comparison pictures

those are nice comparison pics, but can you tell us about the differences in handling and differences in dimensions. i.e. is the distance between the vertical knuckle pivot larger or the same, how long can you make the wheel base, etc...?

p.s. i am impressed by your z collection.

well i went ahead and bought one (new mr-02, red) at my local shop so i will give out some dimensions:

-distance from kingpins (center to center):
1 (13/16)"
-wheelbase (short)
3 (27/32)"
-mid and long settings add 5/32" and 5/16" respectively.
-rear wheel offset
just under 1/8" i think more like 7/64"
-front wheel offset
3/32"
-distance from outside edge of front wheels
2 (27/32)"
-distance from outside edge of rear wheels
3" almost exactly

while doing all this dimensioning i found the distance from the inside edge of rear wheels is more than 1/8th of an inch less than the inside of the edge of the front wheels (inside edge being inner surface flush with inner bearing face). so it seems like they have designed this chassis to always accomodate wide wheels in the rear, for future bodies if they ever come out with them.

nice handling, going to take some getting used to:
the track i go to is high grip with a rough surface, i noticed better control through mid-speed turns. you can feel the car drift, and regain traction by giving some throttle if the back-end starts to kick out (this doesn't work everytime of course).
i keep loosing the back end on a gradual turn after the straight-away (kinda like i've seen f1's do). i found the letting off the throttle a bit sooner and getting back on later allowed me to maintain speed and control, but it will take some practice.

other than that i don't notice huge handling differences. i drove my old z after driving the mr 02 and noticed more chassis roll, and what felt like more grip on the outside wheels (which makes sense with the higher c.g.) i guess i'm just really used to the way the original z handles, but if mastered properly i feel like the mr 02 could be much faster and approach f1 lap times.

i let the owner of the track (and the guy i bought it from) drive it for a while. he said it felt a lot more like an f1. he is selling them for 166 w/ a x-speed included (i got the last one he had in stock), best deal i've seen so far, unless those mzr dry bearings are really good :? .

in terms of racing them, the track owner thinks they will be much better and won't let me enter regular mz racer races, but he said i could run in f1 if i wanted.

anyway i hope this report helps those who are trying to decide if the mr 02 is worth their money. i feel like it is a good investment so far, we'll have to see how expensive hop-up parts are going to be and what bodies they come out with.

Where can I get an MR-01 high motor mount for my MR-02?
Thanks

Wow arch, it looks like you know a lot about mini z. I am thinking of getting into the hobby, and would like to know what i should get. I was thinking about getting a mr01(because i have no money) so i was wondering what else a beginner like me should get. Also do you know any US sites that sell ready sets cheap(by cheap i mean 90 to100 maybe 120)
Thanks in advance