This is why I no longer run Tamiyas

[fstnd]

Upgrading to brushless sure improves the handling

 

[WickedFog]

That servo saver in that vid is kaput.

 

[Panko75]

View attachment 195273

https://www.reddit.com/r/tamiya/comments/1dxpfm6/tt02_not_driving_straight_i_think_its_my_fault

I can't tell you how many used Tamiyas I've seen where the description is "I built it, drove it for 3 minutes, then put it on a shelf".

Toss that servo saver and use a cheap horn, either plastic or metal. If you're using one of thosr off-brand servos it should have come with a solid metal horn that will work better.

 

[DavidB1126]

Interesting

https://www.reddit.com/r/tamiya/comments/1dyh3an/steering_slop_fix

 

[WickedFog]

Except for a lot of the slop is on the pins/a-arms and kingpin. That won't fix that.

 

[CertifiedMike]

My first car was a Tamiya Hornet.
I built it stock and drove it a few times. I figured out quickly that it was "lacking". Soooooo, lightweight axle shafts, full bearings, anti-roll bar, about 40 different sets of shocks and springs, Kyosho 240S motor, Futaba Esc...
Guess what??? It went REAL fast before I broke it, pretty much all the time.
When these cars were new, they weren't designed for 6000kv motors or 3s power.
My car couldn't handle the motor I put in it them either.
The car was COOL though! It was EASY to work on and parts were EVERYWHERE making breakage a GREAT reason to head to the hobby shop on Sat and stock up. Maybe you find a new kit that you HAVE to have or just talk about the new line of Trinity motors coming out next week.
I learned a lot with my Tamiya kit back when I was a kid. I don't regret buying the Hornet or the Frog or Blackfoot.
I wish they were more durable but I was no Speed Racer then really. I would have benefitted from a "good" suspension but I would have been unlikely to grasp the suspension concepts racers use/need and prob would have beat the SNOT out of some poor, undeserving RC10.
I feel like Tamiya earned a well deserved place in many of our hearts.

 

[WickedFog]

My first car was a Tamiya Hornet.
I built it stock and drove it a few times. I figured out quickly that it was "lacking". Soooooo, lightweight axle shafts, full bearings, anti-roll bar, about 40 different sets of shocks and springs, Kyosho 240S motor, Futaba Esc...
Guess what??? It went REAL fast before I broke it, pretty much all the time.
When these cars were new, they weren't designed for 6000kv motors or 3s power.
My car couldn't handle the motor I put in it them either.
The car was COOL though! It was EASY to work on and parts were EVERYWHERE making breakage a GREAT reason to head to the hobby shop on Sat and stock up. Maybe you find a new kit that you HAVE to have or just talk about the new line of Trinity motors coming out next week.
I learned a lot with my Tamiya kit back when I was a kid. I don't regret buying the Hornet or the Frog or Blackfoot.
I wish they were more durable but I was no Speed Racer then really. I would have benefitted from a "good" suspension but I would have been unlikely to grasp the suspension concepts racers use/need and prob would have beat the SNOT out of some poor, undeserving RC10.
I feel like Tamiya earned a well deserved place in many of our hearts.

My problem with Tamiya is their cheap stuff has always been kinda toy grade-ish, and their nice stuff is so overpriced it is ridiculous. Some of their high end touring car stuff is like $300+ more than top of the line race chassis from the likes of Yokomo and others.

But I remember putting a badass Trinity in my Javelin and got my butt handed to me in a drag race with a Hornet. We were on pavement though. Off-road, I woulda stomped him.

 

[CertifiedMike]

Lmao! The Hornet's straight axle went well, straight.
I couldn't get it to handle AT ALL off road! Javelin would have ripped my (likely now broken too) Hornet off road!!!
@ Tamiya... Fair enough. I don't know anything about the new stuff. Indeed then is unfortunate if they have gone that route.
I always thought that if I liked a kit enough to buy it, when I found a flaw, weakness or room for improvement otherwise, I TRIED at least before I gave in.
This doesn't excuse things like a poor design on a current racer that isn't addressed by the company. THIS is why I TRY to find cars with good support!
Tamiya is a HUGE company with a LONG racing history.
They KNOW how to build a good car at an affordable price. They KNOW what "GOOD" support for their racing team is and what is required to make it happen.
If they are dropping the ball then its time to consider a different kit.
Thats a pricey, painful bite when it happens.

 

[WickedFog]

Lmao! The Hornet's straight axle went well, straight.
I couldn't get it to handle AT ALL off road! Javelin would have ripped my (likely now broken too) Hornet off road!!!
@ Tamiya... Fair enough. I don't know anything about the new stuff. Indeed then is unfortunate if they have gone that route.
I always thought that if I liked a kit enough to buy it, when I found a flaw, weakness or room for improvement otherwise, I TRIED at least before I gave in.
This doesn't excuse things like a poor design on a current racer that isn't addressed by the company. THIS is why I TRY to find cars with good support!
Tamiya is a HUGE company with a LONG racing history.
They KNOW how to build a good car at an affordable price. They KNOW what "GOOD" support for their racing team is and what is required to make it happen.
If they are dropping the ball then its time to consider a different kit.
Thats a pricey, painful bite when it happens.

This is one I am referring to
https://www.amainhobbies.com/tamiya...fRc2EJU6Vj2gK7m_bVErWXTZmL8upNOhoCwBAQAvD_BwE

Why is that worth nearly $400 more than a nice Yokomo kit?
https://www.amainhobbies.com/yokomo...c-on-road-touring-car-kit-yokmsr-010/p1555102

I have just never understood Tamiya's inflated pricing for their nicer stuff. Take the Bruiser for example.
https://www.amainhobbies.com/tamiya-1-10-toyota-bruiser-4wd-truck-kit-tam58519/p224748

I have the HG P407 clone, which is just about as nice. A lot of the parts are even interchangeable. Ain't no way in hell I'd pay $500 for a Bruiser, yet they are asking over $1000 for it. If their prices were more inline with everyone else, I'd be buying some of their nicer kits.

 

[CertifiedMike]

I agree with the price inflation. The Bruiser is a great example. Unfortunately, I am the target market. I fell in love with that truck when it was the same price in the early 80's.
Maybe that explains THAT kit?
For a grand... I'd really hope for some EXCELLENT support to back thst product. Like I would feel comfortable contacting Tamiya support, direct, Elvis of TRF or the Pope of Tamiya. I don't often need support for a product but when I do, I appreciate being heard. Even if the issue isn't rectified, IF I worked with an actual human who TRIED, I usually feel ok, better at least.
I have had EXCELLENT communication with... get this... Xinlehong, Enoze, DeeRC in China! Given, my chinese isn't so hot but those folks TRY to help me! (Their english is really great actually!) They understand I'm building a frankencar and they want to help me anyways!
Personal customer service through email but fast to answer my questions and even to replace a couple gears that I ordered incorrectly, on their dime. I pay $5 flat shipping. That makes me happy.
Even if the car sucks, the build has been a LOT of fun! (It doesn't suck either btw!) Lol!!!
Sooooo, What makes the TRF kit better than the Yokomo? I haven't a clue. Thats the truth. But for that kind of $$$ I'd be expecting something signifigant.
Have you tried to contact anyone about the steering? Do they offer a fix kit or something? I imagine you are well beyond this point.

 

[WickedFog]

I agree with the price inflation. The Bruiser is a great example. Unfortunately, I am the target market. I fell in love with that truck when it was the same price in the early 80's.
Maybe that explains THAT kit?
For a grand... I'd really hope for some EXCELLENT support to back thst product. Like I would feel comfortable contacting Tamiya support, direct, Elvis of TRF or the Pope of Tamiya. I don't often need support for a product but when I do, I appreciate being heard. Even if the issue isn't rectified, IF I worked with an actual human who TRIED, I usually feel ok, better at least.
I have had EXCELLENT communication with... get this... Xinlehong, Enoze, DeeRC in China! Given, my chinese isn't so hot but those folks TRY to help me! (Their english is really great actually!) They understand I'm building a frankencar and they want to help me anyways!
Personal customer service through email but fast to answer my questions and even to replace a couple gears that I ordered incorrectly, on their dime. I pay $5 flat shipping. That makes me happy.
Even if the car sucks, the build has been a LOT of fun! (It doesn't suck either btw!) Lol!!!
Sooooo, What makes the TRF kit better than the Yokomo? I haven't a clue. Thats the truth. But for that kind of $$$ I'd be expecting something signifigant.
Have you tried to contact anyone about the steering? Do they offer a fix kit or something? I imagine you are well beyond this point.

The steering issues with the TT02 are not fixable. It is just the design of the car creates slop all thrpughout the steering. No aftermarket part is going to fix it. I went so far as to put aluminum upper arms on ours hoping to fix a bit of the steering play and the car still goes wherever it wants. The TT02 chassis is nothing more than a place to display the body.

 

[Panko75]

My first car was a Tamiya Hornet.
I built it stock and drove it a few times. I figured out quickly that it was "lacking". Soooooo, lightweight axle shafts, full bearings, anti-roll bar, about 40 different sets of shocks and springs, Kyosho 240S motor, Futaba Esc...

The Hornet/Grasshopper is one of the few Tamiyas that I still like. If you understand that they're very dated and crude they can be fun. Solid axles handle like crap but they last forever.

My problem with Tamiya is their cheap stuff has always been kinda toy grade-ish, and their nice stuff is so overpriced it is ridiculous. Some of their high end touring car stuff is like $300+ more than top of the line race chassis from the likes of Yokomo and others.

Right now their XV02 is the big talk, $364 for a rolling chassis. I'm not a Traxxas guy but it makes the much more capable (and fun!) Rally look like a bargain.

Another reason why I quit running Tamiyas is that every single build starts like this:

 

[N. Mango]

As my first RC brand, Tamiya has a place for sure.
My 1st was the Grasshopper then a Blackfoot.
I will get both again... one day.

 

[9x19]

My first was a Hornet, way back in 1983... it was fun, but I can live without it.

 

[CertifiedMike]

That sux about the TT02 design flaws. That Yokomo kit looks pretty tempting.
Hopefully you'll be able to sell and recoop some cash!
I don't know enough about on-road to offer a good solution to this. I can't recommend a kit.

I agree that a "race capable" kit shouldn't require hundreds of dollars in upgrades to make it "race ready".

My Hornet is in pieces in a box. I will put it back together one day and run it REAL FAST, STRAIGHT...
Until I clip just about anything and snap another axle tube. Lol!

 

[DavidB1126]

I agree that a "race capable" kit shouldn't require hundreds of dollars in upgrades to make it "race ready".

Heck, the TT02 series isn't even run-able without requiring hundreds of dollars in upgrades. Lol. But upgrades won't fix anything like @WickedFog said.

Well, I take it back. I run mine when I had a receiver in it. I just deal with the steering not returning to center so one second I'm dead center in the street, and in a few seconds ill be at the other side of the street since my car is uncontrollable since the steering rack isn't returning to center. But I haven't used my car in a month since I don't have a receiver for it currently, and its a shelf car. It will be a shelf queen once I get a civic hatchback body I would mount it on the wall near my workbench if I had those sticky hook things.

 

[CertifiedMike]

I have upgraded from one manufacturer to another, resolving ALL issues, in the past. This is fixable!