867LikesTamiya Euro Truck Class
02-07-2021, 10:17 AM
#1292
Here is the link on TamiyaUSA for the TCS rules....https://www.tamiyausa.com/tcs/rules/
Click on the Class Specific Rules to find additional info about Eurotruck. The only upgrades to the kit allowed in TCS racing are any brand ball bearings and any Tamiya servo saver.
As far as drive shaft wobble/vibration at high speed, it can happen to any driveshaft material including aluminum unless it is well balanced. I've noticed some wobble on my TT-01's that have plastic drive shafts, but not enough to cause any rubbing or performance degradation. I have only known of 1 Eurotruck plastic drive shaft that broke, but it could have been defective. If you local racing has lax class rules, they might allow you to upgrade the drive shaft to aluminum. However I HIGHLY recommend to NOT allow this type of upgrade as it can quickly become a slippery slope of people pushing for more rules changes. These vehicles perform well enough to have fun without breaking the budget.
As far as replacing the plastic drive shaft, here are the 9 digit Tamiya parts bag that includes the plastic main drive shaft...
Tamiya #9005713 Rc Wheel Shaft Bag short... https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/7-dig...aft-bag-short/
Tamiya #9005718 Rc Wheel Shaft Bag Long/Short... https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/7-dig...-bag-longshort
Tamiya #9005713 is the parts bag that comes with the Eurotruck (I just comfirmed right now by checking my new, yet to be assembled kit next to me)
Tamiya #9005718 I believe comes with 2 longer wheel axles. These longer axles were used on some TT-01 kits that had bodies that were wider at the rear.
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Assuming that you've tried a different main drive shaft and you are still having wobble or clicking noises here are some possible causes.
- Bad bearing. I highly recommend replacing the plastic bearings with metal bearings. You should be able to find non-Tamiya bearing kits for the TT-01E fairly cheaply.
- Using the wrong screws at the rear of the car when installing the top deck during STEP 25 in the manual. If you use too long of a screw over the spur gear cover when installing the top deck, it will extend down into the gear cover and catch/damage the spur gear. There is very little clearance inside the spur gear cover when using the 61 tooth spur gear. If this is your issue, I recommend replacing the spur gear. The 61 tooth gear is including in Tamiya part #51004...https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/spare...tt-01-g-parts/
- You may have not installed the rear drift shaft input cup/spur gear assembly correctly in STEP 1 in the manual. It can be a bit of a juggling act to get all of the parts to line up and installed into the chassis. You have to pay special attention to getting the roll pin into the input shaft, then the Spur over the roll pin, and then the spur gear stopper over the extrusion on the spur gear to lock everything in place. THEN you have to slide the whole assembly into the car. This part of the install always me problems whether during a new build or maintenance.
I hope this information helps
Click on the Class Specific Rules to find additional info about Eurotruck. The only upgrades to the kit allowed in TCS racing are any brand ball bearings and any Tamiya servo saver.
As far as drive shaft wobble/vibration at high speed, it can happen to any driveshaft material including aluminum unless it is well balanced. I've noticed some wobble on my TT-01's that have plastic drive shafts, but not enough to cause any rubbing or performance degradation. I have only known of 1 Eurotruck plastic drive shaft that broke, but it could have been defective. If you local racing has lax class rules, they might allow you to upgrade the drive shaft to aluminum. However I HIGHLY recommend to NOT allow this type of upgrade as it can quickly become a slippery slope of people pushing for more rules changes. These vehicles perform well enough to have fun without breaking the budget.
As far as replacing the plastic drive shaft, here are the 9 digit Tamiya parts bag that includes the plastic main drive shaft...
Tamiya #9005713 Rc Wheel Shaft Bag short... https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/7-dig...aft-bag-short/
Tamiya #9005718 Rc Wheel Shaft Bag Long/Short... https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/7-dig...-bag-longshort
Tamiya #9005713 is the parts bag that comes with the Eurotruck (I just comfirmed right now by checking my new, yet to be assembled kit next to me)
Tamiya #9005718 I believe comes with 2 longer wheel axles. These longer axles were used on some TT-01 kits that had bodies that were wider at the rear.
----------
Assuming that you've tried a different main drive shaft and you are still having wobble or clicking noises here are some possible causes.
- Bad bearing. I highly recommend replacing the plastic bearings with metal bearings. You should be able to find non-Tamiya bearing kits for the TT-01E fairly cheaply.
- Using the wrong screws at the rear of the car when installing the top deck during STEP 25 in the manual. If you use too long of a screw over the spur gear cover when installing the top deck, it will extend down into the gear cover and catch/damage the spur gear. There is very little clearance inside the spur gear cover when using the 61 tooth spur gear. If this is your issue, I recommend replacing the spur gear. The 61 tooth gear is including in Tamiya part #51004...https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/spare...tt-01-g-parts/
- You may have not installed the rear drift shaft input cup/spur gear assembly correctly in STEP 1 in the manual. It can be a bit of a juggling act to get all of the parts to line up and installed into the chassis. You have to pay special attention to getting the roll pin into the input shaft, then the Spur over the roll pin, and then the spur gear stopper over the extrusion on the spur gear to lock everything in place. THEN you have to slide the whole assembly into the car. This part of the install always me problems whether during a new build or maintenance.
I hope this information helps
Last edited by IndyRC_Racer; 02-07-2021 at 11:31 AM.
02-07-2021, 10:22 AM
#1293
I did a quick Youtube search for TT-01E assembly and found the following video. Starting around the 1:00 minute mark it shows the assembly of the rear input shaft/spur gear assembly. I think this video does a good job explaining this part of the build. Here is the video...
02-07-2021, 11:27 AM
#1294
I had a hard time getting the prop shaft in, not sure why, and I believe I may have flexed it a little. Likely the cause of the problem. It was fine before I took it apart, I just wanted to do some general maintenance. I really hate that spur gear setup, would have been nice if Tamiya had made the pin fit a little tighter so it doesn't easily fall out of position during assembly. I'll order up a new plastic prop shaft. I'd like to do metal, but would prefer to stay with the spirit of the rules. Not that the club races check that stuff though.
I also made the mistake of using QD electronics cleaner to clean the motor. It must have left something on the brushes or commutator that caused it to be sluggish for a few seconds each time the throttle was applied. It eventually returned back to normal full speed operation after several minutes of running. I wouldn't have expected that from an electronics cleaner. Guess I'll have to pick up some dedicated RC motor spray.
I also made the mistake of using QD electronics cleaner to clean the motor. It must have left something on the brushes or commutator that caused it to be sluggish for a few seconds each time the throttle was applied. It eventually returned back to normal full speed operation after several minutes of running. I wouldn't have expected that from an electronics cleaner. Guess I'll have to pick up some dedicated RC motor spray.
02-07-2021, 01:32 PM
#1295
I had a hard time getting the prop shaft in, not sure why, and I believe I may have flexed it a little. Likely the cause of the problem. It was fine before I took it apart, I just wanted to do some general maintenance. I really hate that spur gear setup, would have been nice if Tamiya had made the pin fit a little tighter so it doesn't easily fall out of position during assembly. I'll order up a new plastic prop shaft. I'd like to do metal, but would prefer to stay with the spirit of the rules. Not that the club races check that stuff though.
I also made the mistake of using QD electronics cleaner to clean the motor. It must have left something on the brushes or commutator that caused it to be sluggish for a few seconds each time the throttle was applied. It eventually returned back to normal full speed operation after several minutes of running. I wouldn't have expected that from an electronics cleaner. Guess I'll have to pick up some dedicated RC motor spray.
I also made the mistake of using QD electronics cleaner to clean the motor. It must have left something on the brushes or commutator that caused it to be sluggish for a few seconds each time the throttle was applied. It eventually returned back to normal full speed operation after several minutes of running. I wouldn't have expected that from an electronics cleaner. Guess I'll have to pick up some dedicated RC motor spray.
02-08-2021, 11:50 AM
#1296
I just finished my initial chassis build of a Mercedes Eurotruck. This isn't the first TT-01E kit I've built so I wasn't paying close attention when putting the front diff case/assembly together. After double checking my leftover parts, I realized I forgot the plastic bearing spacer that separates the TWO bearings that go on the front input shaft (Step 13 in the manual). I ended up having to take the front diff case apart to fix my mistake.
One positive experience I did have building this kit is that I decided to buy/use the Tamiya Craft Tool R/C Tool Set item 74085. Here is a link to this tool kit...https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/tools/rc-tool-set-2/
My understanding is that Tamiya kits use JIS cross-head screws on their kits. While a standard Philips cross-head screw driver can turn most of the bigger Tamiya kit screws, often times it will slip out or strip the head if too much force is used. Now when trying to install one of the smaller Tamiya screws a standard Philips screwdriver of any size will struggle. The small screws that hold the TT-01 diff/ring gear are especially difficult to install. However I had no problems with any screws when using the Tamiya 74085 tool kit. The larger screwdriver worked great on most of the kit and I only had to switch to the smaller screwdriver when dealing with the very small screws like those that hold the diffs together. The larger of the 2 included socket drivers worked great to install the wheel nuts on the car and even fit into the deep recess on the front Eurotruck wheels.
Overall I was very happy with the Tamiya tool kit since I have over a dozen Tamiya kits. While this post wasn't intended to be a reivew of this tool kit, it really did make assembling the kit much easier. While you certainly don't need to buy Tamiya tools to assemble your kits, at least look into buying JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) cross-head screwdrivers, especially one that will work on the smaller head Tamiya screws. Some people also have some success with filing down the tip on Philips screws drivers so that the tool fits better into the recess of the screw, but it won't ever be a perfect fit. Anyone who owns a Japanese motorcycle will be familiar with problems with removing screws if you use the wrong type screwdriver.
Here is a link to a Wikipedia article about many of the different screw drives that exist in the world in case anyone is interested...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_screw_drives
One positive experience I did have building this kit is that I decided to buy/use the Tamiya Craft Tool R/C Tool Set item 74085. Here is a link to this tool kit...https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/tools/rc-tool-set-2/
My understanding is that Tamiya kits use JIS cross-head screws on their kits. While a standard Philips cross-head screw driver can turn most of the bigger Tamiya kit screws, often times it will slip out or strip the head if too much force is used. Now when trying to install one of the smaller Tamiya screws a standard Philips screwdriver of any size will struggle. The small screws that hold the TT-01 diff/ring gear are especially difficult to install. However I had no problems with any screws when using the Tamiya 74085 tool kit. The larger screwdriver worked great on most of the kit and I only had to switch to the smaller screwdriver when dealing with the very small screws like those that hold the diffs together. The larger of the 2 included socket drivers worked great to install the wheel nuts on the car and even fit into the deep recess on the front Eurotruck wheels.
Overall I was very happy with the Tamiya tool kit since I have over a dozen Tamiya kits. While this post wasn't intended to be a reivew of this tool kit, it really did make assembling the kit much easier. While you certainly don't need to buy Tamiya tools to assemble your kits, at least look into buying JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) cross-head screwdrivers, especially one that will work on the smaller head Tamiya screws. Some people also have some success with filing down the tip on Philips screws drivers so that the tool fits better into the recess of the screw, but it won't ever be a perfect fit. Anyone who owns a Japanese motorcycle will be familiar with problems with removing screws if you use the wrong type screwdriver.
Here is a link to a Wikipedia article about many of the different screw drives that exist in the world in case anyone is interested...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_screw_drives
Last edited by IndyRC_Racer; 02-08-2021 at 12:42 PM.
02-08-2021, 12:26 PM
#1297
02-09-2021, 06:05 PM
#1298
Tech Rookie
Tamiya Polycarbonate Body Cleaner
Has anyone else had issues trying to get ahold of Tamiya Polycarbonate Body Cleaner? I am working on my first euro truck and this is my first serious attempt to paint a body. None of my local Hobby Shops or any US shops appear to carry it.
02-10-2021, 05:37 PM
#1300
Anyone have a problem with the center driveshaft flexing at high speed and rubbing the chassis? It's making a clicking noise as it hits the chassis at the end of the straight and when free revving. Wondering if it's something I did wrong in rebuilding, or if the driveshaft just needs to be replaced. I take it the aluminum replacement is not legal for euro truck classes.
