Laker67

iTrader: (69)

Hey Guys, So I just picked up a couple of FT TC4's and want to put one of them together tonight to run VTA this weekend. What are the must do type of things for this car? I hear set up is easy and thats why people love them. I apologize if this is repetitive to what you seen already in this thread, I just don't even know where to begin with the the mods people have done.

kodack10

why are so many people doing vta? I don't see the allure.

THEBIGBULL

iTrader: (5)

They must be doing something right !!!! Different strokes for different folks.

DesertRat

iTrader: (2)

I like the bodies, but I think VTA should be 17.5 2-cell. The lower traction of the vinyl tires should be a force for awesome sliding action, not less power. Watch the cars dive into that corner with the back coming around, all four wheels spinning under power, that sort of thing.

Too bad there are many people who think they will be relatively faster compared to the fast guys if they take everybodies horsepower away. Just wait, eventually "Stock" will be one cell or 40.5 turn motors.

bertrandsv87

iTrader: (2)

The tc4 is a winner in all classes: Tc mod/stock , VTA , Usgt , Parking lot, rally, speed runs, etc......

kodack10

I watched a few races actually and it looked like slower carpet racing. Keep in mind I've been out of the hobby for 10 years so I'm still getting up to speed. My first big surprise was how much scale took over with the SC trucks. They don't even run XXX-T and RC10T4.2 type stuff anymore. VTA seems like more of the same 'scale' stuff. I'm not saying it's bad or even that I dislike it, I just don't get it's popularity.



BTW Does anybody know what size the spur is on the TC4 club? The first pinion I put on was 18t as castle recommended and it didn't even touch at full adjustment. Even with a 26t it's over all the way to get any kind of mesh.

I heard people say the directions didn't work cause it was too small but jeezuz.....

Any idea what size pinion I should be using with it and a Castle 5700kv?

I only got to drive it a few minutes tonight, and it was pitch black outside, and dusty, and the car handled badly, wasn't very fast and I don't know if it was bogging, or spinning all 4 tires. I think I need to adjust the diffs. If it's a ball diff then that's definitely the problem because spinning one tire by hand doesn't always make the other tire spin backwards. And holding one rear tire while spinning the other doesn't make the front tires move. It's a weird set up.

Heres some pics. I ended up salvaging parts of my XXX-S and resurrected it as a TC4.

fathead

Stock spur is 72 48pitch, yours must have a much smaller spur on it as I have just been using an 18 on my tc4 and could go smaller.
Yes ball diffs, sounds like they need to be tightened/rebuilt urgently to me

AudioStylz

iTrader: (15)

Everyone loves VTA because of their scale looks, ANY chassis can be competitive and fast, speeds aren't too fast so most of time you don't break parts when you hit the boards (3 years and I've broken 1 front control arm, and bent 6 or so inner hinge pins). Plus the cost of running and maintaining a car for this class is fairly cheap.

kodack10

Thanks. I'll have to figure out how to take the drive shaft off so I can get a good luck at the spur and figure out it's tooth count. They didn't exactly include a manual with it. The gearing guide it gives in the TC4 addenum says I need a 37t pinion for non modified gearing and FDR of 5 and even more for FDR of 4.5.

I don't ever remember my XXX-S or any of my buggies, SC's, ever needing pinions that large.


I suspect the reason I'm not getting good launches is a loose diff. Do they tighten up like the XXX where you take one of the CVA's out and tighten a hex screw?

kodack10

What does he mean shave axles flush with rims? And what does it fix?

And is this the bumper, parma tc5?

http://www.amazon.com/Parma-Ultimate...s=parma+bumper

Controversy

When did you purchase the pre-assembled kit? Mine what purchased about a year ago and came standard with a 66 tooth spur gear. The largest pinion you can fit before you'll you have to remove some of the bracing on the chassis (as per the included supplement) is a 33 tooth pinion.

I race on a small/medium sized track with a relatively technical infield and find that I am under-geared with my 21.5 brushless combo and 33/66 gearing (motor will have to be pushed 2/3rds to the right when looking down to the rear of the chassis). My motor come off barely even warm after a five minute qualifier/main, with ambient temperatures of 25 degrees Celsius.

I'm tempted to go a few teeth up on my pinion, so that I am up to speed with others in our 21.5 brushless class.

With the front spool, you should be getting good drive through the turns once back on the throttle. Grip could be the problem for the lack of drive so to speak or even that your gearing is so low, you are reaching top speed very quickly and feels like you aren't getting much drive when accelerating.

Hope this helps!

Controversy

Don't crash and you don't need an additional bumper. Try adding some self adhesive foam to the bumper to help prevent the body tucking when taking a bump from the front or when at top speed.

kodack10

I couldn't hit full speed due to old tires, small dark street, the RC car devouring curbside storm drains, and dust and gravel on road. I gave it maybe 1/2 throttle for under a half second.

The reason I think the diff is loose is because spinning one wheel by hand doesn't always spin the opposite wheel backwards (it stays still, moves a little, then still again) and when I gun it from a stand still it moves like it has a slipper clutch in it, and I'm betting the diff is slipping.

I need to know how to tighten it though. ON my Losi it was the left CVD removed and there was a hex screw in there to tighten.

bertrandsv87

iTrader: (2)

Shaving your axles flush with the wheel nut(after widening the track width to 190mm) will stop the axles from digging into walls when accidents happen....
Also, to tighten the rear diff, you will need to take Off the left wheel and snap out the inner camber link cup to reach the 5/64” diff bolt...

kodack10

You guys weren't kidding about the CVD's......Today was nearly it's first drive if you don't count going in circles in my driveway in the dark last night. And I broke a front CVD. I don't care though, it was worth it how I broke it.

I got home and checked the diff and sure enough it was very loose. I tightened it up a little firmer than my losi but not so firm that it turned the front wheels when 1 rear was turned. And that was the key to unlocking godly power.

I took it out and immediately it was faster off the line, nearly 20mph just blipping the throttle. I ran it out to the end of my street, about 6 or 7 houses down, stood in the middle of my block and did a speed run and it covered 1 residential block in about 2 1/2 seconds and a fair amount of that was speeding up or slowing back down. And that is being undergeared by at least 10 pinion teeth. It was crazy sensitive to steering even with low rates. I'm going to have to put a short throw servo arm on there to decrease the throw or something.

On my 3rd speed run it hit one of those tiny little road reflectors embedded in the road. It launched the car about 4 feet up in the air, inverted, and it was airborne about 2 house lengths, and when it hit it slid another 2 house lengths on it's roof.

And it still ran but kept pulling to the side under power. I figured it out pretty quickly, I'd been warned from countless TC4 threads, the CVD's are weak. I actually already ordered a set of aluminum CVD dogbones before this happened. Now I ordered another pair. 1mmo of vinyl channeling THAT much power through a tiny little pin isn't working.

I don't know how fast I got before the accident (which broke my 10yr old BMW M3 body ) but I used to run a Nitro 4tec back in 99 and the TC4 with a castle system was considerably faster.....I'd say it was 20mph faster than my B4.2 was when it was stock and it was hitting 50's.