Had the same problem.

Went back to the stock one, and it's ok.

If you can post a pic to show what's going on

Has anyone used a one-way in the front diff for drifting? Is it worth it or should I just lock it like the rear?

I use x-ray servo saver on the TT-02 I race. It's one of the best if not the best ones you can get. Never had any problems. Now I spend much less on broken parts.

got my white wheels and foams. now ready to go do something

Is it same length with tt02 alum servo saver?

Xray number 372503

FWIW.......using the rubber grommets to mount your steering servo likely induces some slop.

It's tight in there. Needed to move servo forward to better lineup steering linkage. Also help absorb some impact so the plastic parts don't brake.

Man this was my first chassis and I've just had so many issues with it, even after grabbing the aftermarket hopups... Anyone else feel like this? Just gonna list a couple

--> It's REALLY easy to strip the screw threads in the plastic bathtub, thank god it;s only $6 to replace the whole bathtub
--> The stock steering system is so bad, it felt terrible to drive until I replaced my entire steering system with the aluminium hopups + changed all the fixed length steering rods to turnbuckles
--> I have no idea why but I purchased the tamiya cvds to use in place of the stock dogbones which kept falling out during races(?) somehow and the cvd pins keep coming loose even though I've tightened the grub as much as I can
--> The original wheel hexes are so loose and the wheels vibrate way too much, they're much better now that I replaced them with the alu hexes
--> Tamiya's system for mounting the aluminium steering arms is so ridiculous, the mounting grub that holds the post in place can be replaced with just a slightly longer screw that just goes in from the bottom of the chassis, it's much more stable than the mini grub system that tamiya suggests using.
--> Even after purchasing all the steering upgrades it still locks up a little too much for my liking after going through any kind of corner thats <90 degrees
--> The smallest bumps seem to make something go wrong and break something in the chassis it feels extremely fragile

Oh boy, there's a lot to unpack here. i'm going to go line by line.

So, this is a thing people don't tell "you" enough about. First, put grease on the screws as you put them in. This reduces the torque you need, and by reducing the torque you need, you "feel" when it bottoms out. That stops you from stripping the screws. Also, when you re-install a screw into a Tamiya car, turn it backwards first until it "clicks" so you don't cross-thread.
TT01e's run as euro truck without any trouble, with the stock setup. So... does my TT02. Now, trying to drive the stock shoulder screws in, sucks, unless you've got grease on the threads, so they build sloppy unless you go to real effort to get them assembled properly. I tried throwing dollars at the steering with my TT02b. I.. believe now.. that was not money well spent.
What model car do you have? I've never lost a dogbone on a TT02 (normal) car. Or my TT01. The TT02b.. well... there's a lot of BS in that platform. If you want those grub screws to stay in place, some loctite is necessary. Or locking collars. You should also look to make sure your foam or rubber buffers are in your drive cups.
The stock hexes are dependent on clamping force to face them up.
Yup. Yes this is a bit crazy. It's worth it, to keep in mind, that if you make "one part tougher" that stress goes somewhere else.
You need to describe more of what you mean by lock up. Locking up means "stops turning". You'll need to get a bit more into what is actually happening.
That borders on the exact opposite of what the car is designed around.

Throwing parts at cars, rarely solves the problems you think they'll solve. At least "upgrade parts".

So there's a bunch of questions here. First, where are you driving? What surfaces? What have you bought and installed? What did you intend on solving by installing them? Also, what drivetrain are you running?

I'm running a TT02, with bearings. .......... that's it. And a TT02b MS, that has... well more parts than I'd care to admit thrown at it. 13.5brushless isn't being kind to the TT02b. (Fiber shock towers, aluminum rear hubs, Yeah Racing shocks, Aluminum drive shaft, steel drive cups and dogbones, Yeah racing aluminum steering setup, bearings, adjustable camber and toe links..... and i'm sure i'm forgetting things.)

Yup.... it’s lacking a ton. I found the TT01e to be a much better “beginner” chassis. You feel
it with the build and the way it drives. Go figure.

Driving on rough asphalt outdoor track! Bought aluminium replacements for most of the drivetrain + adjustable motor mount from yeah racing to enable me to use 64p gearing. Also got the metal gearbox joints so I can use the universal drive shafts (cvds) because every I hopped a corner a little or bumped my car the stock dogbones would literally fall out. And the racing steering of course. Also bought some turnbuckles because I didn't like that you can't adjust toe in , toe out and the steering felt 10x smoother replacing the servo arm from the fixed length link to a turnbuckle.


Really disappointed to learn that the tt01e comes with turnbuckles but everything on the tt02 is fixed

When I say 'lock up' i mean that when returning cornering it tends have a slight delay before returning to the middle when I steer left/right. I have a friend driving a tb04 and it doesn't seem to have that issue.

Honestly if I was to restart this hobby knowing what I know now I'd probably start with something like the Xpress XQ1S or a 2nd hand xray ..... around the same price point, much better drivetrain and more realistic and adjustable than tamiyas stock models. (Given that you're looking for a 1/10 on-road touring car)

So... I bought my TT02 as a basher. And I ran it on a gravel road. No trouble there....

The TT01e doesn't come with any turnbuckles.

That "lockup" sounds like overtravel on your servo. You can try going to the slightly shorter hole, or fix your EPA to take care of that. Assuming you have a decent radio.

Your experience.. is surprising. They're designed to be durable. And the sealed drivetrain helps that. But if you plan on racing, the TT series cars aren't where it's at. Unless it's needed for the class you're in. If.... You want a new car. PM me, I might have something for you.