Nitro user here trying to get into the world of the electric drift!

I got this Tamiya TT-01D Coppermix Drift Spec a while ago and want to convert to the near maintenance free Brushless. I eventually got it down to wanting to use the 10.5 Novak Ballistic with the Novak GTB. As I researched around some more, I run across into another problem that the worker at my local hobby store talked to me about. What about that drive pinion gear to turn the Spur gear to make the wheels move? He says that I can't just use the Tamiya Drift spec brushed motor's gear thing and just shove it on the Ballistic. Then the other worker came in and interrupted and say I could possibly do it if I have the removal tool. So now I am confused as heck!

Since my electric car is a RTR model do that really mean I have to replace many more things just to make it into a brushless system? Will my receiver have to be replace too? Maybe I should just leave my Coppermix TT-01D alone and just try to make a new brushless one from scrap? Please enlighten me on this! Thanks! ^_^

Yup. It would be the best if you practice with the TT01 (unmodified), while building the drifter of your dreams.

I would suggest going online and learning as much about building up a drifter (most are made from touring car chassis, such as the Tamiya TA05, TA06, TB03, Hot bodies TCX, Schumacher Mi1, X-ray T2R, T3, T3'11, Associated TC5, TC6, and many more. If you could find a Tamiya VDF orYokomo DRB (get ready to spend a LOTof money), those are the best drifters around, and easier to driftthan your TT01 (most higher priced chassis are like that).Electric RC isn't that hard to get going, but I don't think your LHS will be of much help to you, at this point, as it seems those guys are not all on the same page.

Brushless systems need little to no maintenance, yes, but they are more prone to heat damage, as the LHS guys were trying to (unsuccessfully, as I would have been confused by their "advice", too) tell you. You do not need a lot of power for drift. In fact, most brushless systems are too powerful. I, myself am going to brushed systems, as they are less expensive. If you just have to have a BL system, get one with a 4000Kv motor or lower (10.5 is suitable). Anything higher than 4000Kv willjust make the car harder to drift smoothly.

You could try the Castle Sidewinder SCT (provided you can find one), as it is a low Kv system, and is programmable via the Castle link, and what those guys at your LHS were trying to convey is to gear the car so that the Novak would not overheat in any way. Novaks are notorious for going bad, if they are geared too high.

Thanks for the reply!

Looking at those prices of Tamiya VDF and the Yokomo DRB is INSANE! Not sure if I will spend that much for drift chassis right now until I am sure I know I really want them.

When you mentioned the Castle Sidewinder SCT, my light bulb lit up because my LHS do have a lot of them on the shelf. Even if I do attempt to use that on the Coppermix, how am I supposed to figure out what BL gear to attach at the end to match the big Spur gear that drives all the wheels? Sounds now like I can't simply remove the one from the Drift Spec motor and put it on the Sidewinder.

Here's a good rule of thumb to go by: heat. Get yourself a tempgun. Tempgun.com makes a few good ones, I have one myself, and they really help. Your LHS should have some.

You do not want the temps on your motor (whether brushed or BL) to exceed 170 degrees. Anything over 190-200, and you're damaging the motor. Anything approaching 170 for the ESC, and the ESC is damaged. The best is to keep it around 140, less would be better.
Actually, since drift doesn't require warp speeds, you could gear the motor pretty low. Get yourself another pinion, say, a few teeth smaller (like two or three) than the one in the car now. It's also wise to get fans, and mount them on the ESC and motor, if possible. The Castle Sidewinder SCT has a motor fan. This is good.

I have a VDF myself, and it has a Castle system in it, that never reaches anything higher than 105 degrees. It's geared that low. There is no set size for the pinion/spur (except for racing, but you're not racing), so temps are what you go by. Pinions (yours will also be 48 pitch) are fairly inexpensive, and downright cheap, compared to replacing a damaged ESC/motor, so you could get a few of differing sizes, and use the one that gets you the low temps you want.
BTW, that Castle Sidewinder SCT is pretty affordable, isn't it? If you have a fairly recent Windows program in your PC, get the Castle link too. You can then "tailor" the performance of the ESC to your liking.

Yup, the VDF and DRB are too expensive these days. I got mine before anyone here in the states even knew what a VDF was. Back then, you could get one for $270 (at RC Mart), but now??? That costcannot be justified. I've been getting mid - to high priced TC chassis and converting them to drift ever since. All those previously mentioned chassis would make fantastic drifters, so it's still a possibility. Shop around. I guarantee you - if you decide to stick with drift, you will WANT another chassis. TT01's are for novices, and I was serious when I said that high-priced chassis drift easier than budget ones. I wouldn't dump a lot of money into a TT01 (unless, of course, you REALLYlove it), when that money could be used to get a better-handling chassis.

You could look into these, too: Ofna JL10e TC and Drift chassis, X-Ray T2R. Any of those are affordable, and would make great drift chassis (I did up both JL10e chassis as drifters, and they both worked out VERY well - the T2R is next! ). Take a look around....you'll be surprised what you find!

Oh, BTW, all that is required to remove the pinion is an allen head hex driver of the proper size.

The pinion gear my Coppermix have is a 19T with a 61T spur gear. I think the LHS around my area should have those 18T and under gears for sure because I remember seeing smaller pinion gear on the hop up section. The Castle Sidewinder SCT is quite cheap like about I think it was 139.99? Which Brushless turn would you recommend? 10.5? 8.5? etc. The battery I might pick is like some 2s 4200 maH 7.4V with 35C rating. BTW, I did managed to finally get that pinion gear out of the Tamiya Drift Spec motor with the right side allen wrench. (It came in the box and I didn't pay attention to spot that thing =/ At least I now know how to take it off and back on. Temp Gun I have for my nitro will be used to measure the ESC and such.

I think I will hold back on the Tamiya VDF thing for now even though its very tempting to look at them on Ebay for a brand new one, especially the GOLD edition. I want to get accustomed to this TT01-D as my first time experiment before I really try the big boy.

Do you think my setup is okay? I am getting a little too excited right now and want to drive up to the store and buy the missing pieces right now. Thanks alot for answering my questions! It really helps a guy like me who is a Nitro user trying to learn the the electric RC. I am still trying to read up more online on all these terminology and theory on electric RC

I'd try somewhere like 16T or 15T.

The Sidewinder SCT is available at certain retailers for $119.00. It comes with it's own 4-pole motor, 3800Kv., which is just about where you would want to be.

Your battery choice will be powerful enough, and with the Castle link, you can, as stated earlier, make certain adjustments to the ESC to "tailor" it's output, to drift, no problem.

You're doing fine. Though the TT01 is not exactly what I would choose, it is better than some out there. It's a Tamiya, after all!

That gold edition is nice, but Tamiya only anodizes theirhop-ups in blue, so colormatching will be a problem until Tamiya decides to release the right color parts. I personally think itwas a bad move on their part, but I cannot say enough to Tamiya quality.

Go for it! Just be a bit circumspect about what youbuy for it, though. You can spend loads on the TT01very easily, but stillhave an entry-level platform. Thosehigher-priced chassis will be easier to drift, and I'm puzzled as to whya company won't release a chassis for novices that is as easy to drift, sincenovices should have something that will help them get better. Now I'm not saying the TT01 is bad - Lots of guys love it, it's just that I've found more expensive platforms just do better drifting.

Q: Did you lock your rear diff? If not, do so. Tamiya and other companies make diff clay, that will lock it, but not permanently. If you cannot wait, or it is not available, you can lock it with JB Weld, but it will be permanent. This is not a problem, however, because if you want to do some grip driving, just swap diffs, front to rear and vice-versa. A lot of TC cars will run a spool, which is the same thing. Just remember that if you do use JB Weld, to set the diff on one of it's outdrives to cure, otherwise it will cure out-of-balance, which can ruin your whole day.

I spent some time in Nitro, and liked electric better, because no mess, no solvents, no grimy dirt, but I do miss the sound!

I'll be shopping online and offline for the pieces starting Monday. Hopefully the LHS have the Tamiya pinion hop up so I don't have to wait for it in the mail. I will still think about getting one of the VDF depending on how serious I want to take the hobby of drift though. I have some feeling I am eventually going to try to buy one because they are just so sexy!

A: I did not lock the diff yet, but since you mentioned it I might as well do it. I will use the JB weld method since its permanent. I'll be sure to let it cure on the outdrive on a flat surface to make sure it dries in a balanced way. I think I should have everything done in a week.

Yah, your LHS should stock pinions of the right sizes.

The VDF is nice, but Ihave found that TC chassis will do just as well, if not better (my Losi JRXS-R is a better drifter, and it's a grip race chassis!), so you do have a LOT of options, if the VDF is too much money (I think so).
I've also modded a Tamiya TA06 Pro(the new one) for drift, and it does fantastic!

So don't get stuck on the VDF - it's becoming "ho-hum", "everybody has one, now", just like off-road. I don't know.....I like having stuff no one has, and so far, I've done reasonably well, as I don't see others with the same stuff I run. Drift is about individuality, after all!

Sorry to be the bringer of bad news, but without some modification the smallest pinion you can fit on a TT01 is a 19t, and the biggest spur is a 61t. Mine's modified with a 67T spur and 18t pinion which is intended for a DF02, but I had to do a fair bit of work.

Looks like it's fan time.

If you were considering a BL system, the Castle sidewinder SCTdoes have a fan mounted to the motor can, which will do well for your application.

That's another issue with the TT01 then, I guess. Tub chassis are harder to mod, and work on.

If you do consider a higher-priced chassis, belt drives are MUCHeasier to re-gear (I don't have heat issues in any of my belt drives). They are also much easier to maintain (though there are those who would disagree, it's a personal thing). They are also much quieter, and in most cases, don't have torque issues, which can be a problem with in-line mounted motor set-ups, like the TT01.