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Issue Date: September 2007, Posted On: 7/25/2007
Team Associated TC5 Factory Team 1/10-scale, kit, electric 4WD touring carThe A-team touring car is reinvented
|  | Words: Matt Higgins - Photos: Hope McCall
Team Associated TC5 Factory Team
1/10-scale, kit, electric 4WD touring car
The A-team touring car is reinvented
When the TC3 was released, it made an immediate impact on touring
car racing. The A-team was stacked with talented drivers such as Billy
Easton and Barry Baker, and the solid, shaft-driven platform proved to
be a dominant force. Race after race, the TC3 took home podium finishes
and numerous wins. The success of the TC3 inspired the then widely
accepted notion that shaft drives must be best. Some belt-car brands
even released their own shaft-driven touring cars. That was seven years
ago; the touring car class has rapidly evolved and is even more
competitive. In the last three or four years, belt-driven cars have
started to crowd the winners’ charts, and this started the great belt-
versus-shaft debate. Open-minded types recognize the significant
benefits of each design, but in racing and the “Highlander,” there can
be only one. Belt-drive cars have simply proven to be the best overall
for racing. Team Associated, now in its third generation of touring
cars, has gone back to the proverbial drawing board and reinvented how
its touring car will get power to all four tires. Gone is the center
shaft, and in is a pair of belts and a whole new design around them.
Check it out.
Testing: Round 1
During a couple of photo shoots, I got the
chance to run the TC5 on pavement and immediately liked what I saw and
felt, but my main goal with testing for this review was to see how the
TC5 handled on a real track, so I headed off to SpeedZone Hobbies in
Rocky Hill, CT. This indoor track features Ozite carpet, and the store
has recently been reconfigured to allow for more pit space. It’s a
great place and my favorite place to run touring cars. The layout,
especially the back straight, is somewhat tight, so I didn’t push the
car too hard at first. I also wanted to get a feel for the car before I
started ripping the throttle and slapping into the boards. After a few
laps, I brought the car in to tighten the differentials. This is pretty
standard practice on a freshly built car. The diffs were easy to
adjust, so I was soon back out on the carpet. In the box stock setup, I
found the TC5 to have an absolute abundance of steering. The turn-in
was extremely aggressive, but the car was never loose. I dialed the
dual rate down and just took it easy as I turned laps. With each lap, I
pushed it a little harder, and it wasn’t long before I felt as if I was
up to race pace and not that much longer before I was testing the TC5’s
durability. I
slammed the TC5 into some corners pretty hard. So hard sometimes that I
was amazed that it didn’t break. Touring cars are not known for their
durability, but the TC5 was proving to be quite the tank. That’s a huge
plus in my book. I should note that by this point I had switched to a
stock motor. The LRP Vector X11 3.5-turn brushless is a lot more motor
than I can handle on a tight indoor track. Down the long back straight
at SpeedZone, the TC5 tracked true and didn’t get out of control no
matter how hard I punched it sweeping onto the straight. This is a good
thing because this lane is pretty narrow, and it’s easy to get out of
shape and hit the boards at full speed. Through the corners, the TC5
again handled great. The turn-in is fantastic, and this is all with no
changes to the stock setup. If there were any handling problems, I
didn’t notice them; in fact, the TC5 carried a lot speed and seemed
very precise. Even though I was a bit rusty, it was easy to get into a
nice flow with the TC5. When I did have to use the brakes, the car
stayed planted and didn’t as much as wiggle. I burned through a few
more battery packs before deciding to take a break to charge some
batteries and enjoy some bench racing.
Round 2
I was
having fun, so I could have easily kept running laps, but I was lucky
enough to have two local hot shoes trackside. I turned the controller
over, and they both agreed that the TC5 was dialed and had tons of
steering. One even said he would be building a new TC5 the next week. | Page 1 of 4
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