288LikesTamiya mini cooper
02-28-2013, 10:51 AM
Another topic:
TOP Gear Diff - Any experiences?
I just bought one and filled it with 50K. It feels great but have yet to race with it yet. The fit and finish are A+, it uses the larger 10x12 bearings and seats really nicely in the tranny case. You need to run blades on your cvd's because the outdrives are Aluminum.
It also cuts 20 grams of weight vs the stock gear diff w/ grease. I hope it proves reliable. Any experiences?
TOP Gear Diff - Any experiences?
I just bought one and filled it with 50K. It feels great but have yet to race with it yet. The fit and finish are A+, it uses the larger 10x12 bearings and seats really nicely in the tranny case. You need to run blades on your cvd's because the outdrives are Aluminum.
It also cuts 20 grams of weight vs the stock gear diff w/ grease. I hope it proves reliable. Any experiences?
02-28-2013, 11:10 AM
02-28-2013, 03:49 PM
Did forget to mention that if you decide to replace the shoulder screws with the flanged tubes and a machine screw, be careful how you insert the tubes. The flanged end should face the camber links. Since the tubes are a bit long, if you put them in the other way round, it'll bind up the camber links. If you do this, you'll see what I'm saying.
02-28-2013, 05:50 PM
I posses a very technology deprived intellect so think in much simpler terms. Hell, I don't even know what an intelligent charger is. I bought a voltage meter, but found very little use for it after switching to lipos.
Now, keeping the above fact in mind, is there a simple explanation for why my cars just seem faster with a freshly charged battery. They also seem to turn their fastest laps near the beginning of the run. Maybe my experience is unique and no one else has seen this phenomenon occur, though I don't believe so.
Why does a no load value of a battery not mean much?????? Why does placing a load as small as 20ma suddenly make this value so much more relevant??? What makes an intelligent charger so intelligent??? All I ever wanted from a charger was for it to charge a battery.
Now, keeping the above fact in mind, is there a simple explanation for why my cars just seem faster with a freshly charged battery. They also seem to turn their fastest laps near the beginning of the run. Maybe my experience is unique and no one else has seen this phenomenon occur, though I don't believe so.
Why does a no load value of a battery not mean much?????? Why does placing a load as small as 20ma suddenly make this value so much more relevant??? What makes an intelligent charger so intelligent??? All I ever wanted from a charger was for it to charge a battery.
C'mon Granpa. I'll skip that one for now. I think you do have an intelligent charger because Lipos need a certain charge cycle which requires some software, otherwise you will finish them off quickly. From a basic one to the top of the range you only get some extra information or some such, not absolutely necessary. I think you know this.
Sure, they're faster because your battery is charged up. Perhaps your batteries are on the the low capacity side for the length of your races. If none of that applies, perhaps your batteries are past their best? From our club (TC racing, 5 minutes, generally 5000mAh batteries used, technical - lots of WOT and braking) I can report no such difference. Good drivers are very constant in their lap times and you can't tell whether they charged the battery or not by their lap times (as long as the battery is in a decent state of charge). Just for record, there might be other factors at play there such as battery temperature, motor temperature, ESC temperature, mechanical factors, and so on that may affect your laptimes. To conclude this is a battery only effect I think is premature in absence of more evidence. Use a data logger (just for fun if you want) and see what it tells you.
Because there is no current drawn (ha!).
Measure your car battery at no load and then measure it say with the headlights on, or the radio. Note the difference. I mentioned this already. The gist of it is that under no load your voltmeter can measure anything, including the potential difference induced by cosmic radiation, quantum fluctuations, who knows? Hold out the probes of a voltmeter and be prepared to be surprised. In thin air, it'll show a value different from zero. What does it mean? You tell me. Maybe it's just quantum fluctuations in the semiconductor junctions in its own circuitry. Like I said, doesn't mean anything. Same with a battery at no load. You don't have a circuit between the battery poles (in fact you do, but the discharge current through the battery is too small with modern batteries and that is all that crosses the circuit (voltmeter-battery). Put a decent current through it, to make sure you have the two points you are trying to measure the voltage between in a circuit that closes through the battery and you'll get a better indication of the voltage drop across the battery.
Whatever. Do your homework if you care.
02-28-2013, 06:19 PM
C'mon Granpa. I'll skip that one for now. I think you do have an intelligent charger because Lipos need a certain charge cycle which requires some software, otherwise you will finish them off quickly. From a basic one to the top of the range you only get some extra information or some such, not absolutely necessary. I think you know this.
Sure, they're faster because your battery is charged up. Perhaps your batteries are on the the low capacity side for the length of your races. If none of that applies, perhaps your batteries are past their best? From our club (TC racing, 5 minutes, generally 5000mAh batteries used, technical - lots of WOT and braking) I can report no such difference. Good drivers are very constant in their lap times and you can't tell whether they charged the battery or not by their lap times (as long as the battery is in a decent state of charge). Just for record, there might be other factors at play there such as battery temperature, motor temperature, ESC temperature, mechanical factors, and so on that may affect your laptimes. To conclude this is a battery only effect I think is premature in absence of more evidence. Use a data logger (just for fun if you want) and see what it tells you.
Because there is no current drawn (ha!).
Measure your car battery at no load and then measure it say with the headlights on, or the radio. Note the difference. I mentioned this already. The gist of it is that under no load your voltmeter can measure anything, including the potential difference induced by cosmic radiation, quantum fluctuations, who knows? Hold out the probes of a voltmeter and be prepared to be surprised. In thin air, it'll show a value different from zero. What does it mean? You tell me. Maybe it's just quantum fluctuations in the semiconductor junctions in its own circuitry. Like I said, doesn't mean anything. Same with a battery at no load. You don't have a circuit between the battery poles (in fact you do, but the discharge current through the battery is too small with modern batteries and that is all that crosses the circuit (voltmeter-battery). Put a decent current through it, to make sure you have the two points you are trying to measure the voltage between in a circuit that closes through the battery and you'll get a better indication of the voltage drop across the battery.
Whatever. Do your homework if you care.
Sure, they're faster because your battery is charged up. Perhaps your batteries are on the the low capacity side for the length of your races. If none of that applies, perhaps your batteries are past their best? From our club (TC racing, 5 minutes, generally 5000mAh batteries used, technical - lots of WOT and braking) I can report no such difference. Good drivers are very constant in their lap times and you can't tell whether they charged the battery or not by their lap times (as long as the battery is in a decent state of charge). Just for record, there might be other factors at play there such as battery temperature, motor temperature, ESC temperature, mechanical factors, and so on that may affect your laptimes. To conclude this is a battery only effect I think is premature in absence of more evidence. Use a data logger (just for fun if you want) and see what it tells you.
Because there is no current drawn (ha!).
Measure your car battery at no load and then measure it say with the headlights on, or the radio. Note the difference. I mentioned this already. The gist of it is that under no load your voltmeter can measure anything, including the potential difference induced by cosmic radiation, quantum fluctuations, who knows? Hold out the probes of a voltmeter and be prepared to be surprised. In thin air, it'll show a value different from zero. What does it mean? You tell me. Maybe it's just quantum fluctuations in the semiconductor junctions in its own circuitry. Like I said, doesn't mean anything. Same with a battery at no load. You don't have a circuit between the battery poles (in fact you do, but the discharge current through the battery is too small with modern batteries and that is all that crosses the circuit (voltmeter-battery). Put a decent current through it, to make sure you have the two points you are trying to measure the voltage between in a circuit that closes through the battery and you'll get a better indication of the voltage drop across the battery.
Whatever. Do your homework if you care.
02-28-2013, 08:02 PM
Quantum Fluctuations...
Really? Weasel's been smokin' something special tonight!
02-28-2013, 08:18 PM
02-28-2013, 10:52 PM
A very wise man once told me the only road to self improvement was to recognize your own mistakes. If you don't recognize a mistake, you can't correct it.
He also told me that everyone is an idiot about something. Just found out I'm an idiot about lipos. But only an idiot doesn't realize he's an idiot so maybe I'm not an idiot, just merely in possession of some misconceptions.
He also told me that everyone is an idiot about something. Just found out I'm an idiot about lipos. But only an idiot doesn't realize he's an idiot so maybe I'm not an idiot, just merely in possession of some misconceptions.
Last edited by Granpa; 02-28-2013 at 10:53 PM. Reason: spelling
03-01-2013, 09:29 PM
OK, I am going to be honest and say I've bumped onto this thread once and a while but my M03 has been sitting unbuilt for a few years. I am getting a tamiya xv01 but might as well put my mini together to run rally as well since it will be my own course. 17.5 or 21.5? And if anyone has a link to rally set up that would be cool also 
03-02-2013, 01:08 AM
So...we're going to be running mod mini as a demo class at the season ender race here and it's getting downright silly. (I love it!) There will be a hybrid m03/m04 chassis, m03 RWD conversions and my little beastie. I've been told I can take the FF02, remove the chassis spacer and leave on the super wide TL01 suspension, which will fit nicely under a Pro-Line shell made for the Traxxas 1/16 platform. Oh yeah, it will also be running on VTA tires.
Have to admit, it's a little out of control. No motor, gearing or (rubber) tire limits. Just has to be based on a Tamiya M chassis. I think it'll need some toning down in the long run. Should be a riot in the short term though!
Have to admit, it's a little out of control. No motor, gearing or (rubber) tire limits. Just has to be based on a Tamiya M chassis. I think it'll need some toning down in the long run. Should be a riot in the short term though!
03-02-2013, 06:07 AM
03-02-2013, 06:27 AM
03-02-2013, 10:16 AM
03-02-2013, 11:47 AM
Sway bars
Hi. A question for the M05 mini guru's
Which sway bar affects the handling more on the M05? The front or the rear?
Dose anyone use them. I was thinking of trying the rear.
Thanks Greg G
Which sway bar affects the handling more on the M05? The front or the rear?
Dose anyone use them. I was thinking of trying the rear.
Thanks Greg G
03-02-2013, 12:15 PM
Greg rear sway bar is a must on carpet, and a tight diff. Makes the car rotate much quicker, so combine that with the tight diff to get you out of the corners, and its much quicker. No need for a front sway bar at all. I made a sway bar from an old nitro bar (thicker than the hard M05 bar) and it works great.