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Serpent S400 Vs Tc5

Serpent S400 Vs Tc5

Old 04-20-2008, 08:06 AM
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Default Serpent S400 Vs Tc5

Which car do you all like?
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Old 04-20-2008, 08:17 AM
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The S400 is a slightly better car overall, BUT depending on where you live and your patience level, gettings parts support for the Serpent car might not be to your liking.

The TC5 is stocked by many LHS in the USA, so do your research regarding parts support and prices before taking the plunge.
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Old 04-20-2008, 08:44 AM
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The way i see it is that the TC5 is a economy car. is cheap and fast enough for all new guys. If you are new to touring id go with the tc5 especially if yur lhs can't get parts for the serpent,Which is a better car.
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Old 04-20-2008, 09:00 AM
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Originally Posted by CREWMAN
The way i see it is that the TC5 is a economy car. is cheap and fast enough for all new guys. If you are new to touring id go with the tc5 especially if yur lhs can't get parts for the serpent,Which is a better car.


Um the TC5 is a top tier touring car. Period. Yes it is less expensive than some others but it is in no way "new guy" car. If you're looking for a top tier touring car go with whichever one you can get support and parts for.
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Old 04-20-2008, 09:12 AM
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The TC5 is a good car and an oustanding effort by associated for there first belt drive but comparing it with the serpent is a little bit of a stretch...I really like the TC5 and I dont think its an economy car like stated above its just common and by that I mean its everywhere and accesible. Its cost about the same but the parts are so avalible and are resonable for $6.00 you get 2 front arms....Xray 1 arm same w/serpent I believe....Its really up to you weather or not you like to order parts in bulk or if you want to walk into your LHS and buy them.....I had a tc5 and ended up w/an xray t2 007 and there is a difference....
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Old 04-20-2008, 09:28 AM
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Originally Posted by NUCRPTRACER
The TC5 is a good car and an oustanding effort by associated for there first belt drive but comparing it with the serpent is a little bit of a stretch...I really like the TC5 and I dont think its an economy car like stated above its just common and by that I mean its everywhere and accesible. Its cost about the same but the parts are so avalible and are resonable for $6.00 you get 2 front arms....Xray 1 arm same w/serpent I believe....Its really up to you weather or not you like to order parts in bulk or if you want to walk into your LHS and buy them.....I had a tc5 and ended up w/an xray t2 007 and there is a difference....
Serpent parts are cheap, ($8 for two arms) just hard to get at the moment because they have only been mainstream in the on-road gas market. Now that the company has stepped up its game and is working on cars for; 1/12 on-road, 1/10 electric off-road, 1/Th gas off-road and who knows what else, I think we are going to see more and more local hobby stores that carry Serpent.

As far as the two cars in performance, I think the TC5 is a very capable car, however one of the things that I see everyone doing is converting over to the ITF chassis for asphalt racing, which is about another $100 on-top of the initial car. The Serpent is a great car right out of the box even with the box stock setup.

My choice would be the Serpent, the company is trying new things and some old things that had fallen away. Just look at the Gear Diff for electric on-road, its awesome. The new carbon fiber infused arms, pretty cool. And parts are pretty easy to get here in the states with Serpent USA and MMR, there customer support is only getting better and better. Stormer also picked up the whole S400 line. Sure those are not your LHS, but hey you can always ask them to look into carrying Serpent, there is no doubt in my mind the company will become mainstream in the near future.
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Old 04-20-2008, 09:38 AM
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Originally Posted by pc9840
My choice would be the Serpent, the company is trying new things and some old things that had fallen away. Just look at the Gear Diff for electric on-road, its awesome. The new carbon fiber infused arms, pretty cool. And parts are pretty easy to get here in the states with Serpent USA and MMR, there customer support is only getting better and better. Stormer also picked up the whole S400 line. Sure those are not your LHS, but hey you can always ask them to look into carrying Serpent, there is no doubt in my mind the company will become mainstream in the near future.
Very true. Serpent does seem to be going outside the box a lot with their new parts. I wish I wasn't so invested in my TC5 otherwise I might give it a try. I just rebuilt my diff this morning and was thinking it would be cool to have a gear diff.
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Old 04-20-2008, 09:47 AM
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pc.....I know the serpent will become mainstream there gas cars are sick and there is no doubt that the s400 is any different.....However mainstream doesnt dictate what an LHS will carry...I live in the midwest and there isnt one LHS around that carries Xray,tamiya or corally 1 only started carrying tc5 parts after I bought 1...and to me all the above mentioned are mainstream I guess it just depends on where you live and what kind of racing is goin on around you....But with the internet all parts are avalible for what ever T/C you choose...
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Old 04-20-2008, 09:52 AM
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Every car out there will get you 90% of the way to the podium. It is up to you to get yourself that missing 10%.

Take everyone's reasonable advice given here and then compare the cars, apples to apples. Look at available spare parts in your area, see who stocks what. See what is available on-line, if needed, and take into consideration the shipping costs.

You already know how much you can initially afford so see where each car falls into your budget. Then you can make your own decision.
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Old 04-20-2008, 03:50 PM
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When i said economy i didn't want it to sound like it was a bad cheap car. What i ment by that is it is the cheapest touring car out there that can be use to compete on a high level. Its a nice car and i can probably guarentee that every local hobby shop has them.
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Old 04-20-2008, 04:07 PM
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TC5-probably the most value for the money.

Serpent-Obviously, high quality, but also more expensive.

Both would be great choices.
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Old 04-20-2008, 05:03 PM
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Originally Posted by kn7671
The S400 is a slightly better car overall, BUT depending on where you live and your patience level, gettings parts support for the Serpent car might not be to your liking.

The TC5 is stocked by many LHS in the USA, so do your research regarding parts support and prices before taking the plunge.
Chris how do you know this,i think it is funny you jump in on every post and if it is not x-ray than it does not matter come on up t Acr and i will show yo the tc5 is a pretty good car
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Old 04-20-2008, 07:01 PM
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it really depends on what your local hobby shop stocks but i would go for the tc5 because the serpent is a very expensive car and also parts are more expensive also parts supply isnt good for them either whereas the tc5 has good parts supply but as i said it depends on what your local hobby shop stocks.
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Old 04-20-2008, 07:10 PM
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Originally Posted by steve eaves
Chris how do you know this,i think it is funny you jump in on every post and if it is not x-ray than it does not matter come on up t Acr and i will show yo the tc5 is a pretty good car
Yo Steve, I'm not Chris. Anyway, having owned a TC5, running it hard every weekend for 4-months straight, I have the option to speak my mind regarding my experiences with the TC5.

For example, if anyone was to compare a TC5 to an XRay '008 after 3-months of racing, which car would have required more work from breakage and worn parts, and which car would be in the best overall condition (less slop, overall wear)? Answer = Xray.Conversely, which cars parts cost less, and which are easier to get? Answer = Associated.

Besides, I wasn't exactly bashing the TC5, and I have recommended the TC5 a number of times. Every single car has Pro's and Con's.

Steve, a number of your local mates run Corally. Do you recommend Corally to anyone? They sure don't get mentioned much on the board here. Unfortunately, at this time I won't recommended a Corally to anyone since the Suspension Arms are like glass, and have been for some time, just like Schumacher. What good is a car if you can't finish a race. The TC5 stock f/r hubs and steering blocks won't take much abuse before breaking.

That is the beauty of a discussion in which a poster asked for an opinion. My opinion is based on personal experiences and preferences.
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Old 04-20-2008, 07:38 PM
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Originally Posted by NUCRPTRACER
pc.....I know the serpent will become mainstream there gas cars are sick and there is no doubt that the s400 is any different.....However mainstream doesnt dictate what an LHS will carry...I live in the midwest and there isnt one LHS around that carries Xray,tamiya or corally 1 only started carrying tc5 parts after I bought 1...and to me all the above mentioned are mainstream I guess it just depends on where you live and what kind of racing is goin on around you....But with the internet all parts are avalible for what ever T/C you choose...
I have worked at a couple hobby stores and they all will buy what a consumer wants. If Serpent becomes a sought after brand and the local racers are racing it then odds are the LHS will supply. Thats just a common business practice. You even said it yourself, you bought a TC5 and the LHS began to supply you with TC5 parts. Now there are some chain hobby stores that are limited to what they can order, and other private stores that do not want to go through the initial investment to open a new account with a new distributor just to cater to one or two racers, but as more and more people begin asking for a product they will usually make the leap. Of course there is always the LHS that will never cater to the racers because they know they can push more $150 RTR kits off to non-racers then a $400 kit to a select few racers. So I wasn't saying that every hobby store was going to stock Serpent, just saying that the amount of Serpent dealers is going to increase because the company is making it happen right now. Just my 2 cents on the future of local parts support for Serpent or any other brand for that matter.
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