Anyone here have or had an HPI Pro 2 or Pro 3?

[RC104ever]

A friend of mine just dropped one of each in my lap today and they look pretty interesting. All wheel drive on road cars. Both need new batteries and updated electronics plus a cleanup but I really don't know where to start to get parts. It seems like both are discontinued, and I checked eBay but there are only minimal parts.

[Mad Racer]

Never owned one or raced one.

From what I recall others saying The Pro 2 was really good but the Pro 3 was not good. It generated too much mechanical grip ( Chassis Flex)

Pro 4 was better .

Just from memory.

[RC104ever]

Interesting - been doing some reading and my buddy did mention the flex issue on one of the two cars and had replaced the chassis with a graphite one instead of the plastic stock piece.

I've been looking at the archives on the HPI site and from what I can gather they are both 190 mm touring cars with no interchangeable parts

It also looks as though some parts can still be had out there but of course until I tear them down and rebuild I won't have any idea what, if anything is needed.

I've got my eye on a new Fly Sky GT3C and Hobbywing / EZRun combo for both plus some Gens Ace Lipos as a start. Will probably need a new set of tires and I definitely will need a new body for one of the two as I only have the S2000 body right now.

Should be fun - but would help if there is someone here who has one or used to have one just so I can ask questions.

[Lonestar]

I had a pro2. Very competitive bitd, fully decked out, one of the most "modern" TC's out there (2 belts, saddles, proper shocks, ...), with it JMB (europeans know him ) finished a close second to Spash's IWC-winning SW Someone actually pulled one out in our winter race series last year or the year before, and it did actually decently. As usual, if the right person drives it, it makes a difference

the pro3 has a crappy reputation of being made of cheese, but it was a decent performer on the track in the right hands. the expensive, decked-out and LE Pro3 Hara Ed. was not that bad of a car but it suffered from the overall reputation of the car.

pics here



http://www.overrc.com/courses/courses2003/cg22022003/22022003pro3jmb.htm

Paul

[RC104ever]

Thx Paul. I figured someone here would have one. Are there any good places to source parts still besides eBay?

What are the major differences between the two?

[Lonestar]

Thx Paul. I figured someone here would have one. Are there any good places to source parts still besides eBay?

What are the major differences between the two?

ebay and that's it...

differences: everything but shocks, wheels, some hardware, and maybe diffs. not one "structural" thing in common. Pro3 was pretty radical a design... zero compatibility with anything else. Pro3 HAra is pretty darn collectable to me I'd say!

Paul

[AscotConversion]

The pro3 represents the super long suspension arm era that came out of Japan (Yokomo Mr4tc and HPI pro 2 had pretty long arms, but Atlas and some of the other oddball brands took it even further.) . Unfortunately, cars seem to work better with a shorter arm. If you race a low traction track, these cars would probably be pretty good today with lipo batteries due to the centered position.

OTOH, I have been wondering how a Pro2 would be with a lipo saddle pack or even a stick pack. With the lower weight of the lipos, a lot of the design elements of that chassis layout become attractive again. The only bad thing was that the rear roll center was really low, and you either had to run a really stiff rear spring, which didn't really work right, or raise the whole rear gearbox/suspension mounts so you could run a softer spring.
They actually sold a part for this:

[RC104ever]

Interesting, what was this kit called? Was this an HPI part?

[AscotConversion]

hpi 73008
Pro 2 Handling Kit (Rollcenter Plate)

[RC104ever]

Awesome, thanks. Here's another question - what size body can I run on these cars? Is it a 190 or 200 mm body?

[OGRC10T]

I have a Pro2, its a great car, very quick and nimble...i got a bunch of hop ups on it, havent been able to find parts for it on ebay for a while...its over at my office or else i would snap some pics of it for you...ill try to get some up monday or tuesday

[RC104ever]

Awesome - can you tell me what size bodies will fit on it? 190 or 200 mm?

[shodog]

I had a pro2 that i sold onto a neighbor. It was a nice car for its time. Its made to fit 190mm bodies

[OGRC10T]

Awesome - can you tell me what size bodies will fit on it? 190 or 200 mm?

I currently have a 190mm body....200mm bodies also fit depending on how you set the car up... i dont remember exactly what parts change that but i will look at my manual when i get to the car.

[OGRC10T]

Also even if the car is setup for 190 you can put a 200 body on it...it will just overhang the wheels 5mm on each side, i have done it before..it doesnt look horrible