DL-DIB.RS

My first experience with Yokomo DIB.RS took place at YIDM 2012. There, I had a chance to hold it and examine all over. But I didn't, because the schedule was very very tight, and all I could think of, were the finals. THe only thing I could remember - it was plastic :-)

Recently, I ordered one myself, to see it, and most importantly, to test it. And to tell you the truth, I was pleasantly surprised.

First of all I have to give it up for Yokomo marketing division, who decided to add free tires with the first batch. R2 for asphalt/concrete and R4 for concrete/carpet - what else do you really need?!

I will skip the boring part of unpacking - everything is just the same, as every other Yokomo chassis.

First, we start with a deck. It is very very thick, heavy and stiff. Made from, what seems to be, a super high-quality plastic. The bad thing about it - no cutouts under the diffs. If you run it like this outdoors, you might catch a small stone in that nice pit, and snap your belt. It does not happen to often, but if you ride outdoors a lot, I'd suggest cutting that parts out.

From a small amount of aluminum parts enclosed, you understand that Yokomo want it to be a blue chassis. It's totally fine with me.

Standard plastic DIB parts. Everything fits perfectly.

Yokomo was very kind to add a spare pivot-block for adjustable rear toe-in.

 Once again, regular DIB parts. Very hard plastic great fittment. Battery holder does not require a bolt here, because of the side step on the deck. So, every time you have to change the battery - you need to take this thing off.

There are not much aluminum parts in this kit, but there are only the most important ones. Pulleys - are ones of them.

The steering rack is plastic as well, but comes with bearings. Something you don't expect from a cheap-class chassis.

The design remained the same from the original DIB, but due to being plastic, it has a lot less play. Also, there are no threads inside the holes. So, if you want to modify the whole system, you don't need to worry about metric-inch thread merging.

Top deck suprised me even more. It is as heavy as an aluminum spool, maybe even more. Super thick, super stiff.

Installed on the chassis, it gives it some unreal stiffness, that you simply can't expect from a plastic chassis. I'd say it is only around 10% softer that the original DIB,



Then, the spools. I honestly don't know, if the original intention was to give me an opportunity to run on double spools or to leave me one spare. In any event, it is very nice of Yokomo, once again.
Chassis comes with Aluminum oneway, which works just perfect, unlike old versions, and 2 plastic spools. From my friend's review, plastic spools break easily, so having one spare, before you buy a fancy aluminum one, is a good idea.

Shock towers are plastic as well. Same as top deck, they are quite heavy and stiff. Usually, plastic shock towers bend under the smallest loads. Well, these don't.

Once again, standard DIB parts. RS still comes with universal driveshafts. They chatter a bit, so I recommend you always re-grease any new CVD's, and bead them in a bit.

To assemble the suspension, you have a small amount of plastic spacers. They are just enough to have a total 0 (yes, zero) play in suspension arms. Amazing.

The most important - shocks. They are plastic as well.

With RS version, Yokomo decided to put soft springs. Original DIB came with useless stiff springs, that killed all the suspension work.

While assembling the shocks, I noticed very little piston play in the bore, no leaking and I was able to set even rebound on all 4 of them from the first try.  Basically, they are as good as aluminum ones.

Almost done. ESC platform now have to go up a bit, to clear the deck side wall. It is not very comfortable, and take some getting used to.

And now the fun part, where I get to enjoy the free stuff. Those tyres, with a tiny instruction. Very smart move. 

Here are some pictures of it assembled. Wheels and body posts are not included in the kit, of course.
After such a brief build, I'd like to share my emotions.

I find this chassis absolutely amazing. Basically you get the same chassis for almost half-price. It is very stiff, quite heavy. Yokomo worked on some obvious problems, that DIB had - the oneway problem, play in the suspension arms and steering rack, play in the shocks an pistons.

Most important parts are still aluminum, which is good. Basically, Yokomo left only vital parts unchanged, and made everything else as cheap as possible, so you could have maximum chassis for minimum money.

The knuckle turn radius is just ridiculous, in my mind, but that doesn't affect the driving of entry-level drivers, on whom this chassis is targeted at. Lock may not seem much as well, but again, for beginners, it is more than enough.

So, after all, Is it a good chassis? No, it's a great chassis. It's nothing less than a professional drift machine, without a couple of important upgrades. It's like a cheap version of GT-86. You only pay for what you really need. It can be you first, entry-level chassis, and it will let you grow to a super professional state, with just a few upgrades.

For the reference, here is a video of me driving this chassis "out of the box". Built only with the parts from the box, according to the instruction, and with minor adjustments made. No additional weight even. Boy, it was a long time, since I last drove 50/50. Look out for the fancy GT-86 in front - that's DIB.RS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTVNU6-CKLY