XRC Specs
Transcription
XRC Specs
No I did’nt run chrome wheels at the race. A final goodbye to Tamiyas test track. PERFORMANCE TEST Team Associated FT TC-5 Words: Derek Buono Photos: Carl Hyndman Out with the shaft and in with the belt. I can still remember watching the exhibition worlds in Yatabe Arena. It was my first big race outside the country, and touring cars were as hot as Paris Hilton in jail. The big news of the event was Team Associated and their TC3. Watching the A-mains was really amazing, as battery technology still wasn’t “there,” and drivers were dumping left and right. Watching Mark Pavidis win one of the mains in the last turn as the Yokomo cars dumped showed off the efficiency of the shaft drive system AE took to the next level. They were also one of the only companies to continue this drive design over the next five years, but as times changed, it looked like belt cars had some sort of advantage over the system that showed so much promise. Fast forward to “now,” and we mark the first belt TC car from AE ... ever. It’s got a lot to live up to, as the TC3 proved to be dominant for so many years. The competition is at a zenith, and it’s going to be hard to climb to the top. It seems like whenever AE brings a new kit to the Reedy Race, they show that their car can beat anything. This year is no different. The production kits are in, the Reedy Race is here, and what better way to race test a car than in the best touring car race in the country. 80 : WWW.RC411.COM AUGUST 2007 : 81 Team Associated FT TC-5 • 4WD ELECTRIC TOURING CAR • 4WD ELECTRIC TOURING CAR • 4WD ELECTRIC TOURING CAR • 4WD ELECTRIC VEHICLE FEATURES O ON CENTER STAGE QUICK EXIT Engineers want solid bulkheads; we lazy end users want ease of maintenance. It’s something that has been debated between racers and engineers everywhere. The more screws and parts in a kit, the more places to tweak. The TC5 has 2-piece bulkheads and easy access diffs, which shouldn’t cause a tweak in the chassis when removed. HANGING SUSPENSION One of the main features of the new car is the new suspension mounts. They are mounted to the bulkheads, which allows for a range of adjustments not found on the TC4. You can now adjust pin angle in multiple directions and add everything from pro-squat to anti-squat and even play with hinge pin angles. This should allow racers to adapt very quickly to tracks around the world with varying grip levels. 82 : WWW.RC411.COM “ ...THE DIFFS ARE SOMETHING TO BE “ The new steering is a center mount mono-crank design with built-in servo saver. The interesting part is the mounting design, which attaches to the chassis on the top deck and the bottom to stay true in high load conditions. Don’t worry, Derek used a sensor wire for testing Engineers want solid bulkheads; we lazy end users want ease of maintenance ther than some screws and maybe a turnbuckle, the TC5 is a ground-up redesign, and that means it’s completely different than the car it replaces. There are lots of little details that most won’t notice, like the oversized inner hinge pins to help stay straight, and the tweak-free swaybars that are another work of art. Those switching to the TC5 or upgrading from the TC4 will be happy with the list of creature comforts found in the new kit. LUSTED AFTER... INSTRUCTIONS AND SETUP Building is pretty straightforward, although we did have some trouble with the shocks. Following the instructions on the shocks may lead you to try stuffing two different foam spacers and an O-ring in there, if you’re looking at the photos. Without any text to explain why you’d put one or the other in there, it’s a little confusing—if this is your first kit using the spacers. Start with nothing but the bladder, and then adjust it if you feel the need to alter the rebound. The instructions are more global without text, but really could have used some text to help in the confusing sections. DIFF DIET TWO BELTS ARE BETTER THAN ONE The diffs are something to be lusted after, too. They are ultra lightweight, which helps put more power to the ground. The outdrives are plastic and include aluminum rings to help keep them from spreading, with high-power modified motors. Steel outdrives will hold up better, but they steal power and slow the car accelerating out of turns, so the trade-off for wear over increased performance is forgiven. The last really good shaft drive car has succumbed to the power of the belted force. You have to be blind, and even then it’s not hard to tell that the biggest difference in this new kit is the dual belt drivetrain. The design is belt tensionerless, so the belt may seem a little tight to start, but once broken in it will be as smooth as you expect. AUGUST 2007 : 83 TEAM ASSOCIATED FT TC-5 TESTING Nothing is like testing in one of the biggest races of the year, and that’s what happened. I took the TC5 straight from the box and right into open modified at the Reedy Race, which is at the legendary Tamiya track. Conditions were prime, and the layout familiar, which allowed me to judge the new car. And since I’ve run both the TC3 and TC4 at this track, it would be a good judge of performance. Acceleration and Speed • Pucker factor is Low-Speed Handling • Stuck. That’s the easy high when using the setup I was racing with. Six cells and LRP’s 4.5 Brushless made for an insane top speed and drag car-like acceleration. While I’m not a fan of going to 5-cell, the car was simply too fast for me on this track, and I had to slow the car down by altering the power profile on the speedo. Even with it turned all the way up, I never really dumped—although it was pretty close. The car accelerated well, staying straight and ripping out of corners. way to define how the TC5 handled the slower sections of the track. Previous versions were always in search of steering. The new version has stepped up the handling on every level. Rating: 10/10 Always run stickers on the back Braking • In the past, braking suffered some with brushless but the latest generation of motors and controllers have much more braking power. I dialed back my brakes to 75% and it was enough to slow down my orange rocket. There was some slight fade as the temps of the motor and speedo heated up, but that just required a radio adjustment to compensate for the loss. Rating: 9 TEST GEAR Radio: Airtronics M11, 90270 TX75, $270 Receiver: Spektrum Micro, SR3500, $100 Module: Spektrum Pro, $110 Servo: KO PDS-2413 ICS, $120 Servo Rating: 10 Speed Control: LRP Sphere Competition TC, LRP80599, $299 High-Speed Handling • At full punch, the TC5 was really good. The one thing that hampered the handling was that it was too easy to enter the corner too hot and blow every apex, and even apexes you didn’t know about. Rubber tire racing forces you to learn that slow and smooth is better than driving hard. On carpet, the car’s ability to put the power down will be more effectively used, and seeing that the kit comes with a thick chassis and heavy rate springs, it will be really good when the traction is near infinity. Motor: Vector X11 4.5 (included in combo) Body Protoform Mazda 6, Body: 1487-00, $26 Charger: LRP Pulsar Competition 2, LRP41551, $175 Battery: Brood 4200, $65 Battery Rating: 10 Tires: Racing Physics RP30 pre-mounts, RP30GL, $65 Wrenching Maintenance • Working on the TC5 was easy; there was nothing really difficult to access. The one tricky part is that the suspension mounts require you to have a CONNECT SPEKTRUM RC (Dist. by Great Planes) LRP ph: 714.850.9342 web: www.rc10.com/lrp AIRTRONICS ph: 800.637.7660 web: www.airtronics.net (Dist. by Team Associated) (Dist. by Global) PAINT BY ZEGERS RC GRAFFIXX KO PROPO web: www.zegersrcgraffixx.com email: [email protected] ph: 310.532.9355 web: www.kopropo.com TEAM BROOD ph: 475.220.7818 web: www.teambrood.com RACING PHYSICS ph: 813.889.9691 web: www.racing-cars.com (Dist. by Schumacher USA) 84 : WWW.RC411.COM ph: 800.637.7660 web: www.spektrumrc.com TEAM ASSOCIATED FT TC-5 2mm ball driver, something many won’t have. This will force you to use the kit L-wrench. maintenance, it was acceptable and probably just above average. Rating: 9 Rating: 8 Tuning • To run this car on pavement, Derek switched to orange starfish, chocolate was too much. Wear and Tear • I gave this car a durabil- ity testing I was actually embarrassed by. The legendary kink sent my TC5 in the air more times than I want to remember—enough for me to apologize to the car. I did figure out that some of my stellar aerobatics may have been caused by a 2.4 GHz router being used at the track. Several people complained of interference in one section—the same section that made me head for the kink. With all my crashing, the TC5 held up to the abuse. It was only KO’ed when another car launched over the kink and “mushroom stomped” me like Super Mario. A green mushroom popped out of my car, and it snapped the front outdrive of the spool. Technically, by the time you read this, there will be an aluminum spool to use, which wouldn’t have broke, so this is a moot point. I did melt a rear diff, but considering the power I put through it and the eight runs without 86 : WWW.RC411.COM you’ll have to alter the kit setup pretty heavily. Always check AE’s website for setup information. My setup altered the oil, springs and suspension geometry from the kit. The changes were easy to make, and made the car really easy to drive. The kit comes with most tuning options you need, except oil and springs, which is pretty common. Rating: 9 Conclusion It’s tough to say whether the TC5 will sway users back to the brand that they may have left in favor of a different kind of car, but if you’re looking for a racer that’s considerably less expensive than the competition and is on pace with the field, the new TC5 hits the mark. It’s built well, is easy to tune, and parts will be everywhere. Add to this the fact that you won’t have to worry about your car being replaced by SCORECARD SCALE RATINGS: 1=POOR • 10=EXCELLENT 7.5 8 9 9 9.5 10 INSTRUCTIONS PARTS QUALITY/FIT DURABILITY TUNABILITY OVERALL PERFORMANCE VALUE HITS • Quick diff access • One-piece bulkheads reduce tweak • Symmetric steering rack MISSES • Aluminum hexes didn’t fit on axles that well • Plastic outdrives are lighter but they also wear faster an entirely new design in five months, and that may be reason enough to switch to the TC5. Rarely has AE released something that wasn’t ready to win, and this one is ready to dominate. Team Associated FT TC-5 • 4WD ELECTRIC TOURING CAR • 4WD ELECTRIC TOURING CAR • 4WD ELECTRIC TOURING CAR • 4WD ELEC CONNECT: The LRP X11 4.5 is a hot modified motor, which is more than enough power for the average racer. No worrying about brushes, no cutting comms, and just focusing on driving make it all worth it. Power comes on strong, and maybe a little too strong. I had to add some EXPO into the throttle to smooth the power out of the corners. Run time was very good. DIMENSIONS MANUFACTURER: Team Associatied PHONE: 949.544.7500 WEB: www.rc10.com RUNNING WEIGHT: 3 lbs., 6 oz (1,539g) VEHICLE INFO VEHICLE: Factory Team TC5 SCALE: 1/10 TYPE: EP touring car PART #: 30103 STREET PRICE: $379 PRICE AS TESTED: $1,475 SETUP TIME: 10 hours EXPERIENCE LEVEL: POWERPLANT INFO 7.32 in. (186mm) MOTOR DATA ACCELERATION CURVE 0.20 in. (5mm) 10.2 in. (258mm) Intermediate to advanced A C C E L E R A T I O N A N D T O P S P E E D ACCELERATION ACCELERATION (0-60FT): 2.57 sec. @ 40.3 mph TOP SPEED: 45.1 mph @ 164 ft. AVERAGE RUNTIME: 6 minutes MOTOR DATA: Reedy Neo 14-Satar WIND: 4.5 turn MOTOR SETTINGS TIMING: #2 BRUSHES: None SPRINGS: None TECHNICAL INFO DRIVE TRAIN BODY, TIRES, WHEELS TYPE: Dual belt BODY: 2.5mm DIFFERENTIALS: Ball (2) (Spool used for testing) TIRES (F/R): Not included Carbon Fiber AXLE TYPE: CV-style SPUR GEAR MATERIAL: DIAMETER/ WIDTH (F/R): Not included Plastic HEX SIZE: 12mm SLIPPER CLUTCH: WHEELS: Not included N/A BEARINGS: Metal-shielded LAYOUT: Double-deck, rear motor THICKNESS: MATERIAL: SUSPENSION TYPE: 4-wheel independent TURNBUCKLES: Titanium STEERING: Monocrank with adjustable servo saver SWAYBARS (F/R): Silver (1.5mm) / Black (1.25mm) 21/87 MAIN COMPETITION GEAR RATIOS: BODIES: Aluminum PRIMARY: 4.14:1 DAMPING (F/R): 40 wt. oil (Associated) INTERNAL: 2.00:1 PISTONS (F/R): #2 / #2 FINAL: 8.40:1 SPRINGS (F/R): Gold (19.5 lbs.) / Silver (14.5 lbs.) ITEMS NEEDED Transmitter, receiver, servo, speed control, motor, battery, battery charger, paint, CA, servo tape GEARING PINION/SPUR: SHOCKS Not included Reedy-4-life. Nitro TC-5? CHASSIS Team Losi JRXS Type-R, Schumacher Mi3, XRAY T2 007, Corally Phi, Tamiya 415MSXX, Kyosho TF-5 Stallion WHO IT’S FOR Aspiring to professional weekend warrior PERFORMANCE INFO TEST CONDITIONS HANDLING BRAKING WEATHER: Sunny TURNING RADIUS: TEMPERATURE/HUMIDITY: 81° F/23% ON POWER: Slight understeer FADE: Slight BAROMETRIC PRESSURE: 29.97 in. OFF POWER: Slight oversteer OVERALL BRAKING: Good ALTITUDE: 652 ft. TRACK TYPE: Medium grip tarmac 88 : WWW.RC411.COM 3 ft., 11 in. CONTROL: Excellent AUGUST 2007 : 89