Tamiya mini cooper

Hell yeah! Great steering, zero brakes, bit of a handful on power! Very eerie to slam on the brakes, hear the motor and gearbox stop dead, but car flies along silently anyway.

Kantankerous barstard. Difficult to please you, eh?
Tech Master
iTrader: (14)

Hey Guys,
Just building my M05 V2 Pro set up in short wheelbase and have encountered a problem. I'm using the one piece rear arms but the droop screw attachment seems to interfere with the arms fitting up properly e.e. the droop screw attachment hits the bottom plate. Am I doing something wrong or can you not run the droop screw attachment in M05S setup?
Cheers
Simon
Just building my M05 V2 Pro set up in short wheelbase and have encountered a problem. I'm using the one piece rear arms but the droop screw attachment seems to interfere with the arms fitting up properly e.e. the droop screw attachment hits the bottom plate. Am I doing something wrong or can you not run the droop screw attachment in M05S setup?
Cheers
Simon
Tech Apprentice

What diff are you talking about? If it's the TA03 style, they're not meant to have anything that can leak inside because it will leak through the bearings. If you want a tight but not locked diff you can try AW grease from Tamiya or Moly grease for steering boxes/CV joints, it's the same stuff. Sticks like shit on a shovel and it's thick.
Using the original gear dif from the V2...think same as V1...
Tech Apprentice

My suggestion is buying one of these. Add 500k and forget it. I haven't rebuilt mine for years and it still performs perfectly. I have corner entry steering and good corner exit.
Tech Apprentice

I am sure it is on one or more of the 1500 pages on this thread, but my search skills are apparently challenged. I am looking for setup tips and tricks for an M03 on carpet, for my son. Here is what I have:
1. M03 long, medium or short (can make any of these)
2. aluminum shocks
3. swaybars (variety of sizes for front and rear)
4. S Grips tires
5. aluminum steering knuckles
6. bearings for car (1 shield removed, cleaned/re lubed and installed)
7. carbon bearing shafts
8. ball dif or aftermarket dif filled with silly-putty
9. variety of springs
We have been running the car short, with the putty dif, but seem to have a lot of chatter through the corners. It could be his driving style is not as smooth as it could be. we are CA'ing the front tires one rib in and are running both front and rear bars. 5mm ride hight with Tamiya 30wt oil in the shocks and 3 hole pistons. We are not running any spacers in the shock body or on the outer lower shaft.
Any help would be appreciated.
1. M03 long, medium or short (can make any of these)
2. aluminum shocks
3. swaybars (variety of sizes for front and rear)
4. S Grips tires
5. aluminum steering knuckles
6. bearings for car (1 shield removed, cleaned/re lubed and installed)
7. carbon bearing shafts
8. ball dif or aftermarket dif filled with silly-putty
9. variety of springs
We have been running the car short, with the putty dif, but seem to have a lot of chatter through the corners. It could be his driving style is not as smooth as it could be. we are CA'ing the front tires one rib in and are running both front and rear bars. 5mm ride hight with Tamiya 30wt oil in the shocks and 3 hole pistons. We are not running any spacers in the shock body or on the outer lower shaft.
Any help would be appreciated.

I am sure it is on one or more of the 1500 pages on this thread, but my search skills are apparently challenged. I am looking for setup tips and tricks for an M03 on carpet, for my son. Here is what I have:
1. M03 long, medium or short (can make any of these)
2. aluminum shocks
3. swaybars (variety of sizes for front and rear)
4. S Grips tires
5. aluminum steering knuckles
6. bearings for car (1 shield removed, cleaned/re lubed and installed)
7. carbon bearing shafts
8. ball dif or aftermarket dif filled with silly-putty
9. variety of springs
We have been running the car short, with the putty dif, but seem to have a lot of chatter through the corners. It could be his driving style is not as smooth as it could be. we are CA'ing the front tires one rib in and are running both front and rear bars. 5mm ride hight with Tamiya 30wt oil in the shocks and 3 hole pistons. We are not running any spacers in the shock body or on the outer lower shaft.
Any help would be appreciated.
1. M03 long, medium or short (can make any of these)
2. aluminum shocks
3. swaybars (variety of sizes for front and rear)
4. S Grips tires
5. aluminum steering knuckles
6. bearings for car (1 shield removed, cleaned/re lubed and installed)
7. carbon bearing shafts
8. ball dif or aftermarket dif filled with silly-putty
9. variety of springs
We have been running the car short, with the putty dif, but seem to have a lot of chatter through the corners. It could be his driving style is not as smooth as it could be. we are CA'ing the front tires one rib in and are running both front and rear bars. 5mm ride hight with Tamiya 30wt oil in the shocks and 3 hole pistons. We are not running any spacers in the shock body or on the outer lower shaft.
Any help would be appreciated.
1. Medium (Civic is great)
2. Good. 35-40wt with 3 hole pistons. Set the droop length about 1-2mm max. If you need help on how to do this, PM me.
3. Hard Sway bar rear. No sway bar front.
4. Perfect.
5. Perfect Get the tamiya M03 alloy servo arm and saver also. Or the big Kimbrough saver with mods (its on here)
6. Perfect
7. Not a fan, I usually use the heavy steel ones.
8. Diff with putty is best for the 03. Have a built spare on hand with a few spare bearings incase the putty starts to leak. Its an easy swap on a 03
9. Run Tamiya red up front and blue or yellow out the back.
Add toe out - around 1-2mm. balance the car left to right. As for the CA, I only like enough to control the lifting on the fast corners. Any more and I find I loose too much grip everywhere else. Sounds like your chatter could be too much steering throw. Less CA will give you more grip, and putting the limiters under the shock pistons will help keep the chassis low so with more overall grip, hopefully u require less steering throw and that will lessen the chatter, but really, most chatter anyhow. Sauce the daylights out of the front, rears sauce later. Basically the opposite of TC.
If this setup is generating too much steering (you want a mini to be aggressive in the corners and for some that makes the car twitchy) go to a stiffer front spring.
Depending on how involved you want to get in mini, id suggest changing the chassis to an 05 sooner rather than later, add in a few 05 options and your set. Its a better road if your thinking of upgrading the 03. Biggest reason, you can use the 3 racing diff I mentioned earlier.
Hope that helps dude and welcome back to RC!

Seriously its not a worry. We run torque BL motors, on high grip (well at the big races its high) and I've never seen one fail internally. As I mentioned I haven't even looked into mine for a very long time.
Tech Apprentice
Tech Rookie

Anyone know what bearings r used on m05v2 thank you .
Sorted
Sorted

Thanks Aaron. He is just starting out and we have 4 of the M03s. Not really looking at Mini seriously, but as a starter class for him and then as he improves a support class for the two of us. More stick time is always good. Hard to do when he is playing hockey and ski racing, but we are trying to get out a little. I have already bought an ARC 2013 for me for stock and am waiting on 2 Black Edition 2015's...one for him (stock) and one for me (mod).