3Racing Sakura D4 AWD Build Overview

The original 3Racing Sakura D3 took the RC drift scene by storm with it's counter-steer setup, great customisability, massive range of hop up parts and of course, great drifting performance. So how do you improve on such a successful recipe? Simple. Introducing the Sakura D4...   The new Sakura D4 unlike it's predecessor, comes in 2 flavours. The Sakura D4 AWD (All-Wheel Drive) and the Sakura D4 RWD (Rear-Wheel Drive). We will be focusing on the AWD version in this build blog.

Getting Started

Like all RC kits, we will require some tools to complete the build. The tools required are the following-

• Scissors
• Pliers
• Hobby Knife
• Hex Drivers (1.5mm, 2.0mm and 2.5mm)
• 7.0mm Box Wrench
• Thread Lock

The Packaging

The Sakura D4 is packaged in a sleek cardboard box just like the D3 but with updated graphics featuring the new D4 logo. Inside the box we find 9 clearly labelled parts bag. As well as the instruction manual. The instructions contains clear and easy to understand diagrams, which should make building very straight forward. It's good to see 3Racing has provided a bag of tools to make setting up and tuning the chassis easier.

Electronics

We will be using the electronics from our D3 chassis. This includes a Hobbywing EZRun Brushless ESC matched to a 10.5T EZRun Brushless motor, which gives us more than enough power for some casual drifting. The Savox SC1251MG servo is a RC Geek's favourite for drifting, featuring a 0.09s speed, it is one of the fastest servo on the market. The speed is vital to for a fun drifting experience.

Chassis & Suspension Arms

Bag 1 of the kit contains the Chassis plate and parts for the suspension arms. The all new front suspension arm uses a pivot cup design on the outer link, which should allow for a wide range of camber, castor, toe and steering angle adjustments. Rear suspension arms have a more traditional design which is more than adequate for the rear axles. The suspension arms are mounted to the chassis on shims and suspension mounts. 3Racing make these suspension mounts in various length which would give the front and rear axles different degrees of 'toe'.

Bulkheads & Differentials

Bag 2 of the kit contains part of the bulkhead assembly, front and rear differentials and the motor mount. The loose center belt on the D3 was one of the chassis' main weakness. The D4 addresses this issue by integrating 2 belt tensioners for the center belt to reduce slack. One of these tensioners are on the motor mount. The 'Diff' housing and motor mounts are screwed directly on the chassis. The D4 uses a solid rear differential and an oil filled front differential.

Suspension Holders & Pulleys

Bag 3 contains the front and rear suspension holders, center pulley system and the driver belts. The suspension holders come pre-drilled with a large amount of holes allowing you to mount your shocks in a variety of different positions. Front and rear suspension holders installed. Front "center belt" tensioner installed on the top deck. Rear "center belt" tensioner installed on the motor mount.

Steering Rack & Rear Axle

Bag 4 contains the steering rack and the drive train for the rear axle. The rear axle uses CVD to ensure smooth power delivery to the rear wheels. Steering rack is made of FRP and mounted on dual ball bearings. This should give the car a very smooth and direct steering input.

Front Steering System

Bag 5 contains the steering knuckles as well as the 65 degrees ultra wide drive shaft. The steering knuckles, inspired by real drift cars, have a 15 degree caster for aggressive steering on high speed entries.

Oil Filled Shocks

Skipping forward to bag 7 as bag 6 is for the electronic components, which I am leaving to last. Bag 7 contains the 4 oil filled shocks. A decent set of pliers are highly recommended for this part as screwing the ball caps onto the end of the shock shaft can be very tricky. Shocks mounted to the chassis. Please note the front set of springs have different rates to the rear sets so do not get them mixed up.

Bumper & Body Posts

Bag 8 contains the bumper and body posts. The all new D4 wheels are a massive improvement over the old fluorescent yellow design of the D3. It's now a twin 5 spokes design in a satin gold finish. The tyres have also changed to ones resembling the ever popular HPI T-Drifts. Body posts, bumper and wheels installed. With the wheels installed, you can see the basic wheel geometry of the stock car. The rears are heavily toed in for a more stability during drifting whereas the fronts have a slight toe-out for more a responsive steering.

Battery Holder & Servo Saver

Bag 6 contains the battery holder and servo saver. A strip of 3M double sided tape is also included to secure the ESC and receiver. The Savox 1251MG servo installed onto the chassis.

The Finished Build

And here we have some photos of the finished result. The 3Racing Sakura D4 AWD and RWD are now in stock and ready to shipped @ RC Geeks. As with all our models, RC Geeks stock a wide range of spares and hop-ups for 3Racing cars.