54926 Tamiya TT02 Lower Deck (Hard / Black) Review

The previous TT02 hard chassis were a limited release part, and have been very hard to source over the last three years. Thankfully Tamiya has responded with the new TT02 hard black chassis ready to fill that void.

Why a hard chassis?

A stiff chassis is not about durability, it is about performance. The chassis is the backbone of the car, if it is soft then you will find that you will not always have a good level of consistency when racing around as even a small twist will ensure that the suspension will be working differently as you enter a corner. To compensate for this you will need to ensure the car is more neutral, this makes it easier to drive but will loose the edge that is required to shave off those valuable tenths.

Tamiya has previously supplied a hard blue and white chassis. These were great, but limited items so they disappeared of the shelves quickly and have become very sought after. This new Hard chassis is a standard option part so remain on the shelves for some time. So lets take a closer look to see if it is any different?

Closer look.

The first thing you will notice is that Tamiya have actually kept this chassis black. I never understood why the other chassis were coloured, and the concept of racing a white plastic chassis was always a bit of a leap for me. Just imagine how grubby it would look after a few runs.

The chassis, whilst black is still easy to identify over a standard one as it is made from Glass re-enforced plastic (ABS-GF) instead of standard ABS. It has a slight marbled effect and when you give it a twist in your hand you can instantly feel the stiffness.

When placed on a flat surface it is good to see that it is not tweaked.

The std TT02 chassis weights 159g. The new Glass chassis weighs in at nearly 169g. This is 2g heavier than the blue/white hard chassis, this will only equate to it being even more stiff which is only a good thing.

The extra 10g is only a minor amount of extra weight, and the benefits overshadow the extra weight. A stiffer chassis will make your TT02 more responsive when racing on the track, essential when looking to improve your best times.

Conclusion

The TT02 Hard chassis (Black) is a great hop-up for anyone that wants to extract a little more out of their TT02 / TT02-S / TT02B. It will not be as durable as the kit chassis due to the lack of flex when adsorbing a bump. However for me, the hard chassis is an essential part of ensuring my TT02's are more competitive.

For more TT02 tuning information the TT02 Tuning thread (here)