RR21:
Mini-Z MR-03 First Look |
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It's finally here! The long awaited suposed-
"succesor" to the mighty Mini-Z
MR-02 has arrived. But does the ALL- NEW Mini-Z
MR-03 live up to the hype? Read on to see
what our initial impressions are of the car. |
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I'll be honest and I'll tell you, I could
not wait to take the car out of the box and
get it built. That's why we start with a nearly-
fully optioned MR-03 on the first picture.
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The most impressive thing about
the 03 is it's compact design. The weight of the car
has been entirely centralized on the chassis. This
makes the car look delicate, lean and mean...
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| This view puts in perspective
how narrow the chassis is. Notice how it is barely
wider than the location of the spur.
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The car is soooooo skinny! Notice
the big cooling vents on the bottom.
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The front uses a lot of screws.
Switching the iie rod now takes the removal of 4 of
the bottom screws.
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The skinny T-Bar design should prevent
it from moving as much, allowing the rear to stay
more square.
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We opted to go with PN Racing's
adjustable shock. Eventhough it is not oil filled,
the shock is highly adjustable and of very high quality.
Also, when installing the damper plate,
use only 4mm screws if possible. Longer screws stick
out the bottom and can short out your board. |
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We installed the shock directly
on the MR-03's top deck. This allows us to keep the
shock and the CG of the car as LOW as possible. To
do this, intall the original PN Racing Disk Damper
spacer and mark the two holes that you are going to
drill with a marker or pen. Then use a 2mm drill bit
to drill out the holes.
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Here is a view of one side of the
front end disassembled. The suspension is a little
sticky when stock, so a little bit of work needs to
be done. |
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First thing is polishing the stainless
steel kingpins. Use some "white stuff" and
the upper arm pivot ball to make the finish of the
king pin smooth as glass. |
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Next, use a little of "white
stuff" on the knuckle as well. This will allow
for the smoothest operation possible. Be careful with
the plastic parts though as they do not need as much
polishing. If you do it too much, you will make the
hole in th eknuckle too big. After you are done, use
a little denatured alcohol or warm soapy water to
clean your parts out. |
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Re-install the
kingpin on the lower arm. Notice the Mirror finish
on the king pin! |
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Next, slide the
2 washers over the kingpin. This will also drop the
car a little bit lower than the "stock"
setting. |
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Install the cleaned,
polished, knuckle. |
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Now re-install
the front spring in its right place. |
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The upper arm goes on next. Line
up the inner pivot (where it mounts on to the chassis)
before you slide the ball over the kingpin. This should
make it easier to install. |
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Tighten down the
screws and install the C-Clip on the knuckle. Notice
how it is installed upside down in relationship to
the MR-02. This is to get better suspension clearance. |
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Before you hit
the track, use some Kyosho King Pin Florine Oil. This
should free up your suspension even further. Don't
be shy with this stuff, it dries up entirely and provides
a very slick layer of protection to all the parts.
You can also apply a little bit of damping lube on
the kingpin towards the top of it. This should help
the car handle bumpy track conditions much better,
as well as it can help you fine tune the steering
sensibility of the car. |
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That's it for now
folks. Stay tuned for more info on the MR-03 as we
unlock it's speed secrets. |
Written by
Cristian Tabush |
