|
|
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 - 2
|  | 
This is
the first Associated touring car to use only one bellcrank. A
servo-saver is built in, and all of the links are titanium. Right: the
included anti-roll bars have an excellent design. A variety of retainer
blocks are included for the bars of various thicknesses. |
Clamping aluminum hexes and hard-coated aluminum shocks are standard. |
The
motor mount is a separate piece; bolt it to the rear bulkhead and top
plate. Left: the input, or center, shaft uses 20-tooth pulleys. The
48-pitch spur gear is from Kimbrough. Look closely and you will see the
aluminum rings on the composite plastic outdrives. |
I chose a Protoform Stratus shell for my TC5, and Bill Zeger of Zegers R/C Graffixx handled the Parma FasKolor paint work |
| Ride height
For
outdoor racing, try 5mm; for indoor carpet racing try going down to
4mm. Check with the track owner to see whether there’s a
minimum-ride-height rule.
belts & diffs
These are
two items you have to check after running a few packs through your car.
The belts shouldn’t stretch too much, but you definitely don’t want
them to be too tight. Adjust the belts so that they’re just tight
enough not to skip. The diffs will definitely have to be tightened
slightly after your first few laps.
Droop
If you run foam tires, make sure you check your droop as your tires wear down. Check ride height, too.
Chassis
>> 2.5mm graphite main plate >> 2.5mm graphite top plate
>> Fully countersunk >> Aluminum bulkheads Both the TC3 and
the TC4 were first released with plastic tub chassis. The later TC3
Factory Team version included a graphite-reinforced tub, and the TC4
Factory Team used a graphite plate. The TC5 skips right to the
all-the-goodies-in-one-box Factory Team version and uses a double-deck
graphite-plate chassis. The layout is typical of belt-drive cars and
features the batteries on the right side (a first for an Associated
touring car), and the rest of the electronics are on the left of the
belts. Associate’s engineers provided just enough room to squeeze in
your servo, receiver, motor and controller. Space is limited, but any
of today’s brushless controllers will fit with no problems. The TC5
does not feature an adjustable-flexibility chassis like the Factory
Team TC4, but different chassis plates and top decks are already
available. The top plate is countersunk but not keyed into place. The
bulkheads are well machined and anodized in Associate’s trademark blue,
and the overall fit and finish are excellent. Experienced Associated
owners will notice that the TC5 now uses mostly metric hardware. A
graphite battery strap and thumbscrews retain your battery, and there
are also slots for tape.
Drivetrain >> Externally
adjustable ball differentials >> Universal-joint drive axles
>> Rubber-sealed ball bearings áá Dual-belt drive The TC5’s
drivetrain is as all new as you can get, and while the entire car is a
completely new design, Associated’s decision to forgo a shaft drive in
favor of a belt drive is what really sets the TC5 apart from its
predecessors. Like other mid-motor touring cars (the motor is actually
right in front of the rear axles), the front belt is considerably
longer than the rear belt. Belt tension is adjusted via oval bearing
cam holders; optional bearing cam holders are included to alter the
differential height to suit different types of track. The TC5 comes
with differentials at both ends and uses a solid center shaft. An
87-tooth Kimbrough spur gear is bolted to the center shaft, which spins
the two belts that, in turn, send power to the wheels via the ball
differentials. The center shaft pulleys each have 20 teeth and the
differentials have 40. The hardened-steel universal axles include thin
rings that snap over the crosspins for extra security, and the
lightweight composite plastic outdrives feature aluminum rings to
prevent them from spreading apart, regardless of how wild your motor
is.
Suspension & steering >> Lower H-arm,
upper camber-link suspension >> Threaded-plastic shocks >>
Steel-turnbuckle tie rods >> 3mm graphite shock towers The TC5’s
suspension is as new as the rest of the car. The most readily apparent
change is that the inner suspension arms now hang off the bulkheads.
You’ll have to use a ball-head hex driver, but changing inner arm
mounts to alter roll centers and arm angles should be much easier than
on previous designs. The stout inner hingepins are 3mm thick, so you’re
unlikely to bend one. Associated includes its hard-anodized,
threaded-aluminum VCS2 shocks. In the box, you’ll find a more
race-ready spring and oil setup. Associated includes 60WT silicone
fluid and copper springs (25 pounds) for the front and 40WT and red
springs (22 pounds) for the rear. The included anti-roll bars are
dialed in for race performance. The front is a silver 1.5mm-thick bar
and the rear is a black 1.25mm-thick bar. Other 1.5- and 1.25mm bars as
well as an optional 1.75mm bar are available. Because it’s a Factory
Team version, the turnbuckles and camber links are all blue titanium.
Steering is handled by a new single bellcrank with a built-in
adjustable servo-saver. Ackerman is adjustable on the bellcrank and the
steering blocks.
THE VERDICT
I’ve had a TC3 Racer, TC4, Factory Team TC4 and
now a Factory Team TC5. During the era of the TC3, I wouldn’t have
traded shaft drive for anything. Team Associated has me back on
belt-drive with the TC5. If I lose a race with this machine, I’ll be
confident that it was because of my driving and not the car. The TC5 is
as well built and well designed as any of its peers, and that’s saying
a lot considering the current amazingly competitive touring car market.
When you factor in that it’s better equipped than many cars costing
almost $100 more, the TC5 might be, dollar for dollar, the best touring
car available.
SOURCES
Airtronics distributed by Global Hobbies; airtronics.net
GRP distributed by Great Planes Model Distributors; grpgandini.com
Hitec hitecrcd.com
LRP distributed by Team Associated; teamassociated.com
Parma parmapse.com
Protoform protoformracbodies.com
Reedy distributed by Team Associated; teamassociated.com
Team Associated teamassociated.com
Zegers R/C Graffixx zegersrcgraffixx.com
| Page 2 of 4
<< Prev 1 2 3 4 Next >> | |
|
