Team Associated TC4 Setup Tips - Michael Lufaso







Set-Up sheets in PDF format are linked below.

There are many variables involved in setting up a Team Associated TC4 radio controlled racing car. It is not possible to give a setup that will work with all tracks and driving styles. I give a starting point for the various parameters involved in setting up the Team Associated TC4 based on the setups I have tested. Before you read any of the information below, read the following:
Team Associated Complete Tuning Guide:TC3 .
CompetitionX has lots of information, updates, and tips.
Team Associated RC Handbook.
Read RC Car handling to understand what each change will make.
HPI also has a tuning guide.

Construction and Assembly
Chassis/Components

Start with the Team Associated TC4 Team Kit (#30100). Check each part and remove the flashing from all parts. I check the chassis to see how close it is to being planar. Slide a metal straight edge ruler to search for high spots from leftover flash on the chassis. A flat file will remove the low spots (or screws) that could possibly cause drag on the track. Countersink slightly, if necessary.

Front/Rear Suspension The front and suspension should be free and smooth. Without the shock installed, the arms sould raise and fall freely under their own weight. Check the outside hinge pins to ensure they are straight.
Front Chassis Braces In an effort to reduce weight, I put a small slot on the underside of the brace. Drill a hole in between the transmission mounting holes. I also cut of the outside most camber link mount, as I never use it. The total weight savings is ~0.03 oz.
Steering Rack I blueprint the swing rack pivot post length. The swing rack pivot post can be shortened a few 0.001" to tighten up the tolerance and reduce slop in the steering. I check this by removing the front tires, then moving the steering turnbuckle vertically up and down. Some play can be removed by grinding some material off of tghe bottom of the swing rack pivot post. Warning: don't take too much material off or you will cause the steering rack to bind up. Be sure to check the steering moves freely.
Bumper The dense front bumper can be lightened by taking some material from the underside with a Dremel tool.
CVD's I break in the CVD's, bearings, and differentials by using an old motor hooked up to a battery pack. Take the shocks and wheels off and turn the car upside down. You will notice any binding CVD's by the bounce up and down of the suspension arms. The CVD may have a bent pin or may need to be rebuilt with new lubrication.
Shock Assembly Follow directions included in kit. Apply Green Slime to build a smooth set of shocks, and lightly coat the shock shaft/o-ring seals. Fill the shock bodies with desired weight oil and bleed the shocks. The most important tip is to ensure the rebound is equal on both shocks. I typically assemble shocks with very little rebound, but the most important part is that each is equal. Wrap a piece of paper around the shock shaft, the use little pressure to hold the shock shaft, minimizing the chance to scratch with pliers. Measure the distance from the shock body to the ball cup and adjust until both are even. Read more about shock oil weights at Team TWF8.ws. By following the instructions and a little practice, the stock shocks work just fine. I have never had one leak that was properly assembled.
Servo Mount Replace the plastic servo mounts with the factory team parts. Replace the steel button head screws with blue anodized aluminum socket cap screws to save a little weight. Using a Dremel cutoff wheel, the exposed ball ends were ground down on the servo arm.
Weight Replace the steel screws with blue anodized aluminum screws. Don't use aluminum screws in any aluminum parts.

Handling

Setting the Tweak I don't claim to know the best way to set the tweak on the car. I'll describe how I set the tweak using a Niftech tweak board, but similar tweak boards will work as well. Feel free to send me a suggestion on a better method. First make sure the tires sizes are close to even. Check to make sure the shock springs are the same length (these do vary!). Make sure the shock body to beginning of ball cup is the same length. Set the ride height to 5 mm at each corner. Make sure the camber is set properyly for the tires to wear evenly, no coning in either side of the tire. Remove the wheels and set the droop (equal right to left) to whatever is appropriate for the roll center setup, tire size, etc.. Reinstall the wheels and have all equipment installed like the car will be raced. Ensure tweak board is level in all directions. Place the rear tires on the solid portion of the tweak board, with the front chassis flat on the part of the tweak board that rotates, or on top of a level spacer. Adjust the shock setting to obtain an even tweak for the rear. Now place the front tires on the solid portion of the tweak board, and rear part of the chassis on the part that rotates, then adjust the tweak for the front. After the front and rear are adjusted separately, place all four wheels on the tweakboard. The tweak should be very near level. Perform any slight adjustment if it is necessary, but don't make all the adjustment in a single shock, spread it out evenly over the 4 shocks. Be sure to press evenly on the center of the suspension after each step and adjustment to make sure there is no bias and to settle the suspension. I record the distance between the collar and shock hex.
     In my opinion, it doesn't matter at all what the tweak board shows, it's how it handles on the track. After following the above steps drive the car on the track in practice. If the car doesn't handle evenly on the track, then adjust all four shock collars until it steers evenly left and right. After getting the car to handle evenly, put the car back on the tweak station with all 4 wheels. I measure/estimate how much the bubble is off center and write it down. I do the same thing for the front and rear, with the chassis resting on the tweak plate, recording the values for the tweak offset on the tweak board. I remeasure the shock collar to hex distances. Now I have a setting that will allow me to purposely adjust the car so that although it is not tweaked according to the tweak board, it handles evenly on the track.
    I have not tried adjusting the tweak by the X-acto blade method. Read an alternative method 1 and 2 for using the MIP tweak board. HPI also describes how to set the tweak.
Tires are one of the most important aspects of the car. Jaco Double Pink for the rear, and Orange/Double Pink on the front. A tire durometer can match the hard/softness. There will always be a gaussian distribution of tire compounds, as the range of compound density in foam rubber production will always be present. Matching the tires can be useful, often a car that is "tweaked " may just have a mismatched set of tires. If you get multiple sets of front tires at the same time, match the width of the orange foam. A more narrow orange strip will give more steering than a wide orange strip. Apply CA glue on the sidewalls will prevent the tire separating from the wheel when the tire becomes very small, or when spearation occurs due to the high cornering speeds. CA on the sidewall also slightly stiffens the sidewall for high traction surfaces. Rubber tires are more straightforward, but I only have experience with CS-27.
Foam Tire Size The 'best' tire size is the smallest in which enough traction is available for the entire 5 minute run, and maintains enough ride height to meet ROAR rules 0.125" and not drag and rub on track. Typical tire sizes for carpet range from 2.2" to 2.3" on the front for a smooth track. Tire weight is a major factor in determining the size to use. On very low traction asphalt tracks that are dusty, I prefer to use larger tires, sometimes as large as 2.5" to obtain more side bite due to sidewall flex/roll.
Ride Height The car is riding too low when the front of the chassis/body mount screws are blackened after a run.I typically run the ride height at about 0.150" to 0.175" (approx 5 mm) for very smooth tracks and a stiff suspension setup. For a softer spring setup or rougher track, a higher ride height of 5.0 mm or above should be used.
Turning circle Adjustment of the turning circle is critical in obtaining consistent and equal left and right steering. The dual rate should be adjusted to 100%, then the individual right and left steering endpoints adjusted to the maxmimum physical value allowed (steering block touching carrier). Take the car to the track and place it next to a board. Turn the wheel right to the maxmimum and drive the car in a half circle. Mark the spot of the outside tires. Pick up the car and place it back against the board. Turn it to the left and drive a half circle. Decrease the steering on the side that has a smaller turning circle and repeat until both left and right turning circles match. The dual rate adjustment may then be turned down to about 80-95%. I leave extra adjustment in case the car has a slight understeer, which I increase the steering during the race. The minimum possible amount of steering throw should be used on the track in order to have the greatest sensitivity and control in the steering. Excessive steering throw and a understeering car is very inefficient because the front tires will be scrubbing speed, although it is easier to drive. This has to be balanced with the ability to turn the car around in case of a crash.
Tire Traction The standard traction compound for use on ozite based carpet is Paragon Ground Effects. There are many important factors in it's use - which can be quite an effective tuning agent. The length of time the traction stays on is important. For tracks with low traction, it should be allowed to soak in for a longer period of time. On high traction track, a few minutes may be all the is necessary. The amount applied is also considered - in most cases I see racers putting on much more than necessary for the track conditions. This can actually slow the car down as the softer tire tend to scrub more speed - slowing the car down and reducing run time and efficiency. It is also beneficial to change tires each run to prevent traction build up. I typically run only one set of tires a few times a day (using those same sets again the next race day and I sometimes alternate between 2 sets.
Indoor tracks which do not allow Paragon, but do allow odorless traction compounds, I have tried Paragon Traction Action, Corally 'Jack the Gripper' and TQ Orange based traction compounds. The compound should be allowed to soak into the tires for longer than paragon (approx 35. minutes if possible). Rubber tires are an entirely different matter that depends on the tire, traction applied to the track, and track temperature. Try Paragon FXII and see what the fast guys are using.
Front and Rear SpringsOn high traction carpet where the steering is high, I use the yellow, purple, or copper on the front. The rear spring is most often copper, or the same or softer than the front springs. It depends on the amount of steering needed, bumps on the track, and responsiveness desired. RCracingingreece.com has a comparison of different manufacturer springs.
Front and Rear OilOn high traction carpet, I range I use is Associated 60-40 wt with #2 pistons in the front, with Associated 50-35 wt with #2 pistons in the rear. On tighter tracks, decrease the weight in both shocks simultaneously if the cars handling is close to desired. Decrease the oil viscosity if the tire size is large or the car is chattering in the corners. See the setup sheets above for what I use.
Arm Mount Shimming/Roll CenterSee the next to last page of the TC4 instruction manual for how the arm mount shimming affects the kick-up, anti-dive, anti-squat, and pro-squat. Anti-dive reduces weight transfer to the front on deceleration entering the corner. Kickup makes the front suspension stiffer. Anti-squat makes the rear suspension stiffer and gives the car more entry steering and reduces rearward weight transfer on power. Pro-squat increases rearward weight transfer on power. Generally, on carpet a lower roll center is used. For rubber tires, try the standard settings. There are some software programs, such as the Roll Center Calculator that one could try to calculate the roll centers. Experiment to see what works best for you.
Shock AngleThe more vertical the shock, the stiffer the spring force, and conversely the more angled the shock the suspension is softer. On the lower suspension arm, the further out the shock is mounted, the suspension is stiffer. As the shock changes angle upon travel, there is some progressive response.
Chassis Rakeis the single most under-checked part in setting up a TC4 (or any onroad car for that matter). The chassis should be very nearly level - to within 0.5mm and this is another way to tune the handling. By having the front end lower than the rear, more steering can be obtained and conversely having the rear end lower the the front will create less steering. Note that is valid only to a small tuning amount and can not be taken to extremes (>1.0 mm).
Caster More negative caster gives more high speed steering, and less low speed steering. I typically use 2-4 degrees total.
Front and Rear Camber I use a Team Associated or RPM camber/caster gauge to measure and tune each side to measure the same. I use about -1.0 to -1.5 degrees of camber, which allows the tire to wear evenly. I adjust the camber until the tire wears evenly and do not use this as a tuning parameter on carpet. On rubber tires, slightly less camber (-1 degree).
Anti-Dive/Kick-up More anti-dive reduces weight transfer to the front on deceleration entering corners, and reduces caster. Kick-up makes front suspension stiffer and adds caster.
Anti-Squat/Pro-Squat More anti-squat makes the rear suspension stiffer, more entry steering, and reduce rearward weight transfer on power. Pro-squat will increase rear weight transfer on power.
Front and Rear Shock Position Shock position on the arm and tower can be used to fine tune the handling. A more vertical position is stiffer, more responsive, but less traction. The setting correlates with the spring and oil choice. Experiment to see what works best for you.
WheelbaseI use the stock wheelbase settings. Moving the front or rear wheels towards the center of the car will result in more traction at that end of the car.
Sway Bar(s) Sway bars are an effective way to fine tune the car on carpet. The baseline setup is to use the stock front sway bar. I prefer to set up the car using all other available parameters before fine tuning with a rear sway bar. I use the stock TA or thin 0.055" BRP swaybar on the rear to control body roll and amount of steering. The multiple swaybar kit, with 3 thickness bars is available AE. Setting the sway bar. 1 - Make sure you have the droop set, and it's equal on both sides (I.e. if you're trying to run less droop on one corner- not recommended- then do it after you set your rollbar) 2- install the bar and make sure it moves freely on the tranny mounts. 3- install the pivot balls and caps, make sure not to over-tighten the caps and the ball moves freely. 4-hook everything up 5- hold on side down against the stop and press up on the opposite arm out at the hub. If there is a "dead spot" with no resistance, lengthen the link on that side, if there is a lot of resistance, shorten the link. Check the opposite side as well and repeat until there is equal resistance when pushing up 6- double check your settings by flipping the car upside-down. hold one side against the stops and inspect the gap between the droop screw and the opposite stop. Check and see if both sides are the same. If one gap is larger, shorten that link (remember that also grows the gap on the opposite arm so use small increments.
In the end you should pass both tests and each side should move at an equal time when lifting the opposite arm. Be careful not to shorten the links too much and pinch the upper ball inside the eyelet. If you can't shorten the left side any more, then it's time to lengthen the right. Hopefully none of your swaybars are so tweaked that you run out of adjustment. Then, just re-bend the bar or preferably get a new one.
Gearing Gearing depends on the track size, motor and driving style. A good starting point can be found in the TC4 manual, which is about 10 teeth over the number of turns in the modified wind. Large track sizes, I gear up to 15 teeth (48 pitch, 25/72 for a 10 turn) over the wind. I prefer to use the rollout sheets to determine the rollout number for gearing. This is much more comparable between cars and tire sizes. Check the setup sheets for more info.

Maintenance

DifferentialThe plastic differentials require checking more often than the steel version. Check the tightness after every run. The differential should not slip under normal acceleration (off of a corner). The plastic differential my heat up and grab when using a low turn modified motor. The car will develop oversteer during the race. Check the diff immediately after the race, it should still be smooth. Disassemble the differential and check for parts that may be rubbing together - you will notice a ring on either diff half. The plastic diff weight is 0.42 oz, while the steel diff is 1.00 oz. A good compromise is plastic in front and an Aluminum in the rear. One takes a chance of breaking the diff outdrive. The most reliable differential is steel in front and rear, which is what should be used in modified. Replace the differential thrust spring, with initial length ~ 0.285" and replace when noticeably shorter, i.e. < 0.260". Use the standard kit greases.

Equipment

Body Parma Alfa (190 mm Part Number 10089)for foam tires can be lowered the front completely until the shock tower was touching the body and the rear I have mounted so the body is as low as possible, while meeting the minimum body height of the particular race (sometimes 117 mm (4.625 inches) and sometimes lower. The rear bumper cutout may only be 55 mm (2.165") with 20 mm (0.787") blocks under the chassis. It may be necessary to drill new holes for the rear body mounts. Protoform also makes excellent bodies, incliding the Stratus 2,3, Mazda 6, Alfa and others that all handle great.
PaintParma/PSE Faskolor is a great nearly odorless paint for Lexan bodies. A wide variety of colors is available. Airbrushing and cleanup is simple with the non-toxic aqueous based paint. The paintmasks make painting a nice looking body much easier.
Speed Control LRP Quantum 2 imported by Team Associated has performed flawlessly, even in high temperature environments. The large capacitor in the 'worlds kit' helps in reducing the large current spikes the battery pack is subjected to while using the 7 to 10 turn modified motors. I am also experimenting with the LRP Sphere brushless.
Servo 1/10 touring car racing needs a fast servo, with medium torque. I currently use an KO Propo 2343, which have a good combination of torque and fast rotation speed.
Transmitter I use the KO Propo EX-10 Helios with the wheel drop down extension. I use tennis wrap around the grip to make the radio more comfortable to use. A few layers of tape attached to the brake trigger helps provide more sensitivity and quicker response for braking. The most important setup parameters are to set the throttle hihg point at the maximum value, 150 for the KO. Another important setup is to make sure the turning radius is set with the dual rate at 100%, then set the maximum left and rught turning circle. Adjust each so it is nearly hitting the physical limit, then adjust the side that has the smaller turning circle to match the side that has the larger turning circle. Next adjust the dual rate to 90%. I use the steering curve at -20% to -26%, which makes the car easier to control at high speeds. On some transmitters this is called the steering exponential.
Cells I use Reedy GP 3300, however if you are a beginner you do not need high voltage cell, and can get good performance by buying lower runtime/voltage cells. The key is to learn the mechanically/ technically setup the car. When you are driving perfect lines and not crashing for the entire race then the better cells will be a help, try to get within 0.3 sec per lap consistency. Get track time!
Battery Charger The method of charging NiMH cells is important. Read through forums and what the battery matchers suggest for charging the cells, but avoid overheating and causing damage to the cells. The LRP Pulsar 2 is an excellent choice with a variable current and peak detection limit, and can run in motors.
Performance Enhancement Parts Starting with the standard team kit I have experimented with making some modifications. On low traction tracks, I cut the inner brace on the chassis braces. I have cut out some sections of the chassis to reduce weight. Use the blue aluminum screw kit to replace the steel screws. I dremeled some of the lower motor mount to install fans to cool the motor.

Driving Advice

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Created November 29,1999
Modified August 12, 2005

Super Taikyu Official Site for the series in which HPI's Subaru Imprezza races.