Micro-T Upgrade Value
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SuperFly
- bitPimp
- Posts: 2760
- Joined: Mon May 05, 2003 6:37 pm
- Location: nationwide
Micro-T Upgrade Value
This is a question to those of you that have fully tricked out a Micro-T (CrazyDave, Bilbo, LBRC, ph2t, Clint...): What is the best bang for the buck upgrade? What upgrades do you think make the biggest difference from stock? If you had $80-$100 to spend upgrading a stock Micro-T, what would you do?
There's so many places to mess around, chassis, suspension, electronics, motors, etc, I'm not sure where to start. I'm mainly interested in improving durability, handling, ease of use and speed, in that order. TIA biatches!
There's so many places to mess around, chassis, suspension, electronics, motors, etc, I'm not sure where to start. I'm mainly interested in improving durability, handling, ease of use and speed, in that order. TIA biatches!
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SHAUN
- bitDisciple
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Clint
- bitPimp
- Posts: 519
- Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2003 7:20 am
- Location: Albany, NY
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#1 Shocks. However you do it, homebrew or atomic...grease/oil damped
shocks definitly make the biggest overall difference.
#2 Chassis - 5-10$ from dragonplate for their samples of 1/32 + 1/16th
CF if you are into the DIY.. otherwise rippers exo chassis.
#3 diff lube - 6$ tube of mobil 1 synthetic grease. This stuff just plain
works. best grease on the planet. keeping the diff alive will allow you to
enjoy the car more.
shocks definitly make the biggest overall difference.
#2 Chassis - 5-10$ from dragonplate for their samples of 1/32 + 1/16th
CF if you are into the DIY.. otherwise rippers exo chassis.
#3 diff lube - 6$ tube of mobil 1 synthetic grease. This stuff just plain
works. best grease on the planet. keeping the diff alive will allow you to
enjoy the car more.
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crazydave
- bitPimp
- Posts: 6874
- Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2003 9:05 am
- Location: Koolsville
Alright, here's my top 10 list of hop ups ranked by how much effect it has on the car vs. dollar value.
Actually I think this is basically the ten hop ups I've done.
I highly reccomend thetoyz.com. Great selection of Micro-T stuff, and it always gets here day after tomorrow, plus I think they're in Washington, good for you... as if the shipping could get faster.
#1- damper grease, and stiffer springs. (You probably have some Mini-Z or Xmod springs sets around.) I really cannot rationalize $30 for Atomic shocks. I greased the stock shocks and they are smoother and get better damping action. They're actually really good friction dampers. The head of the Atomic's shock shaft is a bit small and loose in the body, and tends to get stuck in the bottom hole of the body when the shocks sit fully extended for any length of time. (That's mostly just my rear ones) They do however have a beefier shaft and an aluminum body which should last the life of the car, and the threads for the preload adjustment are really fine, giving you fine degree of control over preload adjustment. Oh yeah, and I suppose they look pretty cool too.
#2- Extended chassis. I think Ripper's chassis is only like $15. It's gonna require some hacking to the stock chassis, but I figure a new stock chassis is only $15, so WTH. There's quite a bit of flex in the front end, but that doesn't have much effect at this scale. Its also a good template for if you want to make your own later, because $80 for these aftermarket ones is outrageous. This is the best thing you can do for handling. Moving the weight forwards gives better steering, and makes it much more stable when jumping and landing. It just feels way more planted. The extra room also opens up battery options for you.
#4 Atomic BB motor. Yeah the name is misleading, but it is slightly faster than stock and only $10. The stock motor will wear out eventually anyways, so why not?
#5 7.2v 180mah and 4.8v 300mah battery packs. Everyone knows more cells are the shortcut to more speed. When you have the extended chassis the 7.2 pack is way fun. I bought some packs from bphobbies.com for $6 an reconfigured them to fit. If you want longer runtime and more controlled racing, the extra weight of the larger 300mah cells seems to help keep the car planted better, and the cells that ph2t hooked me up with seem punchier than my other batteries.
#6 Rear pivot block. I broke mine, and I'm not really that abusive. I think this is a weak link that should be alloy. You've probably read that I thought the Hot Racing one is crap, but the Atomic ones are good.
#7 Adjustable rear camber links. I haven't really had a chance to test the effects of camber on the Micro-T, but I know this is a valuable tuning aid for larger scales, and at $6, again, why not?
#8 Bag of e clips. I don't have a problem with eclips. They pop right off with an Exacto blade. Cup your hand around the wheel and you shouldn't lose it. Pop it right back on with a pair of needlenose. The second part is where I lose my clips, but I think its faster than twisting a nut, and you can get a bag of Mini-T e-clips for $1.50, so why not go with less rotational mass, and better looks. You know every gram of rotational mass has double the effect on your handling than non-rotational mass.
#9 Nylon guitar pick steering linkage. haven't broke one yet, and I've broke alot of steering linkages.
#10 Heatsink motor plate. The motor gets hot, so like I say, why not?
Oh yeah, and bearings... ok, this list is assuming you already have bearings... yeah that's the ticket. Then you'll probably want a new body once you extend the chassis. Yep there probably more, but this is what I've done, and I'm happy.
Hey, just noticed Clints post at the bottom of my page and he has the same top 2 must be on to something there.
Actually I think this is basically the ten hop ups I've done.
I highly reccomend thetoyz.com. Great selection of Micro-T stuff, and it always gets here day after tomorrow, plus I think they're in Washington, good for you... as if the shipping could get faster.
#1- damper grease, and stiffer springs. (You probably have some Mini-Z or Xmod springs sets around.) I really cannot rationalize $30 for Atomic shocks. I greased the stock shocks and they are smoother and get better damping action. They're actually really good friction dampers. The head of the Atomic's shock shaft is a bit small and loose in the body, and tends to get stuck in the bottom hole of the body when the shocks sit fully extended for any length of time. (That's mostly just my rear ones) They do however have a beefier shaft and an aluminum body which should last the life of the car, and the threads for the preload adjustment are really fine, giving you fine degree of control over preload adjustment. Oh yeah, and I suppose they look pretty cool too.
#2- Extended chassis. I think Ripper's chassis is only like $15. It's gonna require some hacking to the stock chassis, but I figure a new stock chassis is only $15, so WTH. There's quite a bit of flex in the front end, but that doesn't have much effect at this scale. Its also a good template for if you want to make your own later, because $80 for these aftermarket ones is outrageous. This is the best thing you can do for handling. Moving the weight forwards gives better steering, and makes it much more stable when jumping and landing. It just feels way more planted. The extra room also opens up battery options for you.
#4 Atomic BB motor. Yeah the name is misleading, but it is slightly faster than stock and only $10. The stock motor will wear out eventually anyways, so why not?
#5 7.2v 180mah and 4.8v 300mah battery packs. Everyone knows more cells are the shortcut to more speed. When you have the extended chassis the 7.2 pack is way fun. I bought some packs from bphobbies.com for $6 an reconfigured them to fit. If you want longer runtime and more controlled racing, the extra weight of the larger 300mah cells seems to help keep the car planted better, and the cells that ph2t hooked me up with seem punchier than my other batteries.
#6 Rear pivot block. I broke mine, and I'm not really that abusive. I think this is a weak link that should be alloy. You've probably read that I thought the Hot Racing one is crap, but the Atomic ones are good.
#7 Adjustable rear camber links. I haven't really had a chance to test the effects of camber on the Micro-T, but I know this is a valuable tuning aid for larger scales, and at $6, again, why not?
#8 Bag of e clips. I don't have a problem with eclips. They pop right off with an Exacto blade. Cup your hand around the wheel and you shouldn't lose it. Pop it right back on with a pair of needlenose. The second part is where I lose my clips, but I think its faster than twisting a nut, and you can get a bag of Mini-T e-clips for $1.50, so why not go with less rotational mass, and better looks. You know every gram of rotational mass has double the effect on your handling than non-rotational mass.
#9 Nylon guitar pick steering linkage. haven't broke one yet, and I've broke alot of steering linkages.
#10 Heatsink motor plate. The motor gets hot, so like I say, why not?
Oh yeah, and bearings... ok, this list is assuming you already have bearings... yeah that's the ticket. Then you'll probably want a new body once you extend the chassis. Yep there probably more, but this is what I've done, and I'm happy.
Hey, just noticed Clints post at the bottom of my page and he has the same top 2 must be on to something there.
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BilboBaggins
- bitHobbit
- Posts: 1447
- Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2003 7:35 am
- Location: Bag End, Hobbiton, Shire, Middle Earth
- Contact:
My personal mods are mostly cheap and can be done by anyone with a pin vise (small hand drill), hobby knife and a set of small files.
1. Guitar Pick Steering Linkage. As soon as I heard about this one I went to the Guitar Center near my in-laws and picked up a pack of Nylon Picks. They had many different colors but I went with the cheap white ones.
2. Ball Bearings. I'm using BRP bearings but probably others will work for you.
3. Threaded Axles with lock nuts. There is a reason the people at the track/LHS I go to call them "OH JESUS" clips. I'm notorious to having them fly across the house. I'm currently using Hot Racing's but If I hear of any that are a little longer in the threaded part. I've been looking at 3racing's axles (I think the rears will have a universal or cvd).
4. Styrene Rear camber link. I took a piece of .060 x .100 styrene bar and used an extra camber link to get the holes in the stock location. I have to thin the bar by half for clearance. You can adjust the holes on future links to adjust camber. I'm too cheap to get the buy adjustable ones.
5. Antenna replacement/Antenna tube. If you have some left over Cat5 or a spare metal guitar string then replace it (as soon as the warranty expires
) this is best if you are running with the ESC cover removed. But if like me like to keep it looking stock you can also drill a larger hole into the cover to fit an antenna tube (I'm using trinity's that I got for the 18th scale cars.) You will have to reinforce the cover because it will crack when you roll over like I do. I used some spare styrene and Citadel/Games Workshop plastic glue (it melts the plastic together) and I then painted it.
6. Prophet Plus LCD AC/DC Peak Charger. This one has adjustable charging rates so you can charge the stock battery pack at a lower rate to make it last longer. You can use it to charge all your packs if you make a plug adapter (it comes with a Tamiya plug).
These next ones are ones I'm thinking of spending the money on.
7. Aluminum Front Spindle Set.
8. Aluminum C Hub Set.
9. Aluminum Front Pivot Block.
10. Aluminum Rear Pivot Block.
11. Aluminum Rear Hub.
12. Front and Rear Street Meat Tires. I don't run off road
I live in a city, concrete, asphalt no dirt paths.
To possibly make.
13. Chassis. If I can get some Carbon fiber or a decent piece of Lexan I may make a chassis to use bigger battery pack. I'm wondering if I can fit some of the 2/3A batteries into the car (1400Mahs I'll run forever.
)
This next one won't be tried for a while.
14. Spektrum Radio Gear. YES I AM SLIGHTLY NUTS. But think about it, 2.4Gh, a possible 79 channels, with NO INTERFERENCE. Wait 79 cars on the indoor track, think NASCAR at Bristol, a wreckfest. If I do get one (saving my pennies right now) I may try and see if I can fit a receiver, Novak Spy ESC and the smallest servo I can find and possibly a transponder into one of these things. Where I run they will not race them unless we can get transponders into them. There is a small personal transponder but we need to either put in a female plug or wire it into the battery points on the ESC. With a real receiver the transponder will plug right into it.
1. Guitar Pick Steering Linkage. As soon as I heard about this one I went to the Guitar Center near my in-laws and picked up a pack of Nylon Picks. They had many different colors but I went with the cheap white ones.
2. Ball Bearings. I'm using BRP bearings but probably others will work for you.
3. Threaded Axles with lock nuts. There is a reason the people at the track/LHS I go to call them "OH JESUS" clips. I'm notorious to having them fly across the house. I'm currently using Hot Racing's but If I hear of any that are a little longer in the threaded part. I've been looking at 3racing's axles (I think the rears will have a universal or cvd).
4. Styrene Rear camber link. I took a piece of .060 x .100 styrene bar and used an extra camber link to get the holes in the stock location. I have to thin the bar by half for clearance. You can adjust the holes on future links to adjust camber. I'm too cheap to get the buy adjustable ones.
5. Antenna replacement/Antenna tube. If you have some left over Cat5 or a spare metal guitar string then replace it (as soon as the warranty expires
) this is best if you are running with the ESC cover removed. But if like me like to keep it looking stock you can also drill a larger hole into the cover to fit an antenna tube (I'm using trinity's that I got for the 18th scale cars.) You will have to reinforce the cover because it will crack when you roll over like I do. I used some spare styrene and Citadel/Games Workshop plastic glue (it melts the plastic together) and I then painted it.6. Prophet Plus LCD AC/DC Peak Charger. This one has adjustable charging rates so you can charge the stock battery pack at a lower rate to make it last longer. You can use it to charge all your packs if you make a plug adapter (it comes with a Tamiya plug).
These next ones are ones I'm thinking of spending the money on.
7. Aluminum Front Spindle Set.
8. Aluminum C Hub Set.
9. Aluminum Front Pivot Block.
10. Aluminum Rear Pivot Block.
11. Aluminum Rear Hub.
12. Front and Rear Street Meat Tires. I don't run off road
I live in a city, concrete, asphalt no dirt paths.To possibly make.
13. Chassis. If I can get some Carbon fiber or a decent piece of Lexan I may make a chassis to use bigger battery pack. I'm wondering if I can fit some of the 2/3A batteries into the car (1400Mahs I'll run forever.
)This next one won't be tried for a while.
14. Spektrum Radio Gear. YES I AM SLIGHTLY NUTS. But think about it, 2.4Gh, a possible 79 channels, with NO INTERFERENCE. Wait 79 cars on the indoor track, think NASCAR at Bristol, a wreckfest. If I do get one (saving my pennies right now) I may try and see if I can fit a receiver, Novak Spy ESC and the smallest servo I can find and possibly a transponder into one of these things. Where I run they will not race them unless we can get transponders into them. There is a small personal transponder but we need to either put in a female plug or wire it into the battery points on the ESC. With a real receiver the transponder will plug right into it.
Sitting at my workbench in my comfortable little Hobbit hole.