7772LikesKyosho Mini-Z Series
04-12-2019, 10:33 AM
#3691
Tech Prophet
iTrader: (9)
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Far south suburbs of Chicago area
Posts: 17,642
Trader Rating: 9 (100%+)
The Banzai site comes up in English on my laptop so no issues there for me.
I have been ordering from Asia for over a decade now and have never had a package go missing. Packages from HK do take 2-3 weeks but Japan is usually no more then 9-10 days and usually 7, more then once I have gotten them in 4-5 days. With that said I have a package inbound from Japan and today was 10 days. I always use the cheapest method of shipping as I find the tracking does not really tell you anything.
YMMV but I have had very good luck on dozens of packages.
Cheers,
Jim
I have been ordering from Asia for over a decade now and have never had a package go missing. Packages from HK do take 2-3 weeks but Japan is usually no more then 9-10 days and usually 7, more then once I have gotten them in 4-5 days. With that said I have a package inbound from Japan and today was 10 days. I always use the cheapest method of shipping as I find the tracking does not really tell you anything.
YMMV but I have had very good luck on dozens of packages.
Cheers,
Jim
Untll last winter I had not had any problems. But 3 orders from RCMART became a nightmare. What’s really strange is that order direct, get no tracking. Order from same place through eBay, you get tracking.
04-12-2019, 02:21 PM
#3693
I would have posted the kenon link, but they were out of stock when I checked. I have ordered banzai a few times, mostly for kyosho tires or kyosho bodies/parts and never had an issue with the cheapest shipping method. I try to order stateside when I can, there are a few local sellers which are reasonably priced and get the product to me very quick (nitro hobbies and power hobbies). Other items I pick up at my local track.
As far as setup, i am a believer that different racers have different interests in what they want out of a car. I do not believe in cookie cutter setups, where one fast guy dictates the setup for most of the racers to follow. This doesn't allow the other racers to learn any setup ability, and can often give them a car which they are not in tune with as a driver. Very often when asked to recommend a setup, I need to evaluate what the driver is looking for in the car, what they have tried and how they felt with that. I typically run a stiffer front end and lower traction front tire than many people that I race against, this is my preference for what I want out of my car. When recommending setups, I often remove my personal opinions and preferences, and evaluate from what the majority of people prefer in a setup. It is difficult to do unless you have tried just about every setup and understand the strengths and weaknesses behind them. Im still learning every time i go to the track, and often try configurations outside of my comfort zone to see how they perform relative to my comfortable setups.
my buddies make comments that I rarely drive the same setup after I get a win with it at the local track. I change the body, and try different things to see if it is better or worse and add that to the mini-z encyclopedia. I do like to run weird unique setups for fun just to see if I can get them to perform. I also typically avoid the "need to use this body to be fast" mentality.
for example, my superstock car from this past weekend was a 94mm 360gtc, with 0mm wheels all around... I think there was one other 94mm body used during the race weekend. The car was smooth, slightly pushy on turn in, but had loads of exit stability. I had intended to use the 98mm large McLaren, but the pn 98 v5 mount didn't arrive until after I had swapped the 94 mount in and I didn't have time to adjust the setup.
As far as setup, i am a believer that different racers have different interests in what they want out of a car. I do not believe in cookie cutter setups, where one fast guy dictates the setup for most of the racers to follow. This doesn't allow the other racers to learn any setup ability, and can often give them a car which they are not in tune with as a driver. Very often when asked to recommend a setup, I need to evaluate what the driver is looking for in the car, what they have tried and how they felt with that. I typically run a stiffer front end and lower traction front tire than many people that I race against, this is my preference for what I want out of my car. When recommending setups, I often remove my personal opinions and preferences, and evaluate from what the majority of people prefer in a setup. It is difficult to do unless you have tried just about every setup and understand the strengths and weaknesses behind them. Im still learning every time i go to the track, and often try configurations outside of my comfort zone to see how they perform relative to my comfortable setups.
my buddies make comments that I rarely drive the same setup after I get a win with it at the local track. I change the body, and try different things to see if it is better or worse and add that to the mini-z encyclopedia. I do like to run weird unique setups for fun just to see if I can get them to perform. I also typically avoid the "need to use this body to be fast" mentality.
for example, my superstock car from this past weekend was a 94mm 360gtc, with 0mm wheels all around... I think there was one other 94mm body used during the race weekend. The car was smooth, slightly pushy on turn in, but had loads of exit stability. I had intended to use the 98mm large McLaren, but the pn 98 v5 mount didn't arrive until after I had swapped the 94 mount in and I didn't have time to adjust the setup.
04-13-2019, 06:31 PM
#3694
Tech Adept
Here are some pictures of the cars fron the PNNAC race this past weekend.
Stock class I used a car which was developed for a 6hr endurance race. It was also predominantly a small track setup, which I changed the front springs to a harder spring for this race. Gearing was 14/51 with the 3500kv motor and standard rotor. I did not change rotors on any car. I used PN KS soft f-type rear tires with kyosho 30d slicks trued to 22.4mm on 19mm 2mm offset front wheels. If I would have made one more change, it would have been to use the W2 Atomic upper hinge tower bar to have 2d caster, but that was left at home.
Superstock I used my Kyosho Stock brushless chassis, and just swapped the rear pod for a PN 94 LCG pod with disc damper. Soldered on some lipo wire harnesses and used r246 LiFe battery clips and weight set (weights sit under batteries). I also used the same soft/k30 combo on this car.
Pan car I used a 102mm GLR, which I felt had more entrance steering and stability than the 98mm on this layout. 5500kv geared 11/53. I used 1d knuckles, and kit springs. Steel chassis deck. PN ks f-type super soft rear and pn firm or kyosho 20 slick on 19mm wheels trued to 22mm.
track conditions would swing a bit and made the firm a better option when it went down and 20 a better option when up. It was hard to know which to choose at the time. The firm provides more initial steering while the kyosho is more progressive also allowing more slip angle than the firm. The PN were faster by about 2-3 tenths, however, it was not as forgiving in traffic due to requiring less steering travel to be effective. This really hurt me in A2, where I had good pace but any incident required a 3 point turn to get back on track eating up precious time. I think that I could have finished that race in 3rd had I not had to do as many slow maneuvers instead of the 5th place finish that I had. In A3 I used the kyosho and was much more comfortable for the most part. In open track, I preferred the feel of the firm, but in traffic I preferred the kyosho. The 102mm chassis was on the verge of graining the 20, where the 98mm chassis had not.
Stock class I used a car which was developed for a 6hr endurance race. It was also predominantly a small track setup, which I changed the front springs to a harder spring for this race. Gearing was 14/51 with the 3500kv motor and standard rotor. I did not change rotors on any car. I used PN KS soft f-type rear tires with kyosho 30d slicks trued to 22.4mm on 19mm 2mm offset front wheels. If I would have made one more change, it would have been to use the W2 Atomic upper hinge tower bar to have 2d caster, but that was left at home.
Superstock I used my Kyosho Stock brushless chassis, and just swapped the rear pod for a PN 94 LCG pod with disc damper. Soldered on some lipo wire harnesses and used r246 LiFe battery clips and weight set (weights sit under batteries). I also used the same soft/k30 combo on this car.
Pan car I used a 102mm GLR, which I felt had more entrance steering and stability than the 98mm on this layout. 5500kv geared 11/53. I used 1d knuckles, and kit springs. Steel chassis deck. PN ks f-type super soft rear and pn firm or kyosho 20 slick on 19mm wheels trued to 22mm.
track conditions would swing a bit and made the firm a better option when it went down and 20 a better option when up. It was hard to know which to choose at the time. The firm provides more initial steering while the kyosho is more progressive also allowing more slip angle than the firm. The PN were faster by about 2-3 tenths, however, it was not as forgiving in traffic due to requiring less steering travel to be effective. This really hurt me in A2, where I had good pace but any incident required a 3 point turn to get back on track eating up precious time. I think that I could have finished that race in 3rd had I not had to do as many slow maneuvers instead of the 5th place finish that I had. In A3 I used the kyosho and was much more comfortable for the most part. In open track, I preferred the feel of the firm, but in traffic I preferred the kyosho. The 102mm chassis was on the verge of graining the 20, where the 98mm chassis had not.
04-14-2019, 07:23 PM
#3695
Finished up my track including a removable section that rests on top of folding work table. Found my FPV gear and decided to strap it on my Mini-z. TV shows what I see with my goggles. I can definitely feel whats going on with the car a lot better with FPV but the lack of peripheral vision makes it more difficult to hit the corners consistently.
04-15-2019, 04:29 PM
#3697
Tech Adept
That's normal. Just have to drive deeper into the turn.
04-15-2019, 05:06 PM
#3698
Gotcha.
I have a new issue. I've lost rear traction somehow. I've swapped tires between the stock car and the on with the 50t and both have lost rear traction. The rear tires are Kyosho treaded 20s. One pair is pretty new and the other pair is worn slick. The slicks work better, but still bad. When I go to turn the rear end swings out, but not smoothly. Its more like stuttering and bouncing. With the stock car I used to be able to floor it around a 90 and now that's completely gone. My track is in the basement and I keep the humidity around 45-50%. It's EVA foam so not the exact same as RCP. I've cleaned the tires with tape and that didn't help much.
I figured it out. Just had to vacuum that track. lol
I have a new issue. I've lost rear traction somehow. I've swapped tires between the stock car and the on with the 50t and both have lost rear traction. The rear tires are Kyosho treaded 20s. One pair is pretty new and the other pair is worn slick. The slicks work better, but still bad. When I go to turn the rear end swings out, but not smoothly. Its more like stuttering and bouncing. With the stock car I used to be able to floor it around a 90 and now that's completely gone. My track is in the basement and I keep the humidity around 45-50%. It's EVA foam so not the exact same as RCP. I've cleaned the tires with tape and that didn't help much.
I figured it out. Just had to vacuum that track. lol
Last edited by Bmr4life; 04-15-2019 at 06:34 PM.
04-15-2019, 05:57 PM
#3699
Tech Adept
Wires binding? Loss of suspension travel can result in loss of traction. I actually had the same issue recently and it was the motor wires between the motor mount and the chassis. Your tires could also be catching the outside of the wheel well.
04-16-2019, 06:38 AM
#3700
Tech Rookie
Hi all,
So I ordered the mz217 motor mount and front springs. Anything to take note when installing the motor mount to optimize its performance?
Also, I noticed my wheels on the RWD which comes with bearings doesn’t spin freely. Is there anything I can do to make it spin more freely?
So I ordered the mz217 motor mount and front springs. Anything to take note when installing the motor mount to optimize its performance?
Also, I noticed my wheels on the RWD which comes with bearings doesn’t spin freely. Is there anything I can do to make it spin more freely?
04-16-2019, 07:01 AM
#3701
Hi all,
So I ordered the mz217 motor mount and front springs. Anything to take note when installing the motor mount to optimize its performance?
Also, I noticed my wheels on the RWD which comes with bearings doesn’t spin freely. Is there anything I can do to make it spin more freely?
So I ordered the mz217 motor mount and front springs. Anything to take note when installing the motor mount to optimize its performance?
Also, I noticed my wheels on the RWD which comes with bearings doesn’t spin freely. Is there anything I can do to make it spin more freely?
As for the motor mount you will have to do some trimming to get the motor wires to exit it smoothly. it will be quite clear where you have to shave some plastic,
Cheers,
Jim
04-16-2019, 09:43 AM
#3702
More motor, will change the operating temperatures of the tire, and change how the traction of the surface reacts as well. You might need to break the motor in a bit by running it. Typically, the 50t is a relatively low drag motor. But, compared to a Kyosho stock motor, everything is higher drag. You can play with the throttle trim slightly to adjust how it rolls through the corners, and slightly use throttle as you approach the mid corner to roll through it more smoothly. Getting to know a new motor is often like having a new dance partner, it can change your relationship with the car entirely and will take some time to adjust and build the muscle memory so that you instinctively know its next move.
04-16-2019, 01:01 PM
#3703
Tech Adept
Hi all,
So I ordered the mz217 motor mount and front springs. Anything to take note when installing the motor mount to optimize its performance?
Also, I noticed my wheels on the RWD which comes with bearings doesn’t spin freely. Is there anything I can do to make it spin more freely?
So I ordered the mz217 motor mount and front springs. Anything to take note when installing the motor mount to optimize its performance?
Also, I noticed my wheels on the RWD which comes with bearings doesn’t spin freely. Is there anything I can do to make it spin more freely?
04-16-2019, 01:03 PM
#3704
I do the same procedure, but rather than run them dry, I use a Fast by Faqish metal treatment/lubricant on the bearings. Similar to a light bearing oil but it bonds to the bearings for a much longer lubrication.
04-16-2019, 01:29 PM
#3705
Tech Addict
iTrader: (2)
I'm considering getting into Mini-Z...currently running 1/10 & 1/8 off-road, plus in the process of building my first 1/10 on-road...but I haven't yet decided. Anyway, I don't know if the Mini-Zs use standard bearings, or just the balls. If it's just the balls, one "trick" you might also try is using is putting some Tamiya Fluorine coating fluid on the bearing balls. They won't be as smooth as the Ceramic balls, but it will be as close as you can get without actually having Ceramic balls. Back to building my USGT car.