I love that comment, "The best way to improve your drifting, is to just keep drifting!" I fly FPV drones, races & freestyle. For me to get better at freestyle is to just keep flying! Stay safe & take care.
First time doing a voice over, and I kinda stutter with some silly grammatical mistakes. I may have brushed through a lot of details but I hope somehow this can maybe help someone. Let me know if I made any mistakes or how I can improve :P Stuff I missed: MOTOR: Forgot to mention, if having the choice between brushed or brushless, I would recommend going brushed as brushed motors have much better low speed control, and Mini-Z brushless are sensorless, which can clog up at lower speeds. But if you want to use a brushless, use a lower KV motor as it'll have better low end torque and control. Also to note, brushed motors have a stronger braking effect when you let off the throttle, so it tends to slow down faster off throttle. Together with a front one way, it could be unstable off throttle if you are trying to travel in a straight line. GYRO: I do recommend against using a gyro, as it actually reduces the overall steering lock you can use. While it can help newer people to drift by helping to steer the car straighter, do try to learn how to drift without it. Of course, if you run a Counter steer setup(see my other videos), a gyro would help make it a lot more controllable as there isn't forcefeedback. WHEELBASE & WIDTH: Similar to the weight distribution, a shorter wheelbase tend to allow the car to make changes in direction much quicker, while a longer one may make it more stable. It's a similar story to wheel offset widths. Though, a wider rear will make the car more understeery, and a wider front will make it more oversteery. Really, it's very much up to preference, just set it up to how you like it to feel, maybe a car that can change direction easily while being stable? Longer wheelbase car with more front weight bias. Super agile car with low grip that lets you do Gymkana easily? Shorter wheelbase, more camber, front one way. If you have different setups that work for you, do post and discuss about it here!
Very good video. One question you mentioned in your comment about a front one way and after talking about the brushed/brushless motors being difficult to travel in straight lines. Which motor makes it harder to control with front one way diff?
@@Abarth1200 Really late reply as I didn't receive a notification, but it's the brushed motor as it has more drag brake so it's more likely to lock or slip the rear.
Nice work! Very, very good explanation. Body is one topic that I've never touched on for some reason and you explained it perfectly here. Body does effect how the car handles. I guess FC RX-7 is less agile because of the overhang at the and back. WRX is hatchback and it's pretty short as you mentioned. Personally I really like R32 on AMZ because it's the most stable with that chassis, R33 is on DRZ for RWD drift, R34 for CS drift and GT-R (R35) is my touring.
Yea it was interesting as before I did much of my testing I thought Wheelbase is more important, but I'm guessing as well is that the grip is so low that the weight difference has a larger effect. An honor to have you here 😊
@@ZippoMan2005 it's an upgrade that I think is not needed but nice to have. The car already easily breaks traction easily with drift tires and the stock motor. If I remember correctly it does accelerate up to speed faster, and also because of the extra torque, you can gear it higher for higher top speed without sacrificing much acceleration.
@@Auranapse can you comment on other bodies and their effect on drifting? Right now I got a Challenger with the longest and widest wheelbase, as well as 11mm rear tires plus a lot of overhang front and back, and it’s very stable, almost too stable at times (rear rigid diff, front one way diff, no gyro, front softest springs, rear hardest springs, front 0.2mm toe out, LF-5 tires…so everything geared towards maximum agility and ease of initiating a drift). I’m thinking of trying out another body and would love to get your input for all the bodies you tried so far! Thanks.
@@muaythai193 If agility is all you want you could go for the cars with smaller moments of inertia. Generally those bodies that are lighter or is physically shorter would make it more to turn from side to side. Shorter and narrower wheel base will also help, but with such low grip during drift I think inertia makes a more noticeable difference. The Abarth would be one of them, but haven't tried it as that is way too rare. The 2008 WRX is probably one of the more fun bodies to mess around that I personally ran, as the body is very light and decently short overall.
Absolutely brilliant drifting! I'm new to this but I agree, as you say, practice amongst other mods is the main thing! Really clear instructions, thankyou, I've subscribed!!
I want to get one so bad since last year but the price of Kyosho mini-z series skyrocketed that I couldn't afford anymore thanks to my bills and other daily necessities. Love this video.
So to get more of a handbrake effect with limited slip diff front/rear you could try putting more toque to the read wheels. Different pinions/crown gear size so the rear wheels spin faster than the front. Like a rally car
I learned a lot from this video. Although I noticed something with my car. I was having same issue with the wheels not having equal amount of traction that results in one tire spinning faster thus changing the car's direction. How I solved it is by changing the springs into soft ones allowing the car to sit slightly lower making the weight distribution even on all four. Now my car is balanced. I'm still thinking about upgrading to ball diffs.
Very helpful video. Should be getting my first Mini-Z in about a week and a half, and this gives me a lot to think about. Also, you are crazy good at drifting!
many thanks for your video. most helpful. please tell me where to buy the red and white barriers? they look perfect for my racing space. thank you for your time
Hello. I was hoping you could help me. I have been researching Mini Z drifting for 3 weeks and I am very confused. I like RWD drifting more, it looks smoother and more accurate than AWD. I want a RWD car but I am very confused how to turn it into a drift car. If I buy a RWD Mini Z and change the front and rear differential (front 1 way & rear locked), is that enough to drift and have fun? Do I need to change the servo and front axel so the front wheels can turn more? Thank you.
Awesome explanation, i have a stock ma020 ready set civic type r, I enjoy seeing your driving skills (drifting), should invest drifting upgrades for my mini z or just jump in slowly with gl racing stock gld, I don’t know by upgrading the parts of the ma020 is good long term investment (worth the value on drift performance).
Personally after doing RWD drifting I rarely ever run my MA020. Other than just perhaps getting differentials for the MA020, any other upgrade is not really going to make a huge difference in terms of drifting performance, it's mostly fine tuning to your preference.
Hi, can you help pick the right angles for camber for MA-020 ( 90-94mm )? Do we need it for all 4 wheels or only front or only rear ? What parts do I choose as I see 3 option on the Kyosho America website. [Camber Knuckle Set(4.5/MINI-Z AWD) MDW005-45 ][ Camber Knuckle Set(1.5/MINI-Z AWD) MDW005-15] [ Camber Knuckle Set(3.0/MINI-Z AWD) MDW005-30 ]. I have added Toe out to my front wheels, the max angle possible. Thank you!
Are you running a gyro on both the ma020 and ma030? If so about how much would youbsaybis a decent setting? I have the ma020 with one way and locked rear on the r34 body, and the ma030 with stock ball diffs, both with gyro. And few other minor tweeks. But my ma020 seems way easier for both long and short drifts. Plus easier to start the drift opposed to the ma030 evo.
Personally I feel that you will have much more control over the car, and be able to build up better skill by learning to drive the car without the gyro. But if the learning curve is slightly too high, you could slowly lower the gyro over time as you get used to driving the car, then adapting to it. The gyro tends to fight you as the driver, and make the car slightly more sluggish, but it makes it easier to drive too for newer people.
I would love to know how you can get 0 rear toe out of your DWS. The kit comes with a 3 and 4 degree suspension holder and you can get a aluminum 2 degree holder, but for the life of me I can not find one that I can get zero toe.
I have a few questions 😅😅 I see you're not running the stock tires, was a big difference to changing them to DS racing compound? Apart from ease of tuning, did the dws rear make a big difference? Are you using gyros for these cars? I've just started with my MiniZ ma020 AWD tofu special. I changed the front to a one way, and will soon change the rear to fixed, already changing the front to one way has smoothed out the drifting. I also notice an improvement in smoothness when having the body on vs body off. Might try some weights to compensate for the body. There's definitely a difference in ease of drifting between turning left and right because of the batter imbalance!
The nice thing about the DS Racing tires are that you can choose the level of grip for your surface, from LF1 to LF5s, grippiest to most slippery. You can kinda mix and match the tires for the front and back to make the car handle differently, generally I like using 2 narrows at the front and 2 wides at the rear of the same compound. But the Kyosho stock tires are already pretty good in my opinion. If you want it to have less grip and drift slower you can go for LF5s. DWS wise ease of tuning is the main factor for drifting wise. Not much handling difference since the suspension very rarely ever compresses due to the low load(little friction and flat surfaces). This changes if you race the cars on RCP though. For the gyro I did initially get one but I never ever used it because it's not really needed at all for AWD drifting. It may help for beginners to control the car, but it's much better to learn to drift without it, as it actually will hinder the ability of the car as it will sometimes limit the steering lock when you fight against it, which makes the car understeer sometimes. Weight distribution is definitely important! If you wanna make the car more stable you can add weights to the far front and far rear of the car, but it'll make it less agile XD. It's up to preference really, but normally I try not to add as I like the chassis to look clean.
MA-020 MA-030EVO whice one to get? im stll new to mini z but i think the 30 wont fit lots of bodies as much as the 20... reason because i want to make a replica of my real BRZ tS and i think a BRZ body will hit on a 30 evo ...
The MA-030EVO won't be able to fit the GT86/BRZ unfortunately, you may get it to work if you cut part of the motor mount: www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?3432907-Mini-Z-MA030-FWD-AWD-body-compatibility But imo the MA-020 works really well and probably is the safer bet. It costs lesser to get it running.
Hi, i have bought 2 sets of after market wheelsets specifications are compatible to mini z but I need to use a lot force to press the wheels into the pin but still cannot be done. Thus i never do it. May advise whether i need to do filing to enlarge the new wheels hole slots? Or can just force the wheels in and ot may break the pin?
I have a MA020 with FOW and rear fixed diff and stock camber and toe set up. If the car has the tendency to spin what to do? If the car is hard to initiate a drift what to do? Thanks in advance. Can you or someone please post trouble shooting videos or tutorials.
Actually it depends on how you initiate the drift. If you do by flicking but it understeer, you can actually either try increasing rear camber(which will actually make it spin more as well), widen the width of the car at the front(make front end more responsive), or run a shorter car overall. If the spinning can be counteracted by your steering without losing your drift line it shouldn't be a problem. If it's uncontrollable you can reduce the rear camber or increase the front(however this may affect initiating a drift too).
I do plan to do a drift tutorial video I think, sometimes it's not the car's setup but how it's driven. In my video maybe I didn't make it super obvious but with wildly different setups, you can still drift it well, just by adapting(go slower in some corners, flicking into wider angles).
Can you run a 90mm wheelbase with DWS on the MA020? I would like to adjust the rear camber and toe, rather than buy individual knuckles and tie bars the DWS seems like the better option. Thanks again for your videos, they were very helpful for learning to drift with the AE86 MA020.
@@ImranShamsul For drifting you won't see a obvious difference as the suspension doesn't really compress if the surface you drift on is flat, especially if you setup the camber and toe similarly. The benefit is mainly allowing you to easily adjust camber and ride height of the car. However if you use it for grip racing on rcp, it'll generally(if you don't botch the setup) make the rear more stable as the suspension is smoother.
Personally I think it's better to not use one. Learning to drift an AWD car without gyro would be better as for the Mini Zs the higher the gyro, the more understeery the car will feel as it'll try to countersteer and straighten the car. It could be a good beginner aid to get you up and running, but you should work towards not using 1 at all.
What kind of video editing software do you use? I really liked the shadow car but I don’t think my video editor could handle that lol Great video, great edits & I really appreciated the voice over. You sounded good man, don’t be overly critical of yourself. The voice over really adds something to the videos that scrolling text just can’t convey. You had some great info & I enjoyed hearing your opinions. The shadow car was a really cool idea, but I don’t think it’s a fair comparison. If one car is a 030 & the other a 020, both with different differential setups, then your comparing tangerines to oranges. They are similar, but different cars due to weights distribution, & different bodies. A better comparison would have been the same chassis with different differentials, & the same body to compare the differences. That said, still a great video with some awesome info. Nice drifting by the way!!
Thank you! I'm using Sony Vegas 14 for this video, will probably try out Premiere as Vegas crashed quite a few times while editing and while rendering this. I agree that both should have the same chassis and body running together, but I don't have another 020 and taking it apart multiple times to record a clip would be hard haha. I think it could've been done better, but I think it's enough to show the difference between the diffs, as the stock MA-030 is actually more agile than the stock MA-020 thanks to the front grip, and having a one way on the 020 makes it more agile than the 030.
Nope, the my first Mini Z car series are essentially toys(non hobby grade) and not really true Mini Z cars. Personally I think they're not worth getting at all. The cars in the video are of the Mini Z AWD series.
@@noahlaz1709 I don't think that's possible unfortunately. If I remember they're rear wheel drive too, which makes it hard to drift especially for it because it doesn't have much steering lock.
Hi I just saw your video on Youthopia and got me interested as I saw that small RCs like this could drift! What’s the best way for me, a person with ZERO experience to start drifting these Mini Z cars. I don’t even know which car to buy.
Welcome! The straight up easiest is to get a Mini Z AWD readyset(MA020, the one with black controller), as that only requires 8 AAA batteries to run, 4 for the car, 4 for the controller. If you want something much lower budget, you can look at the wltoys k989 too, which uses a lower detail lexan body.
Assuming the same alignment it shouldn't have much of a handling difference actually. I had no trouble with how mine handles at all. Did you check that your camber is equal on both sides and the wheels are moving freely?
For new drifters/entry level what would be the ideal to buy for a young 10yr old who wants to do this, but may not have the skills yet to do the upgrades himself
Then actually I do suggest to just learn how to drift without any upgrades first. Using the stock setup is actually viable and good enough with practice. The setup video is just to help people who want to fine tune or make it handle to the individual's liking. Not sure if I made it obvious enough, but I've showed 2 widely different setups and yet I can drift it decently, using different methods.
Auranapse Yes, I do like your upgrades & I bet he would want that too, but, didn’t want to frustrate the boy if he is not able to upgrade it himself yet. So, MA-020 would be a good mini-z entry level with the Subaru body for drifting?
@@iammaximus614 I see. Yup, though it's best if he picks his favourite body. While the body does affect the handling, having a body you like is more important.
BMR 3 and you have me confused T_T BMR says the MA030EVO is the best drifting and you say the best is the MA020 for bringing brushed motor! I don't know which one to buy like my second drifter! Please help me! Best regards!
Personally I think the MA030EVO does have the better chassis with the better board, but the downsides is that it can only do 94mm and 98mm wheelbase, while the MA020 can do 90mm + 94mm, but with a extension kit you could also run 98mm. Also the EVO is more expensive overall especially when you factor in receiver and controller costs. I would go with the MA030EVO if you really have no problems with money. As you could also just purchase a brushed motor + a ICS cable to use the MA030EVO with a brushed motor if you so wish, for better low speed control. But you can just use it perfectly fine with the stock brushless motor too. It's really up to preference :P For most I'll just recommend MA020 for cost to performance ratio.
@@Auranapse Friend thank you very much for taking the time to respond 🙏! For the cost no problem as I have the Subaru WRC 2008 body and an additional KT531P control of a mini RWD that I do not use! My question is whether with the EVo I will get better drift handling, whether the brushed motor is better than the brushless motor!
@@Xavyerzc If so, it won't be any harm to just try out the EVO, and if you find the motor to be too hard to control, then perhaps replace it with a brushed motor instead. The main downside with the brushless motor is that at the lowest possible throttle input, it moves as fast as the brushed Mini Zs (like your RWD) at 50% throttle. But honestly, if you are able to afford past the EVO, and mainly want to do drifting, I would suggest getting a RWD drift chassis like the GLD, DRZ 2 or driftart instead. Those work with Mini Z bodies too.
@@Auranapse 🙏Thank you very much friend! Now I'm going to review those models you mention! You help people like me a lot to make better decisions about this amazing hobby! I've spent a lot of hrs watching your videos, I'm obsessed with this drifting cart xD! Best regards mate!
@@Auranapse Noted and thanks for your swift reply! I going to get one as my current one got much damaged by my driving. Enjoy your holidays ahead! Thanks
Hi, thank you for this video and for the explanations. Do you have a good web site to recommande where I can buy those mini z parts to improve my MA020 ? Thanks ;)
There's quite a few, I've probably mentioned a few in some other comments, but generally: KenonHobby(US), RCM8(EU), SmallDriftMachines(Singapore), ChanRC(Malaysia), HRC Arena(HK), RCMart(HK), Banzai Hobby(Japan), off the top of my head
Most of them are pretty cheap roughly around 10USD max if I remember, the more expensive parts are the differentials, if you get them from Kyosho are upwards of 50USD. I'll probably recommend cheaper ones from Eagle Racing if you are able to find them.
Hello, is this the car you're talking about? rc.kyosho.com/en/rccar/miniz/mini-zawd/32616bl.html I just ordered it and wanted to know what else I should get to improve drifting
Yup this is it. You should try drifting it out of the box first! It already is pretty nice, but if you do want some improvements, the front one way and rear locked diff is definitely one working setup that almost everyone likes using :P
@@Auranapse Ok thanks for the tip! Can you pinpoint me to those parts because I can't seem to find them for a normal price and don't know if there are cheaper alternatives. :))
Yea, the Kyosho ones are kinda steep. If you want to spend the least, you could try looking for Eagle racing diffs on ebay. For a locked diff you can just open your stock diff and put some blutac inside to lock it up in a non permanent way.
Hello bro do you know if theres a difference between a readyset ma020 lets say wrx sti, and a savanna rx7 from initial d, because i can get one from Amazon for cheaper than a hobby shop,is there something i could be missing on?is it lower Quality,will i be able to change the body if i got the savanna rx7?
As long as the MA020 kits you get are not the sport models(Mini Z Sports), it should be the exact same chassis. You can definitely change the body to whatever you want :P
For drifting I would say it makes little to no difference. It will make car setup easier but definitely not needed. It will provide smooth suspension travel but you will only notice the difference when racing on Rcp circuit, and won't feel it for drifting.
I have a question so I am getting the ma-020 and do you know if there is after market rims and if you can buy new wheels because I feel like they will get worn
There are a couple around. Both rims and wheels can be found on most shops selling 1/28 stuff, as cars from GL Racing and Atomic also uses the same rims/wheels. Tyres are pretty much everywhere, though I haven't actually managed to wear the drift tyres to any point that needs replacing.
Srry but please respond! I'm planning to buy a Mini z Ae86 but idk if it has drift tires or not. one of them for sale was 2wd, so is this good? I need to know if they have drift tires.if not, can I just add tape to the tires?
Only the Mini Z AWD series will come with drift tires. Also, the RWD Mini Zs can't really drift as they don't have enough steering lock. Adding tape may work but I doubt it'll work well
Yup, you'll be able to swap out the bodies, though some chassis may have fitting issues as the chassis is too large for the body (the MA030 motor mount). But the MA020 can fit most shells without problems.
Nope, it only works for EVO board cars(like MA030EVO or MR03EVO), and need Flysky EVO receiver. MA020 FHSS only support Kyosho FHSS controllers like the KT432PT or KT531P.
Slightly off topic.. I'm new to the awd mini z - I have a ma020.. I'm having a hard time finding wheels for this car. I have LF3 8.5 narrow tires, what wheels will work with them?
Hello! I have a takata dome nsx like yours and i can't put it in the MA-020 chassis, i put the 94mm adjust but it doesnt inserts good. How did You do it? Thanks!!!
Did you change front clip? Also if you're using DWS suspension it may not be able to fit(I'm not 100% sure on this). The NSX shouldn't have much problems fitting the MA020 :O
@@Auranapse hey, i finally fitted the takata but the axes are too short from the body, that it's wider, do yo know if there exists any longer axes? Thanks for the answer!
@@yoeltriii Any Mini Z AWD spec wheels from a hobby shop. If you don't know any then you can look up Kenon Hobby(US), Banzai Hobby(JP), SmallDriftMachines(SGP), HRC Arena(HK), RCM8(UK).
It really depends on the price, I've seen some of the prices on Amazon being jacked up quite high. You should cross check the prices from places like rcmart or kenon hobby.
I bought the MA020 locally in a hobby store in Japan. I got the MA030EVO from Banzai Hobby, but you can also look at RcMart, kenon hobby, Small Drift Machines, depending on where you're located.
Depends on what you need, I did make a video on which you should choose, but if you're just going to play casually at home, MA020 would be more cost effective.
@@alie5146 normally I use narrow at the front and wide at the rear, both racing and drifting. For offset it depends on the body and chassis I use. Normally around 1-2mm offset
I made a mistake and got a RWD audi to try and drift with😂🤣didnt turn out well doesnt drift at all AND it turns sharp left and wide right and ive done everything I can to fix it
Unfortunately the RWD Mini Zs have way too little steering lock to be driftable without heavy modification(if any is even available). If you wanted a RWD drift car for 1/28 scale you could have looked for the XRX, DRZ V2 or GLD. For the inconsistent turning from left to right, it could be that the bearings are not equally smooth from left to right. If it is only happening under power I think it's normal because the stock differential is open and is not centered, meaning 1 axle is longer than the other, creating something similar to torque steer in real FWD cars.
It's amazing to see that you are able to predict your crash while you drift and prevent it.
The best way to to improve your drifting is to deliver tofu
I love that comment, "The best way to improve your drifting, is to just keep drifting!" I fly FPV drones, races & freestyle. For me to get better at freestyle is to just keep flying! Stay safe & take care.
First time doing a voice over, and I kinda stutter with some silly grammatical mistakes. I may have brushed through a lot of details but I hope somehow this can maybe help someone. Let me know if I made any mistakes or how I can improve :P
Stuff I missed:
MOTOR:
Forgot to mention, if having the choice between brushed or brushless, I would recommend going brushed as brushed motors have much better low speed control,
and Mini-Z brushless are sensorless, which can clog up at lower speeds. But if you want to use a brushless, use a lower KV motor as it'll have better low end torque and control.
Also to note, brushed motors have a stronger braking effect when you let off the throttle, so it tends to slow down faster off throttle. Together with a front one way, it could be unstable off throttle if you are trying to travel in a straight line.
GYRO:
I do recommend against using a gyro, as it actually reduces the overall steering lock you can use. While it can help newer people to drift by helping to steer the car straighter, do try to learn how to drift without it. Of course, if you run a Counter steer setup(see my other videos), a gyro would help make it a lot more controllable as there isn't forcefeedback.
WHEELBASE & WIDTH:
Similar to the weight distribution, a shorter wheelbase tend to allow the car to make changes in direction much quicker, while a longer one may make it more stable.
It's a similar story to wheel offset widths. Though, a wider rear will make the car more understeery, and a wider front will make it more oversteery.
Really, it's very much up to preference, just set it up to how you like it to feel,
maybe a car that can change direction easily while being stable? Longer wheelbase car with more front weight bias.
Super agile car with low grip that lets you do Gymkana easily? Shorter wheelbase, more camber, front one way.
If you have different setups that work for you, do post and discuss about it here!
Great video, glad to see people putting out content like this
@@BlitzWorks Thanks! I do hope to see more others put out Mini Z content too. There is too little out there xD
Very good video. One question you mentioned in your comment about a front one way and after talking about the brushed/brushless motors being difficult to travel in straight lines. Which motor makes it harder to control with front one way diff?
@@Abarth1200 Really late reply as I didn't receive a notification, but it's the brushed motor as it has more drag brake so it's more likely to lock or slip the rear.
The perfect video that describes how to drive an AWD mini-z drifting car!!! The mods in this video are a must!
I watch your video over and over, love your skill! Thankyou
Nice work! Very, very good explanation. Body is one topic that I've never touched on for some reason and you explained it perfectly here. Body does effect how the car handles. I guess FC RX-7 is less agile because of the overhang at the and back. WRX is hatchback and it's pretty short as you mentioned.
Personally I really like R32 on AMZ because it's the most stable with that chassis, R33 is on DRZ for RWD drift, R34 for CS drift and GT-R (R35) is my touring.
Yea it was interesting as before I did much of my testing I thought Wheelbase is more important, but I'm guessing as well is that the grip is so low that the weight difference has a larger effect. An honor to have you here 😊
@@Auranapse For drifting in small space (home office) is the XSpeed V MDW023 motor overkill? Or is upgrade worth it for the extra torque? Thanks
@@ZippoMan2005 it's an upgrade that I think is not needed but nice to have. The car already easily breaks traction easily with drift tires and the stock motor. If I remember correctly it does accelerate up to speed faster, and also because of the extra torque, you can gear it higher for higher top speed without sacrificing much acceleration.
@@Auranapse can you comment on other bodies and their effect on drifting?
Right now I got a Challenger with the longest and widest wheelbase, as well as 11mm rear tires plus a lot of overhang front and back, and it’s very stable, almost too stable at times (rear rigid diff, front one way diff, no gyro, front softest springs, rear hardest springs, front 0.2mm toe out, LF-5 tires…so everything geared towards maximum agility and ease of initiating a drift).
I’m thinking of trying out another body and would love to get your input for all the bodies you tried so far!
Thanks.
@@muaythai193 If agility is all you want you could go for the cars with smaller moments of inertia. Generally those bodies that are lighter or is physically shorter would make it more to turn from side to side. Shorter and narrower wheel base will also help, but with such low grip during drift I think inertia makes a more noticeable difference. The Abarth would be one of them, but haven't tried it as that is way too rare. The 2008 WRX is probably one of the more fun bodies to mess around that I personally ran, as the body is very light and decently short overall.
Your voice make this video sounds like a Netflix Documentary! Thumbs Up for the tips!
Absolutely brilliant drifting! I'm new to this but I agree, as you say, practice amongst other mods is the main thing! Really clear instructions, thankyou, I've subscribed!!
Im so thankful for this video. I am about to start drifting with mini-z and this answered a lot of questions!
Thank you so much for this video! I was looking for a video that explains all the diff setups and this hits it on the spot. Now I feel relieved 😅
I want to get one so bad since last year but the price of Kyosho mini-z series skyrocketed that I couldn't afford anymore thanks to my bills and other daily necessities. Love this video.
Glad you like it! Yea they are pretty pricey. You can however look at cheaper options like WL toys K989, which is really good for the price.
So to get more of a handbrake effect with limited slip diff front/rear you could try putting more toque to the read wheels. Different pinions/crown gear size so the rear wheels spin faster than the front. Like a rally car
I learned a lot from this video. Although I noticed something with my car. I was having same issue with the wheels not having equal amount of traction that results in one tire spinning faster thus changing the car's direction. How I solved it is by changing the springs into soft ones allowing the car to sit slightly lower making the weight distribution even on all four. Now my car is balanced. I'm still thinking about upgrading to ball diffs.
Very helpful video. Should be getting my first Mini-Z in about a week and a half, and this gives me a lot to think about. Also, you are crazy good at drifting!
Great video nice edit with shadow car.
this was super helpful thank you!
many thanks for your video. most helpful. please tell me where to buy the red and white barriers? they look perfect for my racing space. thank you for your time
Hello. I was hoping you could help me. I have been researching Mini Z drifting for 3 weeks and I am very confused. I like RWD drifting more, it looks smoother and more accurate than AWD.
I want a RWD car but I am very confused how to turn it into a drift car.
If I buy a RWD Mini Z and change the front and rear differential (front 1 way & rear locked), is that enough to drift and have fun?
Do I need to change the servo and front axel so the front wheels can turn more?
Thank you.
Brother - There isn't a front differential in a RWD car.
top notch video bro!
Thx for this analysis 😁👌
Very good video !!
So i'm not the only one that feels a difference when changing body of the car 🧐
Crazy cool set up and clips
That Toyota Supra mk2 2.0 was amazing
Awesome explanation, i have a stock ma020 ready set civic type r, I enjoy seeing your driving skills (drifting), should invest drifting upgrades for my mini z or just jump in slowly with gl racing stock gld, I don’t know by upgrading the parts of the ma020 is good long term investment (worth the value on drift performance).
Personally after doing RWD drifting I rarely ever run my MA020. Other than just perhaps getting differentials for the MA020, any other upgrade is not really going to make a huge difference in terms of drifting performance, it's mostly fine tuning to your preference.
@@Auranapse thank.
Just keep drifting ❤
Dope video, saw you on reddit as well, will be a regular viewer :)
Amazing! Do you put Gyro on MA-20s
Good video mate ✌👽
Sweet video man!
Was looking how i should set up camber on awd drift and founf this nice video
Amazing tutorial and driving.👍🏻
Then what are some good upgrade I could do
Hi, can you help pick the right angles for camber for MA-020 ( 90-94mm )? Do we need it for all 4 wheels or only front or only rear ? What parts do I choose as I see 3 option on the Kyosho America website. [Camber Knuckle Set(4.5/MINI-Z AWD) MDW005-45 ][ Camber Knuckle Set(1.5/MINI-Z AWD) MDW005-15] [ Camber Knuckle Set(3.0/MINI-Z AWD) MDW005-30 ]. I have added Toe out to my front wheels, the max angle possible. Thank you!
where'd you get the white wrx
Thanks for the helpful video. In your description, front toe of -0.2mm means toe in or toe out of 0.2mm?
It's toe out :P
Normally negative is toe out, positive is toe in
Hi, my Kyosho MA-020 awd can't reverse. May advise how to rectify it, thanks
Are you running a gyro on both the ma020 and ma030? If so about how much would youbsaybis a decent setting? I have the ma020 with one way and locked rear on the r34 body, and the ma030 with stock ball diffs, both with gyro. And few other minor tweeks. But my ma020 seems way easier for both long and short drifts. Plus easier to start the drift opposed to the ma030 evo.
Personally I feel that you will have much more control over the car, and be able to build up better skill by learning to drive the car without the gyro.
But if the learning curve is slightly too high, you could slowly lower the gyro over time as you get used to driving the car, then adapting to it.
The gyro tends to fight you as the driver, and make the car slightly more sluggish, but it makes it easier to drive too for newer people.
Do you use magnetic mount for the body?
Nope, I'm still using the stock Kyosho mounting system.
ive watched a few times waiting for my evo..
I would love to know how you can get 0 rear toe out of your DWS. The kit comes with a 3 and 4 degree suspension holder and you can get a aluminum 2 degree holder, but for the life of me I can not find one that I can get zero toe.
I actually my DWS is using the 3 degree ones, I mistakenly placed 0 in the description.
Where can u buy this ?
I have a few questions 😅😅 I see you're not running the stock tires, was a big difference to changing them to DS racing compound?
Apart from ease of tuning, did the dws rear make a big difference?
Are you using gyros for these cars?
I've just started with my MiniZ ma020 AWD tofu special. I changed the front to a one way, and will soon change the rear to fixed, already changing the front to one way has smoothed out the drifting. I also notice an improvement in smoothness when having the body on vs body off. Might try some weights to compensate for the body. There's definitely a difference in ease of drifting between turning left and right because of the batter imbalance!
The nice thing about the DS Racing tires are that you can choose the level of grip for your surface, from LF1 to LF5s, grippiest to most slippery.
You can kinda mix and match the tires for the front and back to make the car handle differently, generally I like using 2 narrows at the front and 2 wides at the rear of the same compound.
But the Kyosho stock tires are already pretty good in my opinion. If you want it to have less grip and drift slower you can go for LF5s.
DWS wise ease of tuning is the main factor for drifting wise. Not much handling difference since the suspension very rarely ever compresses due to the low load(little friction and flat surfaces). This changes if you race the cars on RCP though.
For the gyro I did initially get one but I never ever used it because it's not really needed at all for AWD drifting. It may help for beginners to control the car, but it's much better to learn to drift without it, as it actually will hinder the ability of the car as it will sometimes limit the steering lock when you fight against it, which makes the car understeer sometimes.
Weight distribution is definitely important! If you wanna make the car more stable you can add weights to the far front and far rear of the car, but it'll make it less agile XD. It's up to preference really, but normally I try not to add as I like the chassis to look clean.
Nice explanation. Do you have the Cat. # for the Ball Dif for MA030EVO?
The one I used is made by Eagle racing and it seems out of stock on Ebay unfortunately. You can get official Kyosho one part number MDW018.
how do u get them
Is this your other channel mr. beaver?
Can u send the article numbers for the ma020 dif. Setup
MA-020 MA-030EVO whice one to get? im stll new to mini z but i think the 30 wont fit lots of bodies as much as the 20... reason because i want to make a replica of my real BRZ tS and i think a BRZ body will hit on a 30 evo ...
The MA-030EVO won't be able to fit the GT86/BRZ unfortunately, you may get it to work if you cut part of the motor mount: www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?3432907-Mini-Z-MA030-FWD-AWD-body-compatibility
But imo the MA-020 works really well and probably is the safer bet. It costs lesser to get it running.
i have a brz as well and am running into the same issue finding one, good luck with your search
Hi, i have bought 2 sets of after market wheelsets specifications are compatible to mini z but I need to use a lot force to press the wheels into the pin but still cannot be done. Thus i never do it. May advise whether i need to do filing to enlarge the new wheels hole slots? Or can just force the wheels in and ot may break the pin?
You can try filing it a little but forcing it in works too if it isn't too much force.
I have a MA020 with FOW and rear fixed diff and stock camber and toe set up. If the car has the tendency to spin what to do? If the car is hard to initiate a drift what to do? Thanks in advance. Can you or someone please post trouble shooting videos or tutorials.
Actually it depends on how you initiate the drift. If you do by flicking but it understeer, you can actually either try increasing rear camber(which will actually make it spin more as well), widen the width of the car at the front(make front end more responsive), or run a shorter car overall.
If the spinning can be counteracted by your steering without losing your drift line it shouldn't be a problem. If it's uncontrollable you can reduce the rear camber or increase the front(however this may affect initiating a drift too).
I do plan to do a drift tutorial video I think, sometimes it's not the car's setup but how it's driven. In my video maybe I didn't make it super obvious but with wildly different setups, you can still drift it well, just by adapting(go slower in some corners, flicking into wider angles).
Can you run a 90mm wheelbase with DWS on the MA020? I would like to adjust the rear camber and toe, rather than buy individual knuckles and tie bars the DWS seems like the better option. Thanks again for your videos, they were very helpful for learning to drift with the AE86 MA020.
Yup it will fit, I was using 90mm wheelbase on the MA020 with DWS in the video.
@@Auranapse Great, thanks for the info. I think i was confusing myself with the MA030 not working with 90mm.
@@Auranapse did you see a difference switching from stock to DWS?
@@ImranShamsul
For drifting you won't see a obvious difference as the suspension doesn't really compress if the surface you drift on is flat, especially if you setup the camber and toe similarly.
The benefit is mainly allowing you to easily adjust camber and ride height of the car.
However if you use it for grip racing on rcp, it'll generally(if you don't botch the setup) make the rear more stable as the suspension is smoother.
@@Auranapse Can the DWS width be adjusted for narrow/wide bodies. Great vid, cheers.
so which one makes it not reverse
should i get Gyro unit
Personally I think it's better to not use one. Learning to drift an AWD car without gyro would be better as for the Mini Zs the higher the gyro, the more understeery the car will feel as it'll try to countersteer and straighten the car. It could be a good beginner aid to get you up and running, but you should work towards not using 1 at all.
Awesome 👍🤩👍....!!!!!
What kind of video editing software do you use? I really liked the shadow car but I don’t think my video editor could handle that lol
Great video, great edits & I really appreciated the voice over. You sounded good man, don’t be overly critical of yourself. The voice over really adds something to the videos that scrolling text just can’t convey. You had some great info & I enjoyed hearing your opinions.
The shadow car was a really cool idea, but I don’t think it’s a fair comparison. If one car is a 030 & the other a 020, both with different differential setups, then your comparing tangerines to oranges. They are similar, but different cars due to weights distribution, & different bodies. A better comparison would have been the same chassis with different differentials, & the same body to compare the differences. That said, still a great video with some awesome info.
Nice drifting by the way!!
Thank you! I'm using Sony Vegas 14 for this video, will probably try out Premiere as Vegas crashed quite a few times while editing and while rendering this.
I agree that both should have the same chassis and body running together, but I don't have another 020 and taking it apart multiple times to record a clip would be hard haha.
I think it could've been done better, but I think it's enough to show the difference between the diffs, as the stock MA-030 is actually more agile than the stock MA-020 thanks to the front grip, and having a one way on the 020 makes it more agile than the 030.
Is this the my first mini z rc car
Nope, the my first Mini Z car series are essentially toys(non hobby grade) and not really true Mini Z cars. Personally I think they're not worth getting at all.
The cars in the video are of the Mini Z AWD series.
@@Auranapse thank you but with some tweaking do you think you could drift the my first mini z
@@noahlaz1709 I don't think that's possible unfortunately. If I remember they're rear wheel drive too, which makes it hard to drift especially for it because it doesn't have much steering lock.
Hi I just saw your video on Youthopia and got me interested as I saw that small RCs like this could drift! What’s the best way for me, a person with ZERO experience to start drifting these Mini Z cars. I don’t even know which car to buy.
Welcome! The straight up easiest is to get a Mini Z AWD readyset(MA020, the one with black controller), as that only requires 8 AAA batteries to run, 4 for the car, 4 for the controller.
If you want something much lower budget, you can look at the wltoys k989 too, which uses a lower detail lexan body.
Have you noticed any difficulty drifting with the double wishbone suspension in the back? I got one and even with a 3 degree toe bar it’s awful
Assuming the same alignment it shouldn't have much of a handling difference actually. I had no trouble with how mine handles at all. Did you check that your camber is equal on both sides and the wheels are moving freely?
For new drifters/entry level what would be the ideal to buy for a young 10yr old who wants to do this, but may not have the skills yet to do the upgrades himself
Then actually I do suggest to just learn how to drift without any upgrades first. Using the stock setup is actually viable and good enough with practice. The setup video is just to help people who want to fine tune or make it handle to the individual's liking.
Not sure if I made it obvious enough, but I've showed 2 widely different setups and yet I can drift it decently, using different methods.
Auranapse
Yes, I do like your upgrades & I bet he would want that too, but, didn’t want to frustrate the boy if he is not able to upgrade it himself yet.
So, MA-020 would be a good mini-z entry level with the Subaru body for drifting?
@@iammaximus614 I see. Yup, though it's best if he picks his favourite body. While the body does affect the handling, having a body you like is more important.
BMR 3 and you have me confused T_T BMR says the MA030EVO is the best drifting and you say the best is the MA020 for bringing brushed motor! I don't know which one to buy like my second drifter! Please help me! Best regards!
Personally I think the MA030EVO does have the better chassis with the better board, but the downsides is that it can only do 94mm and 98mm wheelbase, while the MA020 can do 90mm + 94mm, but with a extension kit you could also run 98mm. Also the EVO is more expensive overall especially when you factor in receiver and controller costs.
I would go with the MA030EVO if you really have no problems with money. As you could also just purchase a brushed motor + a ICS cable to use the MA030EVO with a brushed motor if you so wish, for better low speed control. But you can just use it perfectly fine with the stock brushless motor too. It's really up to preference :P
For most I'll just recommend MA020 for cost to performance ratio.
@@Auranapse Friend thank you very much for taking the time to respond 🙏! For the cost no problem as I have the Subaru WRC 2008 body and an additional KT531P control of a mini RWD that I do not use! My question is whether with the EVo I will get better drift handling, whether the brushed motor is better than the brushless motor!
@@Xavyerzc If so, it won't be any harm to just try out the EVO, and if you find the motor to be too hard to control, then perhaps replace it with a brushed motor instead. The main downside with the brushless motor is that at the lowest possible throttle input, it moves as fast as the brushed Mini Zs (like your RWD) at 50% throttle.
But honestly, if you are able to afford past the EVO, and mainly want to do drifting, I would suggest getting a RWD drift chassis like the GLD, DRZ 2 or driftart instead. Those work with Mini Z bodies too.
@@Auranapse 🙏Thank you very much friend! Now I'm going to review those models you mention! You help people like me a lot to make better decisions about this amazing hobby! I've spent a lot of hrs watching your videos, I'm obsessed with this drifting cart xD! Best regards mate!
Hi, may I check my mini z honda civic type r FWD or AWD are using the same car body? Thanks
Yes the body is the same :P
@@Auranapse Noted and thanks for your swift reply! I going to get one as my current one got much damaged by my driving. Enjoy your holidays ahead! Thanks
@@fwfefrtefdv4719 you too :P
Hi, thank you for this video and for the explanations. Do you have a good web site to recommande where I can buy those mini z parts to improve my MA020 ? Thanks ;)
There's quite a few, I've probably mentioned a few in some other comments, but generally: KenonHobby(US), RCM8(EU), SmallDriftMachines(Singapore), ChanRC(Malaysia), HRC Arena(HK), RCMart(HK), Banzai Hobby(Japan), off the top of my head
How much these things costs?
Most of them are pretty cheap roughly around 10USD max if I remember, the more expensive parts are the differentials, if you get them from Kyosho are upwards of 50USD. I'll probably recommend cheaper ones from Eagle Racing if you are able to find them.
Hello, is this the car you're talking about? rc.kyosho.com/en/rccar/miniz/mini-zawd/32616bl.html I just ordered it and wanted to know what else I should get to improve drifting
Yup this is it. You should try drifting it out of the box first! It already is pretty nice, but if you do want some improvements, the front one way and rear locked diff is definitely one working setup that almost everyone likes using :P
@@Auranapse Ok thanks for the tip! Can you pinpoint me to those parts because I can't seem to find them for a normal price and don't know if there are cheaper alternatives. :))
Yea, the Kyosho ones are kinda steep. If you want to spend the least, you could try looking for Eagle racing diffs on ebay. For a locked diff you can just open your stock diff and put some blutac inside to lock it up in a non permanent way.
@@Auranapse hey I just sent you a message on facebook :)
Hello bro do you know if theres a difference between a readyset ma020 lets say wrx sti, and a savanna rx7 from initial d, because i can get one from Amazon for cheaper than a hobby shop,is there something i could be missing on?is it lower Quality,will i be able to change the body if i got the savanna rx7?
As long as the MA020 kits you get are not the sport models(Mini Z Sports), it should be the exact same chassis. You can definitely change the body to whatever you want :P
@@Auranapse oh ok, thank you so much!
Do you know if the initial d ones are sport?
@@ryderwe4194 If it comes with the black controller (KT531P), it's the new one. The sport models use the blue KT19 controller, which you should avoid.
@@Auranapse ok thx
hello, I have ma020 sport. DWS are must have option part for drifting? I like to know the difference between DWS and normal suspension. thank you.
For drifting I would say it makes little to no difference. It will make car setup easier but definitely not needed. It will provide smooth suspension travel but you will only notice the difference when racing on Rcp circuit, and won't feel it for drifting.
I have a question so I am getting the ma-020 and do you know if there is after market rims and if you can buy new wheels because I feel like they will get worn
There are a couple around. Both rims and wheels can be found on most shops selling 1/28 stuff, as cars from GL Racing and Atomic also uses the same rims/wheels. Tyres are pretty much everywhere, though I haven't actually managed to wear the drift tyres to any point that needs replacing.
Srry but please respond!
I'm planning to buy a Mini z Ae86 but idk if it has drift tires or not. one of them for sale was 2wd, so is this good? I need to know if they have drift tires.if not, can I just add tape to the tires?
Only the Mini Z AWD series will come with drift tires. Also, the RWD Mini Zs can't really drift as they don't have enough steering lock.
Adding tape may work but I doubt it'll work well
What servo do you use
The servo for the Mini Z chassis are all standard ones that come with the car.
So if i bought the RX7 fc, could i just change out body for a NSX shell? I want one but ones i find around me are not like that NSX lol
Yup, you'll be able to swap out the bodies, though some chassis may have fitting issues as the chassis is too large for the body (the MA030 motor mount). But the MA020 can fit most shells without problems.
Do you have a part number for the dws rear suspension set up? Or link for purchase?
My DWS came with the MA030EVO, but I believe part number is MDW100.
Hi i have noble transmitter ! The noble work with the ma020 fhss ?
Thanks
Nope, it only works for EVO board cars(like MA030EVO or MR03EVO), and need Flysky EVO receiver. MA020 FHSS only support Kyosho FHSS controllers like the KT432PT or KT531P.
Slightly off topic.. I'm new to the awd mini z - I have a ma020.. I'm having a hard time finding wheels for this car. I have LF3 8.5 narrow tires, what wheels will work with them?
Any narrow wheel made for the AWD cars would work.
Is the negative toe ideal for the front or the rear?
For the AWD cars it's better for the front, rear I normally would prefer toe in.
Hello! I have a takata dome nsx like yours and i can't put it in the MA-020 chassis, i put the 94mm adjust but it doesnt inserts good. How did You do it? Thanks!!!
Did you change front clip? Also if you're using DWS suspension it may not be able to fit(I'm not 100% sure on this). The NSX shouldn't have much problems fitting the MA020 :O
@@Auranapse hey, i finally fitted the takata but the axes are too short from the body, that it's wider, do yo know if there exists any longer axes? Thanks for the answer!
@@yoeltriii You'll need to get wider offset wheels, when using the NSX I use +3 offset.
@@Auranapse ok, could you please tell me where can I buy that?
@@yoeltriii Any Mini Z AWD spec wheels from a hobby shop. If you don't know any then you can look up Kenon Hobby(US), Banzai Hobby(JP), SmallDriftMachines(SGP), HRC Arena(HK), RCM8(UK).
Are you in sg?
Yes
can u tell me if its a good idea to buy the mini z awd on amazon?
It really depends on the price, I've seen some of the prices on Amazon being jacked up quite high. You should cross check the prices from places like rcmart or kenon hobby.
The dws rear suspension can be used with 90mm wheelbase?
Only on the MA020. For MA030EVO you can only run 98mm.
Auranapse I have a MA020S ( Initial D ready set )
Yea with the MA020, the DWS should fit without problems :P
Thanks for the info.
I'm buying parts to upgrade it and maybe the dws are one.
Where you buy this car?
I bought the MA020 locally in a hobby store in Japan. I got the MA030EVO from Banzai Hobby, but you can also look at RcMart, kenon hobby, Small Drift Machines, depending on where you're located.
which one would u recommend ? ma030 evo or ma020?
Depends on what you need, I did make a video on which you should choose, but if you're just going to play casually at home, MA020 would be more cost effective.
Does the rx7 body fit ma020?
Yep, it should fit
@@Auranapse what types of rims are you using? Like offset and wide or narrow
@@alie5146 normally I use narrow at the front and wide at the rear, both racing and drifting. For offset it depends on the body and chassis I use. Normally around 1-2mm offset
@@Auranapse thanks for the help. I’m going to use rx7 body, just have to find the rims first
Wait wat is ur nsx awd or rwd
Elizer Gaza I used it on the AWD MA020 chassis
I made a mistake and got a RWD audi to try and drift with😂🤣didnt turn out well doesnt drift at all AND it turns sharp left and wide right and ive done everything I can to fix it
Unfortunately the RWD Mini Zs have way too little steering lock to be driftable without heavy modification(if any is even available). If you wanted a RWD drift car for 1/28 scale you could have looked for the XRX, DRZ V2 or GLD.
For the inconsistent turning from left to right, it could be that the bearings are not equally smooth from left to right. If it is only happening under power I think it's normal because the stock differential is open and is not centered, meaning 1 axle is longer than the other, creating something similar to torque steer in real FWD cars.
@@Auranapse well i HAD the option to get a AWD car but my dad INSISTED that RWD cars are drifting cars
@@jj_time1394 Well for real cars yes, but RWD RC cars not designed for drift will not have enough steering lock most of the time sadly.
How much could a car cost me?
Maybe around 150-200USD(for the MA020)? Depends on where you get it from.
I bet this guys is Singaporean.
What gear ratio are you using in the 020?
19T pinion and 29T spur
why did u decrease your gear ratio? Does it help to turn tighter corners?
I regret buying mini-q9.. full alloy body looks temptation but drift like shit..