Getting Sideways with Yeah Racing
When I get a chance to build project cars, I usually go big. If I can help it, I don’t leave much of the original car to be seen. When I got my hands on Yeah Racing’s Tamiya TT-01 Aluminum Conversion, I had a clear head on what the final outcome of this project would be. After opening it up and seeing everything that was included, I decided to change that tune and do a simple project based on this kit alone. I figured it had a lot to offer; front and rear upper suspension arms, arm mounts, steering, threaded shocks, outdrives, steering blocks and rear hubs. That’s a lot of aluminum to include in a conversion kit!
Modifications
Chassis and Suspension
Since the Yeah Racing Aluminum Conversion was designed specifically for the Tamiya TT-01 and TT-01E vehicles, this made my chassis decision pretty simple. I started with Tamiya’s Datsun 240Z Drift Spec TT-01ED simply because I’m a 240Z fan and, since I’d be using a body that was a little more ‘drift’, I knew I would be able to use this body with another project. The build with the Yeah Racing Aluminum Conversion is pretty straightforward and YR’s instruction sheet points out at which steps in the Tamiya manual you’ll be swapping out the parts. The build is fairly quick, the parts fitment is excellent and the final assembly does look pretty trick.
Electronics
Drift cars are all about massive power with smooth delivery, so I opted to drop in some race-level electronics. The first step was to drop in a fast servo to help control the evermoving front wheels, so I went with Futaba’s BLS351 servo. Some of you might be asking why I went with a torque servo instead of a high-speed one. Good question, but my thinking is that a high-speed servo works great on cars that actually have traction, something a drift car doesn’t have. I wanted a torquey servo that would prevent deflection and hold the tires in the right direction I had them in. With 217oz.-in. of torque, I’m pretty sure this servo accomplished that. For the go department, I installed one of Tekin’s RS brushless ESCs. I’m a pretty big fan of these speed controls mainly because of their smooth power delivery, easy setup and they are infinitely adjustable using their Hotwire PC adapter. To complement the Tekin RS, I installed one of Thunder Power’s Z3R 10.5T brushless motors. I’ve used these motors quite a bit and love the feel; they’re not big torquemonsters like some of the other brushless motors out there. Providing the juice to the powerplant is one of Reedy’s 3000mAh WolfPack LiPos. Since the TT-01 chassis is designed for batteries built in a shotgun tube, the Reedy WolfPack was the perfect choice. Great power and a lightweight design also added to the decision. And finally, providing the super-clear signal was my trusty Airtronics M11X.
Body, Wheels and Tires
This is the part of any project that people see first, so having the right look is key. I decided to stick with the stock TT-01 wheels for one simple reason; you can see through them! Look at any custom car with big, spoked wheels and what do you see? Brake discs! A set of Yeah Racing Wheel Hexes with integrated brake discs were installed. This kit comes with 3 different size discs for you to use on a multitude of projects. Wrapping the stock wheels is a set of Yeah Racing 3 Degree Drift Tires. Yes, I know what you’re thinking… what’s with the wacky design? But these tires are built with a purpose. Firstly, they have three degrees of camber built in. This allows the tires to lean in, allowing you to widen the stance without the tires hitting the fenders of the car. This beveled design also helps ‘skip’ over irregularities on the track, helping to keep the car on a nice, smooth drifting line. When it came time for the body, I was a little unsure of where to go. I remember being at the Long Beach Grand Prix last year and one car I noticed that really stood out in my head was a BMW Z4 Coupe. Certainly different than everything else out there, enough so that I decided that was the body I wanted to use in a project. Mounting it up, I noticed the wheelbase of the YR TT-01 was short, but thankfully the designers at Yeah Racing kept their conversion kit true to Tamiya style by keeping the adjustable wheelbase. A quick modification and we were back in business.
The Drive
I took the YR TT-01 to an area where they set up drifting events on Saturday afternoons. I set up a small course and proceeded to light up the tires. Within a few minutes, I had the YR TT-01 grazing the apexes of the corners like a pro. The YR aluminum conversion adds some weight to the TT-01, but it’s all down low, helping to keep the CG low. The additional weight also means a more stable ride. The Yeah Racing drift tires had excellent slip qualities yet the YR TT-01 was still controllable even with the raging Tekin/Thunder Power/Reedy ponies under the hood. I did make a few adjustments to the YR suspension, including ride height (using the included aluminum threaded shocks) and front/rear camber (to set the 3 degree tires to a ‘flat’ position). Other than that, I just set the YR drifter down and in a sideways motion.
Final Thoughts
Drifting is not all about getting there, it’s also about how you look doing it. The Tamiya TT-01E is a very capable drifter, and adding the Yeah Racing aluminum conversion certainly gets you there in style. I like the look of this conversion so much that I’m seriously thinking about doing a major build of the TT-01 using the YR conversion as the base!
Parts Used
Tamiya, www.tamiyausa.com
#58473 Tamiya Datsun 240Z Drift Spec TT01ED
#51295 Tamiya BMW Z4 M Coupe Body Set
Yeah Racing, www.yeahracing.com
#CK-TT01/E-BU Yeah Racing TT-01/TT-01E Aluminum Conversion Kit
#WL-0035 Yeah Racing 3 Degree Drift Tire Set
#YA-0169 Yeah Racing Brake Disc Kit
Futaba, www.futabarc.com
#FUTM0551 Futaba BLS351 Brushless Digital High-Torque Servo
Tekin, www.teamtekin.com
#TT1152 Tekin RS Brushless ESC
Thunder Power RC, www.thunderpowerrc.com
#TPM-540A105 Thunder Power Z3R-S 10.5T Brushless 540 Motor
Reedy, www.reedypower.com
#730 Reedy WolfPack 3000mAh LiPo
Airtronics, www.amainhobbies.com
M11x Radio System
Additional Photos
