The new B4 has already proven its worth by sweeping the Pro-Line Cactus Classic , winning the Stock and Modified Buggy classes with team driver Ryan Maifield as the pilot. Now the T4 is out, and it has already proven itself an equal running mate by TQ’ing and winning at its first outing-this summer’s Off-Road Shootout at Hot Rod Hobbies in California. Billy Easton took home all the top hardware, and Jared Tebo further boosted Associated’s presence by taking second with his T4. The B4’s wider, lower design makes it a natural jumping-off point for the T4, and features such as a new dual-pad slipper, larger differential and new suspension geometry seal the deal. Associated’s new truck is out and winning; let’s see why. KIT FEATURES CHASSIS. The T4 retains the use of a molded chassis, but this fourth-generation truck has a whole new design. One of the major differences is that the nose plate is now molded in, and while the transmission plate is still a separate piece, it is now fashioned out of molded plastic instead of aluminum. Like previous designs, the chassis’ sides are angled upward to decrease the likelihood of the chassis scraping during hard cornering. These angled sides also decrease the surface area that slaps down and creates speed-robbing friction when landing off big jumps. As a whole, the chassis has much smoother lines than previous trucks in the “T” series. DRIVE TRAIN. The T4 has the same transmission as the B4, and it uses the 52-tooth differential originally designed for the RC10GT. The bigger gear allows the use of larger-diameter rings; it can thus handle a larger load. The transmission gear At a glance, the transmission might look the same as the T3’s, but a keen eye will spot the RT10GT’s 52-tooth diff gear and a new, more low-slung case. ratio is higher (2.6:1-lower than the T3's 2.4:1). The next big change is the new slipper design. A more reliable and consistent dual-slipper-pad design is used, and the outside circumference of each pad is octagonal to be keyed with the spur gear. Associated first ran a prototype of this double-sided slipper design back in 1989. The entire Stealth transmission housing is more laid down, so a low center of gravity is retained for good handling characteristics; a new mounting design greatly reduces any transmission-end longitudinal flexing; and a shock-absorbing plastic motor guard is now used instead of the stamped, one-piece aluminum unit. Genuine MIP CVDs show up again in the T4 but are now 4mm longer, and all of the T4's rotating parts turn on ball bearings. The included clear-plastic gear cover does protect the spur and pinion gears from larger track debris, but check your gears frequently; the cover doesn’t completely seal them against dirt, and smaller stuff can easily get in. SUSPENSION AND STEERING. The new, eye-catching front-suspension design definitely steals the show. The front shocks’ upper mounting points have been moved behind the shock tower. Associated was first seen to be experimenting with this concept back 1991-on a prototype buggy piloted by Masami Hirosaka. The design yields a lower center of gravity for more stability in the corners and on the rough sections. A pair of molded-in risers on each arm captures the lower shock mounting point (on the T3, there was only one bolt-on riser). The inboard mount now uses a vertical ball stud, as does the rear. This means that the truck’s roll centers can be changed to suit track conditions. The rear shock tower is also tailored for the chassis end of the anti-roll bar. The hinge pins used throughout the suspension are all retained by small button-head screws instead of E-clips. The T4 has also been stretched to fit ROAR-legal dimensions; it is 1/2 inch wider, and its wheelbase is a substantial 1/2 inch longer than the T3’s. Associated Team-level, hard-anodized shocks once again do duty in the T4. The shocks have a Teflon-coated bore for friction-free smoothness. All four shocks have 30WT silicone fluid flowing through the holes of the solid Teflon pistons. The T4’s steering system starts with a cam-type servo-saver that is built into bellcranks that are very much a departure from previous Associated units. The two bellcranks are angled to match the front caster angle. When they’re viewed from the side, it’s easy to see that the kingpin is tilted backward at the same angle as the bellcranks. Associated calls this angled-bellcrank design its “Co-Planar Steering.” The steering blocks use a trailing-axle design, but the inline setup is available as an option if more aggressive steering is needed. BODY, WHEELS AND TIRES. Pro-Line provides the tires and white plastic dish rims for the T4. The front tires are the company’s ribbed The Edge models, and the rears are Hole Shots. If you have a box of tires for your T3, you’re in luck because the T4 can use the same rims as its older sibling. The included T4 rims are the newer, more rigid Pro-Line design. A new truck deserves a new body. The Interceptor shell sits very low, and the rear humps for the shocks have been reduced. The overall look is more like the real thing, but this body is anything but sedate: the nose has a very cool, aggressive look. What would be wing mounts on the B4 serve as body mounts on the truck. Josh Thiel painted the body for us. SPECIFICATIONS MANUFACTURER Team Associated MODEL RC10T4 Team Kit PRICE $200 SCALE 1/10 DIMENSIONS Wheelbase 11.75 in. (298mm) Width 13 in. (330mm) WEIGHT Total, as tested 58.4 oz. (1,656g) CHASSIS Type Molded semi-tub Material Composite plastic DRIVE TRAIN Type 3-gear transmission Primary Pinion (not included)/87-tooth spur gear Transmission ratio 2.6:1 Drive shafts MIP CVD, steel Differential Ball type with steel outdrives Bearing type Rubber-sealed ball bearing SUSPENSION (F/R) Type Lower H-arm with turnbuckle camber link Shocks Aluminum-body with clipon preload spacers WHEELS Type 2.2-in. one-piece plastic TIRES Type (F/R) Pro-Line M3 Edge/Pro-Line M3 Hole Shot T TUNING OPTIONS T4 VS T3 With more tuning options, the T4 is more adaptable to a wider variety of tracks and conditions. Check out how Associated improved the T series with more tuning options. TUNING OPTION T4 T3 Front shock positions (upper/lower) 3/2 2/3 Rear shock positions (upper/lower) 3/2 3/1 Front camber-link positions (inner/outer) 2/2 2/1 Rear camber-link position (inner/outer) 2/3 2/2 Left: Notice how the front shocks are mounted behind the shock tower. The inboard camber-link mounts are vertical so that roll centers can be adjusted. A lower link mount will yield less roll, and vice versa. Right: This side view of the front suspension and steering shows that the kingpin and bellcranks are at the same angle. BUILDING & SETUP TIPS The T4 went together as well as or better than any other kit I’ve ever built. Nothing had to be hand-fit, and it was a pleasure to assemble. BAG B, STEPS 1, 3 AND 6. In these steps, you will use both plastic and metal washers. The 0.030 washer (item no. 4187) is used in steps 1 and 3. The metal washers (9630) are used in step 6 under the long, silver ball ends on the shock tower. Bag C, steps 7 and 18.Don’t forget to squeeze the diff thrust spring and the slipper spring a few times with a pair of pliers to break them in. This will ensure that they work properly without binding. BAG C, STEP 4. Don’t be bashful with the black grease for the thrust bearing; this part endures high loads and can use the lube. BAG F, STEPS 4 AND 9. To minimize the chance of leaving flashing on the shock pistons, hold the piston parts tree with the numbers facing upward, and gently pry the piston up to remove it from the tree. If there is any flashing or waste material left on the piston, carefully trim it away. Also, because only one side of the piston is numbered, make sure that side faces upward when you install it on the shock shaft. If you don’t, you won’t be able to identify the pistons later without disassembling the shocks. BAG F, STEPS 20 AND 21 Do not overtighten the nut that retains the top of each shock, or the shocks could bind and adversely affect your truck’s handling. Left: the slipper-clutch design uses two pads instead of one. This system works better than a single-disc setup, but the slipper adjustment will now be lost when you change spur gears. YOU'LL NEED • Transmitter and receiver • Steering servos • Electronic speed control • Motor • 6-cell battery • Charger • 48-pitch pinion • Tire glue • Polycarbonate-compatible paint Factory Options • Full carbon parts-item no. 7467 • Threaded-aluminum shock bodies (F/R)-7414/7412 • Titanium turnbuckle set-1283 • Inline steering blocks-9577 • Inline axles-9616B • Steering-rack bearing-3971 • Factory Team aluminum > Motor plate-9600B > Shock caps-1598 > Hinge-pin brace-9616 Partial list; many more options are available THE COMPETITION Model Chassis Turnbuckles Bearing DIFF Trans.Ratio Shocks Drive Axles Slipper clutch Price Reviewed Team Associated T4 Plastic composite Steel Rubber-sealed Ball 2.6:1 Aluminum MIP CVD Dual-pad $200 11/03 Team Losi Triple-XT MFE Graphite composite Titanium Teflon-sealed Ball 2.43:1 Threaded aluminum MIP CVD Dual-pad $260 1/02 There is no more appropriate place to test a vehicle such as the T4 than at the racetrack. My local track is Xtreme RC Raceway in New Milford, CT. This also happens to be the track on which we put the B4 through its paces. This track hosts weekly events and is very typical of New England RC racing venues and of East Coast tracks in general. The surface is not hard-packed and is what many racers refer to as “real” off-road. Rappers aren’t the only ones with an East Coast versus West Coast thing going on. My first few laps were slow because I wanted to dial in the steering trim. Before climbing onto the drivers’ stand, I also did a few holeshots on the straight and some throttle bursts rolling out of the corners to get a setting for the slipper. The new dual-pad slipper is much more adjustable than the previous design and provides a confident feel in adjustment and not the think I got it right’ feel. As equipped out of the box and with the hot Reedy batteries and mod motor, I could easily make the T4 swap ends with too much throttle. While the included Pro-line tires are an awesome combo on hard-packed tracks, Xtreme’s soft surface called for larger knobs-Step Pins would probably have been ideal. But the Holeshots still hooked up; being mindful of my throttle and steering inputs, I was able to take the T4 around the track at racing speeds. It absolutely ripped off the line and carried awesome speed through the corners, staying nearly level. The Xtreme layout consists of many switchback turns, and where my T3 had needed brake inputs to go around fast, the T4 simply cut deeply into the corners and sprang out onto the next straight. Rutted sections that formerly made me nervous I now sailed over at full throttle, thanks to the bump-steer-free Co-Planar Steering. This design greatly increases the truck’s stability through rough sections. It’s now better able to hold its line as it speeds over small bumps and ruts. It is also more consistent and offers far fewer surprises where the terrain isn’t even. The moguls you once had to slow down for will no longer be a problem. Even with the stock setup, the T4 quickly proved that it was faster than my T3. When airborne over jumps, its attitude was easy to control with blips of throttle (to keep the nose up) or a touch of the brake (to lower the nose). The T4 handles jumps very well and doesn’t have to approach them perfectly for the landing to be a success. The longer arms and longer chassis make this truck very stable and forgiving. THE VERDICT The T4 makes it apparent that Team Associated didn’t set out to build just another truck or just a new truck; it set out to build its best truck. It doesn’t want to challenge; it wants to dominate. It’s obvious that there’s a great deal of R&D behind this project. Proven design concepts have not only been retained but have also been improved, and new, innovative concepts take center stage on what is an awe-inspiring platform. The 2WD electric stadium truck battle will rage hotter than ever! TEST GEAR LRP Quantum Competition 2 ESC The new Quantum Competition 2 (QC2) unit features what LRP dubs “Reactive Frequency.” This tailors the drive frequency to suit prevailing conditions-all while on the run. The new ESC will alter the drive frequency to a lower setting to increase acceleration out of corners and will it adjust again for more speed down the straight (with a higher-frequency setting). The QC2 is also totally waterproof and will be offered at no increase in price over the Quantum Competition ESC it replaces. Additional items used to complete the T4 Hitec Aggressor CRX transmitter and DCX receiver Hitec HS-5945MG steering servo Reedy Krypton 10-turn modified motor Reedy/Yokomo Xcell 3300 matched pack Robinson Racing Absolute pinion 18-tooth pinion   LIKES • Super-easy to assemble. • Co-Planar Steering increases stability. • New, dual-pad slipper clutch. • Includes genuine Pro-line racing rubber. DISLIKES • Gear cover is not on a par with the rest of the truck.   HITEC/RCD (858) 748-6948;hitecrcd.com. LRP distributed by Team Associated. MIP(626) 339-9007 miponline.com. PRO-LINE (909) 849-9781; pro-lineracing.com. REEDY a division of Team Associated. ROBINSON RACING(209) 966-2465; robinsonracing.com. TEAM ASSOCIATED (714) 850-9342; teamassociated.com.

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