StevenZ's first Tamiya CR-01 - Help needed!
 

Hey guys, I recently got bitten by the crawling bug and decided against going with an Axial SCX10 just because everyone around here runs that truck. So I went ahead and jumped for a Tamiya CR-01 with Unimog body. I love building kits and have been into RC for quite a few years but have never built a crawler. So here are my main concerns, and I hope you guys can help me out since I'm completely clueless as of right now.

1. I will need a motor and ESC. Not wanting to run the stock 27T motor, perhaps 35T but will need suggestions for the motor/esc as well as pinion size/tooth. Waterproof is an absolute necessity so will need to stay with a brushed motor.

2. Steering servo. I will need a quality steering servo that gives me great performance and reliability as well as being waterproof. While I don't anticipate driving through anything to totally submerge the vehicle, I do want to know that if in the event I do drive through a puddle with my buddies, my servo won't crap out.

3. Radio. I'll need a nice 2.4ghz radio that isn't too expensive. The receiver will need to be waterproof, or if that's not an option then I can definitely wrap some balloons around it and waterproof it the old fashioned way.

4. Wheels/Tires. I will run the stock wheels and tires just so I can get a good idea of their performance but would like a few suggestions on aftermarket tires that will give me better performance.


Any help and suggestions you guys can offer is much appreciated.

Thanks,
Steven Z.

Re: StevenZ's first Tamiya CR-01 - Help needed!
 

First off, welcome to the CR01 club! It's a good solid rig. There's a few dedicated guys in here running the wheels off their rigs, and us CR owners are few and far between. Always good to welcome a new member. "thumbsup"

My only piece of advice is build it stock first. Comes with an ESC and motor that will get you going and work fine. Why buy new ones right off the bat? From there, drive it on your stomping grounds, see how you like it, and decide what you want. More speed? More torque? Both? Then we can give a better answer. You may find that simply dropping a few teeth on the pinion fits your driving style well. Maybe you find a drag brake will be helpful, or it's not needed (I don't use them..I may be the only one) But you won't know until you drive it.

Without a budget in mind, hard to give any good suggestions. And as a general rule, I don't make suggestions per-se (I'm not going to be the guy who says you NEED a 400oz servo or your truck is junk) but I will gladly comment on stuff that I've had first hand experience with. A few basics:

As far as the radio, I don't think there is a waterproof receiver out there per-se, though there's a ton of ways to seal them. Tupperware, plastidip, sealed radio boxes, etc. For what its worth, I run GT3B radios on all my vehicles now, and I am very pleased. For the price - hard to beat.

Servo...well, for water use, I find Traxxas digital servos work fine for me - cheap, waterproof, and good enough power for me. Or Hitec 645MG's for any rig that doesn't go in the water. Some people prefer much (much) more torque than that - there's tons of options out there.

In any case, enjoy the build (It's a fun one imo, and be sure to post pics to keep our attention) and ask any questions you have along the way. There's no shortage of opinion around here.

Re: StevenZ's first Tamiya CR-01 - Help needed!
 

Good advice there.

Just to quickly throw out two more cents, I thought the Tamiya silver can that came with mine was almost decent. It lacks low speed resolution but from there on up it works okay. Fine lower midrange torque and good high speed pace. I did switch over to a 35 turn for better low speed resolution.

Also I've run numerous HiTec 645s underwater with nothing done to them as far as waterproofing goes, but I might have just been lucky all those times. Airtonics 361 servos also do underwater with nothing done to them.

Spektrum has a marine receiver that's waterproof, and their radios are pretty nice.

Holmes Hobbies has a great ESC that can be bought waterproofed, called the BR-XL. Good stuff.

Tires. Lots of options and they all likely will work better than the supplied tires.

Re: StevenZ's first Tamiya CR-01 - Help needed!
 

Many thanks for the suggestions, OSRC and EeePee!

I keep looking at the descriptions on Tower Hobbies and I do not see that it states the kit comes with an ESC. Though it does state that the kit requires one for completion.

Actually, EeePee, my first choice for ESC was the Holmes Hobby BR-XL which was suggested to me from a good friend. Unfortunately it seems HH as well as all his distributors are out of stock. I had also seen a few guys on the forum are running Tekin FXR ESCs as well as Traxxas XL-5 which I believe is waterproof. (Not the Tekin) Any other suggestions are welcome.

As for the servo, good recommendations, especially since you guys have had first-hand experience with them. I respect that instead of steering me towards something that might be overkill and quite pricey.

For the radio. Ah, the Flysky GT3B. I've had that radio before and liked it quite a lot. My only complaint is that it was heavy after a few hours. 8 AA batteries seems a bit excessive now'days thought I'm pretty sure somehow you can pull the battery tray out and throw in a light-weight lipo. OSRC, have you done this? Is it possible? Typically the battery tray is removable and is connected with a small plug.

Tires. I may stay with the stock tires for a while but like the idea of having a completely different set, perhaps with aluminum/weighted wheels.

Looking forward to building this kit as it seems it's quite the marvel. To me, building is almost more fun than driving since there is a physical manifestation before you that you can take pride in while building. Not to mention the custom paint job of the shell. I can't wait.

So yeah, keep the suggestions coming, fellas. I'll definitely start a build log when all parts arrive.



Thanks,
Steven Z.

Re: StevenZ's first Tamiya CR-01 - Help needed!
 

The BLUE XL-5 is waterproof. Yellow ones are not. Decent ESC - smooth enough and can usually be found for a song on Ebay. (..and I stand corrected, the kit does not come with an ESC apparently! I blame old age for my memory loss. Does for sure come with a motor)

Speaking of, I dropped a few teeth on the pinion and it ran pretty good with the stock motor. Good low end and decent speed. Very smooth. Gearing it down took care of any low speed choppiness. I tried a 65T in one of mine, and it really crept along - a little too slow for my tastes. The inherent reduction of the planetary trans really slows it down. Currently running a HH revolver in 1 and the stock motor in the other.

I've not done the lipo mod, though it's pretty common. There's an excellent GT3B thread here in the radio section. Very easy to do from what I understand.

Agree with EeePee - pretty much anything you can bolt to the axle short of a sun baked cow pie will have better traction than the stock tires. Just watch the wheel offset. Needs to be near zero or above to clear the hubs/links.

Agree building kits is a blast. Best part of the hobby...I only drive anymore to see how what I built performs. Maybe make a tweak or two, then get bored and I go build something else. :)

Re: StevenZ's first Tamiya CR-01 - Help needed!
 

Hello StevenZ, not much to add to the advice already given. OSRC and EeePee got me headed in the right direction when I bought my CR-01 Bronco. But to answer a couple of your questions, I'm using a Novak Rock Star 35T brushed motor, a BRXL, (got it when you could find one) 2's lipos, and a $20.00 2080z steering servo. Tires are the Super Swampers and they are on the stock Tamiya bead lock wheels. Good luck and have fun.

Re: StevenZ's first Tamiya CR-01 - Help needed!
 

I had most of your questions as well. And with the help of the guys on here, I came up with this:

http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/v...psc50327e8.jpg

I'm running 2.2 Flat Irons by Proline on a set of aluminum rims, and they work very well...
But I agree with the comment, "Build it stock first" Because doing that, you can tune it according to your driving style..."thumbsup"

Re: StevenZ's first Tamiya CR-01 - Help needed!
 

CR-01 has got to be one of the most fun crawlers out there.
Love mine. "thumbsup"

Re: StevenZ's first Tamiya CR-01 - Help needed!
 

Yours came with an esc??? Mine didn't !!! Just a motor and that's it. I picked up a new used (brand new second hand but never used) axial esc for cheap and that's all I've been running. Anyway Yes welcome to the CR club, you will have tons of fun modding, it's never ending.

Re: StevenZ's first Tamiya CR-01 - Help needed!
 

The new Castle Sidewinder3 is another ESC option, waterproof and cheap! And if you ever decide to go for that BR-XL down the road, it can run sensorless brushless motors in non-crawlers as well.

If you liked the FlySky GT3B, have you checked out the GT3C that's out now? I believe it runs off an included Lipo instead of AAs, and it's not much more expensive than the B.

Re: StevenZ's first Tamiya CR-01 - Help needed!
 

No, I was getting my kits confused. Neither of mine came with an ESC. (clarified a few posts above)

Re: StevenZ's first Tamiya CR-01 - Help needed!
 

Sorry, I guess I should read through all the posts before posting lol. At first I thought I had gotten ripped off. :mrgreen:

Re: StevenZ's first Tamiya CR-01 - Help needed!
 

I've never bought a waterproof servo, yet the ones I have bought (Hitec) seemed to work well being submerged and never konked out.

I've got a pretty basic set up, old school Novak Rooster Crawler ESC, its up high so I haven't waterproofed it, I don't ever submarine my CR-01 either, only as deep as the gearbox so no need. Motor is 35T Tamiya CR-Tuned and works well. You'll probably be upgrading the prop shafts fairly soon. Mine lasted a while, but soon they all twist up. Look for some metal ones eventually and keep them on hand for the inevitable.

Re: StevenZ's first Tamiya CR-01 - Help needed!
 

I run a Traxxas XL-5 waterproof ESC it works great except no drag break.

I also run a Hitec MG-645 Servo. The only water proofing was I filled the inside the dielectric grease and threw some around the servo horn.

As for the receiver, I usually just throw it into a ziplock and zip tie it shut.

I heard Integy 35T motors are good ones, but if you get a 35T you will want metal drive shafts.