Panzer222

jarndice

Hi Larry,
You raise a bigger question than I think you expected.
I assume your Heng Long PZ111 has Nylon Gears and Wheels and Tracks,
That is a very nice combination and if you should decide to "Fight" your Tank it will be a satisfactory set up,
If you decide to change to a metal Gearbox set you then enter the law of diminishing returns,
Metal gears pretty much demand metal Sprockets and idlers and of course with them you will need metal wheels and you might as well have metal rollers and with that lot metal tracks are a must,
If you fit metal gearboxes I would certainly fit Gearbox output shaft support bearings as well.
How does your pocket book feel now ?
The Taigen 5 to 1 Gearboxes Product Number TG 1203-s are priced at 65 Euros they should be available from "IMEX" in Florida and are interchangeable between Heng Long and Taigen Panzer 111s.
They are a very nice all bearing set,
As to the two company's, They used to be loosely tied together but that was some years ago and they are now quite separate BUT many parts are interchangeable between the two,
If you have any doubts ask us and someone will help you,
Shaun.

Panzer222

Imex-Erik

This is very true, though usually a steel gearbox is plenty. What happens is when there is a stall the gearbox now has more torque than the plastic can handle and will break teeth or similar components when the track hangs. However in my experience going with just a steel gearbox upgrade is usually ok. However it definitely is a slippery slope I would suggest going with the gearboxes first, then see if you actually need an upgrade next. You can always simulate weight with rocks and/or lead weights and sometimes the plastic works out better in some situations. I actually like a decent amount of plastic on mine but no matter what I run I always have steel gearboxes. There is a big difference between the V1 and V2, the ball bearings on the reduction gears makes a big deal. The 5:1 gearboxes are discontinued here in the US due to poor performance. They also do not have ball bearings, but run on bushings. In fact the older brass ones ran much better than the newer steel ones. Even the 3:1 has more torque now than the older or newer ones, this is why I decided not to carry them anymore or further the design upgrade path on them either. As cool as the idea was, the performance is just not there, especially when you have to pair it with a 360 motor instead of the normal 380 or larger motors (I actually smoked a pair on my upgraded Tiger 1 instantly). The Taigen P3 can actually even fit the 4:1s in it, not sure about the Heng Long P3. I would suggest the V2 3:1s over the 5:1 old steel gearboxes any day of the week. With the additional bearings, better motors (than the previous silver can motors), and better shimming these gearboxes are quite the step up from the last generation 5:1's. I wish you were here in the US my friend
I think honestly you should just start with the gearboxes and just replace what breaks when it does. I think you will be surprised how well some of the plastic works. A lot of the times you can slam too much metal on something that was meant to be just a few pounds and introduce a lot more issues than you had previously such as chassis warping and suspension bowing. Don't get me wrong I sell parts, just you might not need them at this time and might be better off with a second tank instead of an expensive upgrade that might not add much to the performance part of the tank. If you got a question these guys here are the best to ask though!

Panzer222

Imex-Erik

Yea I would start with the gearbox and just enjoy it from there. The upgrade path I suggest is gearboxes>drive wheels/idler wheels>suspension arms>road wheels>tracks. I mean don't get me wrong we all like metal but sometimes it doesn't serve as good as a purpose as you would think it should.

Panzer222

Imex-Erik

Don't forget Jarndice either! He is pretty darn knowledgeable as well

Panzer222