Scouser

I have just had a look at the truck but can't identify it yet but I will have a google and see what I can come up with. Not seen a dune buggy though, any links?

petercollinscona

Check this out - pretty cool beetle on a Wildboar chassis.

ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06qaJUwZye8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

petercollinscona

I'm curious to know, how often do you lube your diffs? Also, how often do you replace the ballbearings or do you replace the entire diff instead?

BTW - just bought 4 more Atlas steel diff ends from the same seller.

Scouser

I haven't really had to touch the diffs for months. I do strip down the gearbox every couple of months to check it all out and have a look at the diff while it is out but never had to do anything to it. Glad you like the Atlas diffs. Mine have been raced for approaching two years now and still look like new. Probably the best upgrade I fitted to the car.
As for the bearings, I clean them when I break the gearbox down but I got two sets of upgraded ones ages ago and just swap them around. Not really needed though as the bearings have never been a problem, still smooth as ever. Bear in mind though that I race indoors on carpet rather than dirt. If I were racing outdoors I would be doing maintenance far more frequently.

petercollinscona

One of my tamtechs has a brushless motor and I lube my diff ballbearings once a month otherwise the lack of grease cannot handle the rpm's and the diff starts slipping like mad (which results in excess wear of the bearings). Didn't realize that riding on dirt would require much more maintenance. Thanks for the tip!

kirbenvost

Been awhile since I was at this forum, I think there was another Tamtech thread I was participating in... good to see there's still some Tamtech interest. [8D]

I have a GB-02 that I converted from a GB-01 Fox, with one of those cheap Toro brushless systems and Flysky radio gear from Hobbypartz.com. Still running NiMHs but it goes pretty fast. I've also got 3Racing shocks, pinions, and now the GT-01 diff. I can confirm it fits. Only problem I've had with it so far is I stripped the little plastic nut when I was installing it, so I had to wait for a replacement. In the meantime I fit the old diff nut on as well as he stripped plastic one, which seems to hold, but I haven't had a chance to fully test it yet. But it should hold out a lot better than the Tamiya aluminum one.

My next concern is tires. I have the soft compount GB-02 tires on there but they're wearing down, it's only a matter of time before they're bald. In retrospect I should've used the stockers for on-road and these for off-road. Are there any different off-road tires that will fit directly onto the stock rims? Or any other rims and tires that will still preserve the old-school 2WD buggy look? I'm generally not a fan of anything chrome or dish wheels. Gotta have the retro 5-spoke. Actually I guess I can order some more GB-02 SC tires but stocks are running pretty dry everywhere.

petercollinscona

Not sure what are the options for tires aside the original Rough Rider tires and the spiked GB01 tires (both are still sold on Ebay).
Best setup so far are the Wildboar tire/wheel combo but you'll lose the retro look though.

I have a doubt regarding brushless motors in general. What type of maintenance is required for these motors? How often do you service them?

Thank you!

kirbenvost

Those are the only Tamiya options but I was hoping someone knew of some other brands that could fit the Tamtechs. With the 12mm hex adapter a lot of different options open up but I'm still unsure of what to go for, and if I can preserve the retro look.

The general consensus on brushless motors is that they're very low maintenance and more efficient compare to brushed. Periodic cleaning is all they need, and many are nearly completely sealed and so keep dust out pretty well. Some of the more expensive models can be dismantled and components replaced, but to me it's not worth the cost to get one of those with so many good cheap options out there. I've been running the same one for months with no maintenance and had no problems, which is more than I can say for my old Graupner Speed 300. The only major problems I've heard of with brushless is the magnets on some detaching inside due to high temperatures, which can be prevented by gearing down to keep temps low.

I had a chance to test out the 3Racing GT-01 diff...works perfectly, and doesn't loosen itself like the Tamiya ones under brushless power. I highly recommend picking one up to solve your diff slippage problem.

petercollinscona

Thanks for the tip on the diff! Will try it out at some point.
Regarding wheel options, I use a 5 spoke white wheel from HPI that looks pretty cool/retro. I also use other model wheels and have found some chrome models that look pretty nice too (except they eventually start to chip the chrome paint as you use them).

For these larger wheels I preffer to use Tamiya Rally Block tires for the following reasons. 1- fairly cheap with good quality 2- despite being offroad tires, these tires have a low profile + they are not extra-wide which doesn't add much more weight compared to the original wheel/tire setup 3- they dont wear out quickly 4- they look good on the tamtechs (see my pics on previous posts).
Only downside to these tires is traction on dry dirt which in not very good. Still trying to find a pin-model tire to try out with a decent price which will look good on the tamtechs (IMO pin tires offer better traction overall).

kirbenvost

Hmm, you mean the HPI touring car wheels? The rims look pretty good but I actually like higher-profile tires because it looks more off-road. They still seem a little big for Tamtechs though... I was even considering some mini crawler beadlocks, but I couldn't find any tires that would fit because they're all REALLY huge, meant for crawling of course. Would you happen to know the offset needed for the Tamtechs?

I do like the HPI vintage rims & tires, but they don't have off-road tread... I wish they'd make vintage rally blocks or something. The Tamiya ones look good but the compound is too hard. HPI does have their own rally blocks but again they're pretty big.

Scouser

Bringing this back from wwaayyyy down in the depths but...I noticed that the last posts were about wheel compatibility and fitment. I am about to start racing the TamTechs again and was looking at the Tamiya M-chassis wheels and tyres which I know fit when used with the D parts tree from the GT-01 TamTechs. I was just wondering if anyone has done this mod and run the M-chassis wheels and what their findings were. If not, I guess I will go ahead and be the crash test dummy on this and report back what happens.
If anyone still runs tha Tamiyas of course!! []

petercollinscona

I have not used M-chassis wheels and also curious to know how they´d look and handle on a Tamtech.
I´ve also been considering buying paddle tires to drive in the sand but not sure which model would fit the original Tamtech rims...Losi Mini-T perhaps?

Scouser

Yeah the Losi tyres should fit or be close anyways. The m-chassis wheels are very similar size to the normal TT wheels but the tyres are much lower profile. My hope is that they improve the handling by lowering centre of gravity without me having to change the gearing too much.
I'll have a search around and see if anyone has fitted Losi tyres to a TT before and let you know what I find.
Cheers for the reply by the way, wasn't sure if anyone was still running the Tamiyas. [8D]

petercollinscona

I've seen some videos with TTs running sand dunes using paddle tires which were awesome, so figured to give a try myself. Yes, I still run my Tamtechs (no racing where I live though).
Noticed Tamtechs are now harder to find on Ebay...I hope Tamiya brings them back at some point. Maybe launch a Grasshopper or even a Boomerang. Those would be cool in 1/16 scale!

Scouser

I was thinking Wild One/FAV or the holy grail 4wd Avante as seen in some youtube vids that ended up being a private build rather than a Tamiya production. We can only hope!

TravAndAlex

I'd forgotten about this thread until I just received an email notification about it. I've got pictures of my Buggy Champ and Fox back on page 4. I moved 2 years ago and they have been sitting unused since then. Anybody interested in buying them? They might as well go to someone who would use/race/love them. Heh. Send me a message.

petercollinscona

Yes, I do. Please send me an email with pics and asking price to p[email protected].
Thanks!
Peter

kirbenvost

If my girlfriend or friends were interested in RC I would, but sadly they're not.


Interesting, that very same page shows how you can use M-chassis wheels!

Scouser

Doh!! It would appear someone did the groundwork way back in 2008!! At least I know what they will look like!

DirtBug

Hi all, I figured I'd revive an old thread once again. I recently entered the TT world with a Hornet i just picked up. Right now it's a little under the weather as I smoked the diff the other day, but that'll be remedied soon, so... Well, anyway, I figured I would share some photos with you guys. Right now I've modified the stock rear hubs to fit 12mm wheels, as I do a lot of runnin' on the pavement, as well as some dirt, and the m-chassis wheels improve on-road handling by leaps and bounds. I'm runnin' a Castle 5300/Mamba Micro Pro combo, CVA dampers, and 3racing cvd's. I also managed to eliminate a lot of the bump steer by using a couple 1mm spacers under the ball ends on the steering knuckles. I have to say, though, I think it might be a tad too fast on 3s, as the other day we were runnin' em at work and hit the smallest bump at top speed, and the thing wheelied then continued to do what seemed like 20 or so kartwheels til it landed back on all 4. Man was I surprised when I saw nothing had broken on it, except the loop of a back bumper.

curtmcgirt

anybody still here who has a set of the mini fox yellow dampers they want to get rid of?

krispy378

I bought my son the Frog Tamtech Gear, when he wasnt even a year old! Planned for the future i guess. By the time he was five or so, i showed him how to drive it. Recently we took it out of the box, cycled the battery, and jammed around the inside of the house. Its such a smooth driving little buggy. We are gonna get a sport tuned motor for it and wake it up a lil bit. The wife and i referred to it as the "Baby Frog".