kewdawg

iTrader: (3)

In order to be really fast with the TC3, you had to drive the car on the edge. The car needed to be really twitchy and ready to break loose all the time. It's really nerve-wrecking, to drive that way. Its bad enough, having to worry about what the others drivers are doing and trying to navigate the track(as if, that wasn't enough!:rolleyes). You also, had to worry about your car being fast BUT unpredictable. Its almost like driving your car after you just crashed / got hit and broke something, but not broke enough to be out of the heat. You know something's wrong with the car but you don't know what and you have to drive the car a certain way because its going to do some funky things, if you don't.

Brett.w

Does anybody know if when you pre order these kits, that they are the top spec will they be bringing out a "Factory TEAM Kit" later on?

mike ivy

iTrader: (51)

They said that there going to release the factory version at a later time maybe a year from now.

Charlie O

It is a team kit, not a factory team, or a racer kit. i have seen them run at socal raceway, & from the looks of it you dont need no stinking graphite!

mtc3od

who have you seen run them at socal? What was your impression of the car?

donoman

So, what does the Team kit not have, that the FT kit WILL have?

So far I've only been able to think of a few things:

-turnbuckles
-metal battery holder
-teflon bearings
-motor intake cooler thing
-blue screws
-bushings certain places?

But from what I've read in the FAQ's the main things, which are bearings, are going to fit the same as the TC3's. Which is good because you can get Teflon-shielded TC3 bearings for 35$.

Ti-turnbuckles and Al-screws... blah.... poseurific.

Looks like the Team kit is actually a good compromise unless it comes with crappy diff gears and crappy shocks.

TPhalen

iTrader: (2)

I, personally, LOVE the car more than my TC3. As far as driveability, it's MUCH more forgiving and you don't have to be as critical when checking the adjustments of the car.

I had a pretty bad crash at SoCal the other night that would have normally made 'checking' the TC3 a nightmare. This car, replaced the broken part, checked the tweak on a tweak station (dead-nuts straight) and through it back on the track....as good as it was before the crash. That, in my book, is a HUGE leap over the TC3!

rayhuang

iTrader: (5)

Tim,

Yes-the modded steerng rack is a big leap forward. I sadly ran the car on super tiny tires and alsmot no front droop-so it wasnt at its best-but definately an improvement.!!

Kewdog, Tony Phalen-thanks for the input. I laugh over all the arguing about the TC3 vs. every other car. How anybody can think the Tc3 isnt still fast or the TC4 isnt going to be fast is nuts. But the cars al do have unique personalities on the track!!

rustler753

Exactly, I drove the TC3 for 5 years or somethin like that.... and everytime I went out on the track, pushing it to the limit was the only way to go. Other cars I saw like the Xray or the Losi didn't have to be pushed so hard and seemed to be very easy to drive, especially the xray. Everything you decribe is true about the car in my opinion, and most would say it is one of the fastest, but just becuase there are more TC3's in the field doesn't necicarily mean its the fastest. If there are 1 losi and xray but 15 TC3's the TC3 is bound to win a race, it just works out that way

RandyB

iTrader: (2)

uuuhhh Tc3 hasnt been around for that long. 7yrs?? last I checked it came out in 2000 or 1999. definately not 1997 or 1998

RCBuddha

iTrader: (40)

EVERY car has some sort of "quirk" to it. You have to adjust your driving style to it's particular "feeling". Going from a shaft drive to a belt is a major diffference, and requires a change in the way you drive. I don't think that the car "needed to be twitchy" to handle well. I agree, the car was sensitive or agressive (depending on how you see it) but that doesn't mean you had to drive it to the edge to make it work. I think its more in the driver's head, than the car itself.

I think that the car being inconsistent has more to do with the high speed, high response servos that everyone uses. That, in combination with parts of the chassis not built correctly can make for an inconsistent car. FOR EXAMPLE: One of the major problems for novices that i have seen is in their swaybars. Most don't build it correctly and adjust correctly, causing a bad/weird tweak in the car. they come off the track feeling frustrated that the car won't work right. I tell them to take it off, and voila! the car is 10 times better!

BTW: Early reports from folks who've seen the car run (this past weekend at the Mazda Cup), say it looks very impressive.

kewdawg

iTrader: (3)

I'm glad somebody finally said it.

Mal

The TC3 made it's first showing at the 1998 outdoor nats at ripon ....

rustler753

fine sorry my bad....it was like around 5 years or something...change made to my signature..sheesh try making comments about the replys not the signatures.

All i know is that I've been racing with the TC3 long enought to determine that I definetly needed to push it hard and was not as consistant as the other brands that were on the track. And it wasn't because of the sway bars. Each time I went out to the track I did what every one should do, check tweak, ride height, chamber, and little extras. When I switched over to the xray, the car just felt right, it's doing what I wanted and it is very easy to tell what I need to change to do what I want.

rayhuang

iTrader: (5)

Its hard to put into words how the Tc3 handles, but that was pretty darn close to summing it up. FAST, FAST, FASt car. So many different set-ups it can run and be fast. But always-weird like you described.