TOPIC:

These pictures compare the TRF 414M to the prototype TRF 414X (with setting dishes). The similarities are obvious, but there are a lot of differences (enumerated in detail on the opening post).  Of particular note are the slightly extended wheelbase on the TRF 414M and the replacement of all the aluminum hubs with plastic.  
The TA-04 chassis was released in 2000, the same year as the TRF 414.  Looking here at the special TA-04 TRF, the shared design history with the TRF 414 is very obvious.  They have the same bulkhead, pulley, and belt layout and very similar suspension.

Very nice thread BB.

blakbird wrote:

The upper chassis deck has been modified from the TRF 414X to be a symmetric design, but is otherwise quite equivalent in shape and stiffness.  A bigger difference is the addition of these plastic supports to allow the use of a standard 7.2V stick battery pack mounted laterally.  It is still possible to mount individual cells in a saddle configuration but required that the mounting tabs for the plastic supports be manually trimmed off the chassis plate.  No thanks.  I'll stick with the brackets.

   

Here's a detail that didn't exist at all on the TRF 414X: radius arms for the front suspension.  Given that the front one-way prevents any braking forces from being applied to the front wheels, I'm a bit surprised these were necessary.  Still, they certainly result in much improved longitudinal stiffness.  The additional parts shown on the left are for a new belt support.

   

From this side view you can see the new ball bearing belt support.  The manual titles this a "tension pulley".  While it does add a bit of tension to the belt, it is not adjustable.  It does provide some support to prevent the belt from "slapping" at high speed though.  The increase in belt height driven by this pulley is why the steering cranks needed to be raised 4mm.

The shocks have been modified a bit from those on the TRF 414X.  Apart from the obvious difference in color, these new shocks now have a threaded body which allows the use of a movable spring perch for easy preload adjustment instead of using spacers.  There is also one fewer o-ring which has been replaced with a rod guide, a urethane bushing has been added above the bladder, and the number of holes in the piston has increased from 2 to 3.  While the TRF 414X came with 3 sets of springs with different rates, only a single set is included here which also means the same stiffness has to be used on the front and rear.  These seem equivalent to the stiff rate springs from the 414X.  The carbon shock towers are shown on the right.  They share the same overall proportions as those from the 414X but have fewer holes.  Note that the 6 outer lower holes on each tower which were used for camber link attachment options on the 414X are actually not used at all on the 414M; the links attach directly to the bulkheads.

   

Hi there, i have a question. Are the 414X shocks totally different to normal silver TRF dampers.? they look to have looking rings? Or am i seeing things.
 

Deekay777 wrote:

Hi there, i have a question. Are the 414X shocks totally different to normal silver TRF dampers.? they look to have looking rings? Or am i seeing things.

 

The 414X and 414M have different dampers, and both are different than "normal" TRF dampers, although even those have gone through a lot of changes over the years so there is no single standard design.  You can compare the 414X and 414M below.  The 414X dampers have a gold coating and use plastic spacers for spring preload.  The 414M dampers lost the coating but now have threaded bodies with two locking rings that jam together for spring preload.

Thanks for the info! I have never seen a TRF damper with two preload lock rings.
It would be great to have a thread with a fill up to date list of every TRF damper variant. With images, exploded views, manuals, a list of kits they were included with etc. 

I came across a set of TRF dampers with a Works Edition sticker on them, have not opened the box yet to inspect the differences between these and the regular blue and silver set that came with the 416's 417's 418's etc. The web says they're intended for M-chassis. So shorter body. The "works Edition" part makes them sound fancy, or, fancier than the usual TRF fanciness.
 

 

Deekay777 wrote:

Thanks for the info! I have never seen a TRF damper with two preload lock rings.
It would be great to have a thread with a fill up to date list of every TRF damper variant. With images, exploded views, manuals, a list of kits they were included with etc. 

 

That would be quite a list.  I'd be interested as well.  I've been gradually building my way through the TRF touring car series and observing the differences.  Looks like the dual lock ring design was limited to the 414M and M-II.  The 415 used only a single threaded ring, but it didn't stay in position very well.  The 415MS added the o-ring for friction, a design which persists to this day.  Even so, the geometry of that ring has evolved.

I recall the 415 rings...... MS MSX and so on all came with the O-rings which were fine if you left them alone. The shock body threads would eventually eat the o-ring. I think i have a small plastic baggy with four 415 rings still sitting in the top tray of one of my tool boxes, if memory serves, i got annoyed and removed them and grabbed some clip on retainers instead. >_<

Perhaps a thread should be started for TRF dampers. I have a few variations still. may have a pink set still. Mostly current blue and silver, SSBB's, MINI etc. 

I put this list together for my own purposes a while ago.  It tracks the evolution of the length and diameter of the TRF dampers, but it only includes those that were available separately, not those which appeared within the individual TRF kits.  It also doesn't say anything about overall design like number of o-rings or lock ring style.  It's a start though.  There's also a damper database here on TamiyaBase, but it doesn't have those kinds of details.  I think the first dampers you could call TRF were found in the TA-03 David Jun edition in 1997 which lead directly to those used in the TA-03 TRF (the first TRF chassis).