Duratrax Delphi Indy Car

[Peterbilt]

Here is the thread for the Duratrax Delphi Indy Car. Looks like this RC won't fall apart, the graphite looks pretty sturdy:cool:

[Nofri]

Looks like an Tamiya F103 chassis! :cool: :) Are there many set up options?

[holshotracer]

any word on price?
just think of bolting in a brushless motor:D

[InspGadgt]

If anyone gets one I want pictures of the suspension under the upper plate...specifically how the T-plate attaches to the chassis under the battery

Thanks

[f1racefan]

I found this info under the Duratrax page
http://www.duratrax.com/pdf/dtxc0012-manual.pdf
Check out the www link below for a place to race them.
Don Hill

[InspGadgt]

Perfect thanks...Last time I looked they didn't have that PDF up yet...well now that I see it I'm rather dissappointed in the T-plate setup...still like the Tri-shock but could use some nice oil filled shocks instead of what they got.

[surfer]

look at that right front:eek:

i think its gonna be the same price as a evader st & bx

[SaturnRS4]

Do these things take Tamiya bodies by any chance? Or any other brand of F1 body? Polycarbonate doesn't do it for me, plus, I like painting my own bodies.

[old phart]

The RTR version is on sale right now for $159.99 and I have it coming. :)

There are a few options listed for it. It looks to me to be a pretty cool package. Hopefully a clear unpainted body is available to allow for different livery choices.

[old phart]

Does anyone else here have a Delphi Indy car?? :confused:

[HauntedMyst]

Our shop got an eval unit. It's a pretty nice car, my should be here any day.

Pros:
Over all a very nice package
Well designed for what it is
Complete minus batteries and charger

Cons:
The guy who drove it and InspGadgt both say the stock tires don't have much stick.
The front suspension needs a little work to free it up.

[old phart]

Mine came today! :)

HauntedMyst your critique was right on the money! The tires look very scale, but do not stick. Also, this car amazed me with its power for only a 20 turn motor. Spins the tires like crazy. Actually that is scale too! Watch an Indy car race and if they gas it to hard they loop it. This car does the same thing. Scale action, lol! I noticed the front springs were uneven in their tension. I oredered the optional spring kit with my car so I will be able to fine tune that. I also ordered the aluminum oil filled shock and installed it tonight.

Well driving it on concrete I was impressed. Like I said it seems very powerful and quick. Turns very sharp. Spins out too easily, heh. :p

It looks great! But the body comes painted red only, and you have to apply all the decals. That is a tedious job but I did OK with it.

Overall I am very happy with it. The graphite chassis looks super trick. I also bought the adjustable turnbuckles but they don't come with ballstuds and the kit doesn't have any either so I couldn't install them. That's a goof on Duratrax' part since they don't specify you will need them in the ordering instructions. Kinda cheesy anyway and the steering knuckles are also flimsy. Duratrax should come out with some nice aluminum arms and knuckles. Black anodized, of course!

Here are some pics of mine:

http://www.fototime.com/F04BF8F62FBDE4E/standard.jpg
*
http://www.fototime.com/97440436D9DD7A6/standard.jpg
*
http://www.fototime.com/5015141469C66CF/standard.jpg
*
http://www.fototime.com/C3144F2627A1C5F/standard.jpg

[old phart]

Does anyone know of any aftermarket or other mfg tires that will fir this car? It deperately needs good tires.

[Blacken]

wahoo i migh one of these on sat.!

[old phart]

Great! Let us know if you get it. :)

[Blacken]

YES!! i sold my engine so tomaro at 10 am i will have this car.

uprades plan
futaba s3401 servo
xxtra
gt7
reeedy ti 1 double
aluminum rear shock
mini shocks when the come out
motor mount
light whieght axel
ball diff
larger wing
new front springs
foam tires ( found soem that will work)
smc exelent gold peak 3300

[InspGadgt]

Originally posted by old phart
Does anyone know of any aftermarket or other mfg tires that will fir this car? It deperately needs good tires.

Tamiya rims and tires for the F103 series chassis fit. If you want rubber tires go with the Tamiya rubber tires for their F103. If foams try and find the old Tamiya Indy Car rims as they are very close to a 1/10th scale pan car rim in diameter and you can find foams to glue up on them.

I finished up our review of the car last week and should be posted on formula1-rc hopefully by this weekend.

[old phart]

Originally posted by InspGadgt
Tamiya rims and tires for the F103 series chassis fit. If you want rubber tires go with the Tamiya rubber tires for their F103. If foams try and find the old Tamiya Indy Car rims as they are very close to a 1/10th scale pan car rim in diameter and you can find foams to glue up on them.

I finished up our review of the car last week and should be posted on formula1-rc hopefully by this weekend.

Thanks for the info, Gadget!

Anxiously awaiting the review! :)

[Blacken]

got my car. love it it was a valentines day present for myself since i dumped my gf

anyways i have found a good handeling set up

*ae 5 1/2 high down force wing

*run battery down the middle
* ae 8 lb vcs shock spring on main shock


i have a tc2 and a monster prostock motor in it.
*gs antena mount. osh i hate that antena mount it has been making me mad all day
*lungford motor mount screws
ae light whieght blue screw on the bottom

rrp light wieght pro 27 tooth pinion
also i have been using trinity's josh cryul (sp?) tire juice it works ok

this thing flies!

i ordered the
ball diff
aluminum rear shock
all the spring sets
light whieght axel and aluminum motor mount

got to go i will do some more tweeking tomaro i might try using whieghts. well see ya

Blacken

[old phart]

Wow! Modified the 1st day! :D

Pics-Pics-Pics!!

We need pics :D

[Blacken]

i will get some pics hold your horses. i over estemated the power of the monster pro and put on a pinion with way to many teeth. i burned up my nice new motor. i tried driving with varios wieghts buts it just never seems to handle right. i want to got to the lsh to get some more main springs but i need a ride. yea my car stayed stock for all of and hour. i am eyeing a 12 d d5 motor at my hobby shop for $65.00, i might get it but i won't use it until i have my ball diff of a few extra spur gears cause i nearly burned mine up this morning. I really like this car because there is alot of customizing options if you are willing to go outside the box!

where can i buy these tamiya foams i found out that there is an f1 class at my local carpet track so i might race this agaist all of those "pro" f1's. could some provide a link to the foams and the rubber tires1

old phart: are we the only people who have this car? i am suprised because it is such a nice car for the amount of money!

(sorry for the long post)

Blacken

[Blacken]

wahoo, my mom said i could go to the track tomaro. i am going to try the thing on the track tomaro. here is the link to the track.
i am going to hobby town and this place isn't to far outa the way so i am going to check it out and then go drive there tomaro.
http://www.raincityraceway.com/index.html

[old phart]

Blacken: sorry to hear about your motor burnin' up already! :(

Yes, I think we must be the only ones with this car so far! It really is a nice car. Well, maybe when people hear of your racing success with it that will perk up interest.

Your car with a D5 must be sooo fast! I think mine stock is way fast! :lol

[Blacken]

i was kinda able to save the motor i needed 2 com cuts, can of mtor spray, shims, brushes, a capacitor and springs. i got to go cause i am leaving for the track. ( i am kinda scared to use the d5 right now)

[old phart]

Just got the April issue of RCCA and they have a full feature test on the Duratrax Delphi Racer! :D

Check it out.........

[Blacken]

dang: i had to do some school work and i couldn't get to the track. though i almostw totald my car. p-94 12d + sewer cap+mailbox= totaled wing. god i hate it with out the wing it is so light in the rear. its like trying to drive on ice.


NEW MOD! i took out the main shock and put in a turn buckle. much better traction on smooth surfaces. it should work well on the track!


Blacken

[kabe586]

The Delphi looks really great for the price, but how fast does it go. I heard people say it is fast, but how about compared to my evader. I just bought a Speed Gem 2, 19t for it although i have not installed it yet. Do you think the delphi would beat that out stock, like max MPH?

[RS4rally1124]

are f1 cars fun it seems like this is a nice car. i was thinking of getting a tamyia but these look good and are a lot cheaper.

JT

[InspGadgt]

Generally speaking in electric cars direct drive pan cars such as the Delphi, F103, RC10L3, RC12L3 are the fastest electric cars you can get. This is because of there extremely lightweight design and lack of any gearbox. However this also makes them more pickey as to the surface they run on. They need a good, ckean, fairly high bite surface to perform well on. Loose roads and such you end up doing doughnuts most of the time.

[jdm3849]

I really like the looks of this car. Stock, what RC car would you compare this too speed wise? If there were a 17 turn speed gem pro amber motor in it, would it be very hard to control because of the hard compund tires? Do you know if it will accept side by side packs? Because thats all I have besides a 7-cell. Is this car good if all you want to do is get loose go fast and have fun without all the hassle of more complex cars? With the 17 turn do you think it will go over 32MPH? I was thinking a chameleon pro would be a good motor in this with the stock esc, but will it not be powerful enough or too powerful? Is the oil filled shcok a must? Also,does the differential need frequent cleaning because it is an open type?

If you guys can show more pics of your nice rides, please do. I really appreciate it.

[old phart]

OK, here is my experience driving the Delphi..........

1) On my street in front of my house, typical asphalt, maybe 20' from curb to curb: uncontrollable, totally uncontrollable anything over 1/4 throttle. Rear end breaks loose and it starts heading for the curb if you stab the throttle at any time.

2) Took the car to my work on Friday. Huge 26 acre asphalt parking lot for MTA buses. I had unlimited area to let it all hang out, and hang out it does! Stabbing the throttle on this car, at any time it is not already going at 1/2 throttle, the tires roast and it spins out. But, once it is going at 1/2 throttle if you copntinue to slowly go to WOT this car is amazingly fast. If it goes 32mph as claimed it seems like 40+ with this little dart of a car. I was using the parking lot as a huge oval and it was a blast. The car will corner at high speed but only if the corners are very wide, just like an Indy car track. Also, it will swap ends if you turn too sharply making that corner. And like I said, if you are going less than 1/2 max speed and stab it the tires break loose. It really is like driving a 800HP Indy car I guess? Part of the challenge for me was keeping it going straight while accelerating hard. And next was negotiating a high speed 180* turn without losing it. On a long and wide asphalt surface this car is a kick!

I can't believe it is only a 20 turn motor. Based on my modified Rustler, I would say this car out accelerates my Rustler with a 15 turn Speed Gems 2!

My wish for better tires is only surpassed by my wish for a better braking system in the ESC. The brakes are almost non existant it seems. They take too long to apply and slow the car down. The brakes are by no means satisfactory. Maybe the ESC can be adjusted for that.

Right now the Delhi is on sale for $149.99 at tower. Hard to beat that price for what you get. The car is impressive enough.

As for the oil shock, it obviously is not necessary, but surely it enhances the chassis.

[kabe586]

Hey Phart, Thanks for the info. I may get one eventually, but if i do i would probably buy a new ESC. The reason you have troubles braking is because from what i had seen on mine and heard the sprint ESC is FWD/REV, no brake. The one bad feature of the evader. But since the Delphi is so quick on just a 20t motor you can buy a new 20t FWD/BRAKE ESC for $25 bucks. I would probably just get the Intellispeed Autosport FWD. Has brake on it, which for what you have said would probably be more valuable then REV. But don't take my word for it, i am far from an expert, i just got my first real RC car his past fall.

THanks

[supra528]

i got a few questions. first, are the alm. shocks and ball diffs available from tower????? and im totally new to electric so could someone tell be the difference between a regualr motor and a brushless one?? im not new to rcing though... ive been drivin nitro
and can we get some more pics???

mike

[InspGadgt]

The lightweight axle is an aluminum axle. I'm rather surprised this material was chosen. Anyway we hope to have the hopup parts for testing soon.

BL or brushless motors are kind of like inside out motors. The magnet is on the armature and the coils on the outside. Each coil is energized in sequence to pull the armature around. Rather then brushes and commutators to energize and provide timing of the energization of the coils in a BL motor it's done by the ESC.

[supra528]

so what is better for this car... a bl or a regular or modified one??? and what would be the best motor for this car overall. like in turns and stuff.... i think ill be able to get one since a already got a radio sittin here just waitin to be used so id only have to pay 109 for the prebuilt


mike

[old phart]

Supra528: trust me, before you think about sticking a modified motor in this car, at least try it with the stock 20 turn Photon motor. It is pretty darn quick out of the box!

[supra528]

ok, well im just debatin on gettin a delphi indy or a miniz f1. i think im going to get the delphi indy though. and also, do these have a forward/brake or forward/reverse esc??

[old phart]

I went to check out the ESC specs and it is a forward/reverse with brakes.

[kabe586]

Really Phart, it does? Please let me know where you found that. I totally belive you, i just have been looking everywhere in writing and i all the places i looked said it was just FWD/REV?

thanks,

[InspGadgt]

It's fwd/rev with brakes. There is a reverse delay during which it brakes.

Our Delphi review is now posted for more info check it out on the formula1-rc website.

[old phart]

Kabe: the info on the ESC is right on the Duratrax Delphi page :confused:

http://www.duratrax.com/cars/dtxd12a.html#motor

Inspector Gadget: I read the review and it is quite positive in favor of the Delphi. I posted my comments there and a question about sealing graphite.

[kabe586]

Wow! i am a total retard! yeah it is right there. I totally overlooked it. THanks Phart!

I must say thought for having a brake, it barley works on my evader.

[old phart]

LOL, no prob! :)

Ditto on the Delphi, it is meager at best. I will be switching ESC's at some point to a more aggressive version with better brakes and hotter motor capability. Now that InspGadgt has given us the hookup on the tires.

[jdm3849]

Do side by side packs fit in the delphi? Because thats all I have.

When I buy the Pre-built I am going to get a futaba radio, because if you buy them seperately it comes out to be the same as RTR but you get a REAL futaba with an extra servo! I just want to know if the futaba 2PH radio has steering rate adjustment?

[InspGadgt]

Originally posted by old phart
Inspector Gadget: I read the review and it is quite positive in favor of the Delphi. I posted my comments there and a question about sealing graphite.

Yeah I'm quite pleased with the car but I hope people understand from my article just what needs to be done to make the car viable. The way it comes from Duratrax just does not work well. I've always liked the tri-shock design on pan cars and was very happy to see it used here. Unfotunately I don't get much time to try and mess with the car to make it better as the majority of my driving time is with my F201. But I will be trying more things out and will keep you posted.

[mab_man20]

As haunted said a little while ago, I got one to test out for our up coming Delphi spec class. With the stock tires even on carpet i was not able to control it. Any acceleration spun it. I will post part numbers for the tires tonight. With a little massaging of the front suspension, a ball diff, and Tamiya "B" tires it should make a great spec class racer. Oh and we have to use the stock motor, ESC and 1500 packs. its all skill baby!!

[jeffr147]

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXNW65&P=7
are these the tires that you guys mentioned? i would really like to get this car just for its value and grin factor but am wondering what it would be like w/ 7 cells. I am going to get an electric helicopter (LMH Corona, dont have the $ at the moment, will wait for summmer) which uses 7 cells. i dont want to buy seperete packs so have any of you guys used a 7 cell?

[mab_man20]

The part numbers on the tires are:

B compound wheel/tire rear: 53375 53374
B compound wheel/tire Front: 53349 53350

both are made by Tamiya.

[old phart]

The new issue (May '03) of Xtreme R/C cars magazine has a nice color feature article on the Delphi! :D

[jeffr147]

anyone use 7 cells? i think i might order it within the month, i dont have too much time to play w/ my truck now, too busy with school and sports. the next time tower has the $15 off an order of $150 ill get it for sure.

[OrcSlayer]

Originally posted by jdm3849
Do side by side packs fit in the delphi? Because thats all I have.

When I buy the Pre-built I am going to get a futaba radio, because if you buy them seperately it comes out to be the same as RTR but you get a REAL futaba with an extra servo! I just want to know if the futaba 2PH radio has steering rate adjustment?

No, but the 2PHKA and 2PEKA (FM) do.

[jeffr147]

all right! ordered a delphi last night from tower for $120 RTR!, also got a set of blue rpm clawz rims for my nmt. it should be here around the first of may. i'm ordering 3 7cell packs sometime soon from batterystation.com of HR-SC 2600 cells, should work awesome for the heli i'm getting as well as the delphi. so no one else has run a 7cell? i guess i'll be the first.

[killer_tapeworm]

Aney one know how fast it gose stock. Becus I am thinking of geting one:eek:

[old phart]

32 mph on a 6-cell battery is the stock out of the box speed.

[killer_tapeworm]

Thanks :D

[jeffr147]

got it in the mail today, went to my church to run it on the parking lot....all i can say is wow, it is fast...spins out easy, and was built beautifully! i am well pleased.

[FastTec]

Will the Delphi accept standard TC wheels?

[jeffr147]

well i have been driving my delphi around for awhile and have really come to love it! my only gripe is that the brakes seem to not be very strong, but then again i have never had an electric before. but i have broken my first part, i was driving down a street and hit a real dusty spot when i spun out and hit the curb. first look showed a broken steering knuckle so i CA'd it back together and it has held up fine (i realize that it is a stress tech part and could get it replaced but i dont want to do that right now, i'll wait for some more parts for me to break:)) the bad thing is that i also bent the pin that connects the upper and lower arms and when i tried to bend it back it broke. now the funny thing is that there is a groove in the middle of the pin, i am not sure why it is there but that's where it snapped. so i will have to replace that. here is a pic:

and no the delphi won't accept standard TC wheels but there are tamiya wheels that fit, check out the 2nd page of this thread at the bottom.

[old phart]

hmm, that's interesting that there is a groove machined in the kingpin and that was the weakspot that failed.

Did you get a replacement kingpin yet? Is it machined with the same groove?

[jeffr147]

just got it in today, still a groove, although i am not sure exactly which way to put in the pin...groove up or down? the only thing i could think of what it is for is to do something for the movement (or lack of movement)on the upper arm and spring.

[eeyore65]

What is the diameter of the pin ?
I'm think you could use something stronger like a piece of stainless tig welding rod or piano wire from your LHS .

[jeffr147]

well ran it the other day around my school, the gym has no traction, the hallways are too narrow and the parking lot has too much sand on it but i had a great time running it! i even ran it on the track which was decent, a little bumby though. i was running it down the straights on which were some hurdles on the outside lanes, i was running on the inside but one of those darn hurdles jumped out in front of me:D and the best part of the story is that there was no damage and i was going pretty at a decent pace. the front wing was a little bent to one side but was easily bent back, the motor moved forward on the mounts, and the funniest thing of all was that the upperdeck mounts came off of the screws, i guess that there weren't enough threads on the mounts to hold it in place. i fixed it by putting in a drop of CA into the stripped mount and also on the screw when i put them back on.


i was thinking that lunsford might make a hinge pin that was the right size, if you made it yourself how would you make the grooves for the e-clips? you might be able to use a setscrew and dremel a flat onto the wire?

[Doomed]

Alright guys you got me, I'm in, I just ordered one tonight! :D

[old phart]

Doomed: cool, let us know what you think when it arrives.

Jeff: maybe that pin is used in another vehicle and to save $$ they just machine 2 different e-clip postions?

[eeyore65]

Instead of " E-clips" maybe you could wheel collars .
I did this on my ST Pro where they had "screw pins" that always came out .

[slotracer]

that car looks like a good deal for the money. has anyone ever raced it against a pan car? i'm wondering how it would be with a stock motor against a rc10L3oval car with a stock motor on an oval carpet track. looks like you cant shift the weight to one side very well. theres no indy classes where i live. also, how heavy is the chassis with everything including batt's??

[Doomed]

mab_man20-

I have the "Tamiya F-1 Rear Reinforced Slick TPB" # 53375 like you posted but the passenger side rear will not fit snug to the axle. It's to long! Here's a pic of the area thats too long...

How did you get these to work?

[Doomed]

Has anyone tried these wheels...

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0095p?FVSEARCH=+53375&FVPROFIL=++&search3=Go

...and got them to work?

[jeffr147]

i have been looking for a similar sized hinge pin and came up with this:
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXM523&P=7
Ti 3x27mm hinge pin, 1mm shorter than the stock.

i did find that the HPI NMT has the same length hinge pin but is made out of stainless steel and you have to buy a complete set for $15.
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXVB86&P=7
although that wouldnt be a complete waste as the NMT is my other ride.
so i guess it's either Ti 1mm short or SS just right:D.

27.8 oz or 790g -w/o battery, add about 12-13 oz for battery

[Doomed]

This place seems dead, but I have found some tires that work great. There foams, and stick great on asphalt. I ordered a new set of Delphi wheels...
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXDBT4&P=7

Then I used these tires...

Front...
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXGH03&P=M

Rear...
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/WTI0001P?&I=LXGH01

I enjoy driving the car now with this set-up!

[Pacoson]

this thing is way too fast with the stock set-up!

Allmost not fun to drive.

Jon

[eeyore65]

Originally posted by Pacoson
this thing is way too fast with the stock set-up!

Allmost not fun to drive.

Jon

Is their such a thing as "way too fast" ? LOL

[old phart]

Doomed: did you have to do anything special to the rims to mount the foam tires on them? Got any pics? :)

[Doomed]

I used the 2 sided tape that came with the wheels, thats it, they work great. It actually raises the front end a few mili, which is good for me because I run on some rough cement.

[Doomed]

.

[Doomed]

.

[Doomed]

.

[old phart]

Wow! Doomed, thank you for that! Thank you for doing the research and taking a chance with your money and trying out those tires. Everyone who owns a Delphi owes you a debt of gratitude! The car has sucked with the stock tires and now it seems you have solved the dilemma.

I can tell by the dust on your car it has gotten a much harder workout than mine ever did! :)

I'm ordering those foamies ASAP!

[Doomed]

Your welcome old phart, I have been helped by people on this board before, so I like to do what I can. I hope the tires work as well for you. And yes I tend to drive my cars hard! This is my first "on-road" car, but I have already ordered an F201 because of this car! I plan to put my Novak Brushless in the F201 when I get it together. Ya 4wd! :D

[old phart]

I just finished ordering those foamies and new wheels from Tower. :)

Dude, a F201 with a Novak BL will be wicked!!

I can't wait to try the Delphi with decent traction. I have had my eye on the F201 also but I have too many r/c's to feed as it is. I need to do some horse tradin' or outright sellin' to thin down the herd and then I will be looking into a F201. I really dig the new version with the Williams bod.

[jeffr147]

i dont know that much about foams, i know they offer better traction but do they last as long?
Doomed- did you ever get your other set of tires to fit? you only had trouble with the rear one, fronts worked alright? new foamies look sweet!
IMO a BL setup would be too much, uncontrollable!.....but can you imagine how much you could gear it up! has anyone else changed from the stock gearing?

[Doomed]

jeffr147-

I don't know how long they will last but I love the traction! And yes the fronts and the drivers side rear also just not the passenger rear. I few guys on Formula 1 R/C have ran the SS BL, so what the heck!


old phart-

I almost bought the Williams! I like the blue.

[crazy_matt]

ok im thinking about getting the delphi indy car but im not sure what else i need right now i think im getting

this charger - http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LE2242&P=1


these tires

back - http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/WTI0001P?&I=LXGH01

front - http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXGH03&P=M

n wheels - http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXGH03&P=M

and a cheap 6 sell batt :)

plz tell me if theres any thing alse i need or if i should get something else

[Doomed]

That looks good but your " n wheels " is pointing to the tires.

I used these...

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXDBT4&P=7

:cool:

[crazy_matt]

oops i accidently put same link for front tires and the wheels i ment to put the 1 that u posted..i think im gonna order the car right now..... :D

[crazy_matt]

is there any body kits that fit on the delphi? if so can some 1 list them thx :)

[jeffr147]

i would say get 2-3 cheap packs
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXAFD2&P=C
you can get 3 for $27, thats a pretty good deal
duratrax makes a clear body DTXC6414 dont know what others will work although with enough trimming i'm sure you could get anything to fit.

i would also look into this charger:
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXCLD5&P=7
for $20 you can have a much more versatile charger that is well worth the money, i charge 6-cell, reciever, and transmitter batteries without any problems, it is what i use and my only gripe is that is charges at a max of 3amps when using AC, 5 when using DC.

[crazy_matt]

i just ordered my delphi i cant wait till it arrives :cool:

[Doomed]

Good deal, welcome to the show!

[old phart]

My wheels and rear foams came today! But the fronts are coming from IL so it will be till next week when I get them. :(

Welcome, crazy-matt! :)

[Doomed]

Originally posted by old phart
But the fronts are coming from IL so it will be till next week when I get them. :(

Welcome, crazy-matt! :)

[Homer] Stupid shipping. [Homer/]

[crazy_matt]

here wut i bought

Delphi INdy Car

1900 mAh batt

Pirahna Duratrax digital AC/DC peak charger the 49.99 one that charges nicd and nimh

the foam tires and the wheel set doomed posted about

all im gonna do with my delphi is bash n do drag races n $hit so i want to know what hop ups i can put on it to increase the speed..post wut u think i can do to get it quicker but keep the handling ok... Thanks :D

[Doomed]

Have you run it yet?

[Doomed]

How about you old phart, have you run with the foams?

[InspGadgt]

Doomed,

Did you cut the ridges off the rim to mount the foams? Foams usually mount best to a flat rim. One alternative would be to use those foams with the old Tamiya F1 foam tire rim too. Personally I plan to use the old Tamiya T93/T94 rims since they are really close to 1/10th pan car rims in diameter most standard foams will fit. I still see those rims on Ebay a lot.

[InspGadgt]

Oh and whoever was asking...the Tamiya B compound tires work fairly well for the car. That's what I raced my F103 on so I've done some testing on the car with those tires. Next I'll be testing all the hopups and doing a short write up for our F1 web site to compliment the review of the car I did.

[crazy_matt]

my delphi came today..i love it..the only thing i hate is the tires..they suck lol..foams havent came yet so im stuck with the bad tires for now but o well..its still fun doing donuts n stuff :D

[Doomed]

InspGadgt-

I didn't cut the ridges off the rim to mount the foams, they mounted perfectly stock. I just used the 2-sided tape that came with them and their really tight.

crazy_matt-

Good to hear!


old phart- are you out there!

[crazy_matt]

my foams came today n the traction is awesome thanks for tellin us about the foams doomed helped ALOT ;)

[old phart]

Yeah, I'm still kickin' LOL :p

I have been very busy with stuff and have not had a chance to mount my foam tires and try them. I have not done any r/c running for a while. Too many other pressing projects that need to be taken care of. But I'm still looking forward to it!

[InspGadgt]

Ok well don't catch any curbs or anything without having the edges glued down good or you'll have chunked tires.

[Doomed]

O.K. InspGadgt, thanks for the info, I will glue the edges also. :cool:

[Animeboy123]

what r some good Hop Ups??

[old phart]

Doomed: I installed my foam tires this evening and gave it a test run. I'm not all that impressed. Still seems pretty squirrely to me! I was expecting it to hook up and be able to accelerate in a straight line down my street, but no way. It's still really bad. What am I doing wrong?

On a positive note, I then took it into my backyard where I have a concrete pad. I was gassing it from a standstill, the foams would spin and kick up what looked like tire smoke! Only it was concrete dust or whatever, but it looked cool! The stock Duratrax tires would not do that.

[Doomed]

I'm sorry to hear that, I run on my street and on very large parking lots and I have pretty good traction. Easily twice the traction of the stockers. Are you running on dusty roads maybe?

[jeffr147]

how tight do you have your right rear tire? are the side shocks (if you can even call them that, lol) adjusted evenly? another thing you can do is tighten the center shock, the rear will have more bite but will break loose quicker once traction is lost. i tightened up mine and it seemed to help alot.
i am getting better with the stock tires and noticing when they are about to lose traction. i am having ALOT less spin outs and correcting a slide going fast has to be the one funnest things about this car.

[old phart]

Guys, I think it is all the above. Yes. my street is probably dirty since it is tree lined and lots of pollen probably falls off the trees.

And, I never adjusted my suspension. I replced the rear shock with the aluminum oil shock before I ever drove the car. Very strong possibility it is all out of whack! I will have to experiment with adjustments. Thanks for the tip!

PS: what does the one wheel being too tight do?

[jeffr147]

the tightness of your right rear wheel affects diff action, the tighter it is you can pretty much eliminate any diff action. the looser it is the more you will have.
i have mine pretty much with no action at all.

[crazy_matt]

im having the same problem old phart..when i try to go full throttle i spin out almost all the tiime i cannot keep the car going straight with full throttle even with the foams i guess ill have to adjust some things..

[Doomed]

Hopefuly you can get some more traction from the above posts, but I also have problems at the limit. I think thats just the nature of the car being a motor on wheels! That said I have my diff cranked down pretty had also.

[jeffr147]

this car has done so much for my throttle finger, i used to have 2 positions, on and off. but now i have much better control of the throttle but even then i still spin out. being extremely light doesnt help traction much either...

[crazy_matt]

i was drivin my delphi today and it ran great! i dunno wut i did but i was goin full throttle n it didnt spin at all..i think it was cuz the ground was wet or something..try driving ur delphi after it has rained with foam tires the handeling is awesome :)

[old phart]

I'm taking mine to work tomorrrow and will run it in our asphalt parking yard. I work in a bus yard and it is 26 acres of asphalt. Plenty of room to let it open up. :)

I'm hoping the foamies get a bite on that surface. It is much smoother than my street I live on.

[Doomed]

Now that sounds like fun! Let us know how it goes. I am in the process of painting my 2nd body so I will have pics of a very different looking Del. to post soon.

[old phart]

OK, it was much better at the lot at my work. Still was a handful, but I was able to slowly open it uip to WOT and watch it rip! Was not able to do an oval though, as it would slide out when I tried to make even a wide turn. I softened the rear shock all the way and set the side shocks soft, and equal. Ia lso tightened the diff. I don't know if this was good, or a bad idea. But that is how I ran it.

I would like to have better control, and better traction. Trying to run this in a confined are is still impossible. But in a huge open lot is was fun!

I will try setting everything firm next time and see how that does.

[BTE214]

Try loosening the diff. The differential when set loose enough transfers power from the wheels that slip to the wheels that grip. So if you have the diff locked you will spin the tires.

[crazy_matt]

ok my spur gear got stripped i put another 1 on and that 1 got stripped too..i have it on nice and good but it continues to get stripped sumhow ...wuts up!?

[InspGadgt]

stripped spurs on a direct drive car come from 2 things:

1) Improper gear mesh. Either from the start of because the motor shifted during the run.

2) Debris lodged in the spur or pinion.

If your motor is slipping or if your motor mount is warped going to the aluminum motor mount will help that.

[Doomed]

I just wanted to show everyone my changed Delphi.

[Doomed]

.

[old phart]

That looks killer!! :D

[Animeboy123]

That looks FRIGGEN tight!!!!!!!

[Doomed]

Thanks for the good words guys! :cool:

[tamiyadude]

PHAT... very PHAT! :D

[Preston]

Well, I am so close to buying one of these cars guy's, I've read all the posts here on the Delphi, but now I would like to know one thing (well....3 things.).

Does the lack of traction make it not fun to drive?

And,

Do the foams you guy's are putting on make it stick much better?

Is it worth buying, or will its lack of traction just frusturate me?

Thanks!

[Animeboy123]

Buy the Foams!!!!! I have seen Crazy_Matt drive his delphi indy without them and it just spins out.

[Preston]

Hey guy's I had a thought,

Maybe you could increase traction by modifying the front and rear wings? Maybe increased downforce will give the car better traction?

I read a thread in the General Forum where guy's were talking about how effective a body wing is on an RC car, so maybe the Stock Duratrax ones just dont funtion well enough, or need their angles adjusted.

I don't have a Delphi (yet!) but its just a thought.

[InspGadgt]

Well there's a big surface area difference between different bodies for TC and pan cars which is why bodies do make a difference in those classes. However the surface area of the Indy/F1 type cars in RC is very small and only really adds downforce at very high speeds. I imagine with some extensions of rather radical angles you could get the wings to work better...at speed...but remember on any car in low speed corners, braking, and initial acceleration downforce plays an extremely small part overall...if any. In these cases it's strictly mechanical grip which the stock Delphi does not have due to it's tires. Even if you were able to get more grip from the wings it could never be enough to make the stock tires work.

[Doomed]

You said it about the stockers, their like driving on an oil slick. The only time I could drive with any kind of grip on the stockers was the first day I took the Delphi out I found a freshly layed lot of asphalt, it was still warm to the touch! Now that was fun!

[R3VoLuTiOn]

i wouldnt mind one of these with a 10 cell brushless... go crazy fast :D

[jdm3849]

Has anyone yet been able to use a side by side pack in one of these? (because that's all I own):(

[bullfrog]

Hey guys I was wondering is durability an issue with the stress tech plastic parts? The chassis looks damn srtong but i was just wondering about suspension arms, bulkheads, and stuff like that. The front wing looks pretty prone to getting dinged up too. thanks :cool:

[USAxxxs]

jdm.............why wouldnt you be able to use a side by side pack. I use the same packs from my X-RAY. If you have 3 cells connected by a heavy gauge wire just lay them together and tuck away the wire? I may not understand what your configuration of batteries is. 000^000

As far as how tough the car is, it will take some hits. No RTR is bullet proof. Parts are cheap to replace.

A whole group of us just picked up this car lastweek. Foams are on the way. Is Duratrax planning on discontinuing this car? Just wondering because in my hobbyshop we dropped the price to $99

[Doomed]

I have run mine very hard and it seems to be holding up. The only thing I have replaced is the right rear axle because I tighten it down to tight and it snapped the theaded part right off.

USAxxxs-

$99 wow thats a great price!

[USAxxxs]

Doomed...........Good info on the axle.

The only problem we are experiencing right now with the Delphi is that the clear bodies are on back order, it is hard to call out the leader in a race when they all look similiar. Spoilers and stickers just arent enough to tell the difference when they are all running wide open down the straight away. We use AMBrc for lap counting by it is nice to tell the spectators who the leader is.

Yeah at $99.99 each we cant keep them on the shelves!!!!

[InspGadgt]

Originally posted by USAxxxs
jdm.............why wouldnt you be able to use a side by side pack. I use the same packs from my X-RAY. If you have 3 cells connected by a heavy gauge wire just lay them together and tuck away the wire? I may not understand what your configuration of batteries is. 000^000


Side by side battery configuration is longer then an inline configuration. So in order for the pack to fit the battery holders would have to be changed. But the body allready fights tight to the current battery holders so making wider ones to accomidate the side by side packs may not fit under the body. The centerline battery mount is molded curved for inline stick packs.

[USAxxxs]

I am running Matched 3300 GP's thats are soldered in a side by side configuration. All I have to do is remove the 2 clips on the top plate by the servo and slide them in. It is alittle tight, but once in they seat perfectly.

[Cross_49]

Hey gang. Perhaps I can help [a little] with the spinning problem. This is what worked [helped] for me:
1. Make sure you car is tracking straight.
2. From a standing position, give it full throttle and note which way it spins. Do this three times, it should spin in the same direction every time.
3. Lets say for s's and giggles that it spins to the left. To help this, you should tighten the left side rear spring and loosen the right side rear spring. This adds bite to the left rear, takes bite from the right rear and should help with the whole spinning problem. BUT! You will have to play with it for a while to get the best settings for your driving style and it is NOT a "fix all". But it should help.
Anyways, I read this somewhere and it helped me.

[InspGadgt]

interesting USA...I take it that's in-line though down the center of the chassis...crosswise with my 2000's they would not fit. Also how'd you get the cells to go through the round clip that holds them in place?

Cross...that's adjusting the car's tweak. You can do that by lifting the rear of the car from the centerline with an exacto knife and seeing which tire comes off first and adjust the side shocks till they both come up evenly. Or you could use a tweak board too.

[USAxxxs]

Insp...........I dont run mine down the centerline, I dont have any problems running them in the crosswise position. Anyway......got any pictures of your setup?

[InspGadgt]

It's just like the one on Duratrax's site. I tested it bone stock for our review. My next test will likely be with different electronics.

[USAxxxs]

I got the Foams yesterday and ran it at the track, MAN WHAT A CAR! Amazing something this inexpensive can run the way it does.

[USAxxxs]

Now that the Foams are on I am going to attempt running my Brushless in it. This should be interesting!:eek:

[old phart]

xxx: did you get the regular foams like Doomed described? Or the new Duratrax mounted foams that was described in "general discussion"? If you got the Duratrax's do you have part numbers for them?

that thing is going to be insane with the BL! :D

[USAxxxs]

old..............no, I used the Tamiya F103 foams and bought another set of the Delphi rims to put them on. I called duratrax about a week ago and they said they were not producing foams, if they did , I want to know the part number also so I can get them into the Hobbyshop.

BL going in tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[old phart]

OK, thanks!

Bummer about the Duratrax foams............

[USAxxxs]

I found an email I recieved from Duratrax about producing foams, they took to long to respond so I called them up too. If anyone wants to see it let me know. There is some rumor going around that they are supposed to make foams for the Delphi. They are not.

Also My motor gets HOT after a few minutes.It is still geared from the factory. I know it is severly overgeared. This is the motor that comes with it that I am talking about. I am starting a SPEC class at our track and would like to know.

As for the BL............I didnt have time, but am going to do it.:D

[Blacken]

damn it. i finally got my car back together. my neighbor had gotten a hacker c-50 setup for his maxx and said i could using it for a while in my delphi. man it was fast. i let him drive it and it tweeked out. at least 65 mph into an oncoming bus (with insane gearing and a 7 cell pack). totaly destroyed. the car brushless system and my new xxtra. i like the car so much i will buy a new one for the fall indore racing season. but right now i need to get my ***** outside and mow some lawns. oh yeah i am getting out of nitro so i can make the most hardcore delphi with a novak ss system:) :( :D :mad: :mad: :rolleyes:

[guver]

Hi all , I just ordered a delphi, Do those foam tires you all have wear down fast?

[InspGadgt]

That depends on the surface your running on and how much grip it gives you. High grip surfaces give longer wear time as you do less sliding.

[Blacken]

when i had my delphi i warmed my rear tires up with a hair dryer

[Blacken]

Originally posted by Blacken
damn it. i finally got my car back together. my neighbor had gotten a hacker c-50 setup for his maxx and said i could using it for a while in my delphi. man it was fast. i let him drive it and it tweeked out. at least 65 mph into an oncoming bus (with insane gearing and a 7 cell pack). totaly destroyed. the car brushless system and my new xxtra. i like the car so much i will buy a new one for the fall indore racing season. but right now i need to get my ***** outside and mow some lawns. oh yeah i am getting out of nitro so i can make the most hardcore delphi with a novak ss system:) :( :D :mad: :mad: :rolleyes:


i have started to gather parts for my new delphi

[old phart]

Check this out! :D

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXDCT3&P=7

[SplitSecond]

Greetings and salutations all.

I recently purchased a Delphi Indy car from my local hobby shop and I have to say that I am quite pleased with it. As everyone has posted, the stock tires are only good for paper weights as they have no traction what so ever. I had to purchase rear tamiya foam tires ( Hobbytown is on back order for front tires) to get traction (they work quite well). Being new to the RC world, I switched out the photon for a Hellfire RS24 non modified and I wished I hadn't. So any tips would be appreciated for this novice.:D

[SplitSecond]

Also in addition to my 1st post, does any one know the max turns the stock esc on the delphi can use? I would like to go down to a 16 turn motor but I dont want to risk destroying anything (gears, esc, etc.) For my Hellfire RS24, can anyone tell me how many turns it is?! I've looked on a few websites but they dont tell me anything about it.:confused:

[Preston]

That ESC is a Duratrax Sprint.

It is rated to go as low as 20 turns.

Some guy's here have used 17 turns with it without problems though.

I have the same ESC, it came in my Evader.

[jdm3849]

When I got my Evader in 2001 I used 2 different 17turn motors with the Sprint. It worked fine and probobly still wouild if i used it.
You can put a 16t on there with no problem because the delphi's drivetrain is so simple and has almost no friction to speak of when comparing with off-road vehicles. You still should gear low.
If I were you I would buy a 19t spec motor, many of them compare to the speed of a 16t at 0 degrees.

[SplitSecond]

Thanks guys for the info, you just made it a alot simpler for this novice.

[SplitSecond]

Today I just bought a Speed Gem 2 15 turn 4 wound motor for my indy and havent changed out the esc yet or gears..... havent ran it yet but Im hoping for the best ( as in a still functional car after the run) Ill let you guys know how it goes later.

[microrcdude]

Originally posted by SplitSecond
For my Hellfire RS24, can anyone tell me how many turns it is?! I've looked on a few websites but they dont tell me anything about it.:confused:

It's a 27t stock motor

[SplitSecond]

no way! its a 27 turn motor! that sucks.... wouldnt have to worry about anything going wrong with my indy then. My Speed Gems 2 15t 4w didnt burn out my car even with the stock esc and gears but run time lasts for like 5- 7 minutes with my 1500mah battery.

[jdm3849]

Just because it is a 27 turn does not mean it will be slow, they are made to perform. And they will do just that, a stock 24 degree 27turn motor will get going as good as a 0 degree Speed Gem 2 17turn. Not to mention it will make the photon look slow.

[walds11]

I just ordered the Delphi Indy car yesterday from Tower Hobbies. You can't beat the price, plus I got $15 off my order using one of those online coupons and they will also be sending me a $15 gift certificate that I can use on my next order. I can't wait to get it. And from all the posts and reviews, it seems like a mean car for the $.

I am sure the graphite chassis holds up well, but how do the front and rear wing hold up? How anyone broke a plastic part and sent it back for a free one using the stress-tech free replacement parts guarantee? If so, how long did it take to receive the new part? Also, is the body lexan material?

[USAxxxs]

I do not believe the wings are under the stress tech gaurantee. As for the parts that are, they ship you a new set out as soon as they receive the part you broke as long as it is covered. Congrats on your purchase and I greatly recommend the foam tires as your first upgrade to the car. I do believe the bodies are Lexan. But either way the body takes very little abuse with the way it is shaped and the front spoiler takes ALL of the damage. The spoilers are cheap to replace and do withstand normal abuse. Hope this helps.

[walds11]

What foam tires do you recommend (manufacturer and #)? Since I will be getting a $15 gift certificate from Tower, I would most likely buy them from there.

[InspGadgt]

Your going to need a set of rims as well. You can get another set of Delphi rims and glue the foams to those. But you would be better off getting a set of the old F103 rims specifically for foam tires. These are flat and have no ridges so the foams can get maximum adherence to the rims.

[walds11]

what are these? what's up with the foam inserts? i am new at this :)

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXDBT0&P=7

[InspGadgt]

Foam inserts go inside the tire to pressurize them. Kinda like air does in a real car tire.

[USAxxxs]

The Tamiya F103 foams work great even with the Duratrax rims without glue or double sided tape. If you cant find the F103 smooth rims. I run my Delphi with the Tamiya F103 Foams and the Duratrax rims and have yet to have a tire slip off the rim......even while running my brushless in it. Let me tell you the car was ballastic but almost impossible to drive due to all the power the brushless puts out. So if you cant find the F103 rims get another set of the Duratrax Delphi rims and just slap the foams on it. If you cant find them let me know, I will assist you.

[SplitSecond]

After running my car with the 15t 4w Speed Gems 2 motor; close inspection of my car showed that some teeth are missing off the main drive gear, so it didnt run as good as i thought it did :\ Oh well, I just hope my local Hobbytown gets the front wheel foams for the indy ( they managed to get more rear foams but not the front foams)

[USAxxxs]

I know from our HobbyTown that the front tires are hard to get ahold of, but the rears are plentiful. If and when your shop gets the fronts, I suggest buying more than one set so you will have more in the future as the fronts are getting harder to find.

The only problem I have run into concerning the spur gear stripping is that when you run a mod motor (and possibly dont have it geared correctly) is the excess heat produced will soften up the plastic motor mount plate and the motor can shift, causing misalignment between the pinion and spur gear which usually strips the spur. Duratrax does offer an aluminum motor mount / heatsink plate.

Did you run that motor on the stock Sprint ESC? We have been wondering how many turns it claims it will handle.

Hope this helps.

[InspGadgt]

Usually not enough heat is transferred through the pinion gear to melt the spur. The normal causes for missing teath are the gear mesh being too loose or debis got wedged between the gears.

[walds11]

Just got the car from Tower. It is sweet!!! I just put the decals on and the battery is charging. The car is very simple and not that sophisticated, but what do you expect for $120. I would not mind getting an F103 or Ferrari F2001, but don't feel like spending that kind of money right now. Now I need to get some foams and then I'll really be in business.

[walds11]

Are these duratrax delphi tires and foams decent?

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXDBT0&P=M

[USAxxxs]

walds11....Thos eare the same tires that come on the car. they STINK get the FOAMS!

Insp..........No where did I write that the pinion is transferring the heat. It is the motor itself because it is mounted against a plastic/ composite Motor Mount Plate. The Porton motor is seriously overgeard and after a few minutes of runtime the excess heat makes the plastic motor mount soft thus letting the screws that hold the motor to the plate shift causing the motor to shift and the pinion either moves closer of farther away from the mechanical spur gear. Either way it causes damage. I have dealt with this problem with the Proton motor and a mod motor. Besides my point....either excess heat or debris can cause the same problem. But when I have to order 6 spur gears for the same cars with the same motors all run on the same indoor track I have to believe Duratrax seriously overgeared this car to get the 30+ mph they advertised and that = heat. Do you know what turn motor the Sprint will handle. I have spoken to Duratrax and they have NO IDEA!!!?

[SplitSecond]

USAxxxxs, you work at the Hobbytown USA on VA Beach Blvd right? well anyways I ran the Speed Gems 2 motor (which i got from hobbytown) with the stock esc... it runs thats all I can really say also that its damn quick.... looks like Ill be stopping in to Hobbytown on my next payday to buy the gears.

[USAxxxs]

Cool. I will check tonight and make sure we still have them in stock. I know we have the Ball Diff in stock. It is nicer than the gear diff that comes on the car.

[italiannitroman]

Anybody got one for sale or trade?

[guver]

If your asking about the car then I have a prebilt for sale , brand new $79.00

[italiannitroman]

Does it come with the esc like on tower and stuff

[guver]

Yes exactly, it is brand new. and needs the radio system , but has the motor and esc.

search on guver in the buy/sell forum and you'll see my stuff for sale

[italiannitroman]

Thanks but I can get one shipped to my door from tower hobbies for 72.98

[guver]

what is the stock number?

[italiannitroman]

I have got two coupons for 10 off and then they give u 5 bucks off when u spend 75-100

[Doomed]

Where are you getting these coupons!?

[InspGadgt]

Originally posted by USAxxxs
walds11....Thos eare the same tires that come on the car. they STINK get the FOAMS!

Insp..........No where did I write that the pinion is transferring the heat. It is the motor itself because it is mounted against a plastic/ composite Motor Mount Plate. The Porton motor is seriously overgeard and after a few minutes of runtime the excess heat makes the plastic motor mount soft thus letting the screws that hold the motor to the plate shift causing the motor to shift and the pinion either moves closer of farther away from the mechanical spur gear. Either way it causes damage. I have dealt with this problem with the Proton motor and a mod motor. Besides my point....either excess heat or debris can cause the same problem. But when I have to order 6 spur gears for the same cars with the same motors all run on the same indoor track I have to believe Duratrax seriously overgeared this car to get the 30+ mph they advertised and that = heat. Do you know what turn motor the Sprint will handle. I have spoken to Duratrax and they have NO IDEA!!!?

Ah I see...yes this is a problem but it's not melting the spur gear...the gear gets under meshed and the power of the motor turning the pinion grinds the spur. Switching to the aluminum motor mount will take care of that.

The Sprint manual specifies a 20T limit. Here's the manual:
http://www.duratrax.com/pdf/dtxm1200-manual.pdf

[USAxxxs]

Insp.............Thanks for the info. I am baffled that people are getting away with running the mod motors and not burning it up. As soon as I try it the thing will go up in smoke!! I know a 15t Speed Gems 2 isnt near as powerful as a D5 15T, but it would just be my luck to smoke it!!

[InspGadgt]

I've just finished the review on the hop up options for the Delphi for Formula1-RC. It should be posted next week.

[InspGadgt]

Our review on the Delphi hopups is now posted at Formula1-RC

[JDAWG53]

What is the link to that site. I would like to check out your review.
Thanks

[InspGadgt]

http://www.formula1-rc.com/articles/DuratraxIndyHopUps.asp

[marcusg]

Gentlemen what foam tires are you talking about for the Delphi ? Can someone please provide the Brand, item number, etc. I would like to get one of these but I heard the stock tires are useless. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Also what upgrades are worth getting, and what are useless ?

Thanks, Marcusg

[USAxxxs]

marcusg................The tires that alot of people are using are the Tamiya F103 Front and Rear Foams and Rims. The F103 rims are a bit hard to find so others are using the Duratrax rims from the Delphi. If you look at previous posts on this thread you can find all the info that you need concerning the rims and tires. InspGadt did a review of the Hop Ups and he has a link posted. Just scroll back through this thread and you find the info.

[marcusg]

Thanks for the help USAxxxs. Much appreciated. By the way Will these rims work as a direct fit for the Delphi ? The model number for these rims are #50532. These are the replacement rims for the Tamiya (Newman Haas Lola) Forlmula 1 Car. Or do I need to make modifications ?

Thanks again, Marcusg

[InspGadgt]

The Lola wheels will bolt on directly just fine. In fact those are the rims I plan to switch mine to as they are almost as tall as a standard pan car rim so finding foam donuts is a lot easier. Most standard pan car foam donuts will fit on that rim. You'll just need to trim the excess.

[marcusg]

Thanks InspGadgt. Gentlemen, have any of you ever used the T.M. Racing Tires/wheel F1 sets on the Delphi ? Will their sets even fit and work on the Delphi ? Also is there any other brand of tires/rims that will be a direct fit and work good on the Delphi ? I found the Tamiya combo that I think everbody is suggesting, but I also want to look at some other options. Thanks in advance. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Their homepage is located at www.tm-rc-racingcomponents.com

Thanks again Marcusg

[InspGadgt]

The ones listed under F1 look to be the same bolt pattern as the F103 which is identical to the Delphi. So yes they should fit. I'm glad you found this as it will help many Delphi owners with an alternate source of tires!

[marcusg]

Gentlemen FYI,

Here are the item # for the following wheel/foam tire combinations that work on the Tamiya f103/Duratrax Delphi. The sets they have on their website is for carpet.

1) Rear/Pink/# 4137= $25.00 a pair

2) Front/purple/# 4138 = $23.00 a pair

These are the sets they recommend for use on asphalt. They are already pre-mounted and trued. He also recommends the Magenta for the front. Ask for Tony. Hope this helps fellas.

The website is:

www.tm-rc-racingcomponents.com and the phone number is(586)-949-3506

Thanks, Marcusg

[marcusg]

Gentlemen, have any of you used the Novak brushless system in the Delphi ? If so what size pinion gear did you use, and how did you like it ?

Thanks, Marcusg

[USAxxxs]

marc............I ran the Novak System in mine and had a heck of a time controlling it, you gotta be easy on the throttle when taking off. Similiar to the stock setup of the car with the rubber tires, make sure you have foam tires. Start with a 22 pinion and work from there. Good luck.

[marcusg]

Thanks USAxxxs, Have you tried running it with a smaller pinion...say a 18T or a 16T ? Was the ESC or motor very Hot ? I know with the stock motor/ESC this car pretty fast, with the brushless, it must screams. Thanks again.

Marcusg

[USAxxxs]

I started out with the stock gearing ( as the Brushless manual calls for) gearing down from the stock setting will only give the car more Punch. That is the original problem with the car ( the spinning out of control) with the 24t pinion the car was a hand full, next time I run the ( I also run a X-RAY sedan w/ brushless) Delphi with the brushless I will probably go to a 26 - 27 tooth pinion to reduce the low end torque and make it drivable. On this setup it really comes down "to each his own" as far as what you want the car to do.

[USAxxxs]

Sorry, I got away from your question. For the stock setup of the car with the factory motor and esc I geared down to a 22T. The guys running the 24t take me down the straight but I always end up with atleast 2 laps on them at the end of the race because there batts drop off sooner and I can make up twice as much time in the corners with more punch thus passing them after one turn after the straight away. I really depends on the track you are running and what kind of driver you are. BUT gearing down increases your runtime and you have more juice after the 2 minute mark in a race.

[marcusg]

Thanks again xxxs. So torque is more of a enemy than overall top end speed. Question: how was the temperature on your ESC and motor (brushless setup) when you used the 24T ? Was it cooler or hotter, also did you use the aluminum motor plate with the BL ? Thanks for the help, much appreciated. I thought I would have to put a "smaller" pinion gear on, but I understand what your saying. In the Novak manual they state to have your final gear ratio to be around 6.5:1 to 7.3:1 for touring cars, so when I called Novak tech support, they told me gear down 2 to 4 teeth from the stock 20T to a 16-18T. Let me know how the 26-27T goes.

I Basically want the car to have the same performance as the stock 20T motor. I just would like to use a Brushless because among other things...it's maintenance free !

One more question. (You there InspGadgt ?)You know how the Lola/Tamiya wheels are supposed to be a direct fit for the Delphi. In the Tower Hobbies "tech" notes for the Delphi, they do mention that the Tamiya wheels will fit, but you have to install extra washers and bearings. So are the Lola wheels a "direct fit, drop in" or is Tower correct, and you have to do all these other "steps" to make these wheels fit right ? Right now I'm using the Tamiya foams on the stock Delphi wheels.

Thanks in advance, Marcusg

[EvaderRacer76]

hey I just wanted you all to know that I just bought a Delphi Pre-built for $65 from Tower.....sweet. I kind of wanted one, but I was low on cash, then they suddenly lowered the price again! $65 is like less expensive than some radioshack cars! Any tips on first hop-up for it should be? I heard the stock tires suck, so I'll prob. get some foams, and I was wondering, how much does the ball diff. cost?

thanks

[guver]

I finally put together my prebilt, and ran it once. I was not very pleased. I couldn't accelerate without doing circles. Here is what Iv'e done so far.

dual rate all the way down(slow)
loosened diff (it still feels like a rachet)
adjusted side spring (now it burns out on take off very straight)

This is my first on-road car, and all I have to compare to is a evader that I have street tires on. Well the evader will just do laps around it. I kinda expected the indy car to go around a street course like it was on rails (compared to the off-road evader). My only ideas are the rear tires and maybe a diff problem, cuz it doesn't feel anything like my ball diffs.

It is definately worse on power than off power. It will almost make a corner when the power is let off.

Sorry for long post, does all this seem normal for the delphi running on an asphalt parking lot?

[InspGadgt]

Yes that's normal with the stock tires. The stock tires on the car are way too hard and provide no grip whatsoever. Look back a few posts and marcus has a link to where you can buy premounted foam tires. Those will work best. Or look for the Tamiya belted rubber slicks for the F103 chassis. If your running in wamer weather the B compound will be the best rubber compound.

[guver]

"no grip whatsoever" good choice of words

Ok thanks, I'll give it another shot with new tires.
Maybe it will go around a corner then.

[guver]

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXPA41&P=7

will these fit ok?
I'd like to just try rears for now.

[marcusg]

Guver, these are the tires you want. Both at Tower Hobbies. Below are Tower's stock numbers and description. You also need to buy another set of Delphi rims. Hope this helps.

Marcusg

1) LXGH03 Tamiya F1 Front HBR Soft Sponge

2) LXGH03 Tamiya F1 Front HBR Soft Sponge

[Doomed]

Originally posted by guver
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXPA41&P=7

will these fit ok?
I'd like to just try rears for now.

I tried those, they did not work for me. Go back to page 3 and look at my post about the foams. Everything you need is there. ;)

[guver]

I got these they are very sticky, but a little smaller in diameter than stock. The foams do work quite well too. What a difference.:)

[marcusg]

Gentlemen, Duratrax now has a foam tire mounted and trued for the Delphi. Here is the Link.

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXFAT8

and for the rear

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXFAT9

MARCUSG

[Doomed]

Thanks for the info marcusg, good find. Might have to get those after the Tamiya ones wear out.

[InspGadgt]

Now there's some good news!

[guver]

watch out for the diameter on those, unless you can get away with a little smaller. I need a little bigger ones my surfaces are very rough. you tell I'm an off-roader?? haha

ps how do you increase the ride height a little bit on the delphi? Maybe that'll help me with ground clearance.

[Preston]

Wow, Those tires are almost as much money as the entire prebuilt car alone!

You'd be better off with Doomed's approach, at least then you can just buy the foams to replace when they wear out.

[8thscaleracer]

Hello, My local track is starting a Spec class for the delphi. It was introduced by one of the members because tower has dropped the price on the delphi so much, they thought it would be a popular intro class to get people to race... And now over 15 people have purchased one to race!!! and the season has not even started yet!

First race is Sat nov 22!!!


Ill let you know how it goes


Scott

[Janders]

Has anyone tried soaking the duratraxx tires?

I had some old non-traction rubbers that I soaked( a few minutes) with B-12 chemtool cleaner....it softened them up nicely, although you had to soak before every run.I may try that before I buy new tires.

If I can wedge my superrooster in there I'll probably try one of my 13T's, just to see what speed I can get :)

Does anyone know what tires/wheels these are? I'd love to have these on my Delphi
http://www.formula1-rc.com/images/gallery/134/HPI-F11.jpg

[Janders]

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXCMG0&P=7

ID = 29mm
OD = 52mm
Width = 47mm

Trimmed they should fit(Delphi wheels are 30mm, no?)

[Doomed]

Those are very cool wheels, wish there were more wheels for this thing. I'm not sure on the size as I am at work. Sorry.

[microrcdude]

janders,
most F103 foams will fit the indy with oly minor mods.

[microrcdude]

Originally posted by marcusg
Gentlemen, Duratrax now has a foam tire mounted and trued for the Delphi. Here is the Link.

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXFAT8

and for the rear

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXFAT9

MARCUSG
Janders^^^^

[Janders]

I know the103 parts that will fit, and have seen the duratraxx mounted wheels. I'm just a little hesitant to spend $30 on tires for a $60 car. I'll probably try out the Jaco foams for $14 and post back on here whether they worked or not....I don't see any reason why they shouldn't. I can afford to get the better wheels/tires, I just want to make my Delphi into a cheapie racer.


But first..I'll try the chemical soak.

thanks guys

[*Supreme Losi*]

Originally posted by Doomed
I tried those, they did not work for me. Go back to page 3 and look at my post about the foams. Everything you need is there. ;) Doomed,are you in the aAngelina Jolie chatroom as doomed?
:confused:

[Wizardman_1]

Just been reading around forums. For your tire trouble rub some cooking oil or WD-40 on the tire then let it sit for 15min. Wipe it off with a paper towel and take the rest of the oil off with really hot water, letting the water go all around the tire. Then just dry it up. It should work, i tried it on my Evader BX 2 weeks ago and the tires are still soft. The price for the RTR on Tower Hobbies ($99) temped me to get a Delphi but around here there isnt any flat ground to run it on. Hope the oil trick works.

[Doomed]

Originally posted by *Supreme Losi*
Doomed,are you in the aAngelina Jolie chatroom as doomed?
:confused:

Nope, not me, and here I thought I had a unique name.

[toddzilla]

we're running these as a spec class locally, and we burned through about 7 spur gears last saturday. I ordered the aluminum motor plate, what a total ripoff.. 27 bucks for a crappy piece of aluminum. is this going to fix the problem? i know some others have posted about having problems with the spur gear and the crappy factory motor plate, i just want to make sure that this will solve the spur gear mesh problem. It seems that the spur gear is made of a very soft material, and we might have to come up with something else to use if this continues to be a problem.

[guver]

I've ruioned 2 gears already, I thought it was just me on the dirty asphalt. haha.

I did notice, that I run my diff pretty loose, and that makes the gear wobble alot. I'm going to play around with it some more.

[Janders]

I pulled out the Sprint ESC(anyone want to buy it-unused for $35?) popped in my superrooster I use for all my cars and played around. I was suprised how easilly it spun on carpet and linoleum, much less concrete and pavement. It is definitely fun, and amazingly quiet. I ran it for a few minutes before it got dark. I just oiled the tires, and will see how it runs tommorow. I've got a 13T I'm dying to put in, but I want to see how it runs with the 20T first.

Next on my list is a clear body

[Preston]

How do you fix your ECS in place? do you use servo tape? You said you use the Super Rooster in all your RC's so do you have a convienient way of transfering it from car to car, while still keeping it attached well when in the car?

[Janders]

I actually use the same reciever and ESC in all my RC's(Wild Dagger MT, Yokomo MR4-TC, Delphi, TB-01 Rally). I used to have both the reciever ESC in a small tupperware container, with the wires coming out a small hole in the side. All I had to do was plug in the serov into the reciever, and connect the motor bullet plugs...unfortunately the tupperware was too big to fit into the delphi. I know have the reciever attached to the ESC with servo tape, and the two have a little electrical tape around the bottom tp protect them. They slide snugly in place in my mr4,rally, and delphi, I have a zip tie that slides over them on my dual motor beast...I can take a pic later if you want to see..it's pretty simple, although depending on how many and the different types of cars, you'll have to work on a setup(how the ESC and reciever are positioned together) to fit all your cars.
This setup has saved me over $300 :) :)

[Preston]

Id really like to see a pic of that setup if you dont mind.

Here is what I do. When i get a new RC I buy 2 things:

1. Intellispeed Autosport for $24.99

2. Tower Hobbies System 3000 AM reciever for $24.99

This is basically the two cheapest Recievers and ESC out there, and the great thing about the System 3000 Reciever is that it includes the crystal!

Not the greatest of equipment, but good quality, and a great price! I'm just a basher, and I usually run 20-21 Turn, or stock motors, so it doesnt make much difference anyways. I do have a better ESC but I keep that in my Evader.

I have tried different teqniques like velcro and such, but i find it just doesnt hold my electonics well enough for me, and i like to be able to switch vehicles whenever i want. Here are the 3 vehicles I have so far:

1. Duratrax Evader ST

2. Tamiya Mini Cooper M03

3. Losi XX Kinwald Edition (got it used for $75 Canadian!)

Anyways The Mini is a pain to get electronics into, but I'd love to see how you have your ESC/Reciever thing setup. Maybe ill start doing that.

Another thing. How do you like the Wild Dagger? I have been thinking of getting one someday. Do you wire in paralell or series? How is the Dagger for Rock Crawling?

[InspGadgt]

Originally posted by guver
I've ruioned 2 gears already, I thought it was just me on the dirty asphalt. haha.

I did notice, that I run my diff pretty loose, and that makes the gear wobble alot. I'm going to play around with it some more.


Gear wobble is normal in a pan car because the diff rings don't push up against the diff gear. They push against the diff balls. If they didn't the diff wouldn't work right. Once you put power to it the teeth will align themselves.

[InspGadgt]

Originally posted by toddzilla
we're running these as a spec class locally, and we burned through about 7 spur gears last saturday. I ordered the aluminum motor plate, what a total ripoff.. 27 bucks for a crappy piece of aluminum. is this going to fix the problem? i know some others have posted about having problems with the spur gear and the crappy factory motor plate, i just want to make sure that this will solve the spur gear mesh problem. It seems that the spur gear is made of a very soft material, and we might have to come up with something else to use if this continues to be a problem.

Very likely this will help solve the problem. The stock plastic motor mounts like the old Tamiya F103 have a tendency to distort...especially if you over tighten the motor mount screws. the aluminum motor mount doesn't have a distortion problem. Another common reason for pan cars to strip diff gears is pebbles. They get wedged in the teeth and ruin them. I'd reccomend getting the ball diff as well for a couple of reasons. First off it gives you more adjustment, and you'll be able to get standard spur gears instead of the special gear diff spur the Delphi uses.

[toddzilla]

another day, another stripped spur gear.


i blew the wad on that motor plate, and it's still stripping gears. i've come to the conclusion that ..

A. duratrax can kiss my A$$ for making a spur gear out of such horrible material.

B. I'm almost ready to chuck this whole car in the garbage.

[Janders]

Are you using the stock pinion? If not there might be a pitch/mesh problem.

[guver]

Originally posted by InspGadgt
Very likely this will help solve the problem. The stock plastic motor mounts like the old Tamiya F103 have a tendency to distort...especially if you over tighten the motor mount screws. the aluminum motor mount doesn't have a distortion problem. Another common reason for pan cars to strip diff gears is pebbles. They get wedged in the teeth and ruin them. I'd reccomend getting the ball diff as well for a couple of reasons. First off it gives you more adjustment, and you'll be able to get standard spur gears instead of the special gear diff spur the Delphi uses.

So if I get the ball diff, I could use standard spurs, like kimbroug or robinsons or whatever? Here's what I would like to see, be able to run the diff a little looser, without the gear and wheel wobbling.

One problem I saw was that the plastic bushings are too tight on the axle and doesn't spin very free. It makes my car want to go straight (like a spool)

[T/Perfect STORM]

I have been reading about all the problems that you are all having with tires and wheels. I am looking at this car as a winter car to run on a concrete floor in a warehouse. From what I have seen this thing is quick and fun. I was wondering is there any way to mount touring car tires and wheels, it will kill the realism but they are better tires. Any help will be great, thanks guys.

[Janders]

touring cars use a 12mm hex, the delphi has a 14mm hex...I'm getting some 1/12 Jaco foams($15) and I'll see if they stretch around the stock rims. F102 tires will fit but will cost you about $40 for a set.

[Janders]

I can't tell you how that ESC will fit in the other cars, but here's how mine is setup(it used to be mounted on a trimmed tupperware 'box', but I had to simplify and make it smaller for the delphi.
http://home.earthlink.net/~janders211/images/rccar/delphiesc.JPG
http://home.earthlink.net/~janders211/images/rccar/delphiesc2.JPG
I noticed this odd mounting of the resistors on the 'bad' motor that came with my delphi...hmm
http://home.earthlink.net/~janders211/images/rccar/delphimotor.JPG

[Wizardman_1]

has anybody tried the WD-40 Rub on tire then let sit trick. it sure is better than wasting dough for some new slicks.

[Janders]

what I used to soften some other rubber slicks, but for some reason it didn't work on the delphi. I'll probably grab a can of WD-40 today(liquid wrench didn't work either:/) and give it a go...I am running on a pretty dirty concrete

[Janders]

I ran my car after soaking all 4 tires in WD-40 for 1/2 hour drying and rinsing them them off(took a lot to get all the WD-40 off).

I ran in a paved parking lot, very big with a fairly smooth surface, although unprepared(i.e. normal conditions). I noticed absolutely no difference in the handling, the car spun just as easilly, even at high speed. I have my stock spring collars pushing the springs down as hard as far as they go FWIW. I think this car could definitely benefit from a lot more rear downforce at speed...

I'll try out the more caustiic B-12 and see if that softens up the tires(if it doesn't disolve them:eek: )

[Wizardman_1]

You kinda did it wrong, just spray in one spot and rub all over with your hands and then let them sit until the tire absorbs it. Dont wipe them off, just rub on, then let sit, and let them sit on the axle, just rub off the oil from the rims. Maybe you put so much stuff on your tires that it wont work anymore

[Janders]

Originally posted by Wizardman_1
Just been reading around forums. For your tire trouble rub some cooking oil or WD-40 on the tire then let it sit for 15min. Wipe it off with a paper towel and take the rest of the oil off with really hot water, letting the water go all around the tire. Then just dry it up. It should work, i tried it on my Evader BX 2 weeks ago and the tires are still soft. The price for the RTR on Tower Hobbies ($99) temped me to get a Delphi but around here there isnt any flat ground to run it on. Hope the oil trick works.

I did it just like this, except with a little more 'soak in time'. If you don't wipe them off, the tire will be literally greased and utterly undrivable, as WD-40 is a lubricant. Maybe it works on other tires(like your Evader) due to the relatively thin tires. The Delphi's tires are very thick and have an incredibly stiff sidewall that may impair the tire deforming under cornering for added traction.

I'll try the B-12 because I know that it actually breaks down the rubber, the only downside is that you have to do it every few runs, or at least every day.

[InspGadgt]

The stock Delphi tires are just too hard. Nearly plastic like. I have yet to find any type of solvent or compound that will make them work. Your much better off saving yourself the headache and running foams.

[Janders]

I just want to see if I can work something out for those that can't afford foams : )

[EvaderRacer76]

Those stupid stiff tires caused me a broken knuckle arm after 3 laps!!:mad: I was at my LHS and decided to try some laps around their oval, and the 3rd lap my car just brakes loose after some slight accelaration and smack into the wall almost head on. I also broke my bumper in the process!:mad:

[EvaderRacer76]

oh yeah, it was a carpet oval if u wanted to know