Is the DB01R still worth getting
 

Hi All

My son has been racing a DF02 chassis whilst learning and we have pretty much maxed out the capabilities of the chassis with hop ups, Lipo, Brushless and a decent servo. It is probably time to get him a proper race chassis and the cost of a 511 is prohibitive. Is the DB01R still worth buying. I can get one in the US new for $199 (130 quid) or we are looking at the second hand B44/Dex410/SX2 route. I have a B44.1 so am encouraging similar to share spares etc but he is quite stuck on Tamiya.

What do you think please?

Anyone????

The Tamiya is still a good car (with the correct upgrades) and probably far more capable than your sons current chassis

I've standardised on AE C4.1/B44.1. Loads of spares trackside and in the local store.

Thanks for the comments. So not a shining endorsement really.

I think the DB01 is an awesome car - the DB01R is a bit of an exercise in bling and is not really much better for racing than the standard car because the first thing to break is the diffs - and these are the same poor design. With minimal upgrades though it's a great car.
I got my F2 license with a DB01 :woot:

I've just got a DB01R to race outdoors with instead of my 501x which is now just used for indoors. Great car the DB01, people are just snobs because it's a plastic fantastic instead of carbon fibre :lol:

Lots of good points, sealed belt drivetrain and loads of room for electrics and chassis weights are two huge pluses. Yes you have to change the diffs to 501/511 diffs but that's it really. Oh, i did put 501x sus arms on mine to make it bulletproof, but that's because I had a few new pairs spare. The Atomic Carbon shock towers are nice to have for the rear droop fix and extra strength, but not essential.

Tbh it performs pretty much as well as the 501x & 511, tough as old boots, and you won't need many spares. :)

If you wanted to try one out that is half way upgraded, i have some for sale.

The DB01 is a great car! certainly racable!
I raced with a Predator and loved that car but it always took me a great deal of tinkering, working on the setup to get the car adapted to the track ..
But at one point i bought a DB01 Durga for my son. I assembled it, threw it on the track .. and it was much easier to drive, straight from the assemble-table, with the Standard-setup then my previous car.

I had sold my Predator and only raced 2WD .. but the durga made me change my opinion and whenever my son didn't race, I raced the 4WD Durga myself.

Now it is Tamiya, so everything gets sloppy after some time, but the car always stays easy to drive!
Only thing it needs, as said above: are the stronger, metal diffs.
So, to get back to your question: The R-version indeed adds some bling, and some stronger metal parts as the suspension mounts but it is not that nescecary.
It's the diff's you need, and then some A-arms, Shock-towers and maybe the Tamiya (#54033) DB01 Carbon Reinforced A Parts (Diff-housing might get damaged in a crash due to the fact that the shock-tower is mounted to the top-part of the diff-housing.).

The DB01 is a great car!! certainly for beginner.
R is not needed, some spare parts are AND the metal diff. (wich are sometimes hard to find)

I have been using a DB01R for two years now,once i fitted the stronger front wishbones and changed the diff out drives and fitted new upgraded diff balls, its been a very easy car on my wallet which has not needed must maintenance apart from keeping the car clean.
The car has been very easy to use on all types of tracks the car remains easy to drive on either fast or slow tracks and remains consistent all day. Changing springs on the front shocks makes a noticeable difference and is worth experimenting with.
I have just done my second complete strip down and rebuild, i have not needed any new parts, all i have done is added the harder ball studs and ball cups which i hear can break with age.
My friend has a 501 and it was on his advice that my decision was made to buy the car, he has driven my car a few times and finds the braking is better with the R.

Over all i have been pleased with the car and when it does get retired oneday ill find a place for it nest to my Avante and Top Force Evo.

jK

That's what I am talking about! many thanks for the very useful comments. Great to hear we don't need the full R kit. DCM, you have mail!

Cheers

Gareth

If it helps, I wrote this (LINK) when I was still using my DB01.

I had a DB01R up until recently and it was a great buggy - get the "R" version though if you plan to race it - then before leaving the store make sure you have the 501x aluminum diff halves with you - you'll need them.

Otherwise the buggy is ready to race - the "R" kits include a slipper, CVD's, the better shocks (same used on the 511/502), and stronger plastics all around. It's better priced vs. buying all the hop ups afterwards.

The Baldre body is the other thing you'll need and is the better looking of the two options (Durga) in my opinion:woot:

I'd say the R version is much better value for money, as stated it has many of the recommended hop-ups already, but you still need metal diffs (and ceramic balls help too.)

As for shells: The Durga shell looks way better (IMO), but the Baldre body has more room for electrics. Anyway, you can't buy a Durga shell, only a copy of it.

If you can find an R model, go for it. I have driven the standard model and it feels similar but a bit slower in its reactions and steering responce. The options in the R kit will prolong the life of the car it will handle the racing stresses for longer. Plus long term it will probably work out cheaper too.

jK

I've raced both the DB-01 and DB-01R for a few years. I think they're great. You can read about my experiences here.

http://modrc.com/cars/db01

http://modrc.com/cars/db01r/

Just about to put mine on Ebay.

Saying that, It's a great car, I think it's a very strong car and capable of winning races (god knows I did:thumbsup:)

Moved on though, as it was my first belt driven car, but found I preferred shaft driven, so went back to shaft drive.

Mine comes with the Jamie Booth replica shell too:p