - no optional graphite parts... It also lacks different mount for camber links.

[Cole Trickle]

pangRacer: Now I got that about the U-shaft right. Are you running it both front and rear? did it break a lot before you mounted it? My sons DF-03 with a standard motor, havent broken a single piece yet... Which motor are you using? I plan on using a 18x4, so maybe I dont need it...

Thx.

[swannco]

Hey m0ng00se, sorry it took so long to reply, its been crazy.

df-03 part # 53926 from tamiya usa for $87, but you can get them for $76 or so other places.

i like the duratrax 4200 b/c they're cheap & reliable so far.

[thecraze]

Hey guys, I have the Velineon brushless in, and it's great! I'm using the 17 tooth, and the motor is even cooler than the stock, so i think I'm safe until I get a 16 or 15 tooth in. I just had to modify the gearbox to make the motor fit because of the screws it has on the edge of the motor near the shaft.

[pangRacer]

pangRacer: Now I got that about the U-shaft right. Are you running it both front and rear? did it break a lot before you mounted it? My sons DF-03 with a standard motor, havent broken a single piece yet... Which motor are you using? I plan on using a 18x4, so maybe I dont need it...

Thx.


Hi Cole, DF02 U shaft PN 51082 @ $2.90/pcs.and I used in both front and rear. I also ordered one for my DT0 MS to finalized my bullet-proof mods.

I broke my suspension arm mount and damper stay at the same time when I used Proline Dirt Hawg in front and rear, my Keen Hawk became unstable and I lost control and hit a concrete wall with Tamiya RZ Motor 23T.

My observation is that the quality and durability of their kits dont give justice the high-end sticker printing and packaging. They are using German and swiss-made machines to print and manufacture the packaging but the kits are not at the same level in terms of design and material. Get a magnifying glass and check the six-color dots on the box, you will understand what I am referring to. My MS plus the tires and add on to make it bullet proof is the same price you get a B4 or a Kyosho and still very far to either in terms tunability...

I am hoping Tamiya come up with a competition grade 2WD buggy soon.

[m0ng00se]

hehe, no problem swannco. i found the same part and price. i find that quite expensive, considering the fact that ill probably never race it. higher ride height and stiffer springers are neccesary though. anything cheaper that i can try? thx.

[thecraze]

pangracer, Tamiya had a competition grade 2wd a couple of times (Astute [arguably] and Dyna Storm), and they didn't take off. It is more profitable for them to keep making bashers because that's what people know them for. I'm happy bashing this thing, and that's something you can't do with Losi, or Assosiated.

[pangRacer]

pangracer, Tamiya had a competition grade 2wd a couple of times (Astute [arguably] and Dyna Storm), and they didn't take off. It is more profitable for them to keep making bashers because that's what people know them for. I'm happy bashing this thing, and that's something you can't do with Losi, or Assosiated.

You are right in the profitability on selling to bashers like me. The MS highlighted the weak points of the DT02. I don't race but I observed that the obstacles in the offroad track are far more challenging than the parking lot or backyard. I spent $220 on this puppy and that price is comparable to out of the box Kyosho, Losi or Associated. Again this is my learning car and I am challenged to make this an All-Tamiya strong 2WD.

[thecraze]

Unfortunately, there is no track around here for me to test my car or skill.

[pangRacer]

Unfortunately, there is no track around here for me to test my car or skill.

There are at least 3 offroad tracks around about 50 miles away from where I live. I practice my driving skill in our backyard and driveway using several cones and water hose to simulate the turns and small bumps on the track and this is where I damaged my rear turnbukle mounts in the gear case. In a controlled All-tamiya environment like the TCS, its mostly driving skill but in the off-road track condition, set-up will help a lot in your driving skill and the DT02 is dead-end when it comes to tunability. I like the Tamiya package and sticker though.

[thecraze]

I've put my DT-02 through a lot, and I think it can hold it's own in a race. Maybe not blow everyone away, but do alright. I was just running around, and took a few shots. What do you guys think?

[swannco]

hey m0ng00se,

i've tried a set of stock losi xxx-t springs on the rear and they give it some serious height. they are taller and slightly fatter, but they give tons of clearance even with dirt hawgs on the back. watch fleabay for a pair of cheap used ones for a couple of bucks. its not a perfect solution, but its dirt cheap.

i agree with the craze about bashing v. racing. i had a losi and it just wasn't happy withstanding the abuse that i normally give my dt-02 in a day's bashing. i do not doubt that the losi would have run rings around it on the track however.

happily, i don't race and just bash, so the dt-02 keeps me happy and i'm not always wrenching on it. or worse yet, waiting for the blasted parts to be off back order from the factory. that was the biggest reason i just never repaired the losi after the last time it got damaged. i waited 3 months for parts and in the meantime got fed up and bought something else - my sand viper! so far, no serious complaints. that's where i got the idea to try the losi springs on the dt-02, LOL! it was just sitting there w/ parts on back order so i started canabilizing it and have bits of it on all kinds of tamiya project now :D

[thecraze]

Hey guys, this was fun... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhhrFTpfnek

[nexzzt]

Hey guys, this was fun... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhhrFTpfnek

Wheres the wheelies?? :D

[Cole Trickle]

I see the point for Tamiya about making good bashing cars...

But I'll bet any top-driver would beat me with a DT-02, while I was running the ultimate 4WD Kyosho/Losi whatever... The main thing is still the driver !

Anyway, I ordered a DF-03 for a good price. Just did some calculations, and I can get alu dampers, CVD's for the front, turnbuckles and a slipper clutch, and the total price is the same as a Kyosho Lazer ZX5 non-SP kit.

That would make them quite even. And the DF-03 wont get small rocks in the pinon/spur, which could happen with the Kyosho...

Unfortunately we dont have a track around here, so I'll never find out in the real world. But it could be fun to try out :D :cool:

[thecraze]

Wheres the wheelies?? :D

Digital camera + brushless system = NO WHEELIES! LOL.

I have my ball diff adjusted to the point where I don't do wheelies, anyway.

[hanafuda]

I have my parts ordered.

DF-03 alumi shocks and spring set.
DT-02 turnbuckle set.

Gave the car a good service at the weekend. Stripped it right down to the diff.

Does anyone know if the Super Fighter G kit can handle a Sand Viper or Wild Gator body without modification?

@ Toonz

How is the Durga? I'm pretty sure I'll be getting one in a couple of months. Would be interested to hear your impressions.

[m0ng00se]

Hey hanafuda, did you order the #53926 suspension kit?

[swannco]

hanafuda,

i know the super fighter g body will NOT fit on the sand viper without changing the front body post. not sure about the other way around. the holes seem to line up, but the post is much too short on the viper. i suspect the gator body would sit way too high on the fighter posts unless you modify it.

[hanafuda]

Hey hanafuda, did you order the #53926 suspension kit?

Yeah, those and the 927 spring set.

@ Swannco

Thanks. The front mount on the SFG is white. I figure you just need the appropriate front mount depending on the body.

[pangRacer]

I see the point for Tamiya about making good bashing cars...

But I'll bet any top-driver would beat me with a DT-02, while I was running the ultimate 4WD Kyosho/Losi whatever... The main thing is still the driver !

Anyway, I ordered a DF-03 for a good price. Just did some calculations, and I can get alu dampers, CVD's for the front, turnbuckles and a slipper clutch, and the total price is the same as a Kyosho Lazer ZX5 non-SP kit.

That would make them quite even. And the DF-03 wont get small rocks in the pinon/spur, which could happen with the Kyosho...

Unfortunately we dont have a track around here, so I'll never find out in the real world. But it could be fun to try out :D :cool:

Tested today my MS with Tamiya Spike tires on the rear and it worked perfect with front Proline wide 4-rib in the pavement. The mods are working perfectly in absorbing some heavy impacts. I am going to a clay track this weekend to checkout the real world.

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u207/pangracer/L1010206.jpg

You can't go wrong with DF03, it is also my 4wd buggy learning machine. I run it twice in a clay track and the steering mods help a lot with reducing the understeer...real tracks are known to have not so wide turns. You may want to have center one-way to make it more drivable.

Here is the detail of front-end mod: upper A-arm using double turnbuckle in both ends, FRP hinge pin retainer, x-brace using DF03 turnbuckles not shown is a Kimbrough medium servo saver.

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u207/pangracer/L1010209.jpg

[Cole Trickle]

pangRacer, nice mods :D

I havent seen a center one way locally, only a front one way. I'll check that...

[thecraze]

Nice mods, pangracer

[swannco]

If anyone has one, or has seen the correct body post & mount for a superfighter G on sale somewhere, I would be grateful if you'd pass the info my way.

I kinda want to be able to change bodies, but don't have the part. I'm also missing the wing and goodies like driver and sidepods, but figure they will come on a parts tree. maybe. don't know for sure.

I've been looking for any dt-02 bodies that would / could be made to fit, but every place is back-ordered or WAAAAY too expensive with shipping costs. :(

[thecraze]

swannco, the parts tree with the mount, side pods, and wing is 9335434 ($5.75) figure is 0225033 ($3.90) and body is 9335433 ($10.00) on tamiyausa.com for the Super Fighter G. Then all you have to do is turn your rear body mount upside down after that.

[swannco]

hey thanks for the info! i got the body already so i'll get the other parts pronto!!!! :D

[hanafuda]

I got the parts.

Have finished work on the front of the car, but when it comes to building the rear shocks (DF-03 aluminium) I found it odd that the instructions don't mention to put a black O ring on the part of the rod that goes inside the cylinder, yet on the instructions to build the front shocks you are supposed to use a black O ring.

I also have 2 spare black O rings in the kit.

Thoughts? If I don't hear from anyone I think I'll put the O rings on anyway. Don't see it doing any harm...

I'll post some before and after pics and impressions later. Must say the shocks are a very sexy bit of kit.

[pangRacer]

I got the parts.

Have finished work on the front of the car, but when it comes to building the rear shocks (DF-03 aluminium) I found it odd that the instructions don't mention to put a black O ring on the part of the rod that goes inside the cylinder, yet on the instructions to build the front shocks you are supposed to use a black O ring.

I also have 2 spare black O rings in the kit.

Thoughts? If I don't hear from anyone I think I'll put the O rings on anyway. Don't see it doing any harm...

I'll post some before and after pics and impressions later. Must say the shocks are a very sexy bit of kit.

The instruction on the MS says that no black o-ring inside for the front and 2 o-rings inside in the rear dampers. It comes with white (no color code) springs for both front and rear whih is the hardest of the white setting spring sets (not included in the limited edition white spring set). I used the extra o-rings in the damper shaft between the lower mount and the bottom of the damper body to end of travel.

I hope this helps

[toonz]

The instruction on the MS says that no black o-ring inside for the front and 2 o-rings inside in the rear dampers. It comes with white (no color code) springs for both front and rear whih is the hardest of the white setting spring sets (not included in the limited edition white spring set). I used the extra o-rings in the damper shaft between the lower mount and the bottom of the damper body to end of travel.

I hope this helps

don't get confuse with the white DT02MS white spring and the limited edition white DF03 springs (if you are refering to this).

here's an overview of the white springs, which i've mentioned a few pages back.

DT02MS kit white springs.
REAR white is the same as the DT02 HOP-UP RED spring.
FRONT white is the same as the original DT02 Gator/Viper silver spring.
(you can refer to the part number at the back page of the manual)

limited edition DF03 white spring set.
they are the same as the original DF03 spring set.
silver hard=blue white
gold medium=yellow white
black soft=red soft
(the red/blue/yellow are indicated by a tiny drop of ink at each end of the white springs)

[pangRacer]

don't get confuse with the white DT02MS white spring and the limited edition white DF03 springs (if you are refering to this).

here's an overview of the white springs, which i've mentioned a few pages back.

DT02MS kit white springs.
REAR white is the same as the DT02 HOP-UP RED spring.
FRONT white is the same as the original DT02 Gator/Viper silver spring.
(you can refer to the part number at the back page of the manual)

limited edition DF03 white spring set.
they are the same as the original DF03 spring set.
silver hard=blue white
gold medium=yellow white
black soft=red soft
(the red/blue/yellow are indicated by a tiny drop of ink at each end of the white springs)


Thanks for clarifying, thats more accurate description of those white springs. Sorry for the confusion.

[swannco]

i now have all the parts in my hot little hands to put a super fighter body on my sand viper for something different. i want to do a desert camo paint job on the sfg body just for the...shelf... of it.

[thecraze]

Sounds cool, swannce. Post some pics too!

[Cole Trickle]

limited edition DF03 white spring set.
they are the same as the original DF03 spring set.
silver hard=blue white
gold medium=yellow white
black soft=red soft
(the red/blue/yellow are indicated by a tiny drop of ink at each end of the white springs)

This is very, very interesting, thanks :cool:

Silver hard, is that the same as the one supplied with the DF-03 kit?

Thanks,
Thomas.

[thecraze]

Hey Toonz, you must be busy with your Durga! You haven't been here in a while.

[thecraze]

Argh! The piston rod (threaded end) popped loose, now I lost the spring on my front right shock. Oh well, an excuse to get metal bodied shocks!

[jnc011994]

Hello,

Just bought a 2nd hand dt02 sand viper. Also got the CVA Short Shock Set II for the rear. But it seems that the rear is so low. Any suggestion? do i need to add those damper collar inside the shock? in the manual it says that there's an option to add damper collar inside. I also have a Tamiya Sport Tuned RR Engine and a Futaba MC330 ESC.

Thanks,
Jojo

[thecraze]

The only good way to highten your rear is to upgrade the shocks to metal bodied ones.

[jnc011994]

Hello craze,

So any suggestion on metal bodied shocks? would HPI shocks will do? what brand?

thanks,
Jojo

[swannco]

people recommend the dt-03 trf shocks from tamiya, but they cost a packet.

[toonz]

This is very, very interesting, thanks :cool:

Silver hard, is that the same as the one supplied with the DF-03 kit?

Thanks,
Thomas.

the silver spring in the kit is NOT the same as the silver hard in the DF03 spring set.

this silver kit spring has the SAME spring rate as the YELLOW spring from the DF02 damper set, which is medium rate.

[toonz]

Hey Toonz, you must be busy with your Durga! You haven't been here in a while.

kind of:D

[thecraze]

I ordered the 3racing DF-03 shocks off of Ebay (25.99 including shipping).

[thecraze]

3Racing shocks and Pro-Line Holeshot front tires (4wd squeezed and glued onto rims).

[hanafuda]

Before and after.

[hanafuda]

Will be taking the car out for a spin in its new form shortly.

Impressions of the new parts prior to the run:

Turnbuckle set is low cost and has several benefits. 1) Weight reduction. 2) Gives you a bunch of new setting options. 3) Arguably makes the car look better (certainly in the case of the SFG anyway).

You'll definitely want to have a pair of long nose pliers to help get the parts on the car, and I also recommend some kind of work gloves or at least some kind of protection for your fingers as screwing those plastic caps onto the shafts really starts to hurt after a while, and there are 12 to do in total.

The aluminium shocks are an expensive piece of kit but they are really nice. Really nice. Superb engineering. Can't wait to try them out. Be aware that the kit comes with soft oil, so you may want to prepare something harder in additon if that is your goal. I'm also glad I added those spare black O rings onto the rear shocks as even with them on the rears are quite a bit longer than the stock pogo sticks that come with the SFG.

Haven't done anything with the spring set yet. I'm going to see how it goes with the standard gold springs that come with the damper set.

[Cole Trickle]

the silver spring in the kit is NOT the same as the silver hard in the DF03 spring set.

this silver kit spring has the SAME spring rate as the YELLOW spring from the DF02 damper set, which is medium rate.

Thanks. The springs in the DF-03 spring set, are they harder or softer than the ones in the stock kit?

I think I need something softer - I've mounted the one-hole pistons in all 4 corners, and are now using Associated shock oil 70 wt, which (as far as I know) should be pretty hard compared to other shock oil brands. It helped a lot, the shocks are now more dampend, but the car still is somewhat springy, especially the front.

On the other hand, the car still buttoms out quite easy, so I think what I really need is: pistons with better fit to the shock body (there's quite a clearance between piston and body, at least at front, pistons with smaller holes, harder shock oit and harder springs. But I'm not an expert into off road springs/shocks, so advices are more than welcome :D:cool:

If I was sure the alu DF-03 shocks had pistons with better fit, and smaller holes, I would buy them.

[thecraze]

The shocks that I bought came with one hole in front and two in rear, installed. The one hole in front makes the car bounce. The shocks came with spare two and one hole pistons, and I'll be replacing the one hole today.

[thecraze]

You'll like the adjustable nature of the turnbuckles, hanafuda. Also, the oil shocks compared to the friction shocks are like night and day, you'll notice a difference right away.

[thecraze]

I've heard people tell me I needed to upgrade to metal gears. This is the original pinion that came with the kit. The plastic spur gear is just fine!

[swannco]

cole trickle

try a set of dirt hawgs on the rear. they're taller = bottom out less. cheaper than aluminum shocks too.

[thecraze]

I don't know if this has been done before with a broken turnbuckle mount.

I glued it in place first, then I drilled small holes so I could tie down with wire. Seemed to work. I flipped a few times, and it held.

[nexzzt]

Cool, nice fix. Now would be a good time to buy a replacement ali part :)

[thecraze]

Cool, nice fix. Now would be a good time to buy a replacement ali part :)

I may have to look into metal ones.

[pangRacer]

I don't know if this has been done before with a broken turnbuckle mount.

I glued it in place first, then I drilled small holes so I could tie down with wire. Seemed to work. I flipped a few times, and it held.

I have not broken yet mine after many hits on stationary objects with this mods
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u207/pangracer/L1010209.jpg

Twin turnbuckles acting like double a-arm and x-brace on the damper stay.. very strong.

[thecraze]

I remember that pic, pangracer. I'll have to do that, or wait until 3racing comes out with their metal ones ($13). The ones from another company, that are available, are expensive ($30!)

[TamiyaRacer69]

Well it's been awhile since I was on here, really had nothing to report. BZ is running sweet with the 17tooth pinion, tryed the 19, but prefer the 17.:) ESC hasn't blowen up yet, which surprizes me as I've had the Gator upside down in my daughters swimming pool, D.I.C.O.RC (Drunk-in-charge-of-R/C) The things we do. Still going strong though, twitched a bit mind you, thought it was the demise of the DT-02. Just pulled everything apart let it dry out and "Sweet as bro"
Latest "accident" Broke the chassis, near where the gearbox mounts. Done good considering I've had the Gator for nearly 3 years, it's been jumped off the control tower at local R/C track, had some fun at the local skate parks, jumped over a full sized car, jumped off various high objects, smashed into countless im-movable objects, jumped through fire, jumped off my daughters trampoline while she was bouncing on it, got some major air off some jumps at near-by BMX track, landed about 35 million times upside down, the list goes on.
You can see why I love this buggy so much, this is the second breakage I've had over nearly a 3 year period. WHAT A BUGGY

I praised this buggy so much, that I converted an on road buff to off road. My oldest step-daughters boyfriend, Shane. He just finished building a Gator. Looks sweet too. He painted it metallic blue with the "Box Art" decals, and threw a BZ in it. And he loves it. In fact myself, Mike (aka Renco5012), and the newest Gator member (Shane) are off for a bash this weekend. Three Gators in the same place at the sametime. What more could you ask for.

I'm looking at adding another Tamiya to my collection next week. Sorry to say it wont be another Gator, (I really thought really hard about it:D) it'll be a TT-01. Might give the drifting craze a go.

Anyway, that's enough dribble from me.

"GO HARD, OR GO HOME"

L8R GATORS

Del

[Ripplebe]

Hey all, I’m a newbie and just Purchased a new Midnight Pumpkin Metallic kit. Been wanting own this thing for years. Can anyone help me or give me ideas on what is a good oil shock upgrade? I want to get four new shocks and bearings but don’t know exactly what will work and how many bearings / shock sets to buy? So any help would be great before I get started…
Can’t wait to post pic's when she’s complete... Thanks

[TamiyaRacer69]

Hiya Ripplebe.
First of all welcome to the online world of R/C.
Secondly, to get the Admin people happy you need to be in this......http://forums.radiocontrolzone.com/forumdisplay.php?f=351 forum. All the info you need about the Pumpkin and the Lunchbox. As they're the same chassis.

[Ripplebe]

Thank you, Ill give them a go!

[thecraze]

Hi Del. I think you got off of here when I started posting.

I hear lots of good things about the TT-01.

[danceswithcages]

I've been pretty happy with my Gator since I got it from a local auction site, I think it has been mentioned earlier in the thread, a guy in Wanganui had it. After some fairly hefty abuse I finally broke the front shock tower when it hit a curb upside down at high speed. I'm going to treat it to some new rims, tyres and body work and hand it over for my G/F for her to learn to drive better.
What a great little buggy it has been for bashing.
To Del, I don't know if you have RC stockcar racing down in Chch, but it's growing up here (Tauranga local club (http://www.boprcstockcars.com)) and the TT-01 is by far the most common donor car. I'm putting the final touches on a Tank and will be out there in a couple of weeks.

Hail Eris, Justin

[uDi_MP75]

Sorry to invade with an unrelated question, but could anyone here tell me the differences between the RTR DF-02 kit and normal DF-02 kits (Gravel Hound etc)?

From what I can see - oil shocks, and maybe some ball bearings? Anything else? Diffs/drivetrain the same on both?

Thanks in advance!
I'm actually just trying to cure a burst of childhood nostalgia with lowend tamiya kits, and it's a case of "anything'll do" at the moment.. found a cheap RTR on ebay and I'm wondering if it's worth buying and restoring to normal spec.

[uDi_MP75]

PS - Love the thread, have flicked through it - some beautiful cars, and dodgy fixes like the one above bring back great memories. I'm from a 1/8 gas background, and really want to go back to the joys of something cheaper/simpler/less messy.

[Cole Trickle]

Sorry to invade with an unrelated question, but could anyone here tell me the differences between the RTR DF-02 kit and normal DF-02 kits (Gravel Hound etc)?

From what I can see - oil shocks, and maybe some ball bearings? Anything else? Diffs/drivetrain the same on both?

Thanks in advance!
I'm actually just trying to cure a burst of childhood nostalgia with lowend tamiya kits, and it's a case of "anything'll do" at the moment.. found a cheap RTR on ebay and I'm wondering if it's worth buying and restoring to normal spec.


Dont know...

However, before getting a DF-02, I would strongly recommend you check out the DF-03 (Dark Impact/Keen Hawk/Avante Mk. II), which is the newer and strongly improved version of DF-02. The DB-01 (Durga/Baldre) is also interesting, it's even better than DF-03. Dont know about ebay pricing, but when talking NIB, DF-03/DB-01, is quite close to DF-02.

Good luck with it.

[rmvvwls]

Hi there. This is the first post on this site, so here goes.
I went to the LHS and bought a Tamiya Desert Gator (http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=57748) today after convincing myself it was a good idea.
It TOTALLY was. I LOVE this thing.
However, after about 3 hours of bashing around my driveway, the knobs on the tires have worn down to the point where they enlarge. Is this normal, or is running this thing on concrete not a good idea?
Would it be a good idea to find some better tires, or just stick with the normal ones? (http://www.rchobbies.com.au/store/product_info.php?products_id=3561&osCsid=db3c489581da4b4efc7eb892e8f5a1f9)
(I run mainly on loose ~1mm gravel, 25mm aggregate and part of the driveway is concrete)

Also, the underside has taken a real beating. Is there anything I can do to increase clearance? I have unscrewed the little rods in the shocks a bit to increase travel (maybe not a good idea also?), but the rear of the car still bottoms out fairly easily. Could I try something like this (http://www.rchobbies.com.au/store/product_info.php?products_id=13276&osCsid=db3c489581da4b4efc7eb892e8f5a1f9) and use the hard springs to give it more support?
Or should I just run it like this till it breaks and see about upgrading? I don't want to spend too much on parts if I just decide to buy a better one later.

Thanks for any opinions and/or advice.
rmvvwls

[uDi_MP75]

Dont know...

However, before getting a DF-02, I would strongly recommend you check out the DF-03 (Dark Impact/Keen Hawk/Avante Mk. II), which is the newer and strongly improved version of DF-02. The DB-01 (Durga/Baldre) is also interesting, it's even better than DF-03. Dont know about ebay pricing, but when talking NIB, DF-03/DB-01, is quite close to DF-02.

Good luck with it.

Thanks for the reply, but yeah this DF-02 was priced fairly cheap hence my interest. The DF-03 and DB-01 were well out of my budget range to begin with unfortunately.

I would have got the DF-02 but the same seller had a newish Evader ST ready to run that ended for the same price (about us100) so I bought that instead. :)

Hopefully I'll enjoy the 2WD, some of the comments in this thread seem to suggest that the DT-02 is more fun than the DF-02... I'm not sure if the 2WD's hook up as well in an a bashing environment but I'll see how it goes. Thanks again.

[Cole Trickle]

congrats with your new car, sounds like a lot of fun for small money... :D:cool:

2WD, well, we tried removing the dogbones on my sons DF-03, making it a rear wheel drive.

On asphalt the difference wasnt so big, but as soon as the surface gets more slippery, the rear end was all over. A whole other driving style. Harder to control, but definately lots of fun. Requires smooooth trigger finger to go straight and fast around a track :teacher: we did mount the front dog bones again, though :huh:

He learned a lot about 2WD and 4WD differences that day.

Have fun :)

[swannco]

rmvvwls,

you might want different tires for concrete, the stock ones will not last. they are really meant for dirt.

as for the underside: if you are jumping it and landing on tarmac or such, you might break something. if its just dirt and gravel, you would be surprised what they can take.

stiffer springs, more spacers and such will work. better fix = thicker oil and a different piston inside with fewer holes = more resistance = less bottoming out. all of the above can be used together to 'tweak' the performance.

if that doesn't work, you can try different shocks, but they aren't cheap, so try the other ideas 1st.

[rmvvwls]

Thanks swannco
The shocks that came with it arent oil filled, they seem to just be stock spring-load only ones.
I think i may just keep bashing with this one till I seriously break something, then see about upgrading.
As for the tyres, I may get a new dirt set and keep the old ones, then just swap them depending on where I'm driving it.
Do you know what I should be looking for? (size-wise?)
The only ones I can find that suit this car are the standard tamiya ones.

[pangRacer]

I was initially disappointed with my DT02MS in the first week of use when I broke the rear turnbuckle mount in the gear case. I made some modifications to suit my not so good driving style and survive lots of unfriendly stationary objects around our paver. Here are some:
1. 30mmX30mm CPU fan to cool down my Tamiya BZ motor wrapped with foam dirt protector.
2. rear gearbox protector using liquid brush-on tape
3. all machine crews with hex head no tapping screw from stock kit.
4. DF03 rear suspension arm with reinforced turnbuckle holder. Very stable on straight.
5. Kimbrough servo saver that is 2mm longer that stock.
6. x-braced front damper stay and double front turnbuckle.
7. Tamiya high-density K type rear tire with shaved foam to make it softer. Proline 4-rib wide soft tires on the front - lots of grip

I am now very happy with the performance.

[swannco]

rmvvwls,

you can try some proline dirt hawgs on the front and on the rear. they wear like iron and are pretty good on the dirt too. look at these: http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXDU13&P=7

the shocks should be oil filled on that model, but if their not, buy some. kill if you must, but you really, really want some good oil shocks on an off-road buggy. throw the friction shocks in the bin.

you don't need to spend a fortune on trf aluminum shocks, although they are beautiful. the stock cva shocks work a treat and will be just fine. i still run the stock cva oil shocks and have no complaints.

of all the upgrades you could do to this buggy, oil shocks and ball bearings will make the biggest difference by far. you will probably wear out many, many sets of tires in this buggy's lifetime, so experiment a little and see what works best for you. but buy some oil shocks for $25 or so. its worth it.

[rmvvwls]

Do you think something like this (http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXJHU6&P=0) would work, or do I need to get tamiya parts for that particular chassis?

[swannco]

no, i don't think those will work, i believe they will be too small.

the shocks are such a particular part fit that you should definitely use the tamiya part. i know some guys have used df-03 shocks on the dt-02 chassis with great success, but its tough to swap models even within tamiya and make it work, let alone another brand.

[swannco]

my dt-02 has started screaming like a banshee and i don't mean its fast, LOL.

i think something has happened to the gears. it has always been loud but i didn't find anything wrong before. now its ten times as bad, and it happened very suddenly. like one battery pack.

i guess i will take it apart and see what is wrong. hopefully it is something visible and obvious. has anybody trashed a set of gears in one of these? stock motor only - no mamba max or crazy stuff.

i'm wondering if all the jumping w/o a slipper clutch had caught up to me?

[rmvvwls]

no, i don't think those will work, i believe they will be too small.

Ok, I'll try for some others.
Thankyou, by the way.
You've really been a great help.

my dt-02 has started screaming like a banshee
If yours has suddenly started screaming, sounds like you may have done the bearing in the motor in. Stripped gears usually just refuse to work smoothly (this from my years of experience :p).
But I've heard motors that have thrown themselves out of alignment or wrecked their bearings, and they make a high pitched grating noise.

[swannco]

that may be the problem and its easy to fix! just add a new sport tuned :D

thanks for the tip i will check it out tomorrow and let you know if the noise goes away. i just happen to have a spare motor lying around....:)

anybody have a rising storm? i saw one for a nice price the other day and am thinking about adopting it. i know they aren't the df-03, but for the price....

hmmm. maybe?

[rmvvwls]

Bloody hell... I just looked that thing up...
I'm smitten...
One question remains; Kit or RTR? :p

[swannco]

exactly! :D

[rmvvwls]

Do you think that $AU214 (~$US195) inc P/H is reasonable for one of those (in kit form), if it includes a TEU-101 ESC?

Edit: How about a Blazing Star kit (inc ESC) for $AU204?

[swannco]

i think they are only about $115 US for the kit from tower hobbies. you could inquire about shipping and handling prices, but the price you quoted seems kinda high. not terrible, but a little high.

this went to the top of my want list as of 3 days ago. i will own it soon. i will.

sorry to pass the contagion on, though. i apologize for that. NAWWWWW. :D

EDIT: i've seen the blazing star kit for $90 US on ebay, so look around a bit for that one.

[swannco]

oh yeah, i took the dt-02 apart and .... :(

the metal pinion gear is destroyed and the spur gear is less damaged, but still ruined. how plastic can tear up metal is beyond me, but the metal gear is toast and the plastic one is less damaged. go figure.

must now order new gear set and pinion. dt-02 is offline for now. :(

i now have 5 wounded rc cars and must wait for parts, and then find time to repair them. the only cars i can run at the moment are street cars. figures since i'm in the offroad mood right now, and the streets are covered in sand & grit from the winter still. bummer.

does that sound like a good enough reason to buy a rising storm? :eek:

[rmvvwls]

Perfect reason

[swannco]

since i had to order new gears and pinions, i ordered a new sport tuned motor, tuned spring set, some aluminum wheel hexes, and a spiffy new trf 7mm nut driver.

just to fill out the order mind you. can't see wasting the free shipping tamiya is offering on orders over $50 right now.

purely economical reasons.

really.

[thecraze]

swannco, check out my post on the bottom of page 52http://radiocontrolzone.com/showthread.php?t=195821&page=52. Shows my pinion that was destroyed, too. Of all the Tamiya kits I've owned, The plastic gears always held up great.

[swannco]

wow, that looks like a ninja throwing star! mine was that sharp on the paper thin edge that was left and the rest was just...gone. the spur was chewed up, but still mostly there.

i have to say i'm not terribly impressed with tamiya's pinion gears.

i will look for some steel ones somewhere. i've been told to try robinson racing.

what did you use?

[dogie456]

would hop up parts from the df03 fit on the dt02 and if so which ones. also are there any official graphite or aluminum parts for the dt02? i know these are probably noob questions but ive only had the car for 3 weeks on holidays (germany). going to bring it back from holidays when i go again (june). the car had some serious bashing as i have a lot of xperience with onroads.
thanks for your time
Thorsten

[dogie456]

how many t's is the dt02 pinion gear?

[thecraze]

swannco, I figured I'd rather have the pinion strip on me than the spur, since the pinion is easier to come by. That was the pinion that came with the kit (aluminum).

dogie456, the shocks, and driveshaft fit. and check out 3racing.com.hk they have hopups, and more on the way (search DT-02).

[swannco]

blast it all,

i was just minding my business looking at tamiya buggies since my dt-02 is down for repairs...and this df-02 followed me home. that wouldn't have been so bad, but it was lonely and brought a friend. now what in the sam hell am i to do with two df-02s?

i'm the proud new owner of a gravel hound and a rising storm. they will help console me while i wait ever so patiently for my parts order. see what happens when your dt-02 breaks down. :eek:

almost a year of serious bashing without a failure, and even then the cost was about $15 for a new spur/pinion gear set. that, and the cost of two new buggies... :cool:

[nexzzt]

blast it all,

i was just minding my business looking at tamiya buggies since my dt-02 is down for repairs...and this df-02 followed me home. that wouldn't have been so bad, but it was lonely and brought a friend. now what in the sam hell am i to do with two df-02s?


What did you feed them to get them to follow you home? Let me guess, spendoolies?

[swannco]

toomanyspendoolies!

[thecraze]

Just picked up a pair of Square front c mounts off of ebay for five bucks! Going to bullet proof my front end with other metal goodies soon.

[thecraze]

3racing now has the battery cover and front bulkhead/shock tower available! Along with the bulkhead stiffener, the front end will really be bulletproof.

[pangRacer]

3racing now has the battery cover and front bulkhead/shock tower available! Along with the bulkhead stiffener, the front end will really be bulletproof.

Where do you buy your 3racing parts? Thanks

[swannco]

i got my dt-02 back on the dirt again. :D

i replaced the spur/pinion gears, and added a new sport-tuned motor, better springs and new shock oil. it runs better now than it ever has.

amazing what a little TLC can do. i was going to just replace the gear set that got damaged, but decided to upgrade just a bit and do a thorough clean/rebuild since it was apart anyway. what a difference. the old motor was slowing down a bit, but it wasn't that noticeable until the new one went in. yikes. the new one scoots right along. :)

[thecraze]

Where do you buy your 3racing parts? Thanks

either here http://http://www.3racing.com.hk/x_products.jsp?x_carkit_id=74&x_title=Optional%20Parts%20for%20Tamiya%20DT-02 or do a search on ebay.

[thecraze]

The 3racing front end just arrived, and I'll post pics when I can.

[dogie456]

3racing has a shop on ebay and a section for the dt02. im about to purchase font and rear shock towers and maybe 2 c mounts

[nexzzt]

3racing has a shop on ebay and a section for the dt02. im about to purchase font and rear shock towers and maybe 2 c mounts

Do you have a link?

Cheers

[dogie456]

the link to the 3racing shop is http://stores.ebay.com.au/stellamodels

I bought the two shock towers but instead of the c mounts i bought a set of df-03 dampers

[dogie456]

i think i might buy a 14t motor and 12+t esc. the motor will be an lrp v10 14t and esc will be a dynamite tazer forward+reverse

[swannco]

i think i might buy a 14t motor and 12+t esc. the motor will be an lrp v10 14t and esc will be a dynamite tazer forward+reverse



:eek:

send SAC an email warning them 1st

[Lil Chevy]

What up What up... I just picked up a 15 turn Venom... what do you pros think about venoms... I know I need to get a nice spead control...

[dogie456]

:eek:

send SAC an email warning them 1st
SAC? whats that.
i got my buggy parts 2 days ago. i bought graphite shock towers and aluminium shocks.

80280

80279

[swannco]

SAC = strategic air command [the guys with all the big missiles] :D

[Lil Chevy]

Sweet!!

[dogie456]

lol im so happy with the service (delivered the items in 2 days aftter purchase) that i might spend another au$74 on random stuff including c mounts, battery cover, hub carrier, servo mount and knuckle arms. all alum of course:D

[Royal Male]

lol im so happy with the service (delivered the items in 2 days aftter purchase) that i might spend another au$74 on random stuff including c mounts, battery cover, hub carrier, servo mount and knuckle arms. all alum of course:D


I hope you are going to post some images of your hopped up DT-02?

how do you rate the quality of the 3 racing parts?

[thecraze]

Here's my DT-02 with the blue front end (sans blue axles which I'll be ordering shortly).

I have the rear hubs and shock tower on their way.

[swannco]

ooooh purty. :)

[dogie456]

I hope you are going to post some images of your hopped up DT-02?

how do you rate the quality of the 3 racing parts?

sadly my car is in germanyand i have to w8 about 3 weeks before i go there:(. so that means i can't realy rate the parts although the instruction manual was very confusing.

[thecraze]

ooooh purty. :)

I'll post more pics once the rear tower and hubs come!

Also, the graphite is nice and thick. Should be a while before I snap it! LOL.

[Royal Male]

Maybe I like Tamiya too much, but maybe you do too?

As a DT-02 owner and Tamiya fan I am proud of my home made tamiya key rings, what do you think??:o

[thecraze]

Those are nice. Are you going to be making them to sell?

[Royal Male]

Those are nice. Are you going to be making them to sell?

Thanks,

Check the bay. ;)

[Lil Chevy]

those are nice

[pastimesteve]

Hi all -- my first post here, but I have a Sand Viper DT-02 that I'd like to convert to a stadium truck with larger wheels and tires (HPI SS Monster wheels with 4" dirt hawg truck tires). Would the stock gearing hold up to this type of conversion? I notice you can only go down to a 17 tooth pinion on the gear box.

I don't have a BL system, so I'd stay with a brushed motor. I may go with a Trinity Monster Stock CO27 motor if I make the conversion.

Thanks for any info.,
Steve

[nexzzt]

Hi all -- my first post here, but I have a Sand Viper DT-02 that I'd like to convert to a stadium truck with larger wheels and tires (HPI SS Monster wheels with 4" dirt hawg truck tires). Would the stock gearing hold up to this type of conversion? I notice you can only go down to a 17 tooth pinion on the gear box.

I don't have a BL system, so I'd stay with a brushed motor. I may go with a Trinity Monster Stock CO27 motor if I make the conversion.

Thanks for any info.,
Steve


This would be a good start. The conversion uses easy to acquire tamyia parts and HPI 2.2 size wheels. Its a bit hard to read (Japanese translated to english) but the parts list is easy to read and it shouldn't be too hard to figure the rest out. I am just about to order the parts my self. :)

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kazsh.com%2Frc%2Farch ives%2F2007%2F05%2Fpart1-1.html%23more&hl=en&ie=UTF8&sl=ja&tl=en

Also, check out the link below for a mod to the motor mount that will allow you use lower tooth pinions.

http://forums.radiocontrolzone.com/showpost.php?p=2303450&postcount=1085

[pastimesteve]

Thanks Nexzzt! Great information -- much appreciated. Did they ever finish that project? Some more details would be helpful, but it looks like they stopped posting updates after this. The front looks wider than the back with this conversion; somehow it doesn't look quite right. I thought I saw a couple of examples on TamiyaClub where all of this wasn't necessary, so I'm confused.

Steve

[nexzzt]

The front looks wider than the back with this conversion; somehow it doesn't look quite right.
Steve

Looking at it more closely I think you might be right. The difference is small but it is there. Maybe there are a pair of wheels that have a different offset to compensate for the extra width of the front suspension arms?

[thecraze]

Hey pastimesteve, welcome!

Interesting mod. I bought traxxas rear wheels just for something different and it looks like stadium wheels. Hmm.

I also have my 3racing rear hubs and shock tower installed, and will post pics tomorrow.

[thecraze]

Here's my Viper. Looks sweet IMO.

[nexzzt]

Nice thecraze! What tires are you running on the rear?

[swannco]

mmmmm, carbon fiber and blue metal ... more purtier. ;)

[thecraze]

Nice thecraze! What tires are you running on the rear?

Proline Holeshot.

[Lil Chevy]

that thing is brushless... i def gots to go that way

[dogie456]

hey nexxxt do u hav a vid on youtube with an onboard cam cause theres a sand viper with traxxas bl on you tube

[nexzzt]

hey nexxxt do u hav a vid on youtube with an onboard cam cause theres a sand viper with traxxas bl on you tube

No, I don't have any vid of my viper. I'll have to work on that :o

*EDIT* I just had a look on youtube and if its the vid at the link below, its thecraze's viper. Its a great video, I have watched it a number of times.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhhrFTpfnek

[dogie456]

No, I don't have any vid of my viper. I'll have to work on that :o

*EDIT* I just had a look on youtube and if its the vid at the link below, its thecraze's viper. Its a great video, I have watched it a number of times.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhhrFTpfnek

ya thats the 1 i was talkin about nice 1 thecraze.
i decided to wait with all my 3racing parts till i get my car back to australia in about 7 weeks. i would have bought them but then found the duratrax intellispeed esc 12+t so i bought that and a lrp v10 14t double motor for my gator.
just another question i bought some alum shocks for my gator (originaly they were made for df-03) but im not sure that tere are oil filled. they were the cheapest by far at only us$53

[thecraze]

Thanks, dogie.

About your shocks, if they were the 3racing shocks, then I have the same ones, and they are oil filled. If not just push the suspension down and see if it 'snaps' back up. Or, you can take them apart to find out!

[dogie456]

thinking bout making an rc sand rail with the rear of a tamiya mighty bull and the front of my gator and welding a custom frame .

[thecraze]

Go for it, dogie. You have to post pics, if you do!

[nightingly]

Hi people, I hail from from Singapore and am new to these:) Just got myself a Dt02 Sandviper! Whee!!!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/tayweikiat/SEkwEAoGWKI/AAAAAAAAB4c/2DXF0DX28Sw/s800/DSCN2496.JPG

Btw, I was happily ordering new rims and stuff for my SV when I discover I accidentally ordered the DI front rims and front tires too... damn..

Do u guys think my SV will steer well with DI front rims and tires? :(

To those in Singapore, which hobby shop do u go to? They seem to have all the nice stuff in stock.

[nexzzt]

Btw, I was happily ordering new rims and stuff for my SV when I discover I accidentally ordered the DI front rims and front tires too... damn..

Do u guys think my SV will steer well with DI front rims and tires? :(


The DI is a 4wd buggy, and therefore uses the hex type hub (the same the SV rear wheels). This means that without modification the DI front wheels will not mount on the front of the SV. There are ways of converting the front of SV to take these types of wheels, I have posted a link to one method. I think its back a page or 2.

Good luck

[nightingly]

possible to use the front wheel as the back wheel?

[nexzzt]

possible to use the front wheel as the back wheel?

Sorry, I misunderstood your first post. Yes you can use the DI front wheel on the back of the SV. I think the only difference is DI front wheels are slightly narrower.

[nightingly]

No you didn't misunderstand. I ordered both the front and the rear DI rims :( Will ask the shop later on if they can keep it at their shop to sell to other people:(

[thecraze]

Nightingly, if the DI front tires are the same diameter as the SV (2.2), then maybe you can try to mount them on your stock Viper front rims.

I have 4wd front tires on my Viper (Proline Holeshot), I just had to glue them to keep them on. Let me tell you, they grip much better now.

[nightingly]

Nightingly, if the DI front tires are the same diameter as the SV (2.2), then maybe you can try to mount them on your stock Viper front rims.

I have 4wd front tires on my Viper (Proline Holeshot), I just had to glue them to keep them on. Let me tell you, they grip much better now.

Lucky! Managed to cancel the order in time. :)

Btw, I've been reading that using spike front tires can help curb alot of understeer. I have since ordered the Astral front wheel (60/19) and wondering if there is any spike front tires in the market that will fit, and most importantly without the need for glue.

Thnx.

[nexzzt]

The standard tamiya spiked front tires (used on the grass hopper/super hornet kits) will fit and stay on without glue (as long as your not running brushless/lipo setup). I ran these tires without any problems when I had the silver can motor installed. They had better grip than the supplied tires, but I believe "real" tires like the proline range would have even better grip. I found the good quality tires used a softer rubber and therefore need to be glued to the rim. This was even true for the DF03 front tires I used on the Viper kit wheels, they fit, but needed to be glued due to the softness of the rubber. This of course gets worse as they get heat into them.

[nightingly]

The standard tamiya spiked front tires (used on the grass hopper/super hornet kits) will fit and stay on without glue (as long as your not running brushless/lipo setup). I ran these tires without any problems when I had the silver can motor installed. They had better grip than the supplied tires, but I believe "real" tires like the proline range would have even better grip. I found the good quality tires used a softer rubber and therefore need to be glued to the rim. This was even true for the DF03 front tires I used on the Viper kit wheels, they fit, but needed to be glued due to the softness of the rubber. This of course gets worse as they get heat into them.

Thnx for the help.. now where can I get those tamiya spiked front tires...

[nexzzt]

The tires at the following link are the type I am referring to. While in this example they are very pink, you can obviously get them in black.....but hey, maybe pink is your thing. :p

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NEW-VINTAGE-RC10-1-9-FRONT-TIRES-TAMIYA-SUPER-GRIPPER_W0QQitemZ180250934357QQihZ008QQcategoryZ19 167QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[dogie456]

i recieved my motor but when i opened the package i noticed it was a 19t double i instantly checked the computer to see which one i had bought but was suprised to find that i had accidently bought a 19t instead of a 14t

motor seems quite slow in the accelaration. just wondering if i have to break it in or something

[thecraze]

i recieved my motor but when i opened the package i noticed it was a 19t double i instantly checked the computer to see which one i had bought but was suprised to find that i had accidently bought a 19t instead of a 14t

motor seems quite slow in the accelaration. just wondering if i have to break it in or something

If it's brushed, then you have to break it in.

[thecraze]

Btw, I've been reading that using spike front tires can help curb alot of understeer.

Thnx.

The only problem with spike fronts is that if you have a hot enough motor, you can easily flip your car! I know from experience with the tires I have on mine!

[nexzzt]

The only problem with spike fronts is that if you have a hot enough motor, you can easily flip your car! I know from experience with the tires I have on mine!

Good point!

[nightingly]

Yay got the correct rims and tires.. Now my tamiya micro spike tires on my Dark impact rear rims keep sliding off. Is that supposed to happen? :(

[nexzzt]

Yay got the correct rims and tires.. Now my tamiya micro spike tires on my Dark impact rear rims keep sliding off. Is that supposed to happen? :(

If the tamiya micro spike tires are the ones for the DI, I used them on my SV rear rims and had to glue them. If your looking for a way to glue them that isn't as perminant as CA, try using shoe goo. Its messy to apply but holds well (if done properly) and you can cleanly seperate the tire from the rim.

[nightingly]

If the tamiya micro spike tires are the ones for the DI, I used them on my SV rear rims and had to glue them. If your looking for a way to glue them that isn't as perminant as CA, try using shoe goo. Its messy to apply but holds well (if done properly) and you can cleanly seperate the tire from the rim.

I'm using the tires with DI rims and they still slide out from time to time.. :(

Btw, what is the next logical upgrade from stock ESC and Sports Tuned motor?

[nexzzt]

I'm using the tires with DI rims and they still slide out from time to time.. :(

Btw, what is the next logical upgrade from stock ESC and Sports Tuned motor?

Anything brushless!

[nightingly]

Anything brushless!


Wah.. that, together with the needed power source... big hole in my bank.

Also I read somewhere that dt02 wouldn't benefit much with motors under 19T. True? False?

[thecraze]

Wah.. that, together with the needed power source... big hole in my bank.

Also I read somewhere that dt02 wouldn't benefit much with motors under 19T. True? False?

I have brushless, and I'd say it's false!

BTW, you can run brushless with standard Nimh, or Nicd even. It just won't run as long.

[swannco]

i put an 8.5 novak brushless in mine for about 20 minutes and it was just stupid. it spend more time on its lid than on the wheels; and steering, well, it just didn't have any. period.

not to say it can't be done; more just to say why? i run a sport tuned now and it just rocks. the suspension is dialed and its a kick to drive.

just my two cents worth. :)

[nightingly]

i put an 8.5 novak brushless in mine for about 20 minutes and it was just stupid. it spend more time on its lid than on the wheels; and steering, well, it just didn't have any. period.

not to say it can't be done; more just to say why? i run a sport tuned now and it just rocks. the suspension is dialed and its a kick to drive.

just my two cents worth. :)

If that is the case i will not go brushless until I lay my hand on a 4wd..Bashed with a guy with a brushless DB01 yesterday and I really must say that if it goes any faster it wont be a buggy anymore, it would be a plane.

For dt02, having that much power concentrated on the rear wears out the tire fast and is a recipe to cartwheels, somersaults and what naughts. With sports tuned and some ugly jump I already broke my servo.

I'll stay with brushed motors for my DT02. My stock esc is almost broken, so its likely i'll be getting the futaba330 that will support done to 13T motor. Which brushed motor would u recommend? I'm thinking of BZ. What would the run time be like? I have 2 3700 NIMHs. With sports tuned I get 30~40min run time on each battery.

[thecraze]

Well, to each his own.

[swannco]

i don't have any experience with rz or bz motors so i don't know what kind of run time you might get.

you know, i did have a chance to see a 13.5 brushless in a different car, and that was pretty fast and had great run times. wonder what it would be like in the dt-02?

it might be controllable.

[thecraze]

i don't have any experience with rz or bz motors so i don't know what kind of run time you might get.

you know, i did have a chance to see a 13.5 brushless in a different car, and that was pretty fast and had great run times. wonder what it would be like in the dt-02?

it might be controllable.

I have brushless, and you just need to make sure you have good tires for traction otherwise you do a lot of skidding.

Also, one doesn't have to always hit full throttle all the time. It's like driving your car, do you always slam the pedal to the metal?

[nightingly]

I have brushless, and you just need to make sure you have good tires for traction otherwise you do a lot of skidding.

Also, one doesn't have to always hit full throttle all the time. It's like driving your car, do you always slam the pedal to the metal?

Now I asking around my LHS for a good >10T brushless combo. I wouldn't want to go too low T and then can only half throttle before my dt02 starts to wheelie. :)

Thnx for the advise people. Lets see what I end up with:)

For those interested, this is a video of my dt02:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldbObW8J7Co

[nightingly]

More pics and vids of my Sandviper in action:)

http://lh4.ggpht.com/tayweikiat/SF88Sa9XmVI/AAAAAAAAB6w/uhYk6cvifh4/s400/DSCN2512.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/tayweikiat/SF88ULHsE1I/AAAAAAAAB64/ElUytM6Z6NU/s400/DSCN2514.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/tayweikiat/SF88XM4A6fI/AAAAAAAAB7A/A787vb5LIq0/s400/DSCN2534.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/tayweikiat/SF88avbl7MI/AAAAAAAAB7I/kAZhp2TRxUA/s400/DSCN2525.JPG

Vid1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNK09WQjYtE)

Vid2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqMAoPJN-EQ)

Vid3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKKwkO-BC2c)

:)

[thecraze]

Nice pics and Vids, nightingly!

[nightingly]

Nice pics and Vids, nightingly!

thnx dude.

The bashing site is around 15minutes walk from my house... now considering to buy a bicycle so that I can play there more frequently:)

[thecraze]

I'll post a vid of my DT-02 real soon, not point of view.

[nightingly]

I'll post a vid of my DT-02 real soon, not point of view.

can't wait for yr vids, thecraze.

Anyone can recommend me a good 10~20T brushed motor? No idea which to buy for my sandviper.

[thecraze]

nightingly, here's a good 10 turn for the DT-02 and vid http://youtube.com/watch?v=tkpCmVtJQIU

[nightingly]

nightingly, here's a good 10 turn for the DT-02 and vid http://youtube.com/watch?v=tkpCmVtJQIU

but that's a brushless:(

I'll only get a brushless on the day i get my 4wd buggy. :)

[thecraze]

I decided to go brushless after the Sport Tuned motor in my Viper broke one of the permenant brushes. I figured I'd be better off with a motor with no maintainence.

[nightingly]

I decided to go brushless after the Sport Tuned motor in my Viper broke one of the permenant brushes. I figured I'd be better off with a motor with no maintainence.

being a lowly paid conscripted soldier in singapore, going brushless is abit too much for me to affort. I'm paid S$440 per month, and that calculates out to be 322.196 USD. Coupled that with the bad inflation.. brushless is a damn big hole.

I don't mind replacing the occasional sports tuned, it costs only S$25 (18.3058 USD) at my local tamiya distributor.

Just a question though, how long did your sport tuned last before the brush broke?

I plan to eventually get a 4wd buggy and a brushless combo.. but that is only when my finanical situation changes.

[thecraze]

I guess times are tough all over.

[nightingly]

I called my LHS and they recommend me the Novak XBR combo for a budget and reliable brushless combo. If I am really going brushless, how many turn motor should I get for good speed and handling? 8.5T? 10? 13.5T?

Also, I am using 3700nimh batteries currently. Will these last long with brushless?

[swannco]

i got ages out of my sport tuned before it let go; i can't even begin to guess the hours or battery packs i ran through it. enough that i wouldn't dream of grousing about it though. very tough little motors. :)

[nightingly]

i got ages out of my sport tuned before it let go; i can't even begin to guess the hours or battery packs i ran through it. enough that i wouldn't dream of grousing about it though. very tough little motors. :)

swancco, with yr experience of the novak 8.5t, would u recommend me to get a 13.5t or 10t?

how much did yr batteries last and what batteries were u using?

I love my sport tuned too... but I can't help having the need for speed:)

finally, out of the box, what are the stuff I need to do to get this combo to work, or is it all soldiered up and ready out of the box?

[lnc321]

Hey guys I have been looking at this chassis and I want to race at my local track in the 27t class. Would I be able to compete against team losi and Associated cars? I really like tamiya and would like to race a tamiya buggy for fun

[thecraze]

People have raced Tamiya against Losi and Associated. This one racer on another forum wins within the top 5 with his DT-02. The only down side is the lack of parts at the tracks. You'll have to bring your own spares.

[lnc321]

what other forum so that i can see his setup?

[nightingly]

which pinion should i use with my to-be-mine novak xbr 10.5T?

[thecraze]

what other forum so that i can see his setup?

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_7061045/anchors_7061045/mpage_1/key_dt%252D02/anchor/tm.htm#7061045 His name is acevtwin.

[nightingly]

finally got my novak!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know many have recommended me to get the mm5700, but I am not looking for breakneck speed. My bl is 10.5t, which gave me a good balance between speed and handling, and also good runtime. Was able to bash for about 15minutes using a 1800nicd .

I notice it gives ALOT of torque with my stock 17t pinion, so much that every little jump is sure to result in my dt02 balleting around and seriously destroying the protruding screw holder at the back of my gearbox. Motor is only warm after playing for about 45 minutes, I can put my finger on the motor and dun really feel much heat. This is different from my sport tuned, which is too hot too touch after just 15mins.

Wait until my new more 19T pinion comes...wheee!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/tayweikiat/SHjSN7skCXI/AAAAAAAAB8M/uXMRB8SaUIw/s400/DSCN2555.JPG

Novak or nothing!

[thecraze]

Nice setup, nightingly. May I suggest Deans or Traxxas connctors for that battery. That BL will probably melt a Tamiya connector.

[nightingly]

Nice setup, nightingly. May I suggest Deans or Traxxas connctors for that battery. That BL will probably melt a Tamiya connector.

Will get a dean soon. But seriously, so far things have been running quite without much heat so I doubt it will melt..

Btw, do u recommend going up to 19t pinion? As in my previous post, there is alot of torque and I'm wondering if going with a 19t will translate that to more top speed without too much strain on the motor.

[nexzzt]

If the motor/esc/battery are not getting too hot in its current (no pun intended) configuration, I would give the 19t a go. Also, I would recommend getting a 3000mah+ NiMH battery, even a cheap one. Your brushless setup will "wake up" a little bit more. But as thecraze suggested, I would change over to Deans before anything else.

I do like the Novak sensored brushless setups, they are very smooth and its for this reason I used to race my RC Bike with one of these. The bikes need very controlled throttle to get them to turn well, and therefore fast.

[nightingly]

If the motor/esc/battery are not getting too hot in its current (no pun intended) configuration, I would give the 19t a go. Also, I would recommend getting a 3000mah+ NiMH battery, even a cheap one. Your brushless setup will "wake up" a little bit more. But as thecraze suggested, I would change over to Deans before anything else.

I do like the Novak sensored brushless setups, they are very smooth and its for this reason I used to race my RC Bike with one of these. The bikes need very controlled throttle to get them to turn well, and therefore fast.


ok.. noted... will get deans done when i have time.. my lhs provides the service. I have 2 3700 nimhs and a 1800nicd. nicd gives me more "burst" though.

[nightingly]

just bashed with a couple of friends... my dt02 is now roughly the same speed as tt01 with 17*2 brushed motor and 25t pinion!

[thecraze]

just bashed with a couple of friends... my dt02 is now roughly the same speed as tt01 with 17*2 brushed motor and 25t pinion!

Gotta love brushless.

[nightingly]

Gotta love brushless.

yeah... and mine is only a 10.5t bl!

btw, does Proline Dirt Hawg http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXDU13 fits the stock or db01 rims?

also does this http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXDU14&P=SM fits the stock front rim?

Thinking of getting them for onroad use.. pls help recommend a good set of tires for onroad play:) IAlso, do u recommend using generic super glues for gluing the tires?

[nexzzt]

I am running the first tire you linked to, and its very grippy on road (i keep flipping my DT-02 if turning to hard, it won't slide).

I'm not sure second tire is going to fit the stock rims. They look like they are for something like the DF-03 front wheels. But I might be wrong.

[nightingly]

I am running the first tire you linked to, and its very grippy on road (i keep flipping my DT-02 if turning to hard, it won't slide).

I'm not sure second tire is going to fit the stock rims. They look like they are for something like the DF-03 front wheels. But I might be wrong.

ic.. are you using the stock rear rims or the db01 rims?

i'm currently using a 1/10 onroad rim and tire... makes my sandviper look like some weird mutant with small rear wheels and large front wheels. Beside, the speed is slower too so i'm looking for a proper tire for my db01 rims.

what glue do u use?

finally, one last qn.. is the dt02 alum heat sink useable with brushless motors... can fit? thnx.

[tadium54]

use ca glue only with your tires.

[nexzzt]

Yep, CA. I have successfully used Shoe Goo with tires, the advantage being that the tires are much easier to remove. Bit messy to apply though.

I am currently using the stock Viper rims.

Im not sure about the heat sink as I use a BL motor that has a heat sink built in (feigao)

[nightingly]

Yep, CA. I have successfully used Shoe Goo with tires, the advantage being that the tires are much easier to remove. Bit messy to apply though.

I am currently using the stock Viper rims.

Im not sure about the heat sink as I use a BL motor that has a heat sink built in (feigao)

how do u normally remove yr used tires?

[nexzzt]

If the tire is completely knackered, I just rip it off and dig out the bead with a small jewellers flat screw driver. The CA normally cracks off in large chunks, but you have to use just enough to hold the tire, but not so much that tire won't come off at all. I have heard of ppl boiling the wheel/tire, and I think there is CA debonder (sorry if I have the name wrong) product available.

[tadium54]

acetone aka nail polish remover, will debond ca from tires. but boiling works well too.

[lnc321]

Hey guys I just purchased my Sand Viper with the intentions of racing it in the stock class. For now I will be completely stock execpt motor a C027 and proline rear tires. I wont be serious racing just for fun and i love tamiya and wanted something different. Do you guys think I will be able to keep up with losi and team associated cars? Next to come are trfs shocks and ball diff:D

[nightingly]

just came back from another round of bashing with the on-roaders... one of the guy was heavily poisoned by the speed of my xbr (my buggy beat his 17T onroad hands down!) the other day and got himself a GTB 4.5 for about SGD400 (thats around US290!!!) super expensive... but oh well he's one of those punks who are still ignorant of the internet age... well to each his own.

his ta05 is really damn fast now though, almost like my friend's GP onroad.

I still love my dt02 to beats though, it is easily one of the cheapest budget kit that can handle bl so well and give so much value. Muacks dt02! One of the on-roaders are gg to get one as well:) I got my dt02 kit for about USD100.

[nexzzt]

Took some pics of my current DT-02 set up for a friend, thought I would share them here:

[dogie456]

wasup pplz just back from germany. i had 1 hell of a time there while just missing the fighter cup :( i met some kids there. 1 has a mad bull and the other an almost stock gator. was owning them but my gator is starting to get extremely noisy. i installed the graphite rear shock tower but couldn't install the front because i didn't no that i need the bulkhead aswell. ah well ill buy heaps of hop ups when i buy the bulkhead just so that the shipping is worth it. ill take some more pics of my gator soon.
Thorsten

[thecraze]

Cool tires, nexzzt. Are you afraid the fronts are too heavy for the axles?

Hey, dogie.

[lnc321]

I want to put new shocks on my sand viper. My question is do df03 trfs shocks work on this chassis?
Here is the link of the ones that im talking about
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.tamiyausa.com/images/product/720/53926/header_53926.jpg&imgrefurl=http://tamiyausa.com/product/item.php%3Fproduct-id%3D53926&h=300&w=450&sz=87&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=Im6JNtv5ngLvoM:&tbnh=85&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3DTamiya%2B(%252353926)%26um%3D1%26hl%3 Den%26sa%3DN

[nexzzt]

Cool tires, nexzzt. Are you afraid the fronts are too heavy for the axles?

Hey, dogie.

They will be ok, the front hub carrier and axles are from a TA04. Also, with the brushless and lipo, the front was too light, I wanted more weight up front. I hate just adding weight, so the bigger wheels/tires give me that plus more grip.

[dogie456]

I want to put new shocks on my sand viper. My question is do df03 trfs shocks work on this chassis?
Here is the link of the ones that im talking about
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.tamiyausa.com/images/product/720/53926/header_53926.jpg&imgrefurl=http://tamiyausa.com/product/item.php%3Fproduct-id%3D53926&h=300&w=450&sz=87&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=Im6JNtv5ngLvoM:&tbnh=85&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3DTamiya%2B(%252353926)%26um%3D1%26hl%3 Den%26sa%3DN

Yo these work but i would recommend the 3racing ones on ebay for about a quarter of the price

[thecraze]

Absolutely. Get the 3racing DF-03 shocks. I have them, and they're great. You'll just have to change the front pistons, because 3racing has too small a hole in the front ones.

[dogie456]

yesterday i jumped my dg off a 4 metre cliff 3 times and on the third the antenna wire of the reciever ripped off. now im looking for a new reiever with 40 mhz but the only ones i can find is one on eay for a stupid price

[thecraze]

You may have to get a whole new transmitter if the price is too high

[dogie456]

heres a link to my video of a short bash in germany
hope u like it. plz rate 5 stars and comment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDIpPras-h0

[thecraze]

Cool.

[pangRacer]

Ordered 3 racing front and rear damper stay for my DT02MS. I broke the front damper stay 6 weeks ago and Tamiya USA can't supply the parts. I broke the front damper stay after practice in an indoor offroad track using a 13.5T LRP brushless combo with a 19T pinion gear. I want to gear higher but thats one of the limitations of the DT02. I also bought a JConcepts wing to replace the original. Will post the pictures once I get the buggy back to shape.

Any compatible front disk wheel other than Tamiya for this buggy?

[ta03 tuner]

Just got myself a Sand viper...threw in a Mamba 6900kv...damn this thing flies!! Way undergeared with the 17T pinion but that's the only option and a 19T pinion would probably fry something...ESC is hot as it is...Looking to install 4600KV soon. Any of you guys race this thing competitively? What's generally prone to breakage? Thanks

[pangRacer]

I practiced with racers in our local tracks where 13.5T class is very popular with 2wd buggy. I used 17T and later 19T pinion and noticed that it gets worn out easily. Wondering if because it is made of low quality aluminum or because the lack of slipper that pinion is getting punished during landing. Your only option is to keep spare pinions.

[ta03 tuner]

Man I love this car so much I just ordered the MS edition...looking to race this fall...yippeee! I'm sure I'll be at a severe disadvantage versus AE and Losi guys but it's the challenge that makes it worthwhile.

[ta03 tuner]

I practiced with racers in our local tracks where 13.5T class is very popular with 2wd buggy. I used 17T and later 19T pinion and noticed that it gets worn out easily. Wondering if because it is made of low quality aluminum or because the lack of slipper that pinion is getting punished during landing. Your only option is to keep spare pinions.

You should switch to Robinson pinions...Stock Tamiya ones are TOO soft, hence the grey stuff on your spur...I've had excellent results with Robinson 32p ones.

[pangRacer]

Does 32p works with DT02? Could you please tell me which Robinson pinion between 21T - 25T works well with DT02. Looks like I have to gear higher than 19T with 13.5T Brushless. Thanks a lot for the info.

[nexzzt]

I use Robinson pinions in my DT02 also with good results (and im running an 8t brushless/lipo set up). I can can also confirm the DT02 uses 32p pitch gears. The transmission doesn't allow for anything other than 17t or 19t pinions without modification. I am running a 15t atm.

[pangRacer]

Thanks. I may have to modify to accept 21T. Do you have pictures how you did it with 15T?

[nexzzt]

Yep, check posts 1083 and 1085

http://forums.radiocontrolzone.com/showthread.php?t=195821&page=44

[pangRacer]

Thanks a lot. The idea is perfect to what I am planning. I already ordered a 21t 32p Robinson pinion and will post the pictures of my DT02MS when I am done. :)

[nexzzt]

I just had a think about it, and because you are going to a bigger pinion, you will need to make the groove in the opposite direction (I may be stating the obvious here). This will also mean the motor may not fit inside the transmission casing. It shouldn't be a problem to remove that part of the casing to make the motor fit, but I would be having a long think about it.

Would like to see some pics of the your mod.

[pangRacer]

Here are some images of my DT-02MS mods:
JConcepts 6" wing, 3racing front and rear damper stay
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u207/pangracer/Tamiya/L1020308.jpg

32P 20T Pinion using widened to 11/64" 20T holes. use washers for the motor screws. DF-03 rear arm
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u207/pangracer/Tamiya/L1020309.jpg

Rear upper arm mount and brushless motor protector cut from the JC wing scrap
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u207/pangracer/Tamiya/L1020311.jpg

3Racing front and rear CF damper stay, front alu c-hub
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u207/pangracer/Tamiya/L1020312.jpg

Very happy with the performance and reliability after the mods.

[nexzzt]

Nice setup, did you have to mod the transmission casing to get the motor to fit?

[pangRacer]

No mod on transmission casing but widened the 19T hole bigger with 3/16" drill bit. I tried 21T today but I cant make it as quite as the 20T pinion. I used washers and m3 12mm screw for the motor mount(with heatsink and spacer). With 13.5T brushless , I am not sure how competitive it would be on straightline speed with typical 81/25 gear combo in some 2WD setup.

[lnc321]

Well here is my stock DT-02 after the first try out run at my local track. I am planing to convert it into an MS and get 3racing shock towers. I am currently working on a Tamiya Durga DB-01. Once I finish with my durga I will start on my DT-02 project. Want to race it in the stock class and planning to beat some Losi and Associte buggies. Go Tamiya:D

[wbzipf]

Want to race it in the stock class and planning to beat some Losi and Associte buggies. Go Tamiya:D

I would love to hear that you beat up on some Losi & Associte buggies, so keep us posted.

[thecraze]

I've ruined two sets of drive cups already in my ball diff. Does anyone have this yet http://www.3racing.hk/products.php?products_key=2825 ? It would be nice to know if this is as tough as it looks.

[pangRacer]

I practiced today in our local indoor clay track. The 3racing front and rear CF damper stay survived my driving skill but the rear turnbuckle holder broke on the gearbox side . Looks like this DT02 MS will be the front end of my project to have a better rear drivetrain. The absence of higher gearing option for 13.5T brushless is a dead end. I will start as soon as my next 2WD becomes available.

[Gurtart]

hi, everybody! This thread is death?
No, i make on and on. :)
Here is my Sand Viper...and my video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gyS9gM1lXk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5KGon9MS9M&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C53ndPhGP_U&feature=related
Watch please and enjoy! :)

[thecraze]

Nice videos! Let's keep this thread alive!

[Gurtart]

I've ruined two sets of drive cups already in my ball diff. Does anyone have this yet http://www.3racing.hk/products.php?products_key=2825 ? It would be nice to know if this is as tough as it looks.
Reply With Quote

I have this ball diff but i not able the 3Racing ball diff install.
Please help me with some pics from the innerside of the gearbox!
This ball diff really works? (sorry for my english)

[pasan]

Does the DT-02 MS version come with a painted body? It's hard to tell from the standard text. And can it handle mild brushless i.e. sidewinder 4600 @ 2S well enough? Thanks.

[pangRacer]

it doesn't come with body painted. You are seeing in the ads the nice stickers. I am currently using LRP 13.5T brushless combo with 21T pinion (after mods) because the kit comes with 17T pinion and you can only install 19T max if you dont modify the motor mounts

[Gurtart]

hi! I installed Tamiya RS-540 Sport Tuned motor for my Sand-Viper with 17T pinion gear.
The Tamiya Manual say from Sport Tuned Motor:
"Always use with 17T pinion gear. Be careful of overburdening of motor, as this will cause extreme heat build up."

Use somebody this motor with 19T pinion gear? Overburdening? When i use
motor heat sink? The speed? :-)

[pangRacer]

My first motor with my DT02MS was a Tamiya 23T dirt tuned motor. It wheelie a lot on the pavement. I moved to 19T and it is much drivable in the local smooth clay track. I moved to 13.5T Brushless motor combo because our local track has this class. I noticed that with 19T, I cant clear the jumps so I moved to 21T by moding the motor mount. Now I can clear the jumps but far from being competitive with the RB5s and B4s because of limited tuning. This is my learning Buggy so I am using it to develop my driving skills.

[Gurtart]

Hi pangRacer! Thank You the response.
I test my Sand-Viper with 19T pinion gear. :-)
And i use motor heat sink...

[pangRacer]

Tried 22T pinion but it was too noisy and tight without further modifying the motor mount using 13.5T brushless, I lost torque. I am reverting to my original motor-pinion combo 19T with brushed Tamiya 23T dirt-tuned motor.

[Kahoko]

Hello everyone. Just got introduced to R/C fun and bought a Tamiya Sand Viper. Got question or two on springs/dampers. My friends suggested upgrading my stock springs/dampers to aluminium which I did. However we are now deadlocked in a debate over how soft/hard to make the springs/dampers.

From what I have read so far in this thread (only on page 22) People seem to be saying soft spring/soft oil front and hard spring/oil for rear. Is that the general recommendation? I'm running my viper on a rough & bumpy dirt track with 3 medium-large jumps and a 2 hairpin turns. With the stock springs/dampers I'm bottoming out on the jumps, and handling seems ok, but could be better. I believe the stock is soft springs/soft oil, but not entirely sure.

I have a full set of springs and oil (soft, medium, hard). So what do people recommend?

[pangRacer]

I am using: Front White spring with red dot, two-hole piston, 35wt oil. Rear White spring with blue dot, two-hole piston, 35wt oil. I am still improving my driving skill and found out that when landing from a jump, it must be nose down and smoothly glide the rear tires on the downward slope. Blue, yellow and red dot color code on spring is Hard, medium and soft respectively. Adjust your rear springs so that with battery pack installed and pushing the dampers stay, it will spring back with the left and right suspension arm in straight line parallel to the ground. Front slightly higher. I hope this helps.

During practice last week, I made several flat landing and broke the rear portion of my chassis. Installed a new one and getting ready for the next practice.

[Kahoko]

I am using: Front White spring with red dot, two-hole piston, 35wt oil. Rear White spring with blue dot, two-hole piston, 35wt oil. I am still improving my driving skill and found out that when landing from a jump, it must be nose down and smoothly glide the rear tires on the downward slope. Blue, yellow and red dot color code on spring is Hard, medium and soft respectively. Adjust your rear springs so that with battery pack installed and pushing the dampers stay, it will spring back with the left and right suspension arm in straight line parallel to the ground. Front slightly higher. I hope this helps.

During practice last week, I made several flat landing and broke the rear portion of my chassis. Installed a new one and getting ready for the next practice.

Is the 35wt oil considered hard/medium/soft? Thanks for the advice.

Kahoko

[pangRacer]

Not sure what is the Tamiya equivalent but I suggest start with soft then medium if it would bottom out.

I had another part breakage during my short practice at the local tracks yesterday. The limited gearing option available in the DT02MS does not allow it to clear jumps that other competitive buggies easily do it with same brushless motor/lipo Battery combo.

I am giving my DT02 a new life as I wait for the arrival of my next 2wd and started today a project I call "DTF-023" - A modified DT02MS buggy where the motor is located before the rear suspension like X-6 and using saddlepack Lipo. See how I started by clicking on the links below:

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u207/pangracer/L1020942.jpg
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u207/pangracer/L1020943.jpg
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u207/pangracer/L1020944.jpg
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u207/pangracer/L1020945.jpg
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u207/pangracer/L1020946.jpg

[Liam C]

Please could someone tell me if the Kit Front Wheels on the Super Fighter G are the same size as the kit ones from the DT02-MS (51205)(60/19). I've got a pair of Kit Front tires but dont want to use the Yellow wheels

Cheers,
Liam
----------------------------------
realityracing.info & rcbearings.co.uk

[Liam C]

Think i've found the answer to the question about the front wheels, the standard Super Fighter G ones are 60/19, same as the Astral Dish Wheels.

Liam
--------------------------------
Reality Racing & RCBearings.co.uk

[Kahoko]

Anybody know if the DF-03 Universal Joints will work on a DT-02 Sand Viper?

http://www.rcmart.com/catalog/rc-df02-hopup-parts-square-universal-joint-tamiya-df03-sdi50sp-p-21142.html?cPath=595_744_712

Thanks.

[thecraze]

Yes they will.

[Kahoko]

Yes they will.

Great! Thanks

[pangRacer]

Here is the link to my DT02 Mid-motor conversion

http://www.oople.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19342

[pangRacer]

More pictures are available for my DT02 mid-motor conversion, see this link
http://www.oople.com/forums/showthread.php?p=216321#post216321

[thecraze]

Looks great, PangRacer!

[thecraze]

Any chance of a video showing this thing in action?

[Gurtart]

hello everyone!
Here's the latest video. I hope you will like...
(watch in HQ for best enjoy!) :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7Nelip4h2s

thx for watching!

[Kahoko]

hello everyone!
Here's the latest video. I hope you will like...
(watch in HQ for best enjoy!) :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7Nelip4h2s

thx for watching!

Awesome video. Quick question. Why do you have foam in the body? Keep dirt out?

Kahoko

[Gurtart]

some pictures from the Spring Lake Balaton in Hungary...

http://img3.tar.hu/gurtart/size2/37590820.jpg

http://img3.tar.hu/gurtart/size2/37590724.jpg

http://img3.tar.hu/gurtart/size2/37590635.jpg

http://img3.tar.hu/gurtart/size2/37590634.jpg

[Gurtart]

Awesome video. Quick question. Why do you have foam in the body? Keep dirt out?

Kahoko

Thanks for respect. Yes, the foam protects the radio to the dirt.
It is easier to clean the inside of the body.
And I think good-looking with foam.

[rctaboo]

Hey guys, I'm new to these forums and just getting back into RC. My first car was a Hornet way back in 1990 or somewhere around there and then I ended up getting a Losi Jr. T which I had a lot of fun with. I then got really into mountain biking (still am a die-hard mtb'er) and the RC was sadly forgotten.

Anyways, it's been well over 15 years since I had a car and I'm really intrigued by the Sand Viper due to it being relatively cheap, 2WD and I really like the body, plus there seems to be some room for decent upgrades. I know it's not a full on racer, but I just want to get my feet wet again to see if I'll enjoy it as much as I did back in the day.

I'm going to order the kit with the titanium hex screw set, the ball diff, and a set of 3racing shocks just to get started then upgrade the motor to a modified stock a little later after I get my driving skills back in order and probably a lot of nice blue aluminum parts :)

So my question is, is the DT-02 at least good enough to get around a track fairly quickly, or is it just gonna bounce around and look silly? Can it be somewhat competitive? I'm not really looking to race...yet, but I'd like to be able to take it to a track and practice without getting frustrated at how poorly it handles. If I do end up wanting to race I'll get an AE or a hopped-up Durga later on, but I'd like to at least be able to have a little performance induced fun with the SV if possible.

Thanks