I guess I wanted the LiPo to get the most speed and power out of the thing , but again it's one of those things that I can upgrade down the line I suppose?

Those that are familiar with building hobby-grade radio controlled cars should get to the point of a running car in four to five hours, and another hour or two to finish off and paint. If this is the first car that you have built expect to spend a little longer. The Tamiya instructions were thorough and easy to follow, and the pieces are well labelled and fitted together perfectly - they continue to prove they are the IKEA of the R/C world. Tamiya doesnt make a set to replace all of the screw pins, so after a bit of research I found the most cost effective way. So to do this you will need the following (Along with some shims)The Tamiya Sand Viper is one of the newest releases on the DT-02 chassis. This 1/10 scale 2WD radio control off-road buggy kit continues in the vein of our successful Desert Gator buggy but will feature an all new body and wing shape together with dish type wheels (planned). The Tamiya Sand Viper radio control buggy has the Versatile and reliable DT-02 chassis featuring transverse mounted Type RS540 motor and 4-wheel double wishbone suspension. Full ball bearings ensure maximum efficiency and a long-life of dirt tearing action! This is a nice easy job, just make sure you use a nice set of long nose pliers to ensure you can fit the E-Clip easily and it doesn't ping across the room when you try to fit it. There is no obvious way to do this with the base kit, so I initially thought I was wasting my time, then I had a little bit of lateral thinking and thought about swapping the front lower arms. If I were to prioritize on a budget I'd start with the steel pinion and then buy a new sport tuned motor once I got used to the vehicle (and tired of the slowness). After the tires were worn out, then I'd just buy a full set of Carson premounted tires/wheels and call it good.

LiPo cut off: http://www.modelsport.co.uk/skyrc-power-switch-w-lipo-cut-off/rc-car-products/384811 (looks like a good one with auto cut off) Introducing Tamiya`s newest release on the DT-02 chassis, the Sand-Viper. This 1/10 scale 2WD assembly off-road buggy continues in the vein of our successful Desert Gator buggy, but will feature an all-new body and wing shape, together with dish type wheels. Versatile and reliable DT-02 chassis features transverse mounted Type RS540 motor and 4-wheel double wishbone suspension. Full ball bearings ensure maximum efficiency and a long-life of dirt tearing action!The following describes how I took this entry level car to a competent club racer. There are a range of tips and guides that you can follow to modify your car. The DT02 is a very strong car, however there are some things you can do to ensure you can hit the jumps hard without any worries

Desert Gator body - much better at keeping dirt and water out of the chassis than the Super Figther Have had the viper running for a couple of weeks now after initial problems with the TX, all sorted now thanks to Fusion Hobbies. The Tamiya Sand Viper from our great range of radio controlled buggies continues in the vein of our successful Desert Gator buggy but will feature an all new body and wing shape together with dish type wheels (planned). The Tamiya Sand Viper radio control buggy has the Versatile and reliable DT-02 chassis featuring transverse mounted Type RS540 motor and 4-wheel double wishbone suspension. Full ball bearings ensure maximum efficiency and a long-life of dirt tearing action! So when the Farnborough based buggy club SHRCCC decided to host 'The Tamiya DT02 challenge' it sparked a lot of interest on the Tamiya fan based forums. I fancied experiencing racing in a class where everyone had the same chassis, and where personal tuning and modifications were allowed so I entered the Mod class. Whilst over-steer is a characteristic of all RWD cars I was convinced that it could be improved upon.You will need another long shaft, To fit this you will need to take of the rear gearbox section from the chassis. Remove the screw pin and then replace it with the suspension shaft. Again this shaft doesn't need any shimming. With the diff half full it is quite stiff, allowing you to put the power down, and keep it down even if a wheel lifts of the ground. You can make it stiffer or looser by just adding more or less oil. I preferred the feel of the diff when it was just under half full of the oil.