Touring car questions
 

Ok so after talking to my hobby store and other racers I am no closer to a decision on what touring car I should get. I am planning to race carpet. I ran my TC4 Team kit this past weekend and had a blast but I want to go to a graphite car. Others were running Xray's and Corally's. I have heard all the belt vs. shaft arguments. I guess my question is, does what car you get really matter to the amatuer racer. I am in it for fun but I also want to be competative. I would like to stay cheaper but I don't want to sacrifice quality either. I have read all the magazine articles about all the cars and they all seam to say that you can't go wrong with any car (TC4, JRX-S, Corally RDX, Xray FK '05 or T2). Any insite to this would be helpful.

For carpet, I'd go with the JRXS. The belt drive, short suspension arms, and graphite chassis are everything you want in a car that is well suited to the carpet track you want to race on. The cyclone is also a great car for what you want to do. The only time I'd suggest a shaft car is for outdoor tracks where debris can be a problem.

A good car makes it easier to learn to drive, you wont wonder: is it me or is it the car.
A good bet would be a used Xray FK05, there are some great deals out there, the setups are readily available and the car is as tough as a tank, lets you concentrate on driving rather than replacing a lot of broken parts.
Wish I would have started with one.
Fred

I have also heard that the fk 04 is still considered a good car and some like it better than the 05 or even T2.

They are all pretty good and have plus and minus points. One of Associateds plus points is that they don't bring out a new car every year. Even now you can be competitive at club level with a well set-up TC-3. You don't need to spend a fortune on a car.

I plan on running my TC4 team kit outdoors this summer, so i thought about getting the FT TC4 cuz then i would have parts for both. But everyone is running belt it seems. Everyone tells me to get belt, but a part of me wants to get shaft cuz no one else has it.

If you drive a shaft car back to back with a belt car, the difference is pretty noticeable.

I run a HPi Pro4 in mod and i LOVE the instant response of the shaft. Hit the accelerator and the car shoots forward instantly. The car feels very direct and lively. Not to mention i spend half the time the belt guys do on maintenance due to track debris. ...

BUT!!.. if i were a racer who was out to get good results every weekend, i'd not hesitate to buy a good belt drive car. Swapping from a shaft to a belt car is like night and day. The belt feels incredibly smooth and super consistent. every lap is the same. Might not FEEL as quick but i'm sure time-wise it's quicker or AS quick. But consistency goes up...

Shaft cars also torque steer, so when you jam on the throttle they can wander sideways like your steering trim is off. Not a huge problem, but because it's doing it all the time, you're compensating. The belts don't do this so they're much easier to drive. This is very minor.. it's not like the car steers itself inrto a wall.. but it just drifts a little.. enough to need a slight touch on the transmitter..

Out of a corner the shaftie wins if you can put the power down... In stock, 19t, anything not MOD, i'd go a shaft. The punch is a winner here...
In mod, you have so much power the shaft isn't a sure-fire winner. usually you just can't put the power down... the belt helps to smoothen things out!

Hope that helps..

Racing mod? get a belt..(HAte to say it..)
Racing anything else... then either is fine..

don't forget the mi2ec carpet spec,it is a very nice car :nod:

So many choices. Well i guess it depends on how much i wanna spend.

If you love your car get the factory team up grade kit :)

I would agree with CO Jones. Get an XRay 05. Its a tank compared to the Associated. I just dumped my old TC3 for an 05. Got tired of one hit and done. Too many broken parts. Seemed ok for asphalt but on the carpet the TC3, which as you know shares many parts with the 4, seems much too brittle. I grew up with Team Assoc. but i got tired of fixing my car while Xrays rolled on by.
You can get a used 05 for a good price nowadays. A fair warning on the XRay, stock up on spare parts if you can. They tend to be scarce in some areas.

I got just got a FT TC4 and I like it but Im buying either the T2 or 415 msx for racing MOD. Im useing the TC4 for the stock class. The torqe steer in a shaft driven car isnt that bad with a stock motor in it but put a modified in it and you will see a big difference. If your getting a new car the good kits are in the same price range xray corrally tamiya all three are great cars but it really comes down to where you run who has the most parts for what ever car you buy. Also you should see what the guys at your track run because there will be more help for set up tips. I do know xray has alot of set up help on there website you can also talk to pro drivers for set up help that helps out a lot.