F1 cars
 

Hey guys! I am new here, but not new to RC racing. I used to race when the TC3 ruled the track, ha. I used to race 1/12 too. Anyhoo, I still have most of my stuff and I would like to get an F1 car. I have a Tamiya F103 right now that is in really rough shape and missing pieces, but I would like to get a different one. I have a few questions however.

1.) Is the F104 THAT much better than the F103?

2.) How easy is it to convert the F103 to the F103GT? And is there a GT option for the F104?

3.) What are my options when it comes to F1 Chassis? I am talking about
like what Brands and Models should I look for or stay away from. So far, all I really know about is the F103, F104, and the 3Racing F1-09.

I plan on racing it outside, rubber tires. Thanks for your help guys, I really appreciate it!!! Plus I have a ad in the wanted section for a WTB F1 car

Well the 103's are still the most prolific winners on track. The 104 also works very nice-- HPI has a new F10 that has shown promise and the 3 racing 109 is leading the points for the F-1 series with Eric Pohulsky driving it. You can't really go wrong with any of these--the 103 has the most availability for parts and hop-ups--and the best selection of tires in both foam and rubber.. So you can't go wrong with the 103--but ALL of these 4 have won races.
FWIW
Tim

Here's a whole thread on the 104 and how it compares and how to overcome some of the shortfalls

http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...-f104-pro.html

and here's a thread dedicated to F1RC in general

http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...-whatever.html

hope that helps

I've had both the 103 and the 104.I chose to stay and focus on the 104 for the reason that I'm guessing it's (f104) the future of Tamiya's F1 class. But Timming is right,the 103 is one fast little ride.The F104 Pro comes with a lot of nice stuff for the money.I'm just being patient and waiting for more rubber tire options . I hope :D.Good luck.

What kind of motors fit in these cars? I remember when I used to race, people were using the 540 motors in these cars. Can I fit a brushless or a regular modified motor in them? Also, I read somewhere about putting gyros in the car to make it not spin out on hard accel?

I have an F103 15th Anniversary edition , it comes loaded with all the hop ups and nice sticky foams .

i drove it at our indoor track during the winter with a 10.5 SP motor and EZrun speedo it was balistic ;)

faster and drives nicer then a F109 or F104 , the only thing quicker was a Pro10 ......

BUY AN F103 15TH Anniversary ;)

When I look online, I see sooo many different chassis for these things! What is the difference between all these? I am looking for a F103 15th anniversary edition for cheap, or even just a souped up used f103.

The F103 15th has carbon chassis and some other tamiya hopups like metal motor, servo mounts, carbon shafts.

The normal F103 uses fiberglass chassis and upper deck etc... which some people may prefer if you run on asphalt since it provides more flex.

If you do get the F103, may sure you can get parts easily. parts like T-bar, arms, steering blocks etc...

Other than part availability, its a very good and an easy car to work with.

both of those cars are essentially the same car. The are both F103s with the original front and rear suspension. The difference is in the aftermarket parts.

Pretty well every motor you can fit in a 1/12 or 1/10 pan car can be fit into an F1 car. Also, most sanctioning bodies outlaw gyros or g-force sensors of any kind.

Don't like spinning out? Then just use a silver-can or black-can motors. Theyr'e plenty fast. Also it helps to use an ESC with torque control and selectable drive frequency.

I am new to RC as well. I got a F104 Pro and a F103RM. Both have a lot of upgrades compared to the regular issued chassis but are not much more.

I got both because I love the old F1 bodies that fit the F103 and the newer 2009/2010 season bodies that are made for the F104.

I picked up a 3racing F109. Just got to wait for it to get here now!! I also have a F103rm that is in pieces, but I am sure it is not going to be hard to resurrect. I am going to keep the F103 prolly stock. I will be running the Novak GTB with 10.5 and lipo....should go pretty good!

FYI, F1 around here is pretty much silver can - Johnson 540J - stock motors. I know at our track (Winthrop Harbor), Trackside, and Strictly its all silver can. There are a few F109's and lots of Tamiya's F103, 104 and the earlier ones as well. Most of us that run them show up for one or more of the TCS races so we pretty run in the spirit of those rules year round.

So far the 103 seems to be working better than the 104 but that may change as they figure out the car.

The racing here in SoCal is VERY CLOSE---good racer's have figured out ALL the cars--and they are as EQUAL as you can get. The current leader in the series is running a 109--Frank Killam came down and I loaned him my well tuned F-104 --and he beat all of us with it--including ALL the fast guys in the series---and the 2,3,4 positions on the board are all with F103's!! I've got all three---and it's just a matter of tuning--that makes one faster on any given day. NONE have shown any particular advantage--the one advantage to the 103--is the high availability of LOT's of parts and used cars. But you can't go wrong with any of them---just get one--and start racing!! Down here--they are limited to silver can motors--and 21.5 brushless with NO TIMING esc's!! These cars are also splitting the wins--some silver cans--some brushless!! it's FUN and great looking cars!!! Just get out and RACE THEM!!!
Tim