Indoor racing, without a huge budget, but with all the fun!

The M-chassis family from Tamiya is the base of M-series indoor racing. The M-chassis' cost of entry is very low compared to other classes, with the current “standard” model costing $90 to $125 for an ARTR-kit, including chassis, body, motor and ESC. So, add a transmitter and reciever, and you are ready to roll for well under the $175 mark.

The rules¹⁾ for M05 racing sets limits on what motor may be used (Tamiya 540J 27T brushed only), what tires are allowed (original kit size only, no foam, 60D standard), minimum weight (1250g) and more. All these rules make the cars baseline performance practically identical, and allows the price to be kept at a minimum as well!

All inn all, the rules that at first may seem overly strict, allows for a class where almost anyone can participate, thanks to the low price point, and the winning factor is purely driver skill!

I started out with the M05 Pro Chassis kit, and honestly I do not reccomend going the route I did. It is permitted to use different shocks, as long as they are within regulation requirements, and the shocks are the biggest “plus” of the -Pro kit. They are not a big plus. They are made from plastic, and I broke two shock heads on my first test-run, and am upgrading to alu ones (no need to repeat the frustration of the rustler frustration).

Other than the shocks, the Pro comes with ball bearings, alu rear uprights and blue alu ball-head screws. It comes without engine, ESC and body, i.e. it is a plain chassis kit. The cost of upgrading a standard kit to Pro spec is not the approximate $60 price difference of a rolling car, so cost-wise you are better off upgrading a standard-spec kit.

That is, unless you can eBay an M05 Pro rolling for sub-$150…

Regulation requires a 540J silver-can. I was unable to locate a supplier who had one in stock, so I went for the Kyosho G20 540 motor, with the same spec's.

Currently I am running a Viper ECO20. This ESC just satisfies the regulation demands, and has some basic programmability. It runs cool, and has not caused me any annoyance or problems yet.

The HS-325HB Standard Heavy Duty Servo. Ball bearing output shaft, Karbonite gears, 49 in./oz. of torque at 6 Volts and 0.15 sec @ 60 deg. I suspect it may actually be a bit too quick, so I might swap it for a slower JR/Graupner servo I have laying in my spares-box.

Currently, I am running a worn-down 3000 mAh NiMh battery. This needs replacing, I am missing a lot of punch in acceleration due to low discharge rate.

Parts have been ordered for upgrades, will list as soon as they arrive and start going onto the chassis…

None, so far…

M-05 Mini Cooper w/ESC at RC Mart

M-05 Pro Chassis kit at RC Mart