288LikesTamiya mini cooper
11-24-2012, 07:48 PM
M05 cars are the fastest cars at my track, and parts availability is always a problem whatever tamiya Car you buy. M06 is alot tougher to drive fast.
11-24-2012, 07:51 PM
everything is easy to get, dont look at the tamiya website as they say everything is discontinued and it mostly aint. If anything they are still releasing M05 parts
11-24-2012, 08:04 PM
Tech Rookie
Good to know, thank you both. I was shocked at the sticker price and wasn't sure. Looks like I'll add this to my stable.
11-24-2012, 09:31 PM
before warned though, you might want a few upgrades to race them competitively. Unfortunatly its extremely hard to find the hopped up kits any more so the rtr might still be your best bet. IMO bearings, oil shocks and the motor plate are the bare minimums needed to be competitive.
11-25-2012, 11:07 AM
before warned though, you might want a few upgrades to race them competitively. Unfortunatly its extremely hard to find the hopped up kits any more so the rtr might still be your best bet. IMO bearings, oil shocks and the motor plate are the bare minimums needed to be competitive.
11-25-2012, 12:08 PM
Motor plate dissipates the heat from the motor.
Get a 20 tooth pinion too, (non alloy, 0.6 mod )
I have to get most of my spares from hobby shops in Japan, takes 10 days usually so I order a few gearsets and tyres at a time so I'm only ever ordering back-ups.
Get a 20 tooth pinion too, (non alloy, 0.6 mod )
I have to get most of my spares from hobby shops in Japan, takes 10 days usually so I order a few gearsets and tyres at a time so I'm only ever ordering back-ups.
11-25-2012, 07:58 PM
set up
Hi Guys, looking for advice.
I'm new to the mini class, I have the M05 (stock), it was already built so I can't confirm build quality. I drove it yesterday for the first time and found the following.
The diff is REALLY stiff, even after a days running.
On and off power it wants to wander. On power, to the right, off power to the left, can't hold a straight line. Cornering, it's always tail happy, and spins out.
It has the silver can motor, lrp speedo, 'S' grip tires... fronts with firm to hard inserts.. and rear with no inserts. I changed the shocks to oil filled, front shock 60wt ( one hole) with blue spring, rear 40wt (two hole) with yellow spring. Ride height, lower arms level. I also shimmed out the streering rack to try and get rid of the slop, this didn't work.
Went from 2deg toe out, to 0/.5deg out.
Wheelbase is 225mm.
Track was carpet.
Finally, what hop-ups should I get as a minimum?
Thanks in advance.
I'm new to the mini class, I have the M05 (stock), it was already built so I can't confirm build quality. I drove it yesterday for the first time and found the following.
The diff is REALLY stiff, even after a days running.
On and off power it wants to wander. On power, to the right, off power to the left, can't hold a straight line. Cornering, it's always tail happy, and spins out.
It has the silver can motor, lrp speedo, 'S' grip tires... fronts with firm to hard inserts.. and rear with no inserts. I changed the shocks to oil filled, front shock 60wt ( one hole) with blue spring, rear 40wt (two hole) with yellow spring. Ride height, lower arms level. I also shimmed out the streering rack to try and get rid of the slop, this didn't work.
Went from 2deg toe out, to 0/.5deg out.
Wheelbase is 225mm.
Track was carpet.
Finally, what hop-ups should I get as a minimum?
Thanks in advance.
Last edited by 80'sracer; 11-25-2012 at 08:08 PM. Reason: more info.
11-25-2012, 08:02 PM
I too am joining the ranks this week for a new class we are running. High traction, carpet. Will be using the stock motor esc, pink sweeps, what are some good setups for this to use? will be on oil filled shocks. And, what are some of the tricks and tips to extract the most out of the speed of this car?
11-25-2012, 09:25 PM
I wouldn't worry about the motor plate. 2 screws attach the motor to the plate, so by conduction not a lot of heat will dissipate through that. If you want to provide motor cooling, add some fins to the motor itself. It is some nice bling though..
Check rc-mini.net for tuning options.
Check rc-mini.net for tuning options.
11-25-2012, 10:55 PM
Hi Guys, looking for advice.
I'm new to the mini class, I have the M05 (stock), it was already built so I can't confirm build quality. I drove it yesterday for the first time and found the following.
The diff is REALLY stiff, even after a days running.
On and off power it wants to wander. On power, to the right, off power to the left, can't hold a straight line. Cornering, it's always tail happy, and spins out.
It has the silver can motor, lrp speedo, 'S' grip tires... fronts with firm to hard inserts.. and rear with no inserts. I changed the shocks to oil filled, front shock 60wt ( one hole) with blue spring, rear 40wt (two hole) with yellow spring. Ride height, lower arms level. I also shimmed out the streering rack to try and get rid of the slop, this didn't work.
Went from 2deg toe out, to 0/.5deg out.
Wheelbase is 225mm.
Track was carpet.
Finally, what hop-ups should I get as a minimum?
Thanks in advance.
I'm new to the mini class, I have the M05 (stock), it was already built so I can't confirm build quality. I drove it yesterday for the first time and found the following.
The diff is REALLY stiff, even after a days running.
On and off power it wants to wander. On power, to the right, off power to the left, can't hold a straight line. Cornering, it's always tail happy, and spins out.
It has the silver can motor, lrp speedo, 'S' grip tires... fronts with firm to hard inserts.. and rear with no inserts. I changed the shocks to oil filled, front shock 60wt ( one hole) with blue spring, rear 40wt (two hole) with yellow spring. Ride height, lower arms level. I also shimmed out the streering rack to try and get rid of the slop, this didn't work.
Went from 2deg toe out, to 0/.5deg out.
Wheelbase is 225mm.
Track was carpet.
Finally, what hop-ups should I get as a minimum?
Thanks in advance.
Your basic setup sounds fine, I would run it with more toe-out rather than less toe-out (I use a 1mm spacer on the links). The only hop-ups you need from a standard M-05 are bearings, oil shocks (which you have), a steering upgrade (just the Tamiya steering posts and high-torque servo saver is enough) and a diff (as mentioned above). The alternative front shock tower that stands the shocks up works well also.
Another thing to watch is droop - set your shock length so you have the absolute minimum, measured at the shock shaft. Lots of droop will make the car roll, pre-loaded springs will make the car roll too.
11-25-2012, 10:56 PM
I too am joining the ranks this week for a new class we are running. High traction, carpet. Will be using the stock motor esc, pink sweeps, what are some good setups for this to use? will be on oil filled shocks. And, what are some of the tricks and tips to extract the most out of the speed of this car?
11-25-2012, 11:41 PM
Tech Adept
I had the same issue with my m03 on sweeps and after lots of spring and shock oil changes it turned out to be the rear tyres, although they looked fine a new pair stopped the spinning out.
11-26-2012, 01:00 AM
Sounds like the biggest problem is the diff. OUt of the box, the M-05 diff will be very free, so the previous owner either deliberately tried to lock it up, or built it wrong. Rebuild the car with a medium-tension diff and it should be a lot more consistent to drive - easiest solution is a Tamiya TA03 diff (built as standard to start with), or you could try the 3Racing gear diff (which needs a lot of running in, once run in I prefer 30k oil).
Your basic setup sounds fine, I would run it with more toe-out rather than less toe-out (I use a 1mm spacer on the links). The only hop-ups you need from a standard M-05 are bearings, oil shocks (which you have), a steering upgrade (just the Tamiya steering posts and high-torque servo saver is enough) and a diff (as mentioned above). The alternative front shock tower that stands the shocks up works well also.
Another thing to watch is droop - set your shock length so you have the absolute minimum, measured at the shock shaft. Lots of droop will make the car roll, pre-loaded springs will make the car roll too.
Your basic setup sounds fine, I would run it with more toe-out rather than less toe-out (I use a 1mm spacer on the links). The only hop-ups you need from a standard M-05 are bearings, oil shocks (which you have), a steering upgrade (just the Tamiya steering posts and high-torque servo saver is enough) and a diff (as mentioned above). The alternative front shock tower that stands the shocks up works well also.
Another thing to watch is droop - set your shock length so you have the absolute minimum, measured at the shock shaft. Lots of droop will make the car roll, pre-loaded springs will make the car roll too.
Thanks for the advice guys.
11-26-2012, 08:39 AM
Question on ball diffs. I'm building an M03 using the TA03 ball diff. Normally I would set up a ball diff (I mostly run 2wd electric offroad) so that when you are holding both outdrives stationary you could barely turn the diff gear with your thumb. That amount of slip is usually in the ball park to start. When I set the TA03 that tight, the diff action was also much tighter than I'd usually see. Since you seem to have to take half the car apart to adjust this thing once it's in there, I'd like to get it right the first time....
Any advice on setting it up? TIA
Any advice on setting it up? TIA
11-26-2012, 09:08 AM
Question on ball diffs. I'm building an M03 using the TA03 ball diff. Normally I would set up a ball diff (I mostly run 2wd electric offroad) so that when you are holding both outdrives stationary you could barely turn the diff gear with your thumb. That amount of slip is usually in the ball park to start. When I set the TA03 that tight, the diff action was also much tighter than I'd usually see. Since you seem to have to take half the car apart to adjust this thing once it's in there, I'd like to get it right the first time....
Any advice on setting it up? TIA
Any advice on setting it up? TIA
One of the problems is that some will confuse wheel spin with the diff slipping leading them into the trap of building stiffer and stiffer diffs. This leads to a Mini that is difficult to drive except for a talented few. With a Silvercan motor and it's limited torque, most of the "trick" super tight diff are pure nonsense. There was a time when "tight" diffs were in vogue, but that line of thinking is long gone.
Please note, I am referring only to Silvercan powered Minis only. BL motors may be different due to their higher torque. Even that needs to be examined cause I haven't seen any dyno numbers from a reliable independent source. It just seems that way from observation.