220LikesTamiya FF03
08-15-2014, 10:06 AM
#2821
@Butler205
Thanks.
@tobyzhang
Which Option Wing do you use?
There are several wings available.
I use a JAS Honda Body.
Thanks.
@tobyzhang
Which Option Wing do you use?
There are several wings available.
I use a JAS Honda Body.
08-15-2014, 01:24 PM
#2822
Tech Apprentice
iTrader: (4)
Never had a old FF car so not sure how they compare but FF03 is very tail happy in high speed. The car gains steering as the speed increases. the front diff cannot be set too tight otherwise the car becomes very hard to control in high speed sweepers.
Almost any body will work well on good grip carpet even without a option wing.I run Scirocco with kit wing in TQRC and the result is pretty good.
In Tamiya America, I tend to have over steer and over sensitivity with high speed sweeper at end of straight with Scirocco when the grip is average. On race day when traction is high the issue is not as severe but none the less still persist. Usual practice at Tamiya America for me is to only sauce rear tires. Tom's Exiv seems to be the most popular in medium to low traction. I think in general a sedan shaped body is the way to go when traction is not very high.
If you do not wish to run TCS FF class and uses option wings on your body, then I think any body will make the car handle well. One guy used to race FF03 in GT3 with a CR-Z body and option wing. He can keep up with 4wd cars just fine.
Almost any body will work well on good grip carpet even without a option wing.I run Scirocco with kit wing in TQRC and the result is pretty good.
In Tamiya America, I tend to have over steer and over sensitivity with high speed sweeper at end of straight with Scirocco when the grip is average. On race day when traction is high the issue is not as severe but none the less still persist. Usual practice at Tamiya America for me is to only sauce rear tires. Tom's Exiv seems to be the most popular in medium to low traction. I think in general a sedan shaped body is the way to go when traction is not very high.
If you do not wish to run TCS FF class and uses option wings on your body, then I think any body will make the car handle well. One guy used to race FF03 in GT3 with a CR-Z body and option wing. He can keep up with 4wd cars just fine.
I have owned and raced all Tamiya Front wheel drive touring cars. In general, the FF01 is the most planted, but has the most understeer if you overcook corners a lot, the FF02 handles like a bigger front wheel drive M-chassis car (which it is). In the end, the corner speed of the FF03 is head and shoulders above both previous models because of the lower center of gravity.
Now for the FF03. Early on, I would agree with the quoted text above. In fact, I had loaned out my FF01 to someone else for our FWD race series, and he smoked my FF03 because I thought that it was too tail happy.
But, the key is understanding the chassis. The chassis is very sensitive to diff adjustments AND weight placement. Let me explain further.
The Scirocco body with the FF03 has been much maligned as not a good body to have on a medium to loose track, but why?
People say it's "aero," and I called b.s. Take that HEAVY plastic wing and hardware off and, instantly, the car is more planted. I further tested by leaving the wing on, and adding twice what the wing and hardware weighs directly below where the wing would be on the chassis, and the car again is instantly planted.
In my own testing, I would disagree with the post above regarding diff setting. I have found that no matter the diff you choose, ball or gear, you just have to run it *tight* as in very little diff action and again, that car is no longer "tail happy" in any situation. How tight? I can almost turn the motor by spinning just one front wheel. If you want more steering, just go looser on the diff. I found that this has a greater effect on the car's general attitude more than anything else
Many have been running the hardest Tamiya front springs on their FF03 to try and tame it down, but buy first running a fairly tight diff and adding some weight above the rear axle, I've found that I can run the front a bit softer and it ends up being more forgiving to drive overall.
08-15-2014, 01:45 PM
#2823
I have owned and raced all Tamiya Front wheel drive touring cars. In general, the FF01 is the most planted, but has the most understeer if you overcook corners a lot, the FF02 handles like a bigger front wheel drive M-chassis car (which it is). In the end, the corner speed of the FF03 is head and shoulders above both previous models because of the lower center of gravity.
Now for the FF03. Early on, I would agree with the quoted text above. In fact, I had loaned out my FF01 to someone else for our FWD race series, and he smoked my FF03 because I thought that it was too tail happy.
But, the key is understanding the chassis. The chassis is very sensitive to diff adjustments AND weight placement. Let me explain further.
The Scirocco body with the FF03 has been much maligned as not a good body to have on a medium to loose track, but why?
People say it's "aero," and I called b.s. Take that HEAVY plastic wing and hardware off and, instantly, the car is more planted. I further tested by leaving the wing on, and adding twice what the wing and hardware weighs directly below where the wing would be on the chassis, and the car again is instantly planted.
In my own testing, I would disagree with the post above regarding diff setting. I have found that no matter the diff you choose, ball or gear, you just have to run it *tight* as in very little diff action and again, that car is no longer "tail happy" in any situation. How tight? I can almost turn the motor by spinning just one front wheel. If you want more steering, just go looser on the diff. I found that this has a greater effect on the car's general attitude more than anything else
Many have been running the hardest Tamiya front springs on their FF03 to try and tame it down, but buy first running a fairly tight diff and adding some weight above the rear axle, I've found that I can run the front a bit softer and it ends up being more forgiving to drive overall.
Now for the FF03. Early on, I would agree with the quoted text above. In fact, I had loaned out my FF01 to someone else for our FWD race series, and he smoked my FF03 because I thought that it was too tail happy.
But, the key is understanding the chassis. The chassis is very sensitive to diff adjustments AND weight placement. Let me explain further.
The Scirocco body with the FF03 has been much maligned as not a good body to have on a medium to loose track, but why?
People say it's "aero," and I called b.s. Take that HEAVY plastic wing and hardware off and, instantly, the car is more planted. I further tested by leaving the wing on, and adding twice what the wing and hardware weighs directly below where the wing would be on the chassis, and the car again is instantly planted.
In my own testing, I would disagree with the post above regarding diff setting. I have found that no matter the diff you choose, ball or gear, you just have to run it *tight* as in very little diff action and again, that car is no longer "tail happy" in any situation. How tight? I can almost turn the motor by spinning just one front wheel. If you want more steering, just go looser on the diff. I found that this has a greater effect on the car's general attitude more than anything else
Many have been running the hardest Tamiya front springs on their FF03 to try and tame it down, but buy first running a fairly tight diff and adding some weight above the rear axle, I've found that I can run the front a bit softer and it ends up being more forgiving to drive overall.
08-15-2014, 04:06 PM
#2824
Tamiya 53604 Racing Wing Set is very good for most conditions for Tamiya Scale bodies. I use the smaller one of the set for asphalt and the scooped one for carpet or lose conditions. All the wings Tamiya offer are good for certain conditions. They all feel slightly different. For FF, I only suggest to use the relatively lower down force wings. Bigger wing tends to make the car too stuck and increases drag. But if Two Wheel is right, I might have to change my perspectives.
08-16-2014, 04:12 AM
#2825
Never had a old FF car so not sure how they compare but FF03 is very tail happy in high speed. The car gains steering as the speed increases. the front diff cannot be set too tight otherwise the car becomes very hard to control in high speed sweepers.
Almost any body will work well on good grip carpet even without a option wing.I run Scirocco with kit wing in TQRC and the result is pretty good.
In Tamiya America, I tend to have over steer and over sensitivity with high speed sweeper at end of straight with Scirocco when the grip is average. On race day when traction is high the issue is not as severe but none the less still persist. Usual practice at Tamiya America for me is to only sauce rear tires. Tom's Exiv seems to be the most popular in medium to low traction. I think in general a sedan shaped body is the way to go when traction is not very high.
If you do not wish to run TCS FF class and uses option wings on your body, then I think any body will make the car handle well. One guy used to race FF03 in GT3 with a CR-Z body and option wing. He can keep up with 4wd cars just fine.
Almost any body will work well on good grip carpet even without a option wing.I run Scirocco with kit wing in TQRC and the result is pretty good.
In Tamiya America, I tend to have over steer and over sensitivity with high speed sweeper at end of straight with Scirocco when the grip is average. On race day when traction is high the issue is not as severe but none the less still persist. Usual practice at Tamiya America for me is to only sauce rear tires. Tom's Exiv seems to be the most popular in medium to low traction. I think in general a sedan shaped body is the way to go when traction is not very high.
If you do not wish to run TCS FF class and uses option wings on your body, then I think any body will make the car handle well. One guy used to race FF03 in GT3 with a CR-Z body and option wing. He can keep up with 4wd cars just fine.
08-16-2014, 04:25 AM
#2826
Tamiya 53604 Racing Wing Set is very good for most conditions for Tamiya Scale bodies. I use the smaller one of the set for asphalt and the scooped one for carpet or lose conditions. All the wings Tamiya offer are good for certain conditions. They all feel slightly different. For FF, I only suggest to use the relatively lower down force wings. Bigger wing tends to make the car too stuck and increases drag. But if Two Wheel is right, I might have to change my perspectives.
Will try it out.
08-16-2014, 01:47 PM
#2827
Too bad, seems the rules has not been amended.
The box of FF-03 EVO states that FF-03 and XV-01 Bodies are recommended by Tamiya Japan (officially)
I wish Tamiya'd release FF-03 EVO MS .... 
08-17-2014, 01:09 AM
#2829
Tech Adept
That one is a homemade chassie based on the 417... Itīs made by kentech from Finland i think.. Hereīs the adress to his blog: kentech.blogs.se/
08-17-2014, 01:15 AM
#2830
I have owned and raced all Tamiya Front wheel drive touring cars. In general, the FF01 is the most planted, but has the most understeer if you overcook corners a lot, the FF02 handles like a bigger front wheel drive M-chassis car (which it is). In the end, the corner speed of the FF03 is head and shoulders above both previous models because of the lower center of gravity.
Now for the FF03. Early on, I would agree with the quoted text above. In fact, I had loaned out my FF01 to someone else for our FWD race series, and he smoked my FF03 because I thought that it was too tail happy.
But, the key is understanding the chassis. The chassis is very sensitive to diff adjustments AND weight placement. Let me explain further.
The Scirocco body with the FF03 has been much maligned as not a good body to have on a medium to loose track, but why?
People say it's "aero," and I called b.s. Take that HEAVY plastic wing and hardware off and, instantly, the car is more planted. I further tested by leaving the wing on, and adding twice what the wing and hardware weighs directly below where the wing would be on the chassis, and the car again is instantly planted.
In my own testing, I would disagree with the post above regarding diff setting. I have found that no matter the diff you choose, ball or gear, you just have to run it *tight* as in very little diff action and again, that car is no longer "tail happy" in any situation. How tight? I can almost turn the motor by spinning just one front wheel. If you want more steering, just go looser on the diff. I found that this has a greater effect on the car's general attitude more than anything else
Many have been running the hardest Tamiya front springs on their FF03 to try and tame it down, but buy first running a fairly tight diff and adding some weight above the rear axle, I've found that I can run the front a bit softer and it ends up being more forgiving to drive overall.
Now for the FF03. Early on, I would agree with the quoted text above. In fact, I had loaned out my FF01 to someone else for our FWD race series, and he smoked my FF03 because I thought that it was too tail happy.
But, the key is understanding the chassis. The chassis is very sensitive to diff adjustments AND weight placement. Let me explain further.
The Scirocco body with the FF03 has been much maligned as not a good body to have on a medium to loose track, but why?
People say it's "aero," and I called b.s. Take that HEAVY plastic wing and hardware off and, instantly, the car is more planted. I further tested by leaving the wing on, and adding twice what the wing and hardware weighs directly below where the wing would be on the chassis, and the car again is instantly planted.
In my own testing, I would disagree with the post above regarding diff setting. I have found that no matter the diff you choose, ball or gear, you just have to run it *tight* as in very little diff action and again, that car is no longer "tail happy" in any situation. How tight? I can almost turn the motor by spinning just one front wheel. If you want more steering, just go looser on the diff. I found that this has a greater effect on the car's general attitude more than anything else
Many have been running the hardest Tamiya front springs on their FF03 to try and tame it down, but buy first running a fairly tight diff and adding some weight above the rear axle, I've found that I can run the front a bit softer and it ends up being more forgiving to drive overall.
Forgot to Thank you for this info TwoWheel... my bad. But i appreciate the additional info. I have right now a few used shells to use as test mules and to see which bodyshell will be suited for the track with my driving... one's a honda EG Civic (the old one), A VW Scirocco (no wing but i'll test it anyway) and a Honda Accord (just to see how it handles)
08-17-2014, 04:28 AM
#2831
two wheel is spot on regarding the body and chassis tuning. Today I added 21g near the rear axle and it instantly tamed down the car with scirocco body on stock wing. By using shorty and moving the battery rear ward also helps a little bit. I was able to go yellow yellow on spring and sauce the front way more than in the past. front still needs heavy damping due to the weight of the motor in front. I'm currently using AE 60 wt front and 27.5 rear on a 86F day. I think FF03 can maybe run without aero now on most surface without issues. Will play with diff again in further testing.
08-17-2014, 10:29 AM
#2832
Thanks.
08-17-2014, 10:36 AM
#2833
Yes, I know of Kentechs ride already. My post was in reference to his actually. Supposedly there were MANY (more than one) of them used by the TRF. Looking to fmget fact about that if there is any. And if so was it a prototype run for production anticipation?....
Thanks.
Thanks.
08-17-2014, 05:50 PM
#2834
Hi all,
I'm a bit new to this FWD type of vehicles and I recently started to become interested in these FF03 chassis.
I owned a FF01 chassis (the PIAA Accord), but I paid way too much for it NIB, and I turned it around and sold it back out NIB so I never had a chance to build it and run with it.
I have several questions regarding the FF03:
1) Knowing the history of Tamiya, is the FF04 in the works (is the FF03 an endangered species?)
2) FF03-pro vs. FF03-evo: which one is the latest one? I see that the EVO has the front shocks in different position as the Pro, and it also seems like it's double-deck (for rigidity?)...
3) Is it quite expensive to convert a regular FF03 into a Pro/Evo?
4) Would anyone want a regular FF03? I'm trying to figure out if I should buy the FF03 kit (because I'm really after the body), and just part with the rest of the car... I have WAAAAAAY too many chassis I'm upkeeping at the moment...
Any help would be appreciated, thanks!
I'm a bit new to this FWD type of vehicles and I recently started to become interested in these FF03 chassis.
I owned a FF01 chassis (the PIAA Accord), but I paid way too much for it NIB, and I turned it around and sold it back out NIB so I never had a chance to build it and run with it.
I have several questions regarding the FF03:
1) Knowing the history of Tamiya, is the FF04 in the works (is the FF03 an endangered species?)
2) FF03-pro vs. FF03-evo: which one is the latest one? I see that the EVO has the front shocks in different position as the Pro, and it also seems like it's double-deck (for rigidity?)...
3) Is it quite expensive to convert a regular FF03 into a Pro/Evo?
4) Would anyone want a regular FF03? I'm trying to figure out if I should buy the FF03 kit (because I'm really after the body), and just part with the rest of the car... I have WAAAAAAY too many chassis I'm upkeeping at the moment...
Any help would be appreciated, thanks!