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.
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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.
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“
...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: rcpaintman@aol.com
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)
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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
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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
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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
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3 ft., 11 in.
CONTROL:
Excellent
AUGUST 2007 : 89