Once you know what Mini-Z's are all about and you get sucked into the hobby, you are going to want to start adding hopups; modifications that will make your car faster, prettier, easier to handle, and/or just more fun to drive.  This article recommends many popular hopups in "stages".  None of this is set in stone, it's just information compiled from several members on the mini-zracer forums. 

Before you start adding parts to your Mini-Z it's probably a good idea to put batteries in it and drive it around at least for a couple of minutes.  Once you have a baseline, you'll be able to evaluate the effectiveness of your changes.  Also, it's a good idea to only make one change at a time.  Once you start changing several things that effect handling (e.g. ball diff's, tires, springs, toe, camber, damping) it's very difficult to tell which part is doing what unless you change things one at a time.  That being said...let's get on with the hopups.

Stage I - Here are the bare minimum things that you will probably like to have.  They are the best bang for the buck and may be the only thing you need to make a competitive racer. 


Stage II - These hopups may be a little more expensive and a little more stylish but they are still completely functional and will improve the handling of your Z.  Many of these items are located here in the shop.

  • Nylon Wheelnuts (Possibly a Stage I hopup)
  • Ball Diff
  • Suspension Damper (Oil Shock, Friction Damper, Home-made,etc)
  • Toe In-Out Rods
  • Camber Knuckles
  • Springs
  • Upgraded Motor
  • Upgraded Radio (Maybe a Stage III hopup)

Stage III - These hopups may provide added durability for mod racing or just give your car some additional bling.  Alloy tends to be heavier than plastic so most racers stick to plastic unless they need the durability or can afford to carry around additional weight.

  • Alloy motor mount(s)
  • Ti Damper Kits
  • Alloy Knuckles
  • Alloy or Ti Dogbones (MA-010)

Feel free to post any comments to this article or to the thread that started to put all of this together.  This information is purely subjective but many people share the same opinions.  If you need more information on particular hopups you can try searching the forums or browsing the shop for reviews.  If that doesn't get you the information you need, feel free to start a new post.  If you already have some of these hopups, leave a review in the shop (and submit it to the monthly best review contest) for a chance to win a $10 gift certificate.