1LikesTamiya DF-03 type
04-26-2009, 05:54 AM
#586
Thanks for the help. 
04-26-2009, 04:30 PM
#587
Tech Initiate
my DF03MS
Hello guys:
I've completed my own DF03... would like to share some pix with you guys.
I try to keep the Tamiya look; it was a handful to apply all those stickers.
Now I need to learn the art of off road driving and street bashing! Look forward to make my big jump one day~
I've completed my own DF03... would like to share some pix with you guys.
I try to keep the Tamiya look; it was a handful to apply all those stickers.
Now I need to learn the art of off road driving and street bashing! Look forward to make my big jump one day~
04-26-2009, 04:33 PM
#588
hey another DF-03 fan! That's great to hear, welcome to the thread! Would love to see some pics. Tamiya cars look great, even when you stick to the box art. The MS kit came with body wraps that helps to make it look stock...
Hope to see some pics of your ride soon!
Hope to see some pics of your ride soon!
04-27-2009, 06:09 AM
#590
dendog, that looks great, which rear shock tower is that? i dont recognize that one at all.
are those traxxas anacondas on there?
are those traxxas anacondas on there?
04-27-2009, 08:59 AM
#591
Tech Initiate
Thanks guys! I'm glad that you like the way my car turns out..
My rear shock tower is from Topcad... I got it only because it is slightly cheaper than other carbon towers and it looks lighter (less bulky). It doesn't come with any instruction, however... so I'm not really sure if I put it on the way it's supposed to...
Oh, the tires are Anacondas...
right now I've not got the chance to run the car on dirt track, so these tires seem to work pretty well on road. But what would be a good tire choice for running on dirt?Thanks for the tips and advice!
04-27-2009, 12:42 PM
#592
What kind of dirt are you running in? For tight packed clay with high grip, I'd recommend either the Double Dees from JConcepts or Holeshots from Proline.
If you're running in a slightly looser terrain, I hear that the Goosebumps from JConcepts works wonders.
There's a really cheap set of offroad tire and wheel set made by 3Racing. The rubber doesn't hold up to any of these high end tires like the ones from JConcepts or Proline, but they are good cheap tire to use for bashing around the neighborhood. They weren't terrible, it's just comparing it to the Double Dees and Holeshots is what makes them "seem" terrible.
I think the Tamiya high density spikes should hook up just as well since the pattern is very similar to Holeshots, but I have no experience with these.
I have tried Academy's Fusion tires (for their SB and SBV2 buggies). They are slightly more "balloony" (is that a word?) version of the Holeshot in my opinion, but they did hook up pretty well when track started to get rutted up.
Don't know why but the Losi Taper Pins have never worked for me under any circumstance...
If you're running in a slightly looser terrain, I hear that the Goosebumps from JConcepts works wonders.
There's a really cheap set of offroad tire and wheel set made by 3Racing. The rubber doesn't hold up to any of these high end tires like the ones from JConcepts or Proline, but they are good cheap tire to use for bashing around the neighborhood. They weren't terrible, it's just comparing it to the Double Dees and Holeshots is what makes them "seem" terrible.
I think the Tamiya high density spikes should hook up just as well since the pattern is very similar to Holeshots, but I have no experience with these.
I have tried Academy's Fusion tires (for their SB and SBV2 buggies). They are slightly more "balloony" (is that a word?) version of the Holeshot in my opinion, but they did hook up pretty well when track started to get rutted up.
Don't know why but the Losi Taper Pins have never worked for me under any circumstance...
04-27-2009, 11:46 PM
#593
Hey guys! Here are some more pics of my two dragons. I've also took off the wing on my FD-03 to make it look more sensible... I think the two "horn" sections towards the rear of the body should provide enough downforce, gonna try it out as soon as I can get to the track...
04-28-2009, 03:06 PM
#594
Tech Rookie
hello to everyone. nice to see a still active df-03 thread. i am a proud owner of the keen hawk. finally got through the thread to the end and figured i post.
i have had mine for a couple months. for the most part it is still stock. i have done 3racing cvds in the front and the back, added the heat sink bars, the slipper clutch, and 3racing turnbuckle set. i have the df-03 shocks in transit and should be here by thursday. think i ordered the last set from tower as it says discontinued now. they were cheaper than rcmart which is strange.
i use the spur that came with the slipper and the stock pinion. since i added the cvds and switched over to deans. this little buggy cooks pretty good even with the stock silver can. i did try a stinger motor that came with my blackfoot xtreme i bought used. that motor seems to blow goats in the buggy. the silver can owns it. the blackfoot takes off though with the stinger. strange since the stinger is 20t. any thoughts?
really haven't driven it very hard. about three nasty crashes and not a thing has cracked. i still want to run it on a track but haven't gotton around to it. colorado weather is crap sometimes and no one really has their track open yet or are still redoing it.
a comment i wanted to make as soon as i saw it was the 3racing diff cups being crap. i read another forum and everyone was bitching about the tamiya cups warping and getting destroyed and switching over to the 3racing ones. i wonder if at one point 3racing changed how they made them because it seemed that people sweared by them. guess i won't be buying those for an upgrade as i want to jump up to a sidewinder i think.
anyone tried mixing oil weights to get a sort of custom dampening. if it's posssible. any thought or info woudl be apreciated.
everyone elses df-03 are looking sweet. totally jelous that everyone has a sweet ride that goes fast and handles good since i am way away from getting mine finished.
either way i will pobably spend still yet another 3 or 4 months getting this thing running fast and sweet. my other projects are two tamiya static models (porsche carrera gt and a vintage grand cherokee display) a custom led lit blackfoot xtreme body, and one or two other models. tamiya is becoming a sickness for me already lol: all within about 7 months. there are a couple pics of the hawk attached. i stuck with the box art with the stickers and used neon green for the base. i dig it. easy to see especially twoards sundown since i work til fairly late
i have had mine for a couple months. for the most part it is still stock. i have done 3racing cvds in the front and the back, added the heat sink bars, the slipper clutch, and 3racing turnbuckle set. i have the df-03 shocks in transit and should be here by thursday. think i ordered the last set from tower as it says discontinued now. they were cheaper than rcmart which is strange.
i use the spur that came with the slipper and the stock pinion. since i added the cvds and switched over to deans. this little buggy cooks pretty good even with the stock silver can. i did try a stinger motor that came with my blackfoot xtreme i bought used. that motor seems to blow goats in the buggy. the silver can owns it. the blackfoot takes off though with the stinger. strange since the stinger is 20t. any thoughts?
really haven't driven it very hard. about three nasty crashes and not a thing has cracked. i still want to run it on a track but haven't gotton around to it. colorado weather is crap sometimes and no one really has their track open yet or are still redoing it.
a comment i wanted to make as soon as i saw it was the 3racing diff cups being crap. i read another forum and everyone was bitching about the tamiya cups warping and getting destroyed and switching over to the 3racing ones. i wonder if at one point 3racing changed how they made them because it seemed that people sweared by them. guess i won't be buying those for an upgrade as i want to jump up to a sidewinder i think.
anyone tried mixing oil weights to get a sort of custom dampening. if it's posssible. any thought or info woudl be apreciated.
everyone elses df-03 are looking sweet. totally jelous that everyone has a sweet ride that goes fast and handles good since i am way away from getting mine finished.
either way i will pobably spend still yet another 3 or 4 months getting this thing running fast and sweet. my other projects are two tamiya static models (porsche carrera gt and a vintage grand cherokee display) a custom led lit blackfoot xtreme body, and one or two other models. tamiya is becoming a sickness for me already lol: all within about 7 months. there are a couple pics of the hawk attached. i stuck with the box art with the stickers and used neon green for the base. i dig it. easy to see especially twoards sundown since i work til fairly late
04-28-2009, 08:53 PM
#595
Dude, it's nice to have you join us! Seems like every week, there's a couple more DF-03 owners adding to our mix! Welcome...
Your DF-03 doesn't look too bad either! Actually, all DF-03s look great in my opinion since it's so deceptive, at first glance, you swear you're looking at a 2wd with such a slim chassis!
About mixing weights of the oil. People sometimes do that and have done that. It's how you get all the in-between weights... So long as you mix the same kind, I don't think it will separate... For instance, you can mix a 20wt and a 30wt to get 25wt oil out of it, same concept applies to the "half ones, you can mix a 25 wt and a 30wt to make a 27.5wt.
My skill has never been that good to notice the difference between 27.5wt to a 25wt, but I know that it's a good tuning option. I know some Pros out there even put different mix to adjust the weight around, not just at the mid points.
It's weird about the 3Racing outdrive debate. I've gone through two sets of them and I thought they were pure junk. I have the original Tamiya ones, the "front" outdrives for both the front and rear. I know that the rears usually gets chewed through heat, since it's half plastic. But I think that there's too much friction going on if that happens. Ball diffs were meant to be limited slip, but sometimes, you can't really predict wear and tear, so the diff nuts does come loose, and with hot motors brushless motors we have today, the high torque will definitely chew up the gear train.
If you're moving onto a more powerful motor, you really should invest in a slipper system. I know some of the guys on here have stated that they've gone through gears and diffs without them.
If you want to use standard spurs (48 pitch stuff), AE's spurs are almost a direct bolt-on, you just have to ream out the center. However, in hindsight, I should've invested in some 0.5 pitch pinions since there was a good reason Tamiya chose those. The same tooth count for a 48-pitch spur comes out with a larger diameter then the same tooth count 0.5 pitch spur. But I chose the 48 pitch route because I'm able to get slipper pads and I have a full set of Robinson 48 pitch pinions.
Lately, I've been eyeballing the Tekin RS Pro unit to put into this buggy due to space constraint. The Mamba Max does fit in there, but it has to be mounted sideways. The Tekin RS Pro is a tiny unit! But it is crazy $$$.
If you do go brushless, my advice is to stick with 4600Kv to 5700Kv motors, or if you go sensored, stick to something between 8.5T to 10.5T.
I actually prefer to get a higher-turn (lower Kv) motor in this ride, since your gearing option is somewhat limited due to the geometry of the motor mount. Because of this, this buggy forces me to gear it with lower ratio, which requires torque...
But so far, I'm happy with the 4600Kv motor in mine. It seems like a perfect fit. The 5700Kv motor also works pretty well it seems. I have the 5700Kv in my B44 so I know that it's the hard-limit for me for 4wd (my B44 is ballistic with the 5700Kv if I don't turn the timing down)....
Your DF-03 doesn't look too bad either! Actually, all DF-03s look great in my opinion since it's so deceptive, at first glance, you swear you're looking at a 2wd with such a slim chassis!
About mixing weights of the oil. People sometimes do that and have done that. It's how you get all the in-between weights... So long as you mix the same kind, I don't think it will separate... For instance, you can mix a 20wt and a 30wt to get 25wt oil out of it, same concept applies to the "half ones, you can mix a 25 wt and a 30wt to make a 27.5wt.
My skill has never been that good to notice the difference between 27.5wt to a 25wt, but I know that it's a good tuning option. I know some Pros out there even put different mix to adjust the weight around, not just at the mid points.
It's weird about the 3Racing outdrive debate. I've gone through two sets of them and I thought they were pure junk. I have the original Tamiya ones, the "front" outdrives for both the front and rear. I know that the rears usually gets chewed through heat, since it's half plastic. But I think that there's too much friction going on if that happens. Ball diffs were meant to be limited slip, but sometimes, you can't really predict wear and tear, so the diff nuts does come loose, and with hot motors brushless motors we have today, the high torque will definitely chew up the gear train.
If you're moving onto a more powerful motor, you really should invest in a slipper system. I know some of the guys on here have stated that they've gone through gears and diffs without them.
If you want to use standard spurs (48 pitch stuff), AE's spurs are almost a direct bolt-on, you just have to ream out the center. However, in hindsight, I should've invested in some 0.5 pitch pinions since there was a good reason Tamiya chose those. The same tooth count for a 48-pitch spur comes out with a larger diameter then the same tooth count 0.5 pitch spur. But I chose the 48 pitch route because I'm able to get slipper pads and I have a full set of Robinson 48 pitch pinions.
Lately, I've been eyeballing the Tekin RS Pro unit to put into this buggy due to space constraint. The Mamba Max does fit in there, but it has to be mounted sideways. The Tekin RS Pro is a tiny unit! But it is crazy $$$.
If you do go brushless, my advice is to stick with 4600Kv to 5700Kv motors, or if you go sensored, stick to something between 8.5T to 10.5T.
I actually prefer to get a higher-turn (lower Kv) motor in this ride, since your gearing option is somewhat limited due to the geometry of the motor mount. Because of this, this buggy forces me to gear it with lower ratio, which requires torque...
But so far, I'm happy with the 4600Kv motor in mine. It seems like a perfect fit. The 5700Kv motor also works pretty well it seems. I have the 5700Kv in my B44 so I know that it's the hard-limit for me for 4wd (my B44 is ballistic with the 5700Kv if I don't turn the timing down)....
04-29-2009, 05:38 AM
#596
Tech Apprentice
Hi, I have to agree it's really good that more people keep joining the thread, the DF-03 in whatever guise is a great car.
Mothballer you shouldn't have any reservations about your ride as it looks great and from what you write it shifts pretty good too. I also agree about the slipper clutch as it will save components over the long haul especially if you go brushless. I stuck to the 0.5 pitch pinions and have amassed quite a few that enable plenty of options, usually bought from ebay at good prices.
I managed to get my DF-03 racing this weekend just gone and it caught a few peoples eye. The speed down the straight was perfect and the handling seems better than ever. I was using some very soft tires which are fairly worn almost slicks but they seemed to hook up very well with the track being hard compacted clay/soil on most parts. My only issue is the nose dipping over jumps and try as I might it would not correct by using the throttle/brake. I probably need more practise but I'm backing off the jumps at the moment to prevent any damage.
I received my CBR bumper too which proved to be invaluable after nose diving most jumps and again my thanks to Tom for highlighting these.
I also changed my motor choice to a hacker 6.5, sensored and it seems to be a good choice with plenty of speed still and temps on batts, esc and motor all low. The 4.5 xcelorin was quite alot of motor and whilst my drivetrain can deal with the power now the 6.5 appears to be perfect.
Mothballer you shouldn't have any reservations about your ride as it looks great and from what you write it shifts pretty good too. I also agree about the slipper clutch as it will save components over the long haul especially if you go brushless. I stuck to the 0.5 pitch pinions and have amassed quite a few that enable plenty of options, usually bought from ebay at good prices.
I managed to get my DF-03 racing this weekend just gone and it caught a few peoples eye. The speed down the straight was perfect and the handling seems better than ever. I was using some very soft tires which are fairly worn almost slicks but they seemed to hook up very well with the track being hard compacted clay/soil on most parts. My only issue is the nose dipping over jumps and try as I might it would not correct by using the throttle/brake. I probably need more practise but I'm backing off the jumps at the moment to prevent any damage.
I received my CBR bumper too which proved to be invaluable after nose diving most jumps and again my thanks to Tom for highlighting these.
I also changed my motor choice to a hacker 6.5, sensored and it seems to be a good choice with plenty of speed still and temps on batts, esc and motor all low. The 4.5 xcelorin was quite alot of motor and whilst my drivetrain can deal with the power now the 6.5 appears to be perfect.
Last edited by Blackcat; 04-29-2009 at 05:43 AM. Reason: Extra info
04-29-2009, 06:40 AM
#597
Hi all, new here as well.
I might as well join up since i've been flickign through here a lot reaidng about the df03... since well... just see the picture =)
EDIT: Yeh cant post pics LOL, short story, i got a df03 MS.
I'm gonna put a 4300KV brushless in with a small 35A ESC lol.
I have high hopes for this car, and its shaping up to be so much better than my df02. My df02 has had lot sof upgardes and custom suspension mods to even make it off road worthy. But when the building the df03, its like.... it's all there... I dont need to do anything to it...
On a side note, what sort of max speeds have people been getting with their DF03's? So far i've hit just over 70kmph on the DF02, 2S lipo stock gearing but with larger dirt hawg tyres. I'll be doing more tetsign especially with 3S lipo's on both DF03 (when its completed..) and the DF02 (needs a new chassis and center shaft). Both cars will be running same motor and ESC!
I might as well join up since i've been flickign through here a lot reaidng about the df03... since well... just see the picture =)
EDIT: Yeh cant post pics LOL, short story, i got a df03 MS.
I'm gonna put a 4300KV brushless in with a small 35A ESC lol.
I have high hopes for this car, and its shaping up to be so much better than my df02. My df02 has had lot sof upgardes and custom suspension mods to even make it off road worthy. But when the building the df03, its like.... it's all there... I dont need to do anything to it...
On a side note, what sort of max speeds have people been getting with their DF03's? So far i've hit just over 70kmph on the DF02, 2S lipo stock gearing but with larger dirt hawg tyres. I'll be doing more tetsign especially with 3S lipo's on both DF03 (when its completed..) and the DF02 (needs a new chassis and center shaft). Both cars will be running same motor and ESC!
04-29-2009, 08:48 AM
#598
Tech Rookie
thanks guys. i like the hawk a lot. wish i could get it going faster like i want but the next couple months til my fiance starts working again rent for me is a thousand bucks alone. oh well if both my cars were done i wouldn't have anything to do. of course i have been eyeing a tamtech kit since they can be made great for not that much money lol.
in regards to speed to whoever wanted to know how fast ours are. i just run the stock can with the stock pinion and slipper kit spur and i get about 17-20 which i feel isn't too bad. it;s a torquey little motor. battery is a radio shack 3300 nimh 6 cell i picked up for 25 bux. not a bad battery at all. switched to deans and it did make a difference.
the upgrade shocks will be here today but they were delivered to moms address since i live in an apartment. will have to wait til tomorrow . sucks oh well.
also i did notice that those pics are before i put any of the hopups i bought on it. looks silly to me. i'll have to put some more. still needs more bling
in regards to speed to whoever wanted to know how fast ours are. i just run the stock can with the stock pinion and slipper kit spur and i get about 17-20 which i feel isn't too bad. it;s a torquey little motor. battery is a radio shack 3300 nimh 6 cell i picked up for 25 bux. not a bad battery at all. switched to deans and it did make a difference.
the upgrade shocks will be here today but they were delivered to moms address since i live in an apartment. will have to wait til tomorrow . sucks oh well.
also i did notice that those pics are before i put any of the hopups i bought on it. looks silly to me. i'll have to put some more. still needs more bling
04-29-2009, 10:35 AM
#599
Yo moth baller, is that 17-20 miles an hour? pretty fast if it is!
I think i'm gonna buy some smaller 0.5 pinions, FDR of 9.xx is gonna be insane on a 3S lipo, most my lipo's are 3S because they're also my helicopter batteries.
As for bling man, if you go down that path, it'll be costly.
You'll find once you replace One part with metal, the next time soemthing breaks will be the plastic parts down the chain. And rpelace that with bling, then you might as well go All aluminium front and rear.
Then your car's overweight....
Stock isnt so bad, just keep upgrading the guts, ESC , motor, Servo etc...
Speakign of servo's... I was just trying to install mine, and it doesnt fit!
The 2 plastic 'poles' that come out to mount the servo obstruct the servo wire, mine has a pretty fat piece of plastic and the wires are thicker than ur standard servo.
It's a Tower Pro MG995 servo.
Awesome thing, but is there another way to mount the servo without cutting off some of that plastic?
It's disappointing because i couldn't use this servo on the df02, way too strong (12kg pull...) and it killed the servo saver. So i thought great! df03MS has a high torque servo saver! then... the thing doesnt fit in the chassis...
I think i'm gonna buy some smaller 0.5 pinions, FDR of 9.xx is gonna be insane on a 3S lipo, most my lipo's are 3S because they're also my helicopter batteries.
As for bling man, if you go down that path, it'll be costly.
You'll find once you replace One part with metal, the next time soemthing breaks will be the plastic parts down the chain. And rpelace that with bling, then you might as well go All aluminium front and rear.
Then your car's overweight....
Stock isnt so bad, just keep upgrading the guts, ESC , motor, Servo etc...
Speakign of servo's... I was just trying to install mine, and it doesnt fit!
The 2 plastic 'poles' that come out to mount the servo obstruct the servo wire, mine has a pretty fat piece of plastic and the wires are thicker than ur standard servo.
It's a Tower Pro MG995 servo.
Awesome thing, but is there another way to mount the servo without cutting off some of that plastic?
It's disappointing because i couldn't use this servo on the df02, way too strong (12kg pull...) and it killed the servo saver. So i thought great! df03MS has a high torque servo saver! then... the thing doesnt fit in the chassis...
04-29-2009, 12:17 PM
#600
Blackcat,
I found the DF03 has the battery placement slightly forward so tends to nosedive when you put in a heavy battery like 4200mah or 4600mah NiMH packs. When I had mine, I ran it with a Lipo battery (Orion 3200 Carbon) which gave made the car much more balanced.
I found the DF03 has the battery placement slightly forward so tends to nosedive when you put in a heavy battery like 4200mah or 4600mah NiMH packs. When I had mine, I ran it with a Lipo battery (Orion 3200 Carbon) which gave made the car much more balanced.
