HI_808

Exactly where in Okinawa are you going to have the TCS races?

redbones

Go with the R. For my orginal 05, I bought pretty much all the hop ups from Tamiya and even did the CGF conversion. Then the R came out. I drove my friends R and I went "Is this bone stock?". And sure it was.

As far as what I would get is... Maybe more suspension blocks to tune your toe, titanium screws(hex is so much easier to wrench), and a oneway for a tight track. Seriously, you don't need much to get this car going against $400+ cars.

Use the rest of your budget on a good charger/batt, and the tire of choice.

actually, you can go here for more info and tips on the R
http://www.sosidge.com/2007/05/09/ta...-r-build-tips/

And one more tip. I recommend the use of a 3mm tap on the parts where you need to screw into the carbon reinforced ones. If you try to screw in normally, they are very tight and possibly strip your head. Once tapped, the parts will go in very smoothly. Be aware though, DO NOT overtighten the screw because it is easy to do so.

pgeldz

Wow! Thanks for the awesome feedback guys!

I guess the main thing about the TA05R that is making me hesitant is 2 fold:

1) I don't like the fact that Tamiya issued a notice about the R version having a possible problem with metal gear servos causing glitching. I'm sure most cars are subject to that in certain circimstances, but the fact that they issued a "notice" about it leads me to believe there may be more to it. For my application, I think I will be fighting for grip, so the stock chassis with slightly more flex may help me out.


2) And this is the real reason why I'm so undecided...

I'm looking at the total package. Radio, batteries, charger, etc. I am trying to get into TC racing for a reasonable price, and still be competitive. I don't want to spend an unlimited amount of $$$ like I did in my nitro days.

I know the R is cheaper than if you were to buy the same option parts and add it to the stock version, BUT, for my application, (and this is what I keep getting hung up on) do I really NEED the stuff the R comes with?

If I were to build my own R would I even choose the same parts the R comes with? I dunno. I think I WILL be fighting for grip, as you guys mentioned, so the regular plastic parts in the stock version w/slightly more flex and durability may actually help a little. Replace a couple of key parts like the carbon steering plate and the others you mentioned, and I can take the savings and put it into other components, like the ESC, batteries, charger, radio.

I'm thinking I may be more competitive if I have the basic car with selected option parts and a very nice ESC, than if I had the R version with a basic ESC. Does that make sense?

As for the other gear, I have the new Integy 16x705 charger on its way (had great luck with the Integy 16x2.5 Pro back in the day so I figured I can't go wrong with the new one - it does much more and got it for a song at $82 new). Also on the way is a Futaba 3PM 2.5 GHz, and I've stil yet to buy batteries, an ESC, a discharger, and a servo. Actually, I have 2 servos already, a Hi Tech 645MG dual BB analog servo, and a Futaba 3050 digital servo. To get the most out of the servo, I need a 6 volt BEC in the ESC, and the servo needs to be digital.

Again, I do have the Futaba 3050 digital servo, but I'm thinking of not even using it and getting something a little faster...question is, do I need it? I'll be outdoors on a low grip surface so I'm not sure I really NEED an ultra fast responding servo. Plus, if you use a Futaba digital servo with the Futaba 3PM 2.4 GHz, it's supposed to go into some kind of High Response Mode (HRS) that reacts much quicker than normal (so it says). So maybe the 3050 is good enough? Heck, the best servo I've ever owned was the HiTech 645, and I loved that servo. The Futaba 3050 digital is similar spec wise, but of course, it's digital (maybe a little more accurate), and combined with the HRS mode may just be fine as is.

As far as batteries go, I was thinking about getting some GP 3700mah's (3700mah is the limit for these races). I've heard they pretty good for 3700's, and can take some abuse. I've seen them in stick pack form, and loose cells too for cheap. Integy has them for like $33 a set. Not sure if I want to get into building batteries again or not.

As far as dischargers go, I've had great luck with the Integy Reactor 20. I used to use it in my heyday of carpet racing with an old TC3. The batteries were Integy Sayno 3000 and 3300 cells. Car was bone stock except for like 3 hop ups, and I was very competitive against guys with much better set ups. In addition to the Reactor 20, I also had an Octane 2 discharger board, and a Trinity real time 2 conditioning tray.

I'm just not sure if I want to go full tilt again with all of it. Some of these ESC's I've seen are $$$, so I'm leaning towards getting the GP3700 stick packs, changing the Tamiya connector to Deans Ultra's and getting the Reactor 20 discharger. With the money I saved by not getting the individual cell discharger and conditioning tray, I can buy a very good ESC.

We'll see. I'm so undecided it's not even funny. Can you tell?

LOL!



- Paulie

redbones

Going with the regular one or the R is up to you I guess. I did the same thing by thinking that the regular one was sufficient. But as I got better, I wanted to get more and more stuff for the car(this is a hobby isn't it?). Eventually, I spent enough to get me a 415MSXX and maybe a battery or two... And THEN the R came out. At least you have that choice.
Think about it though. The TA05 is a heavy car. I recently rebuilt my TA05 to stock form. Even with alum ballends, Ti screws, and CF reinforced parts(excluding chassis) the car weighs in at 1560g. This is with a tamiya body and 3700cells. The good thing about being light is, you can add weights to get the car legal AND optimize R/L balance.
well, it all depends. But as you get deeper and deeper into the hobby, you will do some weird things I recently went all out and got the 416. But it was worth it.

Oh, I recommend the futaba s9550 for the servo. TA05 are limited in space so having a low profile servo helps. The torque and the speed is very good as well.

redbones

double post pls delete

pgeldz

How limited are the TA05's as far as space goes? As in, if I use a standard size servo, what size ESC should I be looking at? I need one with a 6V BEC.

Also, can't you just mount the receiver on top of the servo? I'm doing that now with my competition Yokomo drift car and I've never had a problem, and this is with just a basic 2 channel AM radio...

- Paulie

Anthony.L

iTrader: (41)

The stuff in the "R" will make a big difference. You get over $400 in hop-ups for only a $200 difference in kit price. Buy now, or pay more later.

redbones

Well, I like to keep the car clean looking so I use low-pro servos. When you get to the upper a-main, everthing counts. Like keeping the CG low as possible... Plus, the transponder sits on my servo so I really have no choice.
I recommend the futaba for mid class esc.
http://www.futaba-rc.com/radioaccys/futm0922.html
If you can survive the pinkness, these got me well into the A-main in club racing. But highend esc from novak, tekin, lrp, or KO, are in a different league and actually do affect your speed.

This pic should tell you on a pretty good layout. It is TGP legal. It is not using a low profile servo, but barley fit the receiver.

wyd

iTrader: (51)

1560 grams is fine. I race my Schumacher Mi3 with Mamba Max speedo, normal sized receiver and futaba 9550 servo with a 4200 and my car weighs in at 1560 or just a tick less. Thats with rubber tires on to. If your TA05 is weighing in at 1560 with NIMH then if you switch to lipo you will be light so actually your not too far off at 1560.

pgeldz

Wow, that does look like a tight fit! You don't have problems with teh Tamiya connector melting?

As far as ESC's, they are not going to use brushless motors anytime soon for this class, so I was thinking about Novak GTX or the LRP QC3. The Novak includes a skotchy diode, but the LRP is smaller.

Which one out of those is better for the TA05?

Also, they have a brand over here called Keyesence I believe. Pretty small as well, but I don't have the specs on them.


- Paulie

redbones

I'm a KO ESC fan so I use the VFS series. They are very small and programmable. Others will tell you different stories, but I personally love them and had no problems. Can't wait for their BL system! But most highend ESCs are well over $100 so if you are on a budget, the savings should go to good batteries instead.

This pic is from a guy in Japan that does TGP racing. The tamiya connectors are mandatory. But you can use the "euro connectors" inside the white casing(don't know how legal that is), so metling is not an issue. Outside that, you can just use Deans connectors.

AreCee

iTrader: (1)

This is my TCS legal TA05-IFS for GT-2. It weighs in exactly at 1550grams including all the weight I had to place under the battery.

I'm using a Novak GTB/13.5 ESC/Motor combo, Spektrum Micro receiver and JR Z590m servo (standard size). Battery is a Trinity LiPro 4500.

The TCS in the USA allows brushless motors and LiPo batteries. Motor limits are 13.5 in GT-2 and 10.5 in GT-1 but LiPos are not allowed in GT-1. GT-3 is silver can and LiPo.

Weights for GT-3 and GT-2 are 1500 and 1550 grams respectively.

94eg!

iTrader: (17)

I'll say it again in case the OP didn't read it the first time...

You get a couple hundred dollars worth of hop-ups for only $50 extra. That is basically the eBay price of TRF shocks. The R simply cannot be beat. Contact RC Champ for the release date...

Plus, all the extras you have to buy to finish the R (tires, pinions, etc), would have to be replaced on a standard TA05 anyways...

***edit: The static issue is due to carbon parts being mixed with a glass chassis. Common stuff in snowboards as well. All you need to do is run a tiny wire from the carbon front bulk-head, to the motor mount. This allows static to bypass the servo...

Phat-Boy

iTrader: (25)

i see you have trinity lipo. it is not legal to use it in 08 season.only lipo you can use is orion/peak lipo

AreCee

iTrader: (1)

Reread the UPDATED rules (the .pdf file not the screen file) on the Tamiya USA site. They legalized ALL hard cased LiPos for use in the USA TCS for GT-3 and GT-2. Mini and 103GT are the ones that can only use the Orions because those fit the battery box without modifying the chassis.