In-Depth Drives: The Rally Build Outfitting The Tamiya XV-02 Pro Chassis

In-Depth Drives: The Rally Build Outfitting The Tamiya XV-02 Pro Chassis

In part 2 of our In-Depth Drives: The Rally Build, we’re going over the equipment and option parts that we’ve installed on the new Tamiya XV-02 rally chassis. We’ve put together some great parts and running gear to help this already-excellent car perform at its best. Let’s dive in and take a closer look at what we’ve done with the build so far.

In-Depth Drives: The Rally Build Outfitting The Tamiya XV-02 Pro Chassis

IT’s GRAVEL TIME

RC rally racing has been a niche of the hobby for quite some time. Tamiya specifically has offered replicas of real-life WRC rally cars as far back as the 1980’s. Some years later, a few RC manufacturers offered conversion kits for their own model touring cars. With these kits and conversions available rally builds started popping up and becoming popular amongst groups of RC enthusiasts. Fast-forward to today and we happily find that the world of RC rally is still alive and well. Although kit-specific conversions are no longer really a thing these days, plenty of enthusiasts still modify popular touring car chassis for RC rally racing. Additionally, we can give a big thanks to manufacturers like Tamiya who continue to produce and innovate new designs for this excellent way to enjoy the RC hobby.

Modern day RC rally racing generally takes place on prepared circuits with mixed terrain, often-times gravel and hard-packed dirt. These courses are usually set up in a way that mimics full size rally stages, often with the start and the finish being located at different points of the course. Terrain will vary, especially based on where you’re located in the world, and will usually involve lots of twists, turns, and technical driving accompanied by ruts, small jumps, and some elevation changes. The real beauty of these machines is that they’re designed for multi-surface performance, which is what makes them so much fun to drive. All in all, RC rally racing is very entertaining and provides a different experience than any other type of RC driving.

With a little bit of cable management, the XV-02’s sleek mid-motor layout cleans up nicely

With a little bit of cable management, the XV-02’s sleek mid-motor layout cleans up nicely

Tamiya’s optional slipper clutch unit was installed onto the XV-02 for maximum tuning adjustability

Tamiya’s optional slipper clutch unit was installed onto the XV-02 for maximum tuning adjustability

RUNNING GEAR

For the heart of the XV-02 we decided to use Hobbywing EZRUN electronics. The great thing about the EZRUN lineup is that the components are very simple to connect and program while providing excellent performance, all at a great price range. We installed the Hobbywing EZRUN MAX10 ESC, a brushless unit that works with both 2S and 3S LiPo battery packs and provides a continuous 60A power output, with a potential burst power output of 450A. That, combined with its selectable 7.4V onboard BEC, means it packs plenty of juice to reliably power the motor and servo, with enough left over for additional accessories as needed. Programming the ESC can be easily done with a Hobbywing EZRUN LED programming card, or by simply using the integrated programming button. The MAX10 ESC also comes with a remote on/off switch that we conveniently mounted on the XV-02 chassis.

The motor we chose is the Hobbywing EZRUN 3652 brushless unit. We opted for the 3300KV model as this provides a similar RPM range as a 13.5T motor, a popular motor for 4WD 1/10 scale racing. This brushless motor features a 4-pole, 8-magnet design that Hobbywing has tuned to be extremely accurate, with little to no cogging, which is excellent for a sensorless motor. It has also been o-ring sealed to keep out dust and debris. That combined with its sealed wiring design makes it the perfect choice for our 4WD rally build. For the power source, and to keep these electronics running at their best, we are using a MaxAmps 7.4V 120C hard pack LiPo battery.

In-Depth Drives: The Rally Build Outfitting The Tamiya XV-02 Pro Chassis

The XV-02’s slick tub chassis is perfect for the rough terrain on an RC rally course.

The XV-02’s slick tub chassis is perfect for the rough terrain on an RC rally course.

The Hobbywing EZRUN MAX10 ESC works with both 2S and 3S LiPo batteries and is the perfect base for our high-performance electronics package.

The Hobbywing EZRUN MAX10 ESC works with both 2S and 3S LiPo batteries and is the perfect base for our high-performance electronics package.

To keep the XV-02 on-course we opted to outfit it with a Spektrum S6240 high-speed steering servo. This digital servo provides both rapid speed and precision, along with a healthy amount of torque, making it more than capable for handling the XV-02’s knobby multi-terrain tires. The S65240 is also compact and lightweight, making it a great choice for a racing platform.

Our XV-02 build sits atop sleek looking 5-spoke racing wheels that have been wrapped in Tamiya’s soft compound block-tread tires. This block tread design is meant to provide excellent handling characteristics on all kinds of terrain, making them the perfect choice for any rally build. We opted to mount the optional soft compound tires since the kit-provided rubber feels a bit firmer. Having 2 different compounds at our disposal will be a nice tuning option when out at the rally stage. It’s worth mentioning that the kit-included tires are the same great block tread design and include soft open-cell foam inserts.

The Hobbywing EZRUN MAX10 ESC works with both 2S and 3S LiPo batteries and is the perfect base for our high-performance electronics package.

The Hobbywing EZRUN MAX10 ESC works with both 2S and 3S LiPo batteries and is the perfect base for our high-performance electronics package.

Dialing in the Drivetrain

Since our XV-02 rally build is race-focused, we decided to install a couple of optional drivetrain parts to really fine-tune its level of performance. We fitted Tamiya’s optional XV-02 slipper clutch unit to the center of the drivetrain. This slipper clutch is a great tuning option over the kit-supplied fixed spur gear since it offers the ability to fine-tune how your drivetrain performs at different levels of grip. The slipper clutch unit will also allow us to run a high-grip focused build that will truly excel on both hard-packed dirt and paved courses. Tamiya also offers a fluid-filled center gear differential unit that is great for lower grip surfaces, as well as simply providing another level of drivetrain tuning.

At the front of the XV-02 we installed Tamiya’s Direct Coupling Unit, better known as a “spool”. A front spool is a common tuning option part on high-performance touring cars as it greatly improves the overall feel and performance of the vehicle when powering out of corners. A spool also helps to reduce rotating mass of the drivetrain, which further boosts the performance of the vehicle.

We installed sporty 5-spoke racing wheels and wrapped them in Tamiya’s soft compound block tread rally tires.

We installed sporty 5-spoke racing wheels and wrapped them in Tamiya’s soft compound block tread rally tires.

Spektrum’s S6240 high-speed digital servo was installed to keep the XV-02 in control and on-course.

Spektrum’s S6240 high-speed digital servo was installed to keep the XV-02 in control and on-course.

Spektrum’s S6240 high-speed digital servo was installed to keep the XV-02 in control and on-course.

READY TO RALLY

That just about wraps up part 2 of progress on our Tamiya XV-02 rally build. With all the great components we’ve installed, the XV-02 is sure to put down some serious performance on the rally stage. That being said, I can’t wait to get this rally racing machine out onto the gravel to put it through its paces. I hope you are enjoying our In-Depth Drives feature on Tamiya’s XV-02 rally chassis. As always thanks for reading and I’ll catch you in the next one.

The RALLY BUILD Parts List

Hobbywing EZRUN MAX10 ESC
P/N: 30102602 MSRP: $83.00

Hobbywing EZRUN 3652 3300KV Brushless Motor
P/N: 30402600 MSRP: $83.00

Spektrum S6240 High Speed Servo
P/N: SPMSS6240 MSRP: $89.99

MaxAmps 7.4V 5450mAh 120C Hard Case LiPo
MSRP: $104.99

Tamiya Block Tread Rally Tires
P/N: 54861 MSRP: $9.25 (per pair)

Tamiya 24mm 5-Spoke Racing Wheels
P/N: 53471 MSRP: $9.00 (set of 4)

Tamiya XV-02 Slipper Clutch Set
P/N: 22048 MSRP: $60.00

Tamiya Front Direct Coupling Set (Front Spool)
P/N: 22047 MSRP: $32.00

Tamiya XV-02 Slipper Clutch Set
P/N: 22048 MSRP: $60.00

Tamiya Front Direct Coupling Set (Front Spool)
P/N: 22047 MSRP: $32.00

Sources:
Tamiya USA tamiyausa.com
Hobbywing hobbywingdirect.com
Spektrum spektrumrc.com
MaxAmps maxamps.com


Text and Images by Lauren Short

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Updated: February 22, 2023 — 12:07 PM
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