clp.eng

My Feedback: (10)

Well, I'll be letting you all know how these batts are! I just ordered a couple. There were no dimensions but it said for the mini-T so I hope they fit. I'll keep you posted.

Unfortunately, it's dark when I get home from work so not much driving the last couple of days. I hope to try the infield at the school this weekend & see how it does. I'll try to take a vid if I remember.

Chuck

grendel2000

Just to let you all know - I tried to upgrade my DB with the Losi dual slipper and it won't fit.  The lexan cover to the gears pushes against the right rear shock spring and tube.

I've got other issues (of my own making) posted seperately.

clp.eng

My Feedback: (10)

Why would I want to use the spring spacers provided with the car to make them stiffer???

My son-in-law was visiting today & he has never touched an RC car before - he made it do things I didn't think were possible! He also beat the cr@p out of it, lots of scarring but no broken parts. One tuff little buggy.

thanks for the tip, grendel2000.

Chuck

grendel2000

No sweat clp.

Got my EzRun brushless motor / ESC combo (5200 & 18T) installed along with the Losi Ball diff. As I said the Losi dual disc slipper won't work as it sticks out too far and the cover pushes against the shock tower. Also replaced the shocks (again) with 3racing Aluminum Threaded Damper Shocks - MUCH nicer than the Losi stock and Losi aluminum shocks (and cheaper too).

Also picked up a Thunder AC6 charger. Seems great - super easy to use.

So far I'm digging my first jump into the hobby. Still tweaking the car's ESC settings, I've bumped up the timing and punch settings. I'm using a 14T pinion. So far the car seems noticably faster (although not CRAZY faster) with much better battery life. And the motor runs VERY cool by compparison to the stock. I'm using the stock Losi NimH and a Losi 2 cell Lipo (their hop up battery).

It's proven to be quite durable so far. I need to find a taser attachment as all the neighborhood kids want to drive it, leaving less time for me and my 6 year old to drive. Maybe the taser would keep them away!

I need to build a few jumps and then settle into just enjoying the buggy rather than replacing parts that aren't even broken.

MINI-RACER

I melted my lexan cover slightly, using a bic lighter, to gain neccessary clearance.
otherwise use the stock cover, and drill a small hole for slipper access.

grendel2000

Tried that too but perhaps i need to be more agressive. i didn't want to burn a hole throught it (for the same reason I don't want a hole in the original - don't want to get dirt in the gears). Anyhow, I'm kinda of the opinion that I shouldn't have to take my bic lighter to a part to get it to work with a car that it is advertised as an aftermarket fit for.

Just sayin.

Thanks for the help though - not wanting to shoot the messenger.

MINI-RACER

literally ANY of the parts you're going to buy were initially designed for the original mini-t (only) 3-5 years ago, and thus were not designed specifically to fit anything else that followed~ but being that all the follow-up releases were/are based on the mini-t the parts would/should fit.

rule #1 of a hobby such as this: if you're not willing to work at it, then you're not partaking fully in the hobby.
rule #2: modding stuff is part of the fun of this hobby, doing things others find beyond their realm of thinking.
rule #3: if it was easy, anybody could do it.
rule #4: if it was just about bolting on parts, then chimps could do RC too.

I guess I have at least one example of every mini that Losi has released, and every one of them has all the goodies and add-on bits and hop-ups. and other than the mini-t, all of them required some work or modification to get things to fit perfect.

Sorry to hear you're unhappy, but personally I consider it part of the territory.

Just sayin

clp.eng

My Feedback: (10)

grendel - what exactly do you like on the 3racing shocks that the others didn't have? I'll have to decide soon.
I've got a similar charger. What current are you charging the stock batt at? I finally figured out how to AUT the NiMH part!

I want to drive the buggy stock for a while before I go bling crazy.

Interesting about the neighborhood kids - a taser should do it! There is an AUX chan on the RX, I'll bet there's a way to activate it!

mini - thanks for the contribution! I understand where you're coming from. I "used" to do all that stuff. Now I just want to drive (or fly or hover!). I know I can do all that stuff but why?? Just sayin'

Guess that's what makes this hobby grand. I really appreciate guys like you though who do all these wild & crazy things & then take the time to share it with those of less gifted like me!

Fusion batt report: I thought it was tough getting the stock batt in, it was a piece of cake compared to the Fusion. It's a couple of mm wider than the stock. You have to cock it slightly to slide it in. Eventually I took out "Helmet Man" to make it easier. The ON/OFF switch came offduring this as it was only glued on the side of the ESC. Part of the problem is the wires keep getting in the way (besides Helmet Man). Some day I'll pull all the electronics out & sort it all out. I'm not crazy about leaving the batt in to charge it.

I can't report much on performance yet as I was restricted to the cluttered basement floor & low speed turns & moderately fast but very short straight aways. But boy can you do some nice spin outs on the slick surface!

Guess I better go buy a bic lighter! LOL

Chuck

clp.eng

My Feedback: (10)

Wow, I just took it out on the street & used both new Fusion batts to pretty much exhaustion - prob too much, but I'll learn. Gotta' get a 2nd charger now that I got 3 batts!

The 1st batt was charged with the stock charger for about 6 hrs. It was OK, at least as good as the stock batt. Then I put the 2nd batt in charged with the Turnigy Accucell 6 with peak detect. Holy Cow - it went like a bat outta' h3ll! It ran a good long time, I didn't try any throttle management just drove however I felt though there were a lot of full speed runs down 5 or 6 houses away in the middle of the street & back.

Way fun. Still gotta' get over to the school & try the infield. Jumpin' curbs & runnin' thru the grass was OK though!

So anybody - what do the spacers do that came with the buggy?

Chuck

5lagd

The spacers are for the shocks. Allows you to stiffen up the springs.

MINI-RACER

The spacers do NOT"stiffen up the springs" ~~
~~ spacers are called "pre-load spacers," and are addded to the shocks on top of the springs
and are used to adjust rideheight (add spacers to raise the car, subtract spacers to lower the car).

If you want to stiffen springs, you go to other stiffer springs. Springs can't be made stiffer.

clp.eng

My Feedback: (10)

Well, I decided to drive the buggy "like I stole"! Only had time for one batt (stock) but I tore up & down the street, jumping curbs, hitting mailboxes, etc. I finally broke it - snapped off the rear "airfoil" right at the base. I'm guessing this thing is for show only??? I'll try to CA it back on but I'm thinking it will get a lot of abuse & probably won't last. The stock battery lasted a long time (wish the Tx had a timer!), I'm guessing at least 10 minutes with a lot of WOT. The flipe were spectacular, some of them went 3 or 4 revolutions. Tuff little guy.

I tried to do a range check & shoot the buggy to the end of the block & back, but by 6 houses away, I could barely see it & lost orientation on the turn around! Had to go to the end of the block to get it out of the tall grass! I now see the "need" for 1/10th scale. LOL

Thanks guys for the help with the spring things. I wish they would put stuff like that in the manual (LOSI if your reading this...). I'm thinking it might help jumping the curbs with a little extra ground clearance, I'll have to try that tomorrow.

Hey mini, what shocks have you got on your buggy? I still haven't rebuilt mine yet. I'm kinda' hesitant in case I screw something up, I want a backup set. I don't think I want to buy the plastic ones again & there seems to be a difference of opinion on the upgrades. I don't really want to buy both & figure it out for myself, too many other things I'd rather buy!

grendel - if you build those jumps, please pics & vids, maybe even a drawing with dimensions when you get them to were you like them! I know nothing about cars & I'm desparate to find out all I can to max the fun!

Chuck

MINI-RACER

"show only"???
not a chance.
keep in mind that while these little cars seemingly go slow compared to real life, that a 1/18th scale car going 20mph is actually going 360mph in scale speed ~~ so YES, the rear wing works and makes a difference.

I have the Losi aluminum shocks ( http://www.losi.com/Products/Feature...rodId=LOSB1110) they work best of any of the mini shocks, bulletproof! (50wt oil front, 70wt oil rear)

clp.eng

My Feedback: (10)

mini - tnx! Never thought about it like that... Guess I'll order replacement parts.

Darn, all I have is 30 wt oil, more to buy. lol The 50 & 70 wt would make them pretty stiff, I'm thinking. What kind of driving do you do? On what surface? Hey, got any vids???

Chuck

clp.eng

My Feedback: (10)

grendel2000 - I found this on the HH site. Maybe this can help salvage the Losi shocks!

"Mini-T Shock Mounting Tips and Hints
If you recently purchased the Team Losi Racing Shock set for the Mini T, you might be wondering what a few of the extra washers and spacers included in the kit are used for. Your kit included 8 small washers. 4 washers are used on the front caster block ball stud. Using 2 on each side, space the brass ball stud out to provide clearance for the tie-rods. The extra 4 washers you have left over are spares or can be used for tuning. You can use them to limit the travel in the shocks or to raise the inner ball stud on the front bulkhead. Also note the direction of the shock bushing. The larger end should be up against the shock tower on the front shocks only. When mounting your Oil filled shocks on the rear of you Mini-T, be sure to install the shock bushing with the narrow side first. You have also received 4 extra shock seals. These can be used as spares or you can "double-up" the seals installed on your shock cartridge. This will help eliminate chances of oil leaking." From Horizon Hobby website

If you don't want to try to salvage the shocks, let me know. Maybe we can work something out!?! The only site I could find the 3racing shocks were out of stock!

CA did NOT hold on the plastic for the rear wing at all! I'm trying "Ambroid Cement". I'll let you all know how well it works. It's very hard to find parts for this thing, guess they're too busy cranking out whole units to build spares yet!

Chuck

mxracer154

Well, i wanna get another mini-t again, but hated the lack of the receiver and esc being together. I've been holding off because of that. My last was the mini baja which had the seperate esc and receiver. I love that this thing comes with a 2.4ghz radio and seperate esc receiver. The only thing is though is i think it is absolutely the worst looking mini by losi. Sorry to you guys that like them. Haha, anyways is there a way i could put a regular mini-t body on it? Those are my favorite bodys. Also if that wouldnt work, could i just buy the regular mini-t chassis part and switch everything over to get it to work? Sorry for the questions i just want a nice mini-t that has good electronics and still has the looks [:-]

clp.eng

My Feedback: (10)

mxracer - I don't see why you couldn't buy the electronics seperately & put it on any chassis/body combo you want! The radio was the biggest reason I bought this as my 1st RC car. I'm not sure if the mini-T body will fit. Hopefully, somebody else can answer that for you.

Concerning the spring spacers, I reread the manual this morning & right there on pg 8 is a description on what the spacers do (raise the chassis). [Sorry Losi !] In my newness I didn't realize what that meant! Duh!

Chuck

clp.eng

My Feedback: (10)

mini - I've been running the buggy w/o the wing & haven't noticed any difference! Running air over that little piece of plastic even at 20 MPH can't be generating much force. I need to find the equations for that some where!

In the mean time, I have to hope the glue works because the part number in the manual is wrong for the replacement part! It's got 2 coats of Ambroid on it now so I'll give it a try this weekend.

Another interesting thing I asked Horizon about what oil to put in the shocks (stock & al), they said 10 wt! Now I'm really confused. More stuff to research...

grendel - what oil did you use in the 3Racing shocks?

I also asked Horizon about the spacers & they said it was to stiffen the shocks! I'm soooo confused LOL

I think I'll just drive & not worry about ANY of this stuff.

Took the buggy to work to show a guy w/ 1/10th Traxxas. He said it was a nice little car. I ran it around the very damp parking lot. Real good spin outs, etc. There is an empty lot with 2 ruts running into it from truck traffic. The poor buggy just couldn't handle it. Partly because of the size of the debris in the road & the fact the grass & gravel were wet. Gotta' clean the buggy now.

Have a great holiday everybody!

Chuck

grendel2000

Ok - here is my latest update / admission of how learning disabled I am...

Discovered that the car was running MUCH faster in reverse as it was in forward with the EzRun. After investigation, reversed the throttle switch on the Losi transmitter. RAN LIKE A SCALDED DOG IN FORWARD!!!!! But not at all in reverse.

Before further troubleshooting was possible car spun out of control ino the sewer. DOH! Much sadness...

After retrieval from the sewer (after being submerged for 5 min) buggy was non functional.

Troubleshot. Tested. Ordered and replaced ESC, now all is well (Rx survived submersion as did Losi Lipo - YAY!).

Troubleshot why buggy was faster in reverse: final solution was to run engine wires as labelled (as labelled ended up reverse polarity with stock transmitter settings - had to originally switch two wirs {any two} to get forward/backward correct) but had to reverse throttle switch on transmitter and had to run ESC programming as per EzRun instructions BUTREVERSED THE FORWARD AND BACKWARD PLACEMENT OF THE THROTTLE POSITION FROM WHAT THE INSTRUCTIONS SHOWED IN THE FIRST AND THIRD STEP in the setup procedure. Otherwise everything ran reversed.

PS - never just reverse the throttle swith and assume that it will run the same as before but reversed. On mine, when the position was switched on the transmitter, once the ESC was powered up the car went full throttle (with no input on the trigger) until powered down. In short: The ESC must be reprogrammed when the transmitter's throttle polarity switch is changed.

This is all probably obvious to the experienced amongst you but I am an intelligence challenged newb and seem to be figuring it out on my own.

Now all is well. Forward is forward, back is back. Forward is faster than back and it only goes when I tell it to. HOORAY!

HAPPY DRIVING!

srt10

My Feedback: (20)

any videos of this little bugger?

clp.eng

My Feedback: (10)

srt10 - see the link on the 1st pag to the HH site & on the right side of the page is their video. I haven't had a chance to make one yet myself.

Chuck

studysession

Here is a link to the HH video mentioned -

http://www.horizonhobby.com/ProdInfo...OSB0204_hi.wmv

Very nice -

clp.eng

My Feedback: (10)

Grendel - Great story! Sorry for all your troubles though & glad you figured it all out. If you get a chance take a vid of that thing with the smoke coming off the rear wheels. Or can you do wheelies now? lol

study - do you still have any vids from the mini-t? All your links are dead from the other forum (it's still 2004 for me over there!). Will a mini-t body fit on the buggy? I looked at the manual for the mini-T but it's hard to tell. I'm thinking not though since the T has some kind of posts sticking through the body.

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Chuck

srt10

My Feedback: (20)

Hey thanks for the video but I was looking for one who had put a brushless system in one of these buggies...

studysession

The buggy and the slider have the same front and backends as the Mini-T. But the middle part (chassis) is longer than the Mini-T. I wish I got the buggy instead of the slider.

I can look for my Mini-T video's.