RC10T4 Team Associated

Returned from a short hiatus.

2008-12-02T15:05:00.000-08:00

I have returned from a short blogging break to introduce some new content that I will be releasing this week that is relevant to the radio control hobby shopper. I will be listing some hot Christmas items for those that are looking for gift ideas. Additionally, I will be continuing my review of hop up parts and other articles. Stay tuned for more.

Racing Tips

2008-11-03T05:57:00.000-08:00

-Bring extra parts in case you break something during your practice sessions
-Make sure you have kept up maintenance on all systems of the vehicle. Drivetrain and suspension are most critical.
-Be sure to get at least two-three practice runs in before racing. Save one battery back(Nimh) just for racing. It should be your punch pack. A battery pack that packs a voltage punch.
-Never let your truck sit on its tires if you race. The tires will develop flat spots from the weight of the truck resting on the tires.

Ramble

2008-11-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

I am not only running the RC10t4, I have owned the following cars over the past five years.

Micro RS4
Tamiya TL-01
XRAY M18
RC10 TC3 Electric
and my favorite the RC10T4

Having owned these various cars, I put in some serious tool time maintaining them. Of course, I didn't own all of these cars at once. I would trade vehicles, swap and sell to finance the next addition. At one time I had two RC10T4 trucks. I decided to trade a micro RS4 for a nice T4. I got the second one for my wife, which she ran into a palm tree. So I ended up selling the truck to my brother because he was wanting to get back into the hobby. He now runs the truck in the Twin Cities. Anyhow, I have handled or owned many different cars.

One of my reasons for making this blog was to inform the newcomer of potential tips and tricks that made my hobby experience more enjoyable. I was lucky to have a Local Hobby Shop (LHS) to advise me in my repairs and maintenance. These days, more people are buying their parts of the computer and not talking to people about radio control. Talking about radio control vehicles is something that always interested me. I loved sitting in the pits at the track, chatting about the newest batteries while my batteries charged. Yet many people don't get this oppurtunity so I would like to advise others on ways to make their cars and trucks run better. It is the least I can do.

One serious lesson that I learned real early on is about having the right tool for the job. This lesson extends to investing money in the right set of tools. I cannot emphasize this enough. You need to buy good tools to make it in this hobby. Maintaining your truck with the kit provided tools and small allen wrenches will kill your enjoyment.

For wrenching on the T4 I recommend the wrench set by Integy. I didn't care for the Team Associated set because I think the tips on the wrenches were weaker than the Integy set. I think the Integy set runs about 29.99. Here is a link Spend your RC money wisely and invest in the right tools for the job. It will make building and maintaining cars much more enjoyable.

Perfect sticker placement

2008-10-20T11:13:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder how people get their decals or stickers applied perfectly to their radio control car body?

The answer is simple and it kind of reminds me of that movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." Windex. Thats right, plain old windex will do the job nicely. Just spray windex on the the lexan car or truck body. Spray on the outside of the body and remember to keep the surface of the body wet with windex throughout the application.

The windex allows for perfect positioning of stickers because it lets the decal float much a plastic model water decal. It also minimizes the annoying bubbles that you sometimes get when applying decals.

Cool video on indoor car jumping

2008-10-13T07:17:00.001-07:00

2008-10-13T07:15:00.001-07:00

Brushless motors.

2008-10-13T07:06:00.000-07:00

Using a brushless motor is big advantage in the radio control hobby. Brushless motors tend to run on battery power longer and more efficiently than their brushed counterparts. I bought a brushless motor back in 2003 when the Novak Super Sport brushless system came out. I was really impressed by the performance of the device and how long the truck can run on battery power. The speed was great and the acceleration was smooth.

When you combine the brushless motor with lipo batteries you get a radio control car at its finest. Long run times with high power is the result of this combination and it is perfect for the backyard basher or for the radio controlled racer.

A guide to hop ups.

2008-10-13T06:52:00.000-07:00

Carbon Fiber and Weight Considerations
Typically when building a radio control car for races you want to take in a few special considerations. Weight is one of those considerations because less weight means more speed and typically better handling. The best way to reduce weight in a radio control car is to invest in Lipo battery system. This upgrade would produce the greatest weight decrease because NIMH batteries are extremely heavy. Not to mention the LiPo battery would allow the T4 or, any radio control car for that matter, run faster for much longer.

Chassis
Before there was Lipo batteries most folks concentrated on the chassis for weight reduction. I think this area is also very important because upgrades to the chassis benefit the truck's handling. With the appropriate hopups installed, the T4 will be more agile and lightweight. The Carbon Fiber chassis part set will allow you to drop a good amount of weight but I advise against getting the carbon fiber main chassis. I do not back this upgrade because the stock chassis is better. If you look at the pro setups you will find most parts were upgraded to carbon except for the chassis. The reason is the plastic chassis allows for an appropriate amount of flex and gives the truck much better handling.

I have the carbon chassis right now. I will make it work by tuning the suspension a little bit. There has to be a good setup that I can use with the carbon chassis.

My first race.

2008-09-17T06:23:00.000-07:00

I remember my first race because it didn't end well. I was looking forward to it most of that week. It was my first radio controlled race ever and I couldn't have picked a better track. So Cal Raceway in Hunington Beach, CA was the track that I used to race on.

So Cal Raceway was an extraordinary track. I believe the pit fee was maybe seven bucks and with that you could practice all day on an offroad track and an onroad track. I remember one day I had my Team Associated TC3, on road electric car. I was able to run the onroad track while batteries charged for the offroad track. It was like I didn't miss a minute of driving.

Anyhow, the time came for me to race because I would watch the races. Sometimes professional drivers would be racing. I sat nearby Billy Easton, Adam Drake and Ryan Cavelleri. They were the top Team Associated Drivers. Except for Adam Drake because he was with Losi. They were all real cool guys who would answer your set up questions.

Well, I ended up practicing all day on that Friday. I was in preparation for the race. I think at that time I was running an Rc10T4 with a battery pack that I can't recall but I know I was running the Orion Core Stock. That is such a snappy, punchy and fast motor. My truck had a number of hopups installed by then. I had the titanium stuff, a digital servo by Ko Propo, an LRP QC2 speed controller, and a fully carbon fiber truck chassis.

Second Upgrade: Front hingepin brace.

2008-09-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

Some may argue that this should be the first upgrade to Team Associated's RC10T4 truck but I argue that it should be the second upgrade. Why? This is the second part that I broke. I broke the turnbuckles several times before this one snapped.

This part serves a protection for the front bulkhead, suspension arms, hinge pins, and servo saver. The stock Rc10T4 has a composite plastic hinge pin brace. This is a weak stock part that is guranteed to break within I would say the first fifty runs. For some drivers, this was the first part to go caput. For me it was the second. For the next guy, it could be the third. Regardless this is a critical hop up to buy if you plan on enjoying your truck. By enjoying your truck, I mean you plan on propelling your truck as high as you are tall. If that is the case then you need this part.

The factory team hinge pin set that is sold by the manufacturer, Team Associated, seems t0 be the best upgrade for the T4. I know Trinity provides one too but I would reccomend buying whatever is local to you. Like other Factory Team parts, this part comes anodized in a nice blue color. This anodizing definately adds a few points to the bling score. You should be able to buy it for under fifteen dollars. Ideally it should cost you twelve dollars or better.

First Upgrade: Team Associated's Titanium Turnbuckle Set.

2008-09-15T06:20:00.000-07:00

As I was first driving my truck, I wanted to push it a little and test its capabilities on a variety of surfaces. First up was my backyard. Through full speed dashes across the lawn, my truck would seemed to get magnetically attracted to the sprinkler heads that were installed in the grass. Every few runs I seemed to smash the side arm of my truck into one of those protruding metal sprinkler heads. Needless to say it was part breaking time.

The very first part that I broke was my front turnbuckle. This steel shaft is a critical component of the RC10T4. I replaced many of these turnbuckle's with the regular steel type but the price started to add up with all the flimsy replacements. I finally decided to invest some dough in strengthening the front end of the truck. There were two choices I had for the upgrade. I could have bought the Lunsford titanium set but I decided to go with the associated brand. This was because the Team Associated set was available at my local hobby shop. I typically go with what is on hand for repairs. I do not like to order my parts from an online provider. I do this because I think it is important to support the local hobby shop. That might be part of a different article.

Anyhow, at $25.00 this upgrade was a valuable one. The turnbuckles have not broken or bent after five years of use. This is awesome because I was a breaking a steel stock turnbuckle every five runs. The factory team set provided a lighter, more stronger material that was anodized with a nice blue color.

First Post but not the last.

2008-09-15T06:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new blog about the Team Associated, 1/10th scale, RC10T4. This capable and high performing radio controlled stadium truck has been my favorite possesion for many years. I bought it just a month or so after its release in 2003. I remember that day being a very happy one. I enjoy building models and radio controlled vehicle so I typically get excited when I have a new project in front of me.

Anyhow, after completing the kit, I had an excellent running stadium truck but I didn't stop there. Various weaknesses were becoming apparent with the truck. Parts were breaking and vehicle handling aspects were not were they should be. So, I decided the long expensive road to having a hopped up T4.

To prevent you all from making some of the mistakes I made in buying parts and to encourage you to get the parts you will need, I decided to write this blog to help you fellow RC'ers out.

If you like my blog or find a particular post helpful, then please leave a comment. I would love to get feedback on my articles.

I hope you enjoy the blog. Thanks for reading.