F1Racing@SMA

Powerhouse Performance stocks them as well as many other F1 cars and parts.

88/333 Bulwara Rd, Ultimo NSW 2007
(02) 9281 7100

Professor

iTrader: (12)

Thank you

evochick

iTrader: (5)

Beth's F1 tyre tips of today.

Tamiya F104 sponge wheels for Pit Shimizu rubber tyres can be reused.
As long as they are not bent the tyres can be cut off and they can be soaked in Acetone for about 8 hours without any problems. The 104 wheels tend not to crack the edges as the Piz Shimizu tyres take most of the side impact.


If you are looking for some stronger front F103 wheels try Yokomo YOKYF-29,
Shimizu rubber also mounts up fine and they have the advantage of taking the larger 104 size bearing, so you can throw those weak and small 103 front bearings away. These rims are very break resistant and can be soaked in acetone and reused.

ta04evah

iTrader: (2)

Thank for that Beth, I go through those little suckers like candy. Do the rims come in white as well??

evochick

iTrader: (5)

sorry Rob, Black or Black by the look of it

ill bring a set tomorrow so you can have a look at them.

F1Racing@SMA

Good to know the wheel can be soaked as I was unsure if they would survive. Another way to get the tyres off is to put them in a sealed tuppleware container with a milk bottle lid of acetone. After 24 - 48 hours you can just peal the tyre off in one go without any problem. A slower method but you don't need to cut the tyres in anyway and might be safer when using the chrome wheels (as I do).

JTL racing

iTrader: (6)

Hi everyone, just a quick question, is the only difference between 103 rims and 104 rims the diameter and width ? Is the front bearing size the same and rear hex the same ?

Just in the process of converting my top racing WGT pan chassis into a Le Mans car using the top racing f1 rear axel hubs and front axels, so I can use rubber. I know the f103 rims fit, but was wondering if the f104 would, that's all .

Cheers,

Todd

evochick

iTrader: (5)

The front 104 rims have a different offset and bearing and push the front width out to 205mm or greater depending on the car,
The rear 104 rims fit but they are narrower and decrease the width to 185mm,

cmy55s

iTrader: (8)

F103 uses smaller bearing.

JTL racing

iTrader: (6)

Thanks Beth for that info, didn't think about the offset, looks like I will be using the f103 wheels,

Thanks,

Todd

Blui3

Two pic of the 1/5 F1 having a run around Newcastle practice day today.

evochick

iTrader: (5)

Today is new Tamiya part review day..

Last week saw the release of to new Tamiya formula car parts
84380 which is essentially a TRF101 diff assembly and carbon axle,
and 84381 which is a steel rear diff for the above diff assembly and TRF 101, and 101W cars.

The new diff assembly is a replacement for F103, 104, 104 V2, and can be used on the 101 cars as well.
The main advantages are an integrated shaft and axle end, replacing the old 2 piece design creating a more true shaft assembly. The second advantage is it moves the spur gear in a few mm closer to the engine.

Disadvantage over the F103 diff is that you now have to take the wheel off to adjust the diff, but I have found these new type of diff's to hold their setting better anyway.

I have installed one on my F103 Lemans car and its a big improvement over the F103 diffs and F104 diffs I have used in the past and there is no longer a need for the thrust bearing.
When installing on a F103 and 104 I recommend the Tamiya Clamp hub part 54240 for the other side of the axle.

Beth.

Loosef104

Hi I'm new to RC cars in general but loved the scaled looks of the F104's and F103's so over the past 6 months I bought a few cars:

1) Group C Jaguar XJR-12
2) F103GT Advan Courage (Can't control this thing - pretty much gave up)
3) F104 Ferrari F60
4) F104 Ferrari F2012 (XB RTR - Still in the box)
5) F104W Lotus
6) F104W Ferrari (XB RTR - Still in the box)

The easiest car to drive for me is easily the Group C. I thought the F104 F60 (standard rubber tyres) would be quicker, being the newer model, but the rear end doesn't seem as planted as the Group C in my dusty basement. I can use full throttle around a bend in the Group C but when I tried that in the F104 it oversteered pretty quickly.

The F104W Lotus isn't any better either (standard rubber tyres).

Hoping someone can enlighten me on how to setup the F104/F104W to improve handling?

Loosef104

Thanks for the review!

I think I need to buy a few of these diffs! Where is the stockist in/near Sydney?

RCformula1

Wow, you certainly have been bitten by the RC F1 bug!

In a dusty basement grip is likely to be elusive. However, here are some things you can try on the F104:

- softer rear tyres will give you more grip
- loosen right off (or remove completely) the friction pad between the shock and the motor. This will allow great chassis roll allowing the rear tyres to bite a little better
- turn the car over so you're looking at the bottom of the chassis. The T bar that joins the main chassis to the rear pod has a centre screw. Loosen it as much as practical. Don't worry if the screw head protrudes by a mm or two when you flex the chassis but no more than that. This will also give better rear end grip

There are lots of other things you can do.

Check out the Tech Tips section of our website:

www.rcformula1.com.au

Hope that helps.

Cheers