Of course you can. My friend has this same esc with RCDynamics booster, take red wire out of ESC's servowire. Before that, remove voltage cut-off from esc settings.
6.6Life is okay also, you have to remove red wire also.
I've RCDynamics & Orion R10.1 in my car. Have also Protek 200mAh Life in my box.

If you are price sensitive, then there's little question that CRC offers the best "bang for the buck". CRC's newest offering is the XTI-WC and it is really excellent straight out of the box, no hop ups required or even recommended. Or.......if the majority of guys wherever you race run a different brand, then it can also be beneficial to run whatever car your local shop supports and/or the car that the majority of the other local guys run.....so that you can get help with setup and spare parts. CRC, Associated, Top, Serpent, Xray, Yokomo, Kyosho, Speedmerchant.......all are really good cars. Honestly, you can't go too far wrong with any of them.

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Do the pan cars grip well on an untreated surface? ( for speed runs )

No, not on most surfaces. You'll be chasing your tail!

Just clearing the dust and pebbles with a leaf blower will help tremendously.

Is the ride height more of a concern than the traction?

You can get plenty of ride height by running larger tires. The larger tires, especially on the rear, also give better traction. The CG will of course be higher, but on a low traction surface that doesn't matter so much.

Racing 1/12 scale on asphalt is actually quite fun. I'm looking forward to doing it again after many years-- we have a small group that wants to run next weekend on our large, low-traction parking lot track.

Thanks everyone for your input regarding the Hobbywing 120A V3.1. I've gone ahead and bought a RCDynamics booster to help power my electronics.

Now, motors. I currently have a Speed Passion MMM 4.5 motor, and was wondering if there will be a big power difference between a 4.5 and 3.5. Is 1.0 difference in turns noticeable? Should I just go ahead and run the 4.5 or buy a 3.5? Are Speed Passion MMM suitable for 1/12th racing? Should I switch out to a smaller rotor?

Cheers.

The bullets are not good for racing IMO. If you plan to drive with V3.0 motors, solder the bullets to the motor.
Smaller rotor has less drag brake when lifting. But smalle rotor fades more during a run.
For example try Muchmore Fleta ZX 3.5 WC edition. It is lightweight and fast.
Different motors have differences in runtime. Orion VST2 3.5T is not so battery hungry but over 180g.

http://www.hobbywing.com/product_show.asp?id=309

Hobbywing actually makes one :lol:

Does anyone have any setup sheets for the Associated 12R5.2 for outdoor on asphalt? I see a lot for carpet but our club runs outdoors. I've been running it for a few months now, and its not too bad. I'm running the stock setup , but changed out the side springs to black. Tires I've tried are dbl pink fronts and grey rear. I need to rebuild the center shock because the threaded thru-cap is loose and keeps popping off. The rebuild kits are on back order till the end of the month, so will probably switch the shock out with another manufactures. Any input and help would be appreciated.

I would get a team Prime shock from RSD...worth its weight in gold for sure. He has them in stock, they don't last long on the shelves.
http://www.reflexracing.net/Team-Pri...et_p_2232.html

+1 :nod:

I see that's listed as for F1 also, I'm going to get a few of them. Thanks for the tip. What about tire choices for outdoor asphalt racing?

I have been using Jaco Orange or Yellow rears and Lilac fronts.