*Tamiya TA04SS* Need help and advice!
 

I am a beginner and just bought myself a Tamiya TA-04SS Toyota MR-S. The radio that i've chosen is the Airtronics MX-3. I've already buildt the car and I can't wait to buy and slap on a new motor and speed control.

The question that I need help on is would the car's stock internals be capable of running a Trinity D5 Double 8T?

My roomate has the Tamiya TA-04R HKS Altezza, everything stock. He also has a D5 Dbl 8T, but whenever he runs it, something always frys or melts...! @ one point, his battery caught on fire and decommissioned his car.

What can I do or what will I need to have a fast running car to compete with my roomie without the worry of someting blowing up or melting? why does this occur anyways?

Any advice will do! thanks fellas~!

Make sure you have bearings, gear it properly (real low about 20 roll out) & it should be able to handle it.

My car comes with full bearings. - i doubt they are adjustable... If they are, how would i do it?

What I don't understand or have no knowledge of is how to "gear" or "tune" my motor or car. How does one do it? Can the motor be adjustable?

I'm still a beginner, I have no clue gearing. can someone please advise?

He wasn't trying to run a mechanical speed control with that 8 turn, was he? That would definitely fry something.

What kind of speed control was he using? You need to make sure that your ESC can handle your motor, otherwise you will have things heat way up, if not fry.

The reasoning behind that is, a lower wind motor (like the 8 turns you are thinking of running) put a much higher current drain on the battery/speed control than a higher wind motor, like a stock motor.

You need to have a speed control capable of handling that without getting too hot.

For the spur the big gear on the top of the car buy a 128 ---64p to replace the stock gear. For the geat on the motor buy a 30-33 ----64p this should give you a ratio that is not too hard on the motor and allow you to run without burning things up.

To figure out gear ratio

spur / gear x 2.13 for the TA04

128 / 32 x 2.13=8.52 ratio

Hope it helps you can buy the gears from any of your local hobby shops

futureal : my roomate was using a Duratrax intellispeed 8t reverse speed control. It was his 3rd one actually. The intellispeed ESC would fry for some reason, so it ended up being shipped back to the manufacturers.

Difuser: Thanks alot, your comments cleared up alot of confusion!

can a Peak Performance Jaguar 17x2 Motor on towerhobbies work with a standard msc that comes with the ta04ss kit

The 'limit' on an esc such as 8T is an absolute minimum. It is based the amount of current a correctly geared motor in goood condition will draw.

With low turn motors such as 8T they will require skimming on a comm lathe and the brushes replacing every 2-3 runs. If you dont do this then the motor will draw a lot more current than this and wreck the esc.

My advice is to stick with a stock motor or maybe a 19T this will be plenty fast enough without causing a lot of expensive damage.

We have all been through the 'must have the fastest motor' stage and most of us learn that it just isn't worth the expense or the hassle.

JohnA: I cannot agree with you more about the fast motor stage. It just hard not to when you have one roomie with a 8t and the other with a Nitro. The 8T spanks the Nitro but in result of that, the battery has been blown, gears were replaced, and the ESC was shipped back one too many times~!

So does everyone agree with a stock motor or a 19T? what is a respectable Turn motor with a fast edge and won't dent my wallet?

Why do some people go to the extremes to get a 7T? what is the purpose of such a fast motor if all its going to do is cause headaches?

If you are really up for some serious speed without the expense get a brushless. more cost initially but zero maintainence, zero blown esc's and it will last years.

I heard brushless can cost up to $200 bucks? Thats too much for me. I think my budget for a new engine and a speed control is roughly around $100. Any suggestions for a TA04ss stock car?

can a Peak Performance Jaguar 17x2 Motor on towerhobbies work with a standard msc that comes with the ta04ss kit

It will work, but how long the msc will last is another story, you might be lucky but I would get an esc as a first priority and get a motor later. You can find some second hand bargains on esc's on ebay or the for sale thread on this forum.

Imho secondhand ESCs and motors might be too risky for a newbie... I'd recommend buying these electronics new first off unless you know exactly what you're buying.