Originally Posted by
Dorigecko
Hi, I'm after some owners opinions on the Tamiya M-04M/L chassis.
I've heard a bad rap about these little buggers, people saying they're mediocre-at-best handlers, they don't transfer power well, and they're crap all-round chassis'. I however, don't believe it yet.
I'm interested in purchasing the Eunos MX5 (M-04M). I won't build it without bearings and suspension modifications (i.e. fully raced and oil-filled dampers with low springs). I know all about the M-03, but nothing of how the M-04 would perform, and quite frankly I've wanted to know for yonks.
If you can provide any insight in depth of how these RWD machines go, I'll throw bricks at an offended roosevelt and be forever grateful.
Thanks,
Jason.
The m04 can be very good on high bite tracks. On a well soiled carpet track it would probably be the car to run. the main problem is the car is very sensitive to setup. if you have a track that has consistent traction level throughout the entire day, you shouldn't have a problem. On asphalt the tracktion picks up throughout the day and you constantly have to change the setup to keep the car going straight. Another problem is in many cases swaybars are a must because the rear diff works better loose. if you have too much body roll, you end up spinning the tires in the back and it can make you very unstable and sometimes spin out. Tamiya discontinued the swaybar kit many years ago, and if you are racing a tcs race, it is illegal to use the m03 swaybars. because of the poor shock angle in the front, the shocks don't really make a tromendous difference. thats why the car is very sensitive to tire insert choices more than anything. in the front you need something pretty firm. But you also dont want the tire to be very heavy. a heavy wheel is more unsprung weight, and unsprung weight contributes to poor response. the only hopup i would really recomend is the mo3r aluminum rear hubs so that you can change camber and roll center. that will really help you put the power down and keep even wear on the tires. And try to keep the car as light as possible, the lighter the m04 is, the better it handles. I recomend aluminum screws, i can sell you a full set of really good ones for $20. Let me know if you have any other questions. i can tell you a lot more about getting the car setup.