Do you race in first person? Or do you watch your toy car go around the track from the stand, in third person, like everybody else ;)
Did that once. Albert Einstein's ghost showed up and said ThunderbirdJunkie wasn't allowed to do that again.
You're absolutely right. They are a FANTASTIC tuning aid. But the way they're being used by a lot (the vast majority of) SC10 4x4 owners, they are being used to mask a crap setup.
And you are one of those people who are going to use it as a band aid for a bad setup.


come on, people. Ever since the RC10 B2 came out (Sorry, that's as far back as ThunderbirdJunkie goes for racing), no Team kit has been GOOD out of the box; they need tuning. And just like the B2, people were using band aid setups to get the car "sorta" where they wanted it, until the pro drivers came out with a good setup (which none of them have yet, no offense to the Ryans), then everybody just ran that setup. Just like now.

This truck is still being figured out by everybody, including the pros, so we can't jump to conclusions that what Maifield ran in Sweden is THE setup to run (Seriously, a silty outdoor track and you want to run THAT setup? What's wrong with you?) so we all have to be patient.

Swaybars and diff fluid are fantastic tuning aids that should be used...but going overboard and throwing swaybars on the stock Team kit setup and saying "WOW IT DRIVES SO MUCH BETTER!!!!!!1111" is just bunk, guys. Sure, it drives better. Of course it does, you added swaybars to a crap setup with a high roll center.

The SC10 2w kit (you know, pre-FT?) handled like a speared warthog with 3 legs. Did people go nuts after swaybars? Of COURSE they did, when they figured out there was ZERO rear traction.

Oh, hey, is there a correlation here? Obviously.
This is the same issue the B2 had on its release. That thing was tailhappy as all get out.

Anyway, just sayin'. Swaybars in the application people are currently using them IS INDEED A BAND AID. If you get your arm cut off, are you going to slap an Ace bandage on it and trundle along, or are you going to kick the dude's ass that cut your arm off?

You decide.

to single out any one tuning aid and label it a "band aid" isn't smart. in this case, the sway bars are an easier target because the kit didn't come with them. but the same argument could be made for any tuning option. "you changed the rear diff fluid? you n00b. fix the rest of your set up, then mess with diff fluid." or "you're using barcodes? bah! if your set up was dialed, you could win with the stockers."

see where this is going?

first issue with mine. after 2 pack back to back the center of the spur gear has melted and drop about 3mm. result= spur gear strip,slipper pad ns,slipper spring becomed blue. to mutch heat!!!

Cause: Loose slipper. Over heated the spur. Melted it.

I swapped the 48 for 32 last night since the 48 were starting to strip with the Castle SCT Sidewinder/4 Pole setup I currently have in the truck. Im not sure if the LHS has the 5mm bore ones since NO ONE runs 1/8th at the shop, I am going there today to run the truck so I will check.


This sounds like a good trick- thanks. It shouldnt mess anything up right?

This is also good info, if I can find the 3mm I will use them vs. the twist above.

glad I picked up those trackstar o rings they will be going in the rear shocks today. My shocks were not rebounding at all. I put oil in them and that didn't cure the problem. When you push them down and they'd stay down and I could feel that binding from the xring.

I guess this is that sticking problem everybody has been talking about.

I have to take the shock completely apart to do this correct?

Im not sure if I missed something during the build. But is there anything that is supposed to hold the screws in at the very end of the rear arms? I pulled the truck apart last night to check things and they were both completely loose and had to be pushed back in.

But I know when im at the track today its going to cause a problem.

yes there are small screws that secure those in. they go in at the end.

dont worry i made the same problem :lol:

< rebuilding shocks and typing with oily hands now. :o

Nice im going through the parts bin now. Figures... I should have known they didnt give me extra parts like that.

as long as your oily hands stays on your shock not shaft :lol:

A pic of mine in action. I really like this truck, kudos to TA's engineers that designed it.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-9...252520X-41.jpg

The nylock #25215 and the washer #89218. See page 20 of the manual, middle picture, right side.

Received mine from back order on Thursday. This is my first off road chassis since 1994, the front trans has a weird bind in it from the counter gear every two revolutions or so. I added more grease and it's better, but it's still there. Rear trans is fine. I suspect I can fix it if I add a shim between the gear and the case, but since I don't have a LHS close by, I'm going to drive a couple of packs through it very easy and attempt to bed it in.

Any other opinions? The last Associated product I owned had a gold tub, and if you couldn't get the trans to spin by blowing on the spur, there was something wrong with it, so my point of reference isn't real good here.

loosen up the screws on the diff case, just snug them. that is a common issue.

Believe it or not, I read the whole thread and watched every cited video before I ordered this truck AND I even used the search function before I posted. This is not that particular issue.

You can take the screws out of the case and it's still there. I'm sure if you jam the screws down all the way, you can totally bind it up but that's not the issue here. The trans spins free for two revolutions and then binds up for a partial revolution and then frees up again.

The problem is between the counter gear and the top shaft. With the counter gear and diff ONLY installed, it spins almost free, but not so much with just the counter gear and the top shaft installed. I had the trans apart several times trying to isolate the issue.