Opinions on which Touring Car to get?
 

I've been out of the racing scene for some time. But I've been doing RC for over 30 years. I've run a Tamiya TA02 chassis and an HPI RS4 Pro for Touring Cars. I still have them!

So now, I've been thinking of getting back in to TC racing. First, it looks like hell has frozen over since I see that Tamiya has actually won several TC championships! What is up with that? It always used to be Associated, Losi and Yokomo. Now it seems that Yokomo is not even as easily available.

So in researching TC's they all pretty much look the same to me. They all are belt driven by 2 belts with most of the TC's even having a similar design where the spur gear is sandwiched between the two belts. What ever happened to originality? What ever happened to the shaft driven cars like the Associated TC3? I.e. - why did Associated abandon it and start making belt driven cars? Or is this just the latest fad?

The Losi seems to be laid out like my old RS4 Pro where the spur is on one side and the two belts are side by side. I see this as being easier to install the motor and fiddle with the pinion mesh. And I do like the Losi battery placement in the middle.

Pricewise, the Associated seems to be the cheapest. I also like the fact that parts will be readily available everywhere. From that standpoint, the Associated and Losi are favorable.

So with the TC's all pretty much looking the same, can anyone throw their opinions on what are the differences among them? Can anyone comment on what driving styles are suited for a particular car?

Associated TC5R $350
TOP Photon $390
Schumacher Mi4LP Pro $400
Kyosho TF-5 $425
Losi JRX-S Type R $440
Hot Bodies TCX $460
XRay T3 $490
Tamiya TRF416 $590

Thanks in advance!

You cant go wrong with the T3 plenty of info online and the support is second to none.

Plus since you have been out of it for such a longtime, you need a solid car to avoid breakages easily not sayin the car wont break, but it will take alot of abuse to do so.

I saw the Associated on our track, its super fast and smooth as silk, but broke easily compared to the T3

I just bought a T3 but have had a TC5r for awhile and its a great car too especially since you can go to just about any r/c store and buy parts for it off the shelf.

Don't forget about the robitronic avid v2 it is a great car and at $399 its hard to beat I also think speedtechrc has them in stock as well and. For only $379 and they carry there parts but I get all mine thru skmotion.net compared to my tc5r I like the avid a lot more.

Don't forget about the T.O.P. Photon if you can find one in stock. Great car. Great price.

+1 to a photon.

Jeff, thanks for your comment. Can you tell me why you like the Avid better than the TC5R?

For others, aside from easy parts availability, why did you guys buy the car that you are running (over a different one)?

To start up in Touring cars again can be expensive, so choose carefully.

If you are half hearted in giving it a go again, try to find a good used chassis that isnt the latest, to save yourself a bit of cash.

Personally, I like Tamiya, the part quality is very good.

But be prepared to order a lot of parts from overseas, as the part support/distribution isn't that great imo.

The Tamiya cars are great but they have a BAD habit of quickly and randomly discontinuing things and/or not being able to get parts for their stuff. Strictly for that purpose I would suggest going with a Associated or Losi as their stuff is easy to come by.

You made a good observation, it seems they settled on this design.

Shaft drive is out because off the torque off modern brushless motors. The don't turn equally left and right under power.

The Losi is pretty old already.

So in the end, and since you already noticed the designs are all the same, get the one that you like the most/is the cheapest or has the best parts availability at the track. You can become a world champion with any of them ;-)

I recently dove back into the hobby after a 5 year break from TC. I was undecided as to what chassis to buy, but glad I decided on a Tamiya 416 WE. I purchased it used and stocked up on parts. Easy car to work on, solid parts and a pleasure to drive.

Good luck with the search and welcome back to the hobby!

Tamiya 416, Xray T3, Hot Bodies TCX, Asso Tc6.

Hotbodies or grasshopper:)

Have these 2 even been released yet?

Another vote for the Photon. Parts quality and durability are outstanding and you can't find a kit cheaper than $380 that comes with two chassis. If you're ordering in the states, the car will also come with an extra set of suspension pieces. The only downside to the Photon is it's popularity. Parts are easy to get, but the kits are almost always backordered. They are expecting new kits any day now, so if you want one, call TOP USA or A-main Hobbies and get your name on the list. These kits sell fast. :nod: