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OK, I was on eBay and I saw a Mini Z that had a low enough price near the end of it's auction for me to bid on.

And surprisingly I won the auction.

It's the PT Cruiser Mini Z (I checked later on kyosho's site to find out it is a 01 chassis). I got it for $50.00 + reasonable shipping.

Now the questions.

1. What the differences between the 01, 015 and 02 chassis?
2. What other Mini Z bodies will fit this chassis? I'm assuming the wheelbase is adjustable similar to my xmods.
3. Upgrades for a car that won't be bashing in races (unless there is somewhere in Philadelphia, PA to race that I don't know about). Other words, what parts break early from normal wear and tear. I know I'll be getting some bearings but what else. I can't see me needing a Nelly anytime soon.

I was looking on Toyeast and they have a new version of the Firelap 02 out. Is it any good, or just a good cheap start for a car you are going to upgrade like crazy?

Wow, where to start.

I could write a 10 page long response to your questions, but I think you should do some searches here first:

http://mini-zracer.com/forums/

I have my kids solo today so I can't write a big response, but quickly:

1. the differences between the 01, 015 and 02 are chassis design. While there are lots of differences, the major things are that the 01 has the batteries stacked vertically on the sides of the chassis (giving it a narrower profile and higher c of g), while the 02 has them laying flat in the bottom of the chassis. The 015, as you might guess, is sort of a hybrid.

2. Any 01 body should work, and many 02 bodies will as well. The wheelbase lengths don't vary as much as they do with xmods, but you have to use wheels with the correct offset for your body. You'll just need to figure out what the wheelbase length and wheel offset is for the PT Cruiser and go from there.

3. If you don't have alloy knuckles, I would either get them or get several sets of plastic ones.

Tires are critical. They come in different degrees of softness, 08s being the stickiest, and 50s being the hardest. I would definitely get yourself some 08s for the rear, no matter what you're driving on.

A ball diff is a really nice upgrade, and I highly recommend spending the extra and getting a Kyosho one.

H-plates break, I'd keep a few of those around.

All these recommendations are assuming you are driving this indoors but not on an RCP track.

SuperFly wrote:2. Any 01 body should work, and many 02 bodies will as well. The wheelbase lengths don't vary as much as they do with xmods, but you have to use wheels with the correct offset for your body. You'll just need to figure out what the wheelbase length and wheel offset is for the PT Cruiser and go from there.

I was looking at bodies, and there are a few on AusMicro that are unpainted (white) that looked cool. I just don't want to waste money on a body that won't fit.

SuperFly wrote:3. If you don't have alloy knuckles, I would either get them or get several sets of plastic ones.

Alloys it is.

SuperFly wrote:Tires are critical. They come in different degrees of softness, 08s being the stickiest, and 50s being the hardest. I would definitely get yourself some 08s for the rear, no matter what you're driving on.

Well hard wood, carpets and asphalt will probably be my main surfaces. I was thinking to try some middle ground tires (softer in the rear) but now I may rethink it. I'll definately see how it runs with the stock tires before I go crazy

SuperFly wrote:A ball diff is a really nice upgrade, and I highly recommend spending the extra and getting a Kyosho one.

H-plates break, I'd keep a few of those around.

All these recommendations are assuming you are driving this indoors but not on an RCP track.

Now the big question, where is the fairest to deal with. I don't think my LHS has anything worth while (I may check because I need paint for my Micro T bodies.) The Hobbytown I hit by my in-laws doesn't stock Kyosho (couldn't get enough a break on the price to make money.)[/quote]

The stock tires are for shit.... You can find some decent deals @ Dinball, or @ RC Kennon<sp? Superfly, and hue know who I be talkin bout. He's got good deals too, and he's state side.

I beat my Z like it owes me money, but my knuckles seem to be fine.

I had a head on crash with another Z (both MR02MM chassis) and his tacoed. Cracked his chassis in half, and his body too. Mine sped away as always.

I'll come up, and race Zs with supe, and hue, if they'll come down for a nitro fix...


My Mini Z is one of the funnest r/cs I've ever owned.



silla

You'll like it. I have mine for YEARS and it is the best small rc ever.
I'd suggest to get soft tires, diff, and damper + springs.
At a minimum of mods/upgrades they would be most effective to begin with.
Just my 2 cents
good buy, BilboBaggins

It just arrived. I ran a little test and it's looks good. I'll have to take it with me to the in-laws hardwood floor to give it a real tryout.

I'm going to be reading the manual the few days. The only thing I saw so far that I'll have to figure out is the braking. On my X-Mods I hit reverse and it uses brakes and then hit it again it goes into reverse. The Mini Z seems to go straight into reverse every time (like my brother's old Tamiya Hornet with the mechanical speed control.) This seems it'll be tough on the driveline.

I was wondering, are the tires the same size as the X-Mods?

Can I use the same locknuts?

I know more questions.

BilboBaggins wrote:It just arrived. I ran a little test and it's looks good. I'll have to take it with me to the in-laws hardwood floor to give it a real tryout.

I'm going to be reading the manual the few days. The only thing I saw so far that I'll have to figure out is the braking. On my X-Mods I hit reverse and it uses brakes and then hit it again it goes into reverse. The Mini Z seems to go straight into reverse every time (like my brother's old Tamiya Hornet with the mechanical speed control.) This seems it'll be tough on the driveline.

I was wondering, are the tires the same size as the X-Mods?

Can I use the same locknuts?

I know more questions.

Brakes were added to the mini-z MR02, and maybe the 015, I'm not sure. To be honest, I've thought about dropping an 01 board in an 02 chassis to get rid of that function. When you're racing, getting into reverse quickly is more important than using brakes. As far as wear and tear on the drivetrain, I'm not sure going into reverse is any harder than brakes, since it's using the motor for braking anyway.

Not sure about the tires and locknuts, though I should know.

Yup, no brakes on the 01 chassis. The lock nuts will work.




silla

I don't usually use the brake function on the xmods but it is handy at times. It I were racing I can see the point on both having and not having brakes.

For having them you can pass entering the corners harder (pass under braking). When I drove slot cars I used to brake very late, others disabled their brakes and would coast into the corners. To each their own.

For not having them you can use the reverse to do some very quick stops. My thinking is the going from forward to reverse instantly could harm the gears (was always told this when I played with 10th scale) but I never saw it happen to cars I used.

Well I hit eBay again.

I got a kyosho ball diff for my MR01 for $23.00 including shipping. I think it was a good price, most I saw were over $30 plus shipping.

Now to look for the ball bearings. Are there differences between the companies making them?

Then tires and rims and maybe a different body or three. It would be nice if they sold the rims as sets marked for which body the are for.

White bodies I'm looking at:
PT Cruiser (yeah I have a cruiser but I'm thinking of making a panel cruiser version)
Shelby Cobra 427
VW Beetle
Dodge Viper
Chrysler 300C (Baby Bentley)
Mini Cooper S

I think I'll look on eBay for a cheap MR02 (I'm hoping for the same price range as I paid for my MR01.) I was thinking of the firelap but I've read too many bad things about them. If I was going to upgrade the entire car anyway then the firelap might be a good choice, but I'm planning on keeping them mainly only upgrading parts that really need them (can you say knuckles).

A couple things:

Great buy on that ball diff. That is the one to get, and that's a great price.

The best bearings are the Mini-ZRacer.com brand dry racing bearings.

Don't worry so much about wheel/body offset. It matters, but it's not critical. There are a few bodies where you really have to be careful, like the Enzo. But for the most part, most wheels will fit most bodies.

I can tell you from experience the viper is a bad body for driving. Extremely roll-y. Then again, compared to bodies like the PT and the Beetle, it might not seem that bad.

SuperFly wrote:The best bearings are the Mini-ZRacer.com brand dry racing bearings.

Cool. I was seeing some called Yeah (sp?) from Dinball on eBay. I now see ceramic bearings fro some RC (Micro T Mainly) they are expensive but claim to last longer. I believe I'm going with good old reliable ball bearings, I'm not racing it.

SuperFly wrote:Don't worry so much about wheel/body offset. It matters, but it's not critical. There are a few bodies where you really have to be careful, like the Enzo. But for the most part, most wheels will fit most bodies.

That's good to know, I figured the offset was for handling and looks.

SuperFly wrote:I can tell you from experience the viper is a bad body for driving. Extremely roll-y. Then again, compared to bodies like the PT and the Beetle, it might not seem that bad.

Hmmm. Interesting. Gives me something to think about.