Advice T4RS
 

Hello,

My name is Dorion and I'm new. I'm new to everything, this forum and this hobby. For Christmas I just picked out an Associated T4RS from my local Hobbytown. Never drove an RC Car in my life besides the stuff from Children's Palace (anybody remember that toy store) when I was a kid. I did a little research before I purchased and the T4 seemed like a good choice for a beginner. Since I know nothing about assembling a car I bought the preassemble version with a 3300 battery and charger. Being a total newbie to the forum and hobby, does anyone have any helpful advice? This looks like a very active forum, so after I'm done with this message I'm going to do some searching and I'm sure I'll find some great advice, but I thought I would throw this out there to introduce myself and get any tips anyone would be willing to offer. Thanks in advance!

Dorion

Good choice, you might want to pick up a can of motor spray and bushing oil. It will really help keep the stock motor running good.

what i recommend to all new rcers. strong, light, and the use of all the graphite and carbon parts. you cant go wrong with that truck.

Actually the use of carbon and graphite parts will cause more breakage for a newbee. They are more brittle and not too forgiving. The plastic rtr parts are perfect for just getting started. As you become a much more experienced driver then you can think about upgrading to carbon and graphite parts, although at that time you'll most likely be ready for a Factory Team T4 anyway. For a rc virgin sort of speak, I say start out slow. You need to learn how to not crash before you work on being fast and shaving time off in the corners. You can run the fastest lap on the track but it doesn't mean anything if you only run one.

Thanks for the advice. I'll definately pick up some spray and oil. And I'll definately start slow. I'm sure speed control and taking corners is something I'll definately have to focus on. I've noticed that the T4 I've picked up is RS for "Racing Spec" Can someone please explain that to me. I looked on team associated's site and the official description between the two is a lot of jargon that I don't understand. Is the RS an upgrade? or is it fit for simply a different purpose?

Thanks Dorion

the "Racing Spec" RTR you bought is just AE's way of saying its a race level RTR. Its based on the championship winning T4, albeit with a few cheaper cost changes done that in reality don't make too much of a difference at club level racing.

The thing I would recommend for you to do is become familiar with how to take apart your vehicle and put it back together. And to do this, you should make sure and have a quality set of hex drivers. expect to spend about $30 on a set. You will thank me later though, especially if you try using the little allen keys they include that strip your screws or themselves, and put a beating on your fingers.

what charger did you pick up?

As a newbie, the RPM wide front bumper can come in handy protecting the front end of your vehicle.

I think the only other thing I would look into buying for your vehicle would be the hop up alumimum front hingepin brace. The plastic one doesn't do much of a job keeping the bulkhead intact on a hit.

Main thing is have fun.

Will you be doing any racing? If so, don't let people convince you that your vehicle can't be raced as it is a RTR. just go and learn with it, have fun. One of the greatest feelings is whipping up on someone with a vehicle that costs significantly less than what they spent and getting them to remember that racing is about driving, not how much money you have in your equipment, if it was, you might as well just throw your wallet over the finish line.

Thanks
 

Cain,

Thanks for the good advice. I will definately check into the hex drivers and the bumper. I intend on taking everything apart and taking a good look at it. I was kind of torn between getting the RTR and the "Kit" for that very reason. I figured with the kit I would learn the car inside and out. However, eventually I decided agianst it because of budget constraints. I also didn't know how involved it would be. Being a newbie, I didn't want to get in over my head. So that's good advice, I will take my car apart and check it out.

As far as charger and batteries. I got a 7.2V NiMH 3300 rocket pack and a Prophet AC/DC peak charger. Not sure what all that stuff means. I'm just hoping that I can run the car for about 20 minutes before the battery dies. Since I'm a newb, I plan on mostly bashing, but if I like it, I can see investing more time and possibly think about some racing. Again, thanks for the helpful advice. Its really nice to be able to correspond with someone thats knowledgable about it. I really don't know anyone who is into rc cars.

not a problem. We all got to start somewhere.

The stuff you have should be sufficient to get you going. If you do find you are liking RC and want to start upgrading electronics and all, you may be better served by reading up on lipos and brushless at that time. Its cheaper in the long run.

Again, only when you feel comfortable about it. For now, have fun with what you got.

As for others into RC, where are you located at? You may be suprised by how many people are on the boards in your area of the country.