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Old 2017.12.05, 05:36 PM   #1
mortimerXIV
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So I got a Mini Z, now what?

Hey all,

I recently got a mini z MR-03S2. Excited to try it out, I put it on my tiled floor (where I had space), and the thing spun out of control. After about 30 minutes of spinning and spinning (and spinning), I put it on a foam pad, and it had good traction! New batteries, bad traction. I've since acquired a large amount of foam tiles to build a poor-mans RCP track, but I'm still having some issues, and was hoping for some advice!

1. If I pull the throttle down all the way, the car will inevitably spin out of control, even if I'm just going straight. No degree of trim finesse seems to fix this. I've got the stock rubber tires on a foam track - is that bad? Should I get new tires? Would a gyro help my car go straight?

2. Braking. Always guarantees my car doing a ~ 180-degree spin. If you brake while steering straight, the car sometimes spins clockwise, sometimes counter clockwise, but it always spins. Which begs the question - do people actually ever use the brake when racing? What do I need to do, to be able to brake on a straight away and not spin out (or brake while turning and not spin out)? Do people mix and match different drive tires and steering tires to manage this?

3. What else have people done to build rcp-like tracks? I've basically gotten a bunch of these https://www.harborfreight.com/4-piec...set-94635.html, and can use the edges to build an outer barrier, but I'm curious to hear what other DIY-ers have done to build a configurable / customizable interior walls, that are easy to reconfigure, but are sturdy when they're crashed in to?

Cheers,
mortimerXIV
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Old 2017.12.05, 05:47 PM   #2
cowboysir
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1.The stock tires usually suck.

Tires on faux RCP is hit and miss so you might be advised to check a couple different types. Kyosho make decent tires that perform well in a stock chassis. Usually you get softer rears (Kyosho 20 as example) and medium fronts (Kyosho 30)

Try swapping tires first as that usually fixes a huge amount of spin issues. Once you get adept you can focus energies on changing the differential and t-plates to develop better power application.

If you have a stock transmitter braking is tougher than you think. I only ever got good at braking when I could adjust the forward and reverse power end-points when I upgraded to a programmable transmitter.

If you have a track layout try throttle-coasting into the corner-throttle pickup on exit....
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Old 2017.12.06, 01:47 PM   #3
standupnfall
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Congrats on the purchase.

I agree on the tires, biggest bang for the buck. Then if you are ordering some parts a softer tplate and the front spring set are a good starting point.

Make sure you have the cars steeting trimmed correctly on the transmitter. If it doesn't go straight on it's own slowly it will only be worse during hard acceleration or braking.

Since you ran it on a floor to start you may have gotten fuzz or hairs in the front or back wheels. Good to remove all the wheels and clean that off periodically. While you are at it make sure you don't overtighten and bind the wheels.

How does it behave on low pile carpeting like office carpet? That or Foam are the best to run on in my opinion.
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Old 2017.12.06, 01:50 PM   #4
standupnfall
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And I see you are from NY. Come down to Bruckner Hobbies (Hobby Heros) in the Bronx and race or practice with us this Friday night. We run on carpet and the store stocks everything you need there from various tires to full build parts.

Practice starts around 5pm and races start by 7-7:30pm.
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Old 2017.12.07, 10:31 AM   #5
mortimerXIV
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Works reasonably well on foam - had to mess around a bit with it first. My foam is textured on one side, flat on the other; the textured side seems grippier. Foam straight from a package is actually a bit slippery (maybe dusty, maybe oily?), so I took a handful of clorox wipes to the foam surface, and that improved the grip significantly.

Re: Trim, ack! I have yet to remove the tires and full clean it out, but you're right - I likely do have some fuzz in there from the first day or two.

Re: Bruckner Hobbies, it's number one on my short list of shops to visit; thanks for the invite! I'll send you a message / call the shop if I'm ever planning to swing by.
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Old 2017.12.08, 11:55 AM   #6
standupnfall
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mortimerXIV View Post
Works reasonably well on foam - had to mess around a bit with it first. My foam is textured on one side, flat on the other; the textured side seems grippier. Foam straight from a package is actually a bit slippery (maybe dusty, maybe oily?), so I took a handful of clorox wipes to the foam surface, and that improved the grip significantly.

Re: Trim, ack! I have yet to remove the tires and full clean it out, but you're right - I likely do have some fuzz in there from the first day or two.

Re: Bruckner Hobbies, it's number one on my short list of shops to visit; thanks for the invite! I'll send you a message / call the shop if I'm ever planning to swing by.
Yeah, Even 1 hair wrapped in the front axle will cause binding and funny behavior. Good practice to spin the wheels before each use to make sure both front wheels spin freely. And then take the wheels off pretty often to get the fuzz, hairs out.

Bring your car if you go to Bruckner. If the store is open the track is open.
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