The RC Car Blog

So one of my latest project has been building a Tamiya Rover Mini Cooper RC.  This was a definite change from all my other RCs as this is not only the first on-road RC I’ve purchased, but the first one I had to build from scratch. 

The instructions had six different languages in them so space was certainly limited leaving the written instructions fuzzy.  Fortunately for me, the illustrations were excellent and easy to follow.  It took me about six hours from start to finish to complete the project including paint.  Originally I had planned to paint the RC the same colors as my real MINI Cooper but I decided to wait until I get my hands on the BMW MINI body instead of the classic Rover Mini body. 

The Tamiya Rover Mini uses a M-03 platform which is unique in it’s front wheel drive design.  This allows for incredible steering however acceleration is adversely affected by the weight shifting to the back wheels, not unlike a full size FWD vehicle.  To compensate for this I will be replacing the rear shocks with stiffer springs to transfer the weight back to the front of the vehicle under acceleration. The front wheel drive design does allow for a predictable level of understeer and makes the vehicle much easier to steer than any of my other RCs which are all rear wheel drive.

(more…)