Silver can budget rally build off

[Cuiken]

11 hours ago, BigGinge said:

I’m currently torn between trying to be patient and seeing if I can find a decent second hand car (preferably an XV-01) from somewhere or giving in and starting to buy a bunch of new parts for a clean build. 

 

Remember the rule about selling parts of the car on! I was able to sell the radio gear that came with mine for £25 and the seller (very decent guy) gave me a refund for the defunct battery. Leaves me with a £160 XV01 which, I think, is bargain territory.

 

It's allowed me to order a set of shocks for it and still stay well inside budget.

 

If you can see past the XV01 idea, there's this bargain shelf queen TA02 Lancer on 'the facebook' right now for £170.

 

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/369584021917361/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3Aeba38484-3638-429f-97e1-64a281abe828

 

Comes brushless so you'd need to pull that out to stay within the rules but you'd be able to sell it on or stash it for a future build.  Provided you have a brushed set up to driop in, selling the brushless combo on would leave you with a proper bargain car.

 

There is also the TA02 Calibra kit on Amazon for £131 if you fancy starting from scratch but it'll def cost you more overall once you've ball raced it and added servo.

[Cuiken]

So, here's an update on my XV01:

 

Super Mini CVA shocks and XV01 dirt springs from RCJAZ, all within my remaining budget! That soft damper oil that came with them though was not up to the job, it bounced around like mad. Increased it to 800cst at the back and 1000cst in the front and it seems better. Might need thicker still in the front though. I'll see if it calms down a bit once it picks up some grime. Stole the torque tuned from my daughter's buggy until the seller sends out a replacement and upped the pinion to a 24T one I had lieing around.

I also used some velcro to pull the sides of the body shell together a bit in the middle. The HPI shell is not as nice as the tamiya one and without this mod, looks like a jelly mold of a Subaru.

 

 

Pretty happy with the body height (trimmed it a bit around the front bumper) so I'll crop the body posts and I think that'll be me done.

Really, it's all gone a bit too easily for my tastes. My mate's TA04 entry is definitely more interesting. On the other hand, an XV01 is a great fun car so I'm sure we'll have a blast racing them.

[tomr]

The  HPI RS4 creator edition’s are back in stock! Only downside is I don’t think it can be done under budget unless you’ve got a few bits and pieces to use.

 

Edited September 4, 2022 by tomr

[BigGinge]

5 hours ago, tomr said:

The  HPI RS4 creator edition’s are back in stock! Only downside is I don’t think it can be done under budget unless you’ve got a few bits and pieces to use.

 

Has anyone actually run the HPI before? Any idea how much ground clearance they can be set up with or how they compare to the TT-02/TT-02S variants?

[tomr]

1 hour ago, BigGinge said:

Has anyone actually run the HPI before? Any idea how much ground clearance they can be set up with or how they compare to the TT-02/TT-02S variants?

I’ve never owned one mate but I am thinking of picking one up, getting a bit sick of searching eBay for something interesting  😁

Its a fairly modern chassis so should be ideal for making a rally car out of , could possibly need slightly longer shocks? 
The sealed chassis is a nice touch, I like that idea.

[BigGinge]

I had been looking at the HPI but I've not managed to find too much information out there on people trying to run these off road. The one bit of information I found about how much ground clearance they can be set up with is on the forum post linked below where the user states that you can only get 13mm out the box. Seems like it may be a bit too limited for a proper rally set up compared to what you can get with the TT-02/TT-02S/XV-01/XV-02/PTG-2 etc.

 

HPI Sport 3 - Page 2 - RCCrawler

 

48 minutes ago, tomr said:

getting a bit sick of searching eBay for something interesting  😁

 

I'm also feeling this today, put a few bids in on ebay (two XV-01s and an XV-02) but came up short on all of them in the end. The prices they are going for don't seem that far off the cost of a new kit which is making me wonder if it's worth the effort trying to find a "bargain" on there.

[tomr]

1 hour ago, BigGinge said:

I had been looking at the HPI but I've not managed to find too much information out there on people trying to run these off road. The one bit of information I found about how much ground clearance they can be set up with is on the forum post linked below where the user states that you can only get 13mm out the box. Seems like it may be a bit too limited for a proper rally set up compared to what you can get with the TT-02/TT-02S/XV-01/XV-02/PTG-2 etc.

 

HPI Sport 3 - Page 2 - RCCrawler

 

 

I'm also feeling this today, put a few bids in on ebay (two XV-01s and an XV-02) but came up short on all of them in the end. The prices they are going for don't seem that far off the cost of a new kit which is making me wonder if it's worth the effort trying to find a "bargain" on there.

 

I’m real fussy buying used stuff it either has to be like new or dirt cheap. 
 

Found a vid on the HPI with the guy maxing out the ride height, around the 7min mark .

With a bit of modding I reckon it would be easy-ish to get a fair bit more travel out of it .

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 4, 2022 by tomr

[Cuiken]

I know what you mean but some really god stuff (IMHO) turned up on eBay over the weekend.

 

An XV02 with motor etc went for £240 delivered. Sell the brushless rig and you'd be in budget (was tempted myself).

A TA02 with MAX10 combo and a load of hop ups went for £150. Anyone here go for that one?

An XV01 with a couple of missing parts (gear and belt cover) but a radio that could be resold went for £103!!!!

 

Play the long game, something always comes up 🙂 

[BigGinge]

28 minutes ago, Cuiken said:

An XV01 with a couple of missing parts (gear and belt cover) but a radio that could be resold went for £103!!!!

 

I added up about £45 of parts that needed replacing on that one (assuming the motor was not in brilliant shape) before I gave up counting/guessing on others. Once you'd factored in postage and a new shell you're back to nearly £200 without having a running car which doesn't seem worth it when you can pick up a brand new one for £220 from appliance electronics.

[Cuiken]

Yeah, I may have lower standards 🙂

 

I was betting on the motor being okay ( or raiding the parts bin) and then trying to work with the existing shell. Came with a servo and then a radio to sell on for ~£20. I was hoping (perhaps naively) to get it running for £30 or so minus the £20 for radio sale. Work out at around £120 with the existing body. I anticpate a lot for 'rubbing' in this racing class so wasn't planning to put much effort into the shell 🙂 

 

 

[BigGinge]

I think I've now priced up 3 different new build options that should just about be doable in the budget if I go with some parts from the spares pile and use the sell some bits to buy others rule. The bits that will be in play from the spares pile are:

• a spare Rx that I've got for the FS-GT5 radio
• a random silver can 540 motor (of unknow specs) taken from my XLF F16 when it got converted to brushless
• A brand new 21t 550 motor from the TRX4 kit (assuming it will actually fit in anything I'm planning on building)
• A brand new XL5 ESC from the TRX4 kit
• A brand new 2075X servo from the TRX4 kit
• Various tins of paint in white/black/dark metallic blue/Corsa grey
• Various 2S battery packs 

I suspect with some of these (not the Rx, batteries or paint) I will be better off trying to sell them and using the money to buy some more appropriate parts but the costs below haven't taken any of that sort of thing into account yet. for each option I've listed any bits I'd need in addition to the base kit and the parts I've already got to hand. 

 

Option 1: Tamiya TT-02 Subaru Impreza 99 Kit (no ESC) with rubber sealed baring kit and CVA Super mini shocks. Comes in at about £153 and needs the Rx, Servo, ESC, Paint and batteries from the spares pile.

 

Option 2: Tamiya TT-02 Type S Chassis Kit with 190 mm HPI Subaru Impreza 98 shell, some gold Tamiya Subaru Wheels and Fastrax Rally Block Tyres. Comes in around £184 and again needs the Rx, Servo, ESC, Paint and batteries from the spares pile.

 

Option 3: Tamiya XV-01 Lancia Delta Kit with the the Rx, Servo, ESC, Paint and batteries from the spares pile. This would come in at £220 but I think if I can sell the new Traxxas ESC and Servo at the going eBay rates I should be able to pick up a replacement servo and ESC at a much lower price to bring the final build in at under £200 (probably about £190 ish)

 

Obviously, if I can sell the ESC and servo to make back ~£30 on the option 3 XV-01 build I could do the same on the other two as well, meaning I'd be about £123 out of pocket for the straight TT-02 build and £154 for the TT-02 Type-S. That would leave a decent bit of budget spare for a few extra upgrade parts or a different shell and some new paint. As a point of reference the PTG-2r build I was pricing up a while ago would probably have come in around £450 but with a much fancier sensored brushless set up and quicker servo.

 

So, what do we think? Any obvious favourites jumping out from the list above or should I hold my nerve for a bit longer and keep my eyes open for something interesting coming up second-hand?

 

 

 

[Stormbringer]

Watching this with interest and waiting to see what you guys come up with on this project 

[tomr]

20 hours ago, BigGinge said:

I think I've now priced up 3 different new build options that should just about be doable in the budget if I go with some parts from the spares pile and use the sell some bits to buy others rule. The bits that will be in play from the spares pile are:

• a spare Rx that I've got for the FS-GT5 radio
• a random silver can 540 motor (of unknow specs) taken from my XLF F16 when it got converted to brushless
• A brand new 21t 550 motor from the TRX4 kit (assuming it will actually fit in anything I'm planning on building)
• A brand new XL5 ESC from the TRX4 kit
• A brand new 2075X servo from the TRX4 kit
• Various tins of paint in white/black/dark metallic blue/Corsa grey
• Various 2S battery packs 

I suspect with some of these (not the Rx, batteries or paint) I will be better off trying to sell them and using the money to buy some more appropriate parts but the costs below haven't taken any of that sort of thing into account yet. for each option I've listed any bits I'd need in addition to the base kit and the parts I've already got to hand. 

 

Option 1: Tamiya TT-02 Subaru Impreza 99 Kit (no ESC) with rubber sealed baring kit and CVA Super mini shocks. Comes in at about £153 and needs the Rx, Servo, ESC, Paint and batteries from the spares pile.

 

Option 2: Tamiya TT-02 Type S Chassis Kit with 190 mm HPI Subaru Impreza 98 shell, some gold Tamiya Subaru Wheels and Fastrax Rally Block Tyres. Comes in around £184 and again needs the Rx, Servo, ESC, Paint and batteries from the spares pile.

 

Option 3: Tamiya XV-01 Lancia Delta Kit with the the Rx, Servo, ESC, Paint and batteries from the spares pile. This would come in at £220 but I think if I can sell the new Traxxas ESC and Servo at the going eBay rates I should be able to pick up a replacement servo and ESC at a much lower price to bring the final build in at under £200 (probably about £190 ish)

 

Obviously, if I can sell the ESC and servo to make back ~£30 on the option 3 XV-01 build I could do the same on the other two as well, meaning I'd be about £123 out of pocket for the straight TT-02 build and £154 for the TT-02 Type-S. That would leave a decent bit of budget spare for a few extra upgrade parts or a different shell and some new paint. As a point of reference the PTG-2r build I was pricing up a while ago would probably have come in around £450 but with a much fancier sensored brushless set up and quicker servo.

 

So, what do we think? Any obvious favourites jumping out from the list above or should I hold my nerve for a bit longer and keep my eyes open for something interesting coming up second-hand?

 

 

 

From that list it would be  the XV01 for me, ideally a nice used one 

 

[BigGinge]

I’ve finally got the bits from the TRX4 chassis kit spares pile up on eBay. Hopefully they’ll go without too much of a wait so I can see what budget I’ve got to play with. 
 

Also got a low profile servo in order from AliExpress as that will take a while to show up and should be good for whatever kit I end up going with. 

[tomr]

8 hours ago, BigGinge said:

I’ve finally got the bits from the TRX4 chassis kit spares pile up on eBay. Hopefully they’ll go without too much of a wait so I can see what budget I’ve got to play with. 
 

Also got a low profile servo in order from AliExpress as that will take a while to show up and should be good for whatever kit I end up going with. 

Hope they sell quick for ya mate, I’m still on the hunt for something decent 👍🏻

[Cuiken]

Okay, update on the car(s).

 

In a dry spell over the weekend me and my mate actually got out and did some racing. Recent torential rain mena the ususal woodland spots were too waterlogged so we opted for a road stage in a large carpark. Got some spray chalk, marked out a circuit (about 16mx8m) and got underway.

 

It was great fun. Even better than I'd expected. My mate's TA04 was a good match against the XV01. Not as easy in the corners but way faster on the straights. It made for some great racing with both cars running at speeds where you could actually choose racing lines and overtake without wiping eachother out.

 

The XV01 is a great chassis, freshly built shocks with long eyelets gave a bit of extra ground clearance and made it lean really nicely into the corners. All good scale driving stuff.

 

Only issue was that, after one pack, the torque tuned motor died on me. Now, IIRC the stock piniopn on the XV01 is a 22T which is to be used with the stock silver can motor. Conventional wisdom says you can up the tooth count on tour pinion with a torque tuned (or maybe I've got that wrong?). So, I put 24T pinion on the torque tuned and went racing.

 

The motor is absolutely toast (I should hae noticed the reducing power) and it may also have taken the ESC with it 

 

Bit surprised it was running so hot is all. The drive train seems to be running freely enough. The only issue I can think of is that I used a fairly heavy (sticky) grease on the gears. I've used it on all my other cars without issue but maybe the extra drag is just too much for a brushed setup?

 

I'll need to find a bit of time to take a look and see if there are any other sources of friction going on.

 

Focussing on the positives though, the concept is sound. I mean, it's hardly original, any club will limit motor power for racing but that combined with a budget limit made for really interesting cars and racing.

 

Also, just taking the 5 minutes to chalk out a proper circuit made all the difference compared to just blasting around a basic oval. Can't believe I've not done that before.

[BigGinge]

My resolve to wait for something good/cheap to turn up second hand may have broken.

[Cuiken]

22 minutes ago, BigGinge said:

My resolve to wait for something good/cheap to turn up second hand may have broken.

 

Well, that's a teaser. Come one, what have you gone for? 😀

[BigGinge]

I've gone with the expensive (ie XV-01) option.

 

I figure this is my 1st Tamiya so might as well take a bit of care with it and go for the one that people seem to rate over the other options I've been looking at. Even if it is the safe/boring choice once you're a few models into the Tamiya world it will still be interesting and new to me at this point. 

 

Only slight issue is that I'm going to need my eBay sales to do well to get this in under the budget now, as I may have accidentally added some yellow paint onto the order for the kit.

[Cuiken]

It's a really good chassis. You'll be pleased with it I'm sure.

[Cuiken]

Just now, Cuiken said:

It's a really good chassis. You'll be pleased with it I'm sure.

 

For brushed use, I'd recommend using non-sticky grease in the gearboxes (probably the ceramic grease ship ship in the kit). Like I say, my brushed motor melted and the only source of friction I can identify is the sticky/heavy grease I used on the gears. Looking forward to re-stripping/cleaning/greasing the car 🙂 

[tomr]

3 hours ago, BigGinge said:

I've gone with the expensive (ie XV-01) option.

 

I figure this is my 1st Tamiya so might as well take a bit of care with it and go for the one that people seem to rate over the other options I've been looking at. Even if it is the safe/boring choice once you're a few models into the Tamiya world it will still be interesting and new to me at this point. 

 

Only slight issue is that I'm going to need my eBay sales to do well to get this in under the budget now, as I may have accidentally added some yellow paint onto the order for the kit.

Nice choice….I think, still haven’t ran mine yet 😁 but I know it’ll be good .

I need to get my behind in gear and get something bought I’ve been too busy with rally body’s lately.

 

[Cuiken]

Being an obsessive sort of chump I now have three possible entries. Initial observations below:

 

1. XV01 - Such a great chassis. Beautiful handling and definitely among the smoothest of 1/10th cars on bumpy surfaces. Only issue I'm having is getting any speed out of it on a silver can. The torque tuned motor motor ran super hot with a 24T pinion (and then melted). No obvious friction in the drive train but the belt may have been too tight. Dropping back to the stock 22T pinion and running a slacker belt seems to improve things but the stock silver can motor still got very warm. It's a puzzler.

 

2. TA03F - I'm pretty besotted with this one and it's worked out super cheap. After selling the unwanted radio etc the car has only cost me £35! I've raised it a little by removing the internal spacers from the shocks, aded fresh ball races and added a front bumper, otherwise it's just as it arrived with me. Total spend £60. Even with a silver can it's way faster than my XV01 and the motor doesn't seem to get warm at all.I'm puzzled but delighted. Handling wise, it's like a road oriented XV01 (no surprise there). Corners beautifully but a bit less composed on bumpy surfaces. I have high hopes that this can be tuned out though.

 

3. TA02 - I went for the used TA02 on ebay (just got too curious). After selling the RX, I think it will end up costing me ~£110. I've not actually run it yet (only turned up last night) but the chassis looks simple and robust. Shocks are weirdly set up though. Really limited travel because they include both the V1 and V3 spacers in the build.  The oil in them also seems far to light. I'll rebuild with fewer spacers and thicker oil and report back. It's relative simplicity makes me suspect it's handling may not be quite on par with the TA03 but, mid/rear motor will still be interesting and the shaft drive can only be more reliable.

 

Happy rallying this weekend if your cars are sorted.

[tomr]

I’ve got a feeling I’m gunna use every penny of the budget 😂

 

Ended up going for the HPI  that’s just arrived , got the next 4 days off as well 😁

 

So I’m already £124 into the budget but I do already have a few esc’s, motors and radio gear in me spares 

 

Edited September 15, 2022 by tomr

[BigGinge]

Glad someone went for the HPI so we can see how well it can be set up for rally. Does this one come mostly assembled as a roller or is it a kit of bits you’ll need to put together?