I'm running lipo, 21.5 - Novak GTB, Futuba digital servo (reg size) and Spektrum receiver (larger one).
I'm 200g overweight (1600 range) with the lip battery and counter weight.
I'm wanting to lose some of that weight so I can be more competitive. (And, yes, before someone says it ... I ran at a big race warm-up on Jan 1 ... ran a perfect race - the best I can do - and was beaten by 5 other guys. And in my opinion, I was losing time during acceleration, so I think it is the weight)
I was told I could run the car without the lip coutner weight plate ... tweak will be off, but should be manageable. I've run without the plate when I first started racing the TA and I would spin out turning left in some sections.
So ... my questions: Maybe I was spinning out because I had new VTA tires on, and now that I've got some races on them, I should have more traction? Thereby getting rid of weight from the counter weight?
I have a plastic chassis on it ... and like the weight the car handles. If I go to graphite, I'd lose some weight ... but also lose the flex from the plastic. Is this true?
Is there another way to get rid of weight that makes sense? I was told that I could ground out the middle of the chassis to move the battery towards the cetner ... however, I would think this would hurt my balance problem.
I'm running at the Novak Race next Thur - Sun ... and won't be racing the car until then. Any help would be appreciated.
So, I've been running my recently-acquired TC3 in car park (parking lot) but the wheel nuts seem to be removing themselves (at speed). They are the #6943 on a few different types of wheels but it keeps happening. When I run the nuts too tight, the front gearbox doesn't spin very freely. Any idea what might be happening?
Daniel
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David Spashett Look-alike association - Member #104
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So, I've been running my recently-acquired TC3 in car park (parking lot) but the wheel nuts seem to be removing themselves (at speed). They are the #6943 on a few different types of wheels but it keeps happening. When I run the nuts too tight, the front gearbox doesn't spin very freely. Any idea what might be happening?
Daniel
run them backwards. Its a common issue with the tc3. If you run them backwards, the nylon will guaranteed thread onto the axle and it wont come off.
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The original TC3 did not come with axle bearing spacers. The spacer goes inside of the rear hub carrier or front steering block/spindle between the bearings. You can download a FT TC3 exploded parts diagram here (http://aedownloads.com/downloads/dra...wing_fttc3.pdf).
Last edited by IndyRC_Racer; 01-26-2009 at 08:51 AM.
I am running a 28 pinion and 72 spur (48p) with a Novak 13.5 BL which leaves me with a FDR of 5.9. The motor and battery NM are barely reaching 100 degrees after 10 minutes of run time. The VTA cars are still slightly faster than my TC3 down the straight. What gear combos have you been able to fit into a TC3?
Kimbrough has a 69T spur that fits the TC3 - 2 bolt pattern. Will the Robinson Racing 60T 1860 fit the TC3?
I run a tc4 with a 13.5 and Lipo. I am currently using the RR 60th spur and a 32 tooth pinion. The RR spur fits fine but you only use 2 screws to hold it down and not 3. Make sure to check the gear holder for any burs on the threaded holes. I put mine on and it wobbled bad. I took it off cleaned off the face of the gear holder and reinstalled it and the gear ran true.
The original TC3 did not come with axle bearing spacers. The spacer goes inside of the rear hub carrier or front steering block/spindle between the bearings. You can download a FT TC3 exploded parts diagram here (http://aedownloads.com/downloads/dra...wing_fttc3.pdf).
Ah-Ha! Indeed: didn't have them. The FT that I bought with it did have them though. The Team looks like the original team (missing the droop tabs and some other things). I guess I could rob them from my FT but I'm still not sure with which kit to shelve and which to bash... FT or Original Team kit
I'm still chasing a bit of binding in the front gearbox though. I tightened the gearbox cover down softly but it's still a bit . I imagine the car should roll a fair way on the ground when pushed with the motor removed? Thanks for your help
Daniel
__________________
Currently Racing:
RC10L3, Legends, F103, Associated RC12L3, TC3, Acer Aspire One (Linux)
-----------
David Spashett Look-alike association - Member #104
-----------
I'm running lipo, 21.5 - Novak GTB, Futuba digital servo (reg size) and Spektrum receiver (larger one).
I'm 200g overweight (1600 range) with the lip battery and counter weight.
I'm wanting to lose some of that weight so I can be more competitive. (And, yes, before someone says it ... I ran at a big race warm-up on Jan 1 ... ran a perfect race - the best I can do - and was beaten by 5 other guys. And in my opinion, I was losing time during acceleration, so I think it is the weight)
I was told I could run the car without the lip coutner weight plate ... tweak will be off, but should be manageable. I've run without the plate when I first started racing the TA and I would spin out turning left in some sections.
So ... my questions: Maybe I was spinning out because I had new VTA tires on, and now that I've got some races on them, I should have more traction? Thereby getting rid of weight from the counter weight?
I have a plastic chassis on it ... and like the weight the car handles. If I go to graphite, I'd lose some weight ... but also lose the flex from the plastic. Is this true?
Is there another way to get rid of weight that makes sense? I was told that I could ground out the middle of the chassis to move the battery towards the cetner ... however, I would think this would hurt my balance problem.
I'm running at the Novak Race next Thur - Sun ... and won't be racing the car until then. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
I'd consider getting some composite driveshafts if you are using the alloy ones now. But the composite ones can be more prone to break... I used them for 27t quite a few years ago.
IRS also used to make lightweight crown gear shafts, (possibly discontinued now) I had a pair on my car.
On my tc3 when I raced it, I milled the centre spine on the battery side by about 2 or 3 mm with a dremel, but as you are concerned about weight balance, I guess you could consider milling out the other side if it helps?
Also, you could if you really wanted to, mill the gearbox covers, wont save much weight, but I guess every little helps. Then seal them over with black tape. Could be useful for checking how the gears are wearing without taking the tops off.
If you're thinking of swapping out the screws for a lighter version, DO NOT use alloy ones for the gearbox covers, as if they break, you're looking at a new chassis if you cant get the broken part of the screw out. (been there,done that lol).
Have you got the tc3 with alloy shocks? Consider replacing them with the RTR plastic shocks, you'll save quite a bit of weight that way.
You could even take out the battery top mount and replace with some tape if you milled the chassis, its a bit extreme though.
Another option is to drill some holes along the sides of the chassis. Won't look great, but will loose you some weight.
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Here are a couple of responses to recent questions in this thread:
Quote:
Originally Posted by danketchpel
It says qty = 3 ??? why not 4? Am I missing something here?
I just bought a set of the #6943 nuts......., oh well, I can still use them on my NTC3.
Team Associated Part #3438 (low profile wheel nuts) only seem to come in packages of 3. Team Trinity also makes lower profile blue wheel nuts which came in a package of 4, but I think they are now discontinued.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TomElEctric!
is the tc3 discontinued?
Yes, the TC3 has been discontinued for quite some time. However the TC4 tub chassis is still available through hobby stores as a RTR kit. Here is a link on TowerHobbies for the RTR TC4 (http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...SEARCH=tc4+rtr)
Quote:
Originally Posted by gramm
....I'm still chasing a bit of binding in the front gearbox though. I tightened the gearbox cover down softly but it's still a bit . I imagine the car should roll a fair way on the ground when pushed with the motor removed? Thanks for your help
Daniel
You will find on the older gearbox cases that they may pinch the bearings when you tighten them down. A quick solution is to tighten down the screw fully and then back out the screw 1/4 turn. I also replace the 3/8" screws with 1/2" screws on the diff cases. I also use 1/2" screws on the drive shaft bearing cap. I would also recommend at least cutting the threads on the diff cases with a steel screw (or using steel screws) as this will help prevent the inevitable cross threading that happens on the diff cases.
Another thing you can do is to sand or dremel the diff cases where the bearings sit so that they aren't as pinched. Personally I would just purchase a new set of gearbox cases. When the Nitro TC3 came out, they slightly modified the gearbox cases. The newer cases don't seem to pinch the bearings. The NTC3 gearbox case has an extra mounting hole on the top half. If you don't have the extra hole, you have the original case.
Here is a photo of the newer cases
You can also use the extra hole on the front case to mount a turnbuckle and create a front bumper brace. Another issue with the TC3 is over time the front bumper tends to droop down due to accidents. Having a turnbuckle mounted to the bumper will help maintain the life (and flatness) of the plastic bumper.
You can also purchase a blue aluminum gearbox case made by RD Logics. If I recall correctly they marketed it as being "blue-printed" so that it fit original factory specs. Here is a link where you can purchase one (http://www.rdlogics.com/cgi-bin/cate...381&type=store). I can't say that this will improve performance, but it might look nice on a shelf-queen.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Takt
I'm running a TC3 VTA car ...
I'm running lipo, 21.5 - Novak GTB, Futuba digital servo (reg size) and Spektrum receiver (larger one).
I'm 200g overweight (1600 range) with the lip battery and counter weight.
I'm wanting to lose some of that weight so I can be more competitive. (And, yes, before someone says it ... I ran at a big race warm-up on Jan 1 ... ran a perfect race - the best I can do - and was beaten by 5 other guys. And in my opinion, I was losing time during acceleration, so I think it is the weight)
.........
I'm running a tub chassis TC3 and I tend to paint with a heavy hand. My TC3 with aluminum shocks, cvds, drive shaft, and battery brace weighs in around 1550 grams with a Camaro Body. I have a few weights on my car for balance, but not much.
I had the same problem being beat down the straight, but figured out I had the car setup too stiff. The USVTA class comes down to tires more than anything else. The HPI Vintage tires are a harder compound and take a bit to break-in. If you setup your car softer you will find that you get better forward traction. I'm currently running silver springs up front with green springs in the rear as a starting point.
Last big VTA race I was at was the USVTA Great Lakes series in Ft. Wayne, IN. I qualified 4th and actually had the 2nd fastest lap in the A-Main using my tub chassis TC3. My car was just as fast down the straight as the top 3, but I drove a poor main. I was geared around 4.35 FDR and had no problem keeping up.
If you feel you are lacking acceleration with the 21.5/Lipo combo, you can also adjust the punch settings in your speed control.
Last edited by IndyRC_Racer; 01-27-2009 at 09:28 AM.
TC3 bearing set ??
. I imagine the car should roll a fair way on the ground when pushed with the motor removed? Thanks for your help
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