Stop Spending Vast Amounts Of Cash On RC Hop-Ups! (Or Should You?)

Do you spend vast amounts of cash on RC upgrades? Why do you do it and is it really a good thing to do? In this video, I talk about all aspects of the hop-up world and why you could be spending money you don’t really need to.
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#Hopups #RCKicks #Tamiya

[@brandonmcqueen1856]

We do it because its fun; even replacing bearings is fun, we tinker for fun.

[@RCKickschannel]

Yes we do get a feeling of joy when fitting a new Hop-Up to your chassis, I give you that.

[@voodoostroker]

Absolutely 👌🏼

[@SEAN-fx5dm]

We build the kits for fun 😊, it gives us a sense of achievement!

[@PhillyPyroKev]

Agreed! Plus who doesn't want their rc to look top notch and less plastic to snap. 🤷‍♂️

[@josephmorelli3191]

I understand your opinion completely, but I personally LOVE upgrading my RC’s and I do spend a fortune. I enjoy working on & “looking at” my RC’s at least as much as I do running them. To me it is my own work of art. I want my RC’s to look different/better than the others, even if it’s only in my eyes. Most people would probably say I overdo it, but it really makes me happy. Your videos are always very good. I enjoy them all. BTW, your wife did a great job on that beautiful Porsche.

[@RCKickschannel]

Well said Joseph! If it makes you happy, well then that's all that matters! Rebecca will be building the Wild One Blockhead on the show when its released.

[@mclovin583]

Preach.....

[@gbraadnl]

You forgot to mention that some hop-up actually put more stress on other parts or the chassis. Like metal arms can cause stress on the mounts/diff block instead.

[@michaeldorich4485]

I think this video hit the mark. I think starting with parts that are inherently weak are the most important. For example, TT02 steering uprights are weak and the aluminum parts available are well worth it. In the U.S. some people participate in the Tamiya TCS series, but you have to buy Tamiya hop-ups, bodies and tires. Bashers tend to buy RPM parts they are often lighter and durable. They used have a guarantee on their parts. Some bashers like the bumpers made by T-Bone racing. They also used to have a guarantee.

[@lualrosaal]

When I order a Tamiya kit I order four items: 1-the kit itself, 2-bearings (fast Eddie), 3-Oil Shocks (Tamiya, Yeah Racing or 3Racing) and if its a four wheel drive , 4-the center aluminum shaft. Outside of that I may get light buckets and or a light kit every once in a while. OH! and I love to get the cockpit kit for the Rally and Touring cars. Have fun painting it and it adds a lot of realism to the kit.

[@RCsoandso]

I think the bigger issue is the cost of shipping with RC Hop-ups, you can easily spend £80 on bits and bobs, but because you need to source them from multiple places, usually on the other side of the planet, you end up having to spend an extra £50 for them to bung it on the slowest boat they have, where the Captain tries to do a Three-point turn in the Suez Canal 😲🌍🚢

[@RCKickschannel]

Don't get me started on "handling fee"

[@ATARIBOY2]

You forget to mention getting caught with a import fee that then makes you realise the ‘cheaper’ seller would have been the overpriced uk one all along.

[@RCsoandso]

@@ATARIBOY2 I have been stung recently by ordering a new Radio Unit from a 'European' retailer, adding £62 onto it, making it £40 more than if I had just bought it from the UK 😠

[@KacKLaPPeN23]

@@RCsoandso Well, I mean, even if it was by an actual European or EU retailer that wouldn't be any different now that Brexit's finalized. Works both ways, all Schumacher parts also got much more expensive over here thanks to it.

[@RCsoandso]

@@KacKLaPPeN23 all I meant was that on top of postal fees, it seems hit and miss with 'Import Duties' currently. It seems excessive and a hidden cost to be careful off 😀

[@mitsuman5555]

Hop-ups are such a huge part of the hobby. Build, break, fix, tinker, upgrade. Rinse, repeat 😄

[@nathanwirth9906]

It starts as replacing parts that break then it’s to improve performance (brushless motor ect) then it turns into an addiction where you at the hobby shop buying a aluminum part to replace a plastic part that there is nothing wrong with..... I think the manufactures know exactly what they’re doing $$$

[@mattclayton9165]

Great video - wish I'd seen this a couple months ago! I've just bought my first ever kit, always wanted one but could never justify it. Bought the Tamiya MK2 escort MF-01X, I know it isn't everyone's idea of a decent model but I love it! However, I did go a bit silly with the hop ups. As you advised, got the sealed bearings and binned the frictions for the super duper soil shocks, but also got a load of other bits too. Spent a small kidney. However, it does look nice, but a lesson learned for the next one! Cheers.

[@SEAN-fx5dm]

You do what you need to, enjoy the hobby. It's your hobby!! 👍😊.

[@johncipollo3409]

A lot of good points here, I agree with you about looking at it as a needed basis for the car

[@RobR386]

Some racing events might not allow hop-ups, so if you’re racing, you’ll have to check the rules of that event / club, it could be that only some hop-ups are allowed like bearings.

[@problemchild1976]

Custom RC parts - amazing guy

[@RPM2501]

For folks that can only justify the cost of a single car I think the upgrade parts can provide an avenue where they can still engage with the hobby side of RC. That person might not be able to afford a new car but may be able to plunk down $20 here and there for some new bits for the car they already have.

[@RCKickschannel]

A good comment 👍🏻

[@bravo0105]

There is a point of diminishing returns, and many hop-ups appear to be primarily aesthetic with questionable functionality. I’m a filthy casual so I buy little hop-ups except the basics: primarily ball bearings and (basic) oil shocks. The only anodized parts I’ve bought are aluminum driveshafts. I’d sooner buy another kit than sink cash into hop-ups. Kits have far better resale value; hop-ups, especially installed, are practically a write-off.

[@nickward4963]

Hop ups must haves...., bearings, prop shaft, spur and pinion gear and finally a minimum 15T motor

[@MattW__]

Just in the process of upgrading my tt02 been pricing upgrades to do everything glad to know that not doing everything could make it better cheers for the information and advice

[@martintanjung5540]

Depends on the part... If they are several worthwile hop-ups such as shocks, linkages, driveshaft, metal diff gear, shock tower, chassis brace and bearings... Other than those, I do agree that hop ups just a waste of resouces... Better off buying the already upgraded version...

[@philmoffett366]

I totally see your point! Hop-ups can get totally out of hand financially and a good percentage of hop-ups are for the bling factor but we just love replacing parts for shiny bits😍 I've just replaced the cva's on my super astute for hi-caps and it's so satisfying when you definitely notice the difference even if they do cost a small fortune!

[@theoagrc]

Some great points and a honest assessment. Outside of bearing and shocks I have started looking for individual hop ups to improve something specific I am not liking about a car. Although I have not got a Clod yet…. Yours looks awesome and perfect example of useful upgrades vs hop ups. Great content as always 🙌🏻

[@hondofourfivetwo9347]

I’m with you. It’s a primary reason I try to start with the TRF or R versions for most of my Tamiya race spec builds since they come with pretty much all the necessary Hop-ups I do add a little bling to my kits usually little things like swapping a cap or button head screw with a colored concave washer and flat head screw or maybe colored aluminum or Titanium screws. I recently went crazy making up a ceramic bearing set for my TB05R one isn’t made I end up buying a set for a car that had almost all the same bearing sizes minus 3 I had to buy individually It took me a while to source one odd size in a ceramic bearing definitely cost more than a typical set of standard bearings

[@sammybaka]

Great video! Different people are going to optimize for different things. Some want to improve performance, or durability, or ease of maintenance, or just to collect them all, or even looks (totally legit). Buy stuff to make the hobby fun for us. Now, of course there are dodgy upgrades that can be a waste of money or unreasonably expensive. With youtube resources such as this channel, it's easier than ever to learn more about parts before buying.

[@andyrobinsonrc2480]

Great topic to cover. I race so I tend to add optional parts to my race cars, to make them more durable for racing , the main thing is for racing is correct tyres for the track conditions, and suspension set up correctly , bearings obviously. No point sinking in £100’s into a car if you can’t drive the thing as you won’t get any benefit from the added parts. My other cars I own that I don’t race, I can’t be bothered buying vast amounts of expensive hop ups as I don’t use the car enough or race it to warrant the spending the cash. I may do a few choice upgrades or one or two things for aesthetic appeal.

[@jaydilla85]

I had the same learning curve as you when I got back into RC last year and wanted to upgrade my childhood DF-01. When you go online you‘ll find tons of „upgrades“ from companies like GPM, but I found out that the machining tolerances are really bad, they either have slack so you need to shim or they don‘t fit at all. You would assume that they would test their products and tweek them so they perform well, but they just seem to throw them on the market and don‘t care at all. But after a while and via Facebook groups you get to know smaller one man companies which really produce quality upgrades that fit (like the Dyna Storm parts from RC Custom parts that you showed). But I had to buy a lot of parts twice to learn this lesson!

[@RCKickschannel]

Thanks for a fantastic comment Jay.

[@jaydilla85]

@@RCKickschannel thanks Gavin. Just to wrap up what I wanted to say: I guess one should either stick to the factory hop ups or to smaller manufacturers who are dedicated to really improve the car in terms of perfomance or durability. These parts mostly also look quite cool and high end, so that‘s also a plus for the eyes. Most of the stuff you‘ll find on eBay on the other hand is just blingy crap that, as you already mentioned, is worse than the original plastic part!!

[@shanepatrick4534]

@@jaydilla85 Where would you go about finding that?

[@jaydilla85]

@@shanepatrick4534 specifically regarding Top Force / DF-01 I found a lot of information in the „Tamiya Top Force and relatives group“ on Facebook. There are many people on there who are using their cars for vintage racing and know which upgrades you will and won‘t need!

[@paulus842000]

Good honest video. Yes I've love my bling and I've got some aluminum bits for my traxxas slash, but as a very fast car I've replaced the parts which hold the bearings and moter because of wear and tear and crashes causing vibrations and wearing out the bearings. I've just got a trx4 sport and I'm not going to get any upgrades, just wheels and tires when they are worn out.

[@MangoJim90]

Yep!!! And in some cases you should come through this process (of buying and upgrading...) to understand what's actually goin' on here.... Same with me - now I upgrade my car if I feel that this part are kinda weak and stops me from riding it throughout my fully charged battery :) The rest of money I will spend probably on fpv set, cause I want to try it at this point of time.

[@benmarchant8637]

Quality content absolutely spot on 👍

[@RCKickschannel]

Glad you think so Ben. I enjoy the subject that are fun to debate.

[@luigibellantoni6828]

Awesome video. 👍

[@RCKickschannel]

Thanks for the visit

[@K-Anator]

I'm huge on personalization. My Sand Viper was a second hand car, it was fine, but it wasn't 'mine'. I also broke a front shock mount, a rear tie-rod mount and shattered the body. Finally after 2 new parts trees, aluminium shocks, aluminium tie-rods, some new tires, a new shell, 5 cans of Tamiya paint, and a 4300kv brushless system. It's definitely mine.

[@khrisyeet8022]

I see your point. For me I "upgrade" for a maintenance aspect. When bashing an RC you will expose certain weak points. I also like to see how well I can make an RC handle. I also have a weakness for bearings. I love to improve bearings from Boca and Fast Eddy.

[@archiscapes1503]

Hop ups are just as fun installing as building kits..they make your car/ buggy different than others..nothing wrong with customizing your car!

[@paulthurston2883]

I have a few Align RC Trex heli's. I always replace the supplied plastic parts with metal upgrades. Especially blade grips and other parts that really matter.

[@johnhe-yump2938]

Yup. I got the blingy shock towers and matching shocks for my Racing fighter. Not to improve it just made it pruuuudy. I have however bought the upgrades for the dark impact that were suggested in forums before I've built it.

[@michaelblair4744]

Great topic Gavin and well done on your informative and entertaining channel. Hop ups for racing? Not so much. When I started racing I did my research and bought a competition grade buggy straight off. From there the best hop up was practice. This was a message that was repeated regularly in the magazines like Radio Controlled Car Action and Dirt & Track that I was reading at the time. Sure there were some worthwhile upgrades for competition buggies and I used a few here and there on my cars. But I only ever saw one racer with an extensive lot of mods on his buggy. It was an RC10 team car that had every single part upgraded, chassis, arms, hubs, towers, links, bearings, gears, shafts even screws - he used to get lapped by stock RC10 and Losi cars. Many people start in the hobby with Tamiya cars but most are not designed for racing. The only time I ever saw Tamiya cars in an A final at my local track was in the beginner's class. Tamiyas are great for affordable fun bashing around. If you want to improve a Tamiya car for bashing: 1. Get bearings because they will reduce wear on shafts. I don't know if they make a noticeable difference to performance though. 2. Get upgraded shocks if the originals are friction dampers. 3. Get upgrades that reduce slop in the steering, suspension and driveline.

[@ramblingimbecile2295]

That blue paint is awesome though

[@sed6]

I never replace plastic or nylon parts with aluminum. The next weakest part will then break, if you upgrade that part then the next part breaks. It's a never ending cycle once started. Tires, bearings and electronics are about all I 'upgrade'.

[@johnnycoolness]

I love that Metallic Scorcher. I have a Blue too and now a Pink!! Pink has silver everything, and the blue one will end up like yours except the diffs. I do it to look cool and less black plastic.

[@paulrobinson9355]

Most of the time it's all about the bling for me! Great video 👍

[@RCKickschannel]

I'm partial to a bit of bling myself ;)

[@mikeupton5406]

LOL!! "OH REALLY" great stuff.

[@SRG-HITMAN-11]

I've got a monster beetle to build and agree not even starting building and bought MIP diff £88 + metal parts front steering metal parts approx £100 etc ! Don't realize until you add it all up!!

[@RCKickschannel]

Yep, you can spend $$$ £££ for sure

[@andrewmagro7703]

Great Talking point there Gavin, Me Personally i buy them to enhance the look, performance and rigidity of a said kit but also i love to match up the recommended hop ups that are on the side of the tamiya box just for that further nostalgic feel as most my kits a shelf queens but yes there has been times i have spent as much as the kits price on just the hop ups for example the Kyosho Famtom and the Plasma Edge II -TT02B and the Subaru BRZ-TT02D from motor to wheel nuts but yes i can see how they would make as much from hop ups as they do kits and then also its fun to chase up the super rare ones is like rc Archeology he he he he Thanks for a great Topic today Gavin :-)

[@RCKickschannel]

I have a shelf queen Astute that has had a TCC gearbox upgrade and metal uprights and most of the weak points replaces with CNC aluminium parts in black so you can't really tell but the joke is, I only drive it around the garden once or twice a year at 50% so really all this expense was just for my rare collection and looks aspect.

[@mattigower1479]

We add the hop up parts because they are so cool, and great fun. However, once you get past the "cool", just go looking for the parts that legitimately enable better speed, better handling and better durability. Perhaps interestingly, I have found that alloy parts are not so cost effective, they don't have great durability. Composite parts have proved to be much better at flexing, like on a hard landing, and having flexed, will return to their original shape (mostly). Composite parts are also typically way better on the "bangs per buck" scale. Better to buy 5x composite parts and keep the change, than one alloy part. Other easy to install upgrades, brushless motor, soft squishy race tires and having gone for soft race tires, you will almost certainly need rims for them, get simple plastic rims. Miracles can be performed instantly with a good set of soft squishy race tires, a 17T or 13T brushless motor and a small (light weight) 3500 to 4500 Lipo battery. These items will give a great step ahead in performance. 3s gives a much better yield than 2s on the smiles-per-amp-hour scale. Just take care, that you are not optioning your "cost effective" chassis too far beyond its inherent designed abilities. ie, fitting a 351 v8 into a Ford Focus will definitely get it to go faster, but that first corner and the first jump, will be an attention getter, and probably a one-time only event.

[@TeriWilde]

I remember upgrading the bottom diff cover on the front of my Terra Conqueror and Top Force (same part), they used to bend under the pressure of racing... I had a 1/10 Schumacher Mi2ec with as much purple alloy and carbon fibre as I could possibly get and it was a stormer. but as you said, the driver is the weakest link to a good, fast RC

[@jimmyjohnson6287]

I buy hops up for the tinkering. I love to just improve and replace parts, whether they need it or not. I spend more on hop ups for some kits than the original kit cost. Tamiya usually needs bearings and shocks. Then, I may look at arms, supports or other weak parts. Also, hop ups are great for those of us with limited space. I can justify buying some hop ups, but can't justify a new Clodbuster taking up space.

[@juanvaldez4043]

I usually upgrade whatever I break or wear out. There are some upgrades that don’t break the bank and keep the fun going wether you race or bash.

[@airkrd]

From someone who used to be a racer (and not a very good one), the money I spend upgrading my RC10B5m was a complete waste. Instead of spending money on titanium turnbuckles, carbon fiber shock towers and kashima coated shocks I should have just put more time into developing my racing skills.

[@jonthomas8487]

It’s funny that standard parts on most other brands like Kyosho and others are hopups on most Tamiya vehicles.

[@Heathcliff_hensel]

Do you remember the Rc-10 B4.2 ? That car came with like every aluminum upgrade. Hexes, bellcrank rear hubs.

[@andyrobinsonrc2480]

I think it had to be a a factory team it to get all the pretty parts , if you bought a basic b4 you didn’t really get any jazzy parts. AE have pretty much always done that

[@Heathcliff_hensel]

@@andyrobinsonrc2480 yep factory team with the Proline Bulldog body.

[@RobR386]

I design and 3D print parts for my Mardave mini

[@crashoverride6413]

for my part, i was also thinking a bit "controversal" - now more then before. First, i was literally "yeah, let's make it full metal" - directly out of the box; but that had meant, that i had to put over 5 times the amount of a "single" TT-02 chassis ('cause that was the one i've had in the eye atm) just for the aluminium parts - and: i wouldn't have a R/c system, a receiver, a servo, esc, motor, tires (!) or even a body for that (yes, it gives here sometimes such "kits in bags", where's no tires / esc / motor or a body in it - these "kits" are often used as "spare parts"). Now, after even looking for several videos for "Hop-up parts what are needed", or better: "recommended", i'm on a list with way less parts - only the middle Propeller shaft, motor mount, steering (middle part in aluminium, but with plastic-arms for being capable to "tune" it better), ball bearings, oil shock dampers - and a motor cooling solution. no need anymore for "full metal" - 'cause some were right: if there's all metal parts - especially milled aluminium - these parts will not break, but deform - and then they're crap, and you will again spend a lot of money to replace them in aluminium again... and that for a few times when driving it in the year, that's not worth it. some parts - like the middle propeller shaft - might not be seen well, but they might have a advantage - like the aluminium steering or said propeller-shaft, 'cause the plastic ones have to much play or might "flex" to much, and that might end in problems with driving or steering (especially when you're do that on dirt, and not on a cleaned track). just saying it from another perspective - i've had the same "issue" in a different hobby; there's even "full metal" going - and not much of it is really to see, but the experience was not that good - like, instead of having a "sealed" system, when you compact air, there was always a point where the air could sneak out - and you didn't find it. This video did remind me of exact that - and the frustration i've been through with "full metal".... so, i'm now had thought of it, and got to the solution you can read - "just" use these parts, what are necessary or improve the driving and help you getting a good experience.

[@MrDani3lsan]

Maybe i'm wrong. But i realised that the strength of a car is based on how much the drivetrain can take (diffs and center drive shaft). I found that for my traxxas and HPI i can replace them, but there are no upgrades that make them stronger/tougher. So there is a distrinct limit to what a rolling chassis can handle, determined by the drivetrain. For me upgrading seems only useful on parts that increase handling or sometimes strengthen the frame a bit. The rest is mostly cosmetic it seems. But it does look very cool.

[@davejones4093]

Goes back to the old debate about shelf queens and bashers. I don't bash my vintage Tamiyas because standard they're...well just a bit cack; compared to my actual basher/racer which is a Team Losi (which costs about the same out the box as a hopped up TT02B).

[@40ollie67]

I could only pay attention to the Egress wheels and tires, I knew they would look good on my Neo. I went with dual block for performance. No way they look as good.

[@warwickeioncampbell4737]

One cheap mod for racers is practice it will always beat hop ups. Racers should aim for reliability and practice. To win you need to finish and make as few mistakes in the race.

[@Livlifetaistdeth]

What you meant to say was all money spent on RC's is actually a con...but I still spend lots of money on them cause they're AWESOME! Love this channel! So professional, so knowledgeable and amazing quality! Thank you for all you do for the hobby!

[@joshchatwin8569]

I think we do cuz we like messing and like seeing the end result

[@NeilBlaiberg]

For me, hop ups are the equivalent of armour upgrades in MMOs. Some improve the character, some just have a different look, bit all are a way to personalise your buggy and make ot your own

[@enricomiceli5517]

Depends on the price, the components you already have at home than are compatible, how they actually improve your performance (example getting a 30 euro front and reae carbon fiber shock tower isnstead of the hard plastic one when u do not bash at all ) etc. Official upgrades should always be available , what i do not lile is the sometimes difficulty to use after market or chines pieces cause of the very specific and unusual size and shape of some official attachments, schrews or components

[@el34superlead]

I was a pretty hardcore racer at one time racing everything from 1/12 electric to 1/8 nitro on and off-road. I spent all my money on tires and spare factory parts. Hop up parts were mainly for the new racers.

[@Yupower1]

Why did you choose the TT02B for the video, now i have to take out my full box of OG TT02B hopups and start building the buggy🤣🤣🤣 Thank you again for the massive shout out Gavin, i really appreciate it😊👍👊

[@TheDeLeonGarageCollection]

This is always been the biggest issue with my RC collection. One of my first actual performance RC‘s after my initial Tamiya buggy phase was buying a Traxxas Tmax. Money was good and I ended up upgrading that truck to the tune of $3000 and that truck as nice and heavy is it is does not perform like a stock modern Traxxas monster truck. I’ve had a change of heart over the years. I know I’ll also try to stay away from the bling and just fix what’s broken. I have a TT - 01 on my workbench right now which will serve me as a asphalt drifter. I’m only going bearings but shocks have been an issue. I can’t seem to find a cheap set of shocks that are going to hold oil and not leak and not from China. I’d like to go with green anodizing pop-ups on this vehicle but once I start down that road then it ends up being a foregone conclusion. I need to keep the pop-ups on this cheap and cheerful build simple because it will be the car I take out maybe once every six months, run through a battery and put it back on the shelf so it really doesn’t need anything extraordinary and I don’t have a dedicated polished cemented drift track but shocks I problem because I know whatever I get color is going to be just slightly better than the friction shocks.

[@warwickeioncampbell4737]

To me hop ups are now about improving reliability and having a controlled weak link that is easy to access. As to the cost factor the first Vanquish crawler was all their accessories for the axial scx 10 and was very expensive. but would you buy a kit as you want it eg $1000 or a axial scx10.3 for $500 which is just as reliable. One of the problem with kit manufacturing is the shrinkage of different plastic, a harder plastic part for the same mold may be strong but will be too small to fit in the place

[@jamespennington3765]

Because it's cool.

[@TachyonDriver]

It really depends upon what the hop up part is doing. In addition, one has to look at what might happen further down the drivetrain or suspension system if that upgraded part does not break anymore: That previously weak link might now transfer forces to some other MORE expensive part, thus another hop up part for another component is now required etc. etc. until the entire system is bulletproof.

[@rcyalater...2305]

Indeed! Chasing the weak spot. Fix one flaw to find out it just transferred that energy to the next weak spot. As fun as it is it can be aggravating at times...

[@madsrcbuggy]

This is a really good video from you and especially because you got that TT-02B on it... I got a TT-02B and needless to say it is being upgraded here and there and everywhere... But I keep comparing it to my DF-03, which is not as upgradeable. Because it's really good already, I guess. So when I hear people recommend the TT-02 platform or some similar because it is upgradeable, that triggers me, so that means it has to be upgraded, right?

[@Diamondbac]

As with everything else, each to his own. Let's face it, you wouldn't start this hobby if you didn't have some disposable income lying around. Every company wants to make as much money as possible so they will tempt you with better optipns. It's like buying a real car. No one buys the most basic model without 'hopping it up' with aircondition or an anti-rust coating. Likewise, hopping up an RC car is the same. If you are tight on budget, diy the parts. If you have extra cash, pay for that part. In the end, it satisfies our emotional needs: the need for speed, control and pride in our work. It's up to you to decide what and how much to spend. Having said that, I was sorely disappointed with the first RC car I got, the Mini Z Buggy. I thought it was fast out of the box but man was I wrong. With the money I spent, I could have gotten much more bang for my buck. Anyway, i could have kept it the way it was and accepted the sluggish performance. But I wouldn't be in this hobby if i didn't tinker. I modded it to hell and back and finally got it up to an acceptable speed.

[@DaveyGa]

Raced 1/5 Baja for a couple of seasons, some upgrades were a must for durabilility but none of that junk alloy bling boat anchor stuff.

[@acereport8939]

Sometimes hop up parts are absolutely necessary, especially after adding extra power. Plastic bearings are garbage, they’ll wear out and things will wobble. If you add a brushless system and your driveshafts twist like candy canes, then you’ll need something stronger. Furthermore, it’s increasingly difficult to find parts as vehicles age so you might need to keep some on hand just in case they are unavailable one day.

[@neilstothard]

In some ways it's like buying a new car where the base model is relatively cheap but the charge you extra for all the bits you want. I'm only upgrading the bits on my cars that improve the weakness realitive to my use, ie on my Dark Impact the turnbuckles are a known weakness so I'm on the lookout for a hardened set due to the fact that I'm now starting to teach my youngster to drive the car and they are more likely to get damaged than if I was just running the car myself.

[@michaeldack4930]

My next build is a ta02, spent more on hop ups than the kit cost!

[@nickthetoycollector3360]

I love hop ups. It's another form of customization and making your vehicle unique. Do they offer any substantial improvements? Who's to say, but they do make the car look cool at least. If one can afford them, I say go for it. What else are you going to be spending your money on...?

[@RCKickschannel]

Food! Who am I kidding, I’m fat so I have no problem going without for a few days 😂

[@alanpassmore2275]

I found ski's and caterpillar tracks to replace the wheels and tyres on a Tamiya DT-02 I had to have them for the winter , I also had to buy a Tamiya DT-02 Holiday buggy to fit them to.🤔🤔🤔👍

[@alanpassmore2275]

As well as a 540 motor , ballbearing set and CVA dampers. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@RCKickschannel]

Very nice!

[@rijkemans5114]

I like the mindset to only add hopups when needed. However, me being inexperienced, I tend to read what others advise. Even when I focus on essential hopups only, I'll get all different kinds of advices, and I have no idea what is really needed. I want to keep the option open to be able to race in the future, and that makes it harder. I want better handling than just the bare minimum, but I don't need upgrades to shave off a handful of grams, or shave off 0.1s of lap times. I couldn't use the car to its full potential anyway due to a lack of experience. But then I see many recommended upgrades are already sold out everywhere, and I'll get whatever I can.

[@robbryan3044]

One of my better "attributes" is my ability to see both sides of almost any 'situation'. On one hand, you are correct with your "con" statement...and, I guarantee the manufacturers are making a MUCH greater profit-percentage on the upgrade parts. I'm also in agreement that too many upgrades WILL detract from the vehicle's performance. A perfect example (purposely done) is Josh's (aka Harley Designs) Traxxas TRX4000 project, where, over time, he has added every brass option part he could find. Of course, to 'counter' the huge weight increase, he's upgraded the motor to more & more powerful motors. On the other hand, with the exception of a few kits, upgrades are (almost) always needed...ESPECIALLY when it comes to the lower-priced kits from Tamiya. The friction shocks are absolute garbage, the steering has more slop than a Ford Model-A, and using plastic brass bushings is an absolute disgrace...ALL if these NEED to be upgraded immediately (I prefer obtaining the upgrades before I start the build, installing them as I build). The next biggest problem (with Tamiya) is their 'love' of Phillips screws...time to replace all kit screws with hex (are you listening, Tamiya???). Honestly, it wouldn't really increase their manufacturing cost in they were to include hex screws, instead of Phillips-like JIS. So far, I've only covered/mentioned upgrades from a performance perspective...but, there are also upgrades for durability. It doesn't matter if you have vehicles from Traxxas, Axial, Arrma, Team Coraly, or any other manufacturer of RTR vehicles - they ALL have certain "weak points" that deserve...nay, "require"...attention, in the form of upgrade parts. Sometimes, those parts are aluminum replacing plastic (such as uprights, C-hubs and/or steering knuckles). at other times, it can be replacing a 6061 part with 7075 (such as the Traxxas Sledge chassis). And, yet, at other times, it might be replacing parts parts of one compound with plastic parts of a different (ie. harder, or softer) compound, possibly because of the weather in your area (areas with very high temps, and areas with very low temps, 'require' the use of different plastics). So, I believe I've proven...at least to a certain degree...that upgrades aren't entirely a 'con'. Certain upgrades are NEEDED...and, NOT always from a 'performance' standpoint. Using Tamiya kits as an example, yes, the majority of the time, we are upgrading parts for better performance...but, even then, some parts can benefits from being upgraded for durability (ex. replacing a plastic chassis pan for the carbon-infused chassis pan). In closing, it's great to see that, with their most recent new kits (ex. TD4, TD2, XV-02), Tamiya has started including such things as oil-filled shocks, bearings, hex screws, and (in a few cases) some aluminum (instead of plastic) parts...in other words, Tamiya is FINALLY starting to join the rest of the RC industry in the 21st century. 🤙🏼

[@RCKickschannel]

Thank you for taking the time to pen a quality comment discussing the pro's and con's and like most things in life, it all depends on your own requirements, budgets and what makes you smile at the end of the day. :)

[@mclovin583]

Amen.

[@rileykairc]

I do upgrade my crawlers and nitro cars but the only tamiya I now have is my original grasshopper and that's been upgraded to the max including a brushless 540 system ,I don't buy tamiya are expensive depending on the kit yet other brands tend to be better before you need to buy upgrades it depends on what you need and want

[@AddamsPlayground]

I tend to save up for other cars rather than buying all the pretty bits for one. If it is something that breaks all the time then yeah, worth the money to replace with a good part that won't. The only cars I spent money on the add piles of aluminum upgrades to were older ones and I got the parts on super deep discount cuz nobody cared anymore. Can't really do that in today's market though!

[@Ah87100]

Sometimes it’s just about the Bling Factor! I always want to keep things relative stock apart from bearings but that sometimes it’s hard!

[@RCKickschannel]

So true!

[@markscotchford4159]

A great video Gavin. Loads of points raised. I guess as the saying goes you pay your money and take your choice. If we don't want to we don't. Tamiya know they have a very loyal and committed customer. Take the new Super Avante which in my view should have been called the Kaizen. I like this, I think it will be great and well done for Tamiya to do something new. A quick stroll through the options list though soon gets us to £200 plus. Tamiya will say well you don't have to buy them and we don't. I just think it would be nice to have metal bodied shocks on models that cost over £300 to start with. It's all good though. Like you say one of the great things is we are all different. Some will have a shelf queen. Others will build as standard and keep it that way. Others will buy as standard and upgrade bit by bit. For some that is a bonus to see how the parts they choose improve it. For me though, £80 for a pair of shocks without springs is silly. I don't have to buy them, and I won't. :-) I'd like you to do a piece on your favourite brand and why. :-)

[@Westside7be]

Hop up parts are like laser printer cartridges. The margin's not in the printer, but in the cartridges you will be buying a lot. And oh, how's that, the non oem cartridges don't work as well? Sometimes it's a bit too obvious. Some buggies really come out with obvious problems (im not talking about the lack of shiny aluminium machined parts) that manufacturers don't care to fix on the standard parts and just like to sell you the upgrades for

[@alfredyost7972]

I love to buy Hop-Up parts. I usually buy my hop-up parts first and assemble my car with the new parts. However, if you buy Hop-up parts from several different manufacturers the parts might not fit. This has happened to me many times. Basically, the parts change the car some much that other Hop-up parts no longer fit. I hate when this happens. Thoughts?

[@besprend27]

😂, from a business point of view, you are spot on Gavin. But, I must say a tinkering hobbyist wouldn't care at all to hopup their RC's (like me) and make models a shelf queen thereafter. I do have bashers, and I only upgrade to bearings, weak linkages, and shocks. Other than those three important upgrades, I wait till I break a part. 🤙🏼

[@GT-po6by]

A crawler could be an exception. Even a beginner can see the Benefits from weight down low or good soft tires. I agree with your thoughts around racing, I am the weakest link!

[@RCKickschannel]

I was blown away by the tyres you can now get for crawlers. That and a good ESC and motor combo.

[@GT-po6by]

@@RCKickschannel oh right, brushless crawler motors with the settings on the ESC. Fantastic

[@darrenalmeida1382]

IT IS A HOBBY! HAVE FUN MAKING YOUR RC ALL YOURS! I prefer locating and buying kits rather than buying hop ups, this is how I enjoy the RC hobby. I do not think it is a scam, it is part of the hobby just like real automobiles.

[@earlyculyer4103]

This is a great topic Hop ups are only useful if they are money saving for instance CVDs are better when they are made of metal but some are a cheap metal and still break so they have to be quality hop-ups, having a full metal chassis May look good but it's not practical, depending on the application, you want things to flex not bend if you're bashing and racing, in any of a crash you want something to break like cars have crumple zones you want it to absorb the energy and break the least expensive parts, If you have a full metal everything is just going to be trashed totaled, so it depends on application. Sometimes instead of buying hop-ups it's just better to buy the best version of the vehicle If feasible.. like if you have a base model and then a pro model why buy the base model and then buy all the parts that come with the pro model separately when most of the time to upgraded model may save you money if not time. Save a little more money if you can to get the better model. How's the old motto Go? by cheap spend twice?

[@acemcgraw1]

Bits to make things stronger for bashing, or things to make it look better are fair enough too. I think saying that you definitely need to put an adjustable turnbuckle on a TT02 because you can definitely benefit form that extra 0.01 degrees or toe-in when driving it in your back garden is a bit stupid, but each to their own. I have a Lunchbox and am a member of Tamiya Lunchbox clubs on Facebook. I find it hilarious on there when people say they're going to fit a 12t brushless motor and 4s lipos, then complain that the truck flips over, or ask what expensive parts they need to get to make it stop bouncing or wheelying, at which point I say get a buggy instead...

[@kevinjhonson5925]

I’m going to buy a hotshot 2 blockhead and am going to upgrade it to the max!!!! Why am I going to do upgrade it? I don’t know I just have two, it makes me happy.

[@maxxbrisco]

Hop Ups are all part of the excitement of building a RC car but some hop-ups are more worthy than others so I carefully consider what is best for me. I have shelf queens that have all the hop ups but some of my race cars have only a few.

[@TiberiusCat]

Great video! I’m thinking about building a Neo Scorcher the same way you did. It looks great! Where did you find the wheels and tires? Thanks!

[@RCKickschannel]

EBay I think it was

[@TiberiusCat]

@@RCKickschannel Thanks! Is there a size of wheels and tires to look for?

[@TheFatController82]

Some very good points here. I always get hop-ups to replace weak parts or bits that are always failing. But remember, when you add a stronger lower arm for example, the gear box or chassis becomes the next weakest point.

[@RCKickschannel]

Yep and swapping an arm is a load less work than a chassis or diff housing.

[@Metla666]

Love hop-ups, whether they are for performance, durability or just the bling factor. Totally ruined a few cars capabilities due to tinkering but that's how it goes.

[@krisbushill]

Gotta get more blue bits!

[@arnoldapplewhite3149]

I agree. I think there is definitely a place for hop up parts but the majority of them are cosmetic and in my experiences from back waaaaay back in the day a lot of so called hop ups can make the car worse on the track not better.

[@ericchristopher9037]

G’day Gavin, I have a CC01 which I’ve done the full hop up which Yeah Racing and it looks great the only problem I have is the steering isn’t working properly so I’m off to the hobby shop to get help. But don’t you need to do hop ups on all Tamiya car’s? Love the show, I enjoy watching from down here in Australia.

[@RCKickschannel]

Hi Eric, I hope you get your CC-01 steering sorted out.

[@keironfellows4739]

Hit the nail on the head there Gav. Always remember that with hop ups you will rarely get that money back if you sell. I used to go mad with upgrades- now it’s essentials only. 👍

[@RCKickschannel]

Yes you can really lose a big chunk of cash if you sell the car on later.

[@ericwood2790]

You always change back to original parts before you sell . That is if you have the parts.

[@peterbrookes9874]

I agree with you on the buggy that you built for your son. That was obviously way over the top. But… think about your clod! Original spec compared to how it performs now! That’s where hop ups are really worth the money 💰

[@RCKickschannel]

Good Clod comment Peter.

[@drewp9112]

i would imagine most people look at upgrade parts after getting into rc. its pretty much like any other thing you can get into, theres upgrades and bling. I have to admit I have gone whole hog on upgrades in past builds. There are people who just run stock and dont do upgrades, weird.

[@jasonsanders1244]

I really want that spur gear cover

[@RCKickschannel]

I found it on eBay a few years ago. Sorry thats all I know about it. I picked up two as I hadn't seen it before then.

[@jasonsanders1244]

@@RCKickschannel the search continues!

[@keijimorita1849]

I like plastic because it's light, cheap & flexible. Maybe it's because I have machining experience that aluminum shineys do nothing for me. My most modded vehicle has only 3 metal upgrades. Aluminum shocks (plastic ones pop apart too easy), a small aluminum bearing support (heard the plastic 1 tends to melt) & metal gears in the servo (broke the plastic ones). All the rest are relatively inexpensive plastic RPM parts.

[@SEAN-fx5dm]

Absolutely agree with you with respect to prop shafts and bearings, I would like to replace any plastic or friction shocks I've got with aluminium oil dampers just because they look better. All my cars bar one are shelf queens. Great idea for this video 👍, I look forward to everyone's opinion.

[@lio1234234]

In the case of my tt02b, I needed many "hopups" to be able to let me run it without self destructing. I just had to buy a castle 1405 and mamba X ESC didn't it? 😂

[@vincenthawke3049]

Recently resurrected an old df02 Gravel hound with a brushless set up and radio gear then on the first outing watched it literally disintegrate!, Replaced the front and rear hubs and the front uprights with yeah racing aluminium parts and the lost drive shafts were still available tamiya parts. So really a necessity in this case but it does add a bit of bling to the mainly black plastic construction on this car!. I think for a lot of people that buy hop ups its absolutely fine, just don't get to carried away and spend a fortune. Do you know if Bora has an online shop?, Can only seem to find a Facebook link and I don't do Facebook. Cheers

[@yodecaf]

You know what this video did? Make me want a neoscorcher! That metallic paint!