My new shell painted by wedjim.com

[delanobe]

The car is unfortunately for sale. (see the ad in the for sale section)

[AaronR]

Very nice, except for Area 51 decal. :rolleyes::D Why the change from 501 to B44?

[delanobe]

Hi,

The reason that I sell the car is because I like to change and I prefer a drivetrain with shaft.

Cheers

[werner1619]

I will be ordering my 501 during this week, for $435. BRAND NEW !!

[delanobe]

You will be ordering your plain TRF for 435$ + import cost + douane cost. You will add at least 140$ and you have O spares.

To have a competitive TRF501x you need the improved drivetrain, ceramic diff balls, front one way, another screw set (titanium is the best), other ball studs and ball cups.

Do a search and you will understand what I'm saying.



Believe it or not but when you race a car you will need lots of spares (almost a second car) to keep your car going.

Ciao

[werner1619]

Ok,

I am getting the picture,
how did you improve on the drivetrain?

[V-Rossi]

Front one-way and 18T pulley conversion. Also Asso 87T spur and (not REALLY necessary) harder slipper spring.

[werner1619]

Hi,

What does the 18T pulley do to the drive train, for the front or rear? and the 87 Associate spur? Surely you could just change the ratio with a pinion change? Or is there something that I am missing?

[AaronR]

You will be ordering your plain TRF for 435$ + import cost + douane cost. You will add at least 140$ and you have O spares.

To have a competitive TRF501x you need the improved drivetrain, ceramic diff balls, front one way, another screw set (titanium is the best), other ball studs and ball cups.

Do a search and you will understand what I'm saying.



Believe it or not but when you race a car you will need lots of spares (almost a second car) to keep your car going.

Ciao

"need the improved drivetrain" No.

"need...ceramic diff balls" No, but extends diff life.

"need...front one way" No, but improves steering.

"need...another screw set" No, but OEM screws are soft.

"need...other balls studs and cups" No... Kyosho ball cups work with OEM ball studs just fine.


"you will need a lots of spares to keep your car going"
False. My 501X eats rear belts but that is about it. Wear items like belts, center pulleys and diff rings are about the only spares you will need if you are a good driver.

[werner1619]

thx for the info !

[delanobe]

So why o why did tamiya change all this in the WE version?

Screw set is soft as butter and everybody strips screws all the time but other screws are not neccasary? Maybe, if you like to use your dremel all the time?

popping ball cups is a big problem (see thread abouth this) but you don't need to chnge this?

A one way make the car feel like it should to and everybody runs them for this reason.

the diff balls from the kit are also junk (too soft), again that is why everybody who races change them.


The TRF is a very good car but in my opinion (and the rest of the Tamiya drivers) you need to change these things to make the car competitive.

You don't need spares? That is why everybody carries all their material wih them, just for fun?

You always need spares, front arms, belts, spurs, shock towers etc...
when you race even when you are the best driver in the world. Or maybe they take just a car and a battery with them if they go racing????

[nitrokillah]

I have to agree with delanobe

The screws are really cheap in the kit. I have had to dremel quite a few.


The 18T pulley a must if you ask me. the original one just ate-up the belts all the time.

Popping ball cups , i haven't had any problems yet. but more then 1/2 of the 501X owners out there have replaced theirs. And I'm already lookin for some

The oneway is down to the driver. (some ppl like it others don't ).

As far as spairs is concerned ... even if the car is durable , you'd kill youself if you don't have the part at the race.

I've seen this car on E-bay. and if I had the cash I'd get it without hesitation. (specially if that's the car I want to buy). everything is done for you.

[V-Rossi]

For myself I think the ball cups, 18T conversion and ceramic diff balls are really necessary. Personally I like the feeling of a diff, so one-way is favorable if you like it. Other things like the rod guide set etc. (which are cheap) just make the car handle a bit easier/better.
The only upgrade you absolutely don't have to buy is the stabilisation set.

[Chris]

-Original screw set need good tools

-popping ball cups not happened yet with my car.

-One way, up to personal preference

-Diff balls, carbide balls are more durable

-My spares: Wing, belt, pulley, front damper shaft

-big pulley conversion, not needed. But uses the same parts as my TRF 416 so i have to carry less spares

So why o why did tamiya change all this in the WE version?

Screw set is soft as butter and everybody strips screws all the time but other screws are not neccasary? Maybe, if you like to use your dremel all the time?

popping ball cups is a big problem (see thread abouth this) but you don't need to chnge this?

A one way make the car feel like it should to and everybody runs them for this reason.

the diff balls from the kit are also junk (too soft), again that is why everybody who races change them.


The TRF is a very good car but in my opinion (and the rest of the Tamiya drivers) you need to change these things to make the car competitive.

You don't need spares? That is why everybody carries all their material wih them, just for fun?

You always need spares, front arms, belts, spurs, shock towers etc...
when you race even when you are the best driver in the world. Or maybe they take just a car and a battery with them if they go racing????

[AaronR]

The word need, NEED, NEED!!11! keeps coming up but I think you should to replace "need" with "drastically improves".

No doubt, I agree, high quality diff balls, the 18T center pulleys, better ball cups and studs, etc., etc., are drastic improvements but not NEEDED to win races. Give a box stock 501X to any pro/experienced driver and they will wheel it around a track well.

P.S. There is one NEEDED item for the 501X that I almost forgot about... Tamiya or JAAD diff covers. I race indoor, low dust off-road and the diffs without covers still accumulate dirt and grime.

Lastly, best of luck with your B44! Without question that is a great car, but no car is perfect.

[BORMAC]

It seems that most of you guys are swapping a few items out for more reliable items.I guess it can come down to the class you race in too.For example I have a good mate who runs his 501X in stock and with the reduced stress on the drive train his car holds up well with most of the kit left standard.I on the other hand run a 5.5 brushless in mod and items in the drive train just arent up to the kind of abuse I give them. It makes sense to run ceramic diff balls-they keep the heat down too.The bigger pulley kit is a must for sure.Ive eaten up a pile of belts (sure I could loosen up the slipper even more but I need to excecute large jumps in short distances and need the power down-FAST!).The bigger pulleys provide a larger surface area for the belt (especialy the middle one) to grab on to.Lets face it the standard ball cups suck puss.Tamiya made them too soft and Ive seen em pop on a few cars now (who wants to bomb out of a race with a popped ball cup?).The screw kit Tamiya supplied with the car might have well been made of cheese. I use quality tools and still I find myself reaching for the dremmil (even with grease added to the countersunk head where it meets the C/F).Lastly you cant live without the diff covers.I make my own out of old decal sheets and they really prolong diff servicing duties in a big way.Saying this I rate the car as the best of all thats out there.I absolutely love the car to peices and wouldn't want anything else.Ive replaced other items (possibly for bling but also to add further reliability)-Lunsford tie rods,alloy uprights FR and RR,alloy shock tops and bottoms,spring tuning kit,sway bar sets and a one way.I find the car to be far more reliable now days and aside from stupid stunt show manuvers claiming my show towers occassionaly the car is a winner.:thumbsup:

[stefke]

I'll try to rate the mods in my case :

The only thing I really NEEDED were the Losi ball cups. Very frustrating to pop a ball cup when you're having a good run.

IMHO, this is the only thing you'll need to make the car reliable during a race.

To make it ULTRA reliable and reduce maintenance substantially :

ceramic diff balls
diff covers (I cut them myself from old sticker sheets)
Yokomo gold shock shafts (extends o-ring life and are stronger)

Next are the mods that just make life easier but are not vital :

screw set
18T central pulley conversion (I used 2 belts during an entire season with the 16T pulleys but I aknowledge the sence of the 18T conversion).

[BORMAC]

Anyone that tries running the original screw set will definately be reaching for the Dremmil. I wanted to prove that the original screw set would be adequate so after reading Jimmy's build up of the 501 I coated all of the recessed faces of the screws in grease to stop the screw biting in so hard against the carbon chassis.Its a given,you need to put some kind of lock cement on the threads as the screws WILL shake loose.I guess it all comes down to the kind of stress you are puting the car under.To give you an idea of the tracks I run on I'll burn a set of Proline Hole Shots down in less than 2 runs.Stock drivers will get atleast a whole meet out of a pair or maybe even a couple of meets.Stubornly I ran the kit screws for a while but when it came to stripping the car down for service there were about a dozen that gave me real trouble getting out.