Rolology

Spec racing starts this Wednesday night....is your Mini ready?



Check out the Revolutions Raceway website (RevolutionRaceway(dot)com) for more info!

Granpa

One of the new Coupe bodies was sent by mistake. It was going to be a hassle to correct the error, so decided to paint it instead. There are a ton of stickers, which works to my benefit cause there were enough of them that I was able to cover most of the "boo boos". Actually, when all the drips and runs were covered with the stickers, it looked pretty good. The wing was a bit difficult to cut out, but made sense after assembling and mounting. The little wing pieces that fit under the wing were actually reinforcements rather than an aero piece. Those definitely should be fitted.

I'd driven a well set up M03 with this body and thought it was just okay. The car was a little "twitchy" when it was compared to the original BMW body. The body behaved the same way on my M03LWB, but since it was my car, I could change the set up a bit. The first change was to go to a softer front spring to tone down the corner turn in. Second was to install the heavy rear roll bar to replace the original softer one to compensate a bit for the soft front spring. A couple of little ride height adjustments and we were there.

Just one suggestion tho and that is to reinforce the front "splitter". I have a feeling bending or breaking that is going to change the handling.

niznai

Ahem. What are we talking about here? What coupe bodies?

Granpa

My apologies, but being a TCS racer, I only run the Tamiya bodies. That post was in reference to the "new" Mini JCW Coupe, part # 51489. This body fits the 239mm chassis.

My favorite body the BMW Mini Cooper has been discontinued and have tried a number of other Tamiya bodies for a LWB chassis. This one seems to be the best one at the venues I frequent.

Hope this clears up the matter for you.

niznai

Merci.

waswadener

iTrader: (72)

I'm running an M-05M.

I happened to score a good deal on a set of the TRF Mini dampers NIB with all the pistons, springs, etc.

Which of the pistons, springs and what weight oil is the hot ticket?

I'm running on a tight, small parking lot track (very low grip asphalt).

Your recommendations would be very much appreciated.

Core Creations

iTrader: (108)

Thought I read the BMW Cooper was returning but as a new Tamiya "heavy duty" body. Or are you talking about the original long Cooper Grandpa?

Granpa

Yeah, I was referring to the original BMW Cooper. Just the best of the LWB bodies until now. The JCW Coupe may make me change my mind about which is the best body though. The big thing about this body seems to be the amount of steering without making the back end going crazy.

Just posted my experiences with the Coupe so that people don't dismiss this "ugly duckling". I think this body is worth a good look cause it has a lot of desirable characteristics. Set up is a little different for this body compared to the old body.

Granpa

First, the springs that came with the shocks are too stiff for your track layout and traction level. Get some softer springs like the #53333 short TC springs. If you use the soft springs, use the rear roll bar

Insert enough spacers under the piston so the shocks are 56.5 to 57mm in overall length. Use the 3 hole pistons and start with the equivalent of Losi 40 or Tamiya 400. Associated oil, I'm told, is thicker so you need to use 25 or 30 wt.

Build the shocks with less than 2mm of rebound and have an even amount of rebound for each shock. The Tamiya air removal pump is a worthwhile investment and saves a ton of time in "bleeding" the air out.

This is just a starting point and I'm not claiming this is the optimum set up for your track. Let's face it, if the rules at your track is "open" tires, 75% of a good set up starts with the right tires. If your track is open tire start with some Sweep Premounts-----33s in front and 25s in the rear. There are tires with more grip out there, but Sweeps are relatively inexpensive and are a good starting out tire.

Hope this helps. Again, just trying to get you started in the right direction.

caltek1

iTrader: (38)

Grandpa,

I have used the JCW Coupe and I agree the car has more steering than the normal LWB BMW Cooper body. I also had to revise my car setup to suit the tyres and this body combination.

To strengthen the front, I used the Yeah racing goop, (which is similar to shoe goo) and gyprock,(plasterboard), tape, used to aid in sealing the joins between the plasterboard sheets. It is of mesh construction and has a sticky coating. This will support the body and the shoe goo and make the front of the car stronger.

I use this on all my mini bodies, front and rear and makes the car less prone to cracking. I use this above the wheel arches as well.

When I have more time I will post a picture or two.

Later,

Calvin.

KA2AEV

iTrader: (1)

Guys just wanted to update on the work we've done on the mini
We replaced the Gear Diff with the Ball Diff like you guys said to
We even invested in the CV Joints as well as the upgraded aluminum steering components, We even splurged and got the front Aluminum Damper
stay and the Servo Saver
My Driver took it out on our secret testing facility track and ran
a bunch of laps and he was really pleased with the increased speed and
handling. It held its speed in the cornering and he said that the sloppyness
from the steering was gone now
So looks like we have one competitive Mini to run now!
Thanks All for the Help and Suggestions!!!
Mike

v_squared

iTrader: (53)

Just started racing mini this year and I'm having a blast. I have a m06 as was thinking of getting a front wheel drive mini? Is the m03 still competitive or should I just get a m05? I have an alfa mito all painted up just need to get the chassis.

monkeyracing

iTrader: (10)

M03 is still very competitive. It's a toss up between it and the 05. Really comes down to preference.

Sydewynder

Oh wait for it.....wait for it.....

Granpa

If you've been reading this thread for awhile, you'll know that I prefer the M03 over the 05 except on the hi-grip surfaces. Won't bore anyone with the reasons cause I've posted them several times.

The Alfa Mito body is not the best body for the LWB chassis. The esthetics are great, but the handling is not. I gave mine away, no actually threw it in the trash, but a fellow racer said he'd take it if I was trash canning it. He doesn't use it now either cause he couldn't get it to work either. Incidentally, he is a Nationals A Main caliber racer. If you're running on carpet it might be okay though.