SubSailor

Hello everyone, noob here and I'm pretty confused and need some help. The LHS down the street from me has started racing Touring Cars in their parking lot on the weekends and my son and I would like to join in on the fun. I have been into RC off and on for a long time but haven't done cars in many many years. At first I thought I would just buy two RTR TC4's but now I'm not sure what to get. Knowing that I will want to upgrade I have now decided to get kits(Electric) instead of RTR so I can choose better electronics etc but I'm not sure what kit to get. I have found the AE Team TC4 kit and the Losi XXXS-G+(Graphite?) kit for the exact same price, I'm wondering if I shouldn't just buy one of each and see how we like them. The radio I've decided to get for us is the JR Pro, I think it's a XS3 or something like that. So let me put these questions out to you all and see what you would recommend;

TC4 Team kit, XXXS-G+ or Tamiya Ta05?

What motor would you guys recommend? I don't want to start out to fast so what is a great motor to start with?

What ESC is a great one to start with but not to expensive(Keep in mind I have to buy two of everything)?

I have more questions but thought I would start out with these first. Thank you for all your help/advice.

Mr. Shookie

iTrader: (9)

Well you have started it...
Here is what will happen...
Opinions are like armpits... Everyone has a couple and most times they all smell the same,,biased.
Here is what I think.....
TA05 is the newer of the three and has lots of upgrades and that will be fun for you and your son.
The radio is a fine choice for the level you are at. All the adjustments nessasary to make your car handle well.
As ESC's go I have found so many good ones.
If you can find a bargin the GTX or Quantom COmp 2 are both very sound choices and you shouldn't need to upgrade for a good long while.
Now servos are a touchy topic with me.
I do not like the lower dollar servos they usally are not as accurate as a digital or higher dollar servo.
I belive there is a thread that you can use the search feature to find that goes over the good and the bad servos.
Best bet with servos I have found buy once only feel the pain once.
Now I also forgot to mention what your LHS carries for spare parts should also play into which car model you choose unless you are like me and carry around every spare in your pit box.
Hope that helps...By your name I assume you are NAVY if so....THANK YOU...
I too have been out there in the great big nothing... PC3(ret) yup medically...
Take Care & Merry CHRISTmas,
-Shookie <><

Mark Mixon

iTrader: (3)

Go to the track and see what others are running, that'd be the easiest to get help, setups, parts etc. Also see what lines the LHS supports, sometimes you need a part, and convenience is a factor. Most any of the touring cars can be competitive, it depends how much time and money you are prepared to devote. Do you wanna race and have fun? Or race to win? Plus, support equipment, table, chairs, EZ up, possibly a generator are all factors. The HUGE upside is that it is something you and your son can truly do together, and have a great time! Having a mutual activity you both enjoy will pay off in so many ways, both now and in the future. Most importantly, whatever your equipment decisions, remember to relax and enjoy.

dodo

like Mr.Shookie said, everyone's opinion is likely biased.
so i'm going to be as neutral as possible.
1st thing to do is to look at the parts support, which car gets a pretty comprehensive parts support from your LHS.

I've never had a teamlosi car before but based on recent performance in the worlds level, i'd pick a tamiya or associated

TA05 is quite a performer out of the box, and I believe that a team kit TC4 is as good (or maybe better). I own a TC3 and TA05 and I must say I am satisfied with their performances.

Hawk6

iTrader: (52)

I'm in the hobby with my son as well.

I would NOT recommend buying "one of each" cuz then you'll need two different sets of spare parts. Pick one and stick with it. A Tamiya (TA05 or TB02) may be a little more rugged than the others = less broken parts.

I have a JR XS3 and am very happy with it. It comes with a metal gear servo which is great. I'm not sure if the "Pro" is worth the extra money. You may be able to save a few bucks by not getting the "Pro".

Enjoy.

Birky

iTrader: (1)

All I can add is a also have a JR XS3 and have had no problems with it.

SubSailor

Well Thank You for your replies so far. I'm still not sure which to buy though, they all sound good! Our LHS has both AE and Losi parts, not sure on Tamiya parts, I'll have to check on that one. We have gone and watched/talked to some of the drivers two weekends in a row now. Seems there is a pretty good mix of cars there, mostly AE & Losi. Any recomendations on a good motor to start with? Or ANY other advice, mighty welcome here!


Mr. SHookie,
Yeah, gotta love the good ole U.S. Navy. Love them Submarines, they are some seriously bad humbres. Years ago I was stationed in Japan and that is where I got into RC cars, man you should see some of their Hobby Shops!! Anyway, were you on Orions or were you a Medi-vac? Thank you for your advice and your thanks to me!

Sincerely,
John

Mr. Shookie

iTrader: (9)

John,
First a greqt motor to start with and is the Trinity Revenge of the Monster PRO. I say the PRO version cause it is worth the couple of dollars more.
Or just order a EA Monster tuned motor...
You can buy here..
www.teameamotorsports.com He is a great tuner and everyone that buys his stuff seems to be very happy.
Right now teh Moster motors are hard to find...Trinity is even out of stock.
If you think you can handle a 19T then get a Reedy Quad Mag...Great motor.

Oh I was surface Navy bro...
Overseas in Italy for three....
Then on a Cruiser for two more....
All thought I was the USS Columbus's hero during Chirstmas of 1998...LOL....
I was there MAIL MAN as well as my ship...LOL

Hey if you want you can PM me so I can answer the question in more detail and not take up a ton of space on the threads..
-SHookie <><

newracer

Like already stated definitly get the same car for yourself and your son. My older son (7) races with me and he used to have a different car. Now he has the same as me and it is much easier. Less to bring to the track and easier to setup.

Just get pretty much any stock motor to start with. Or if you want to save a little extra cash get a couple of Tamiya silver can motors. They will be fast enough while you are learning the ropes.

If you can afford it get two chargers. Personally I like the Duratrax Ice.

You really can't go wrong with any of the current cars.

andsetinn

Buy the 2 TC4 RTRs you were going to buy in the beginning. The RTR electronics are some of the best you can get for the price. RTR ESCs are good quality even if they usually don't mate with the most powerful motors and the kit motors are very fast for the first months. You can usually sell the RTR electronics on eBay when you've outgrown them.
Almost all races have class for RTRs so you can start racing right away.

The (arguably) best car to get for beginner is the X-Ray Raycer. It has the famous X-Ray quality at low price.

deforest

iTrader: (1)

My suggestion would be to go to the for sale forum here and look for a tc3 or xxx-s. These are older version of the cars, where the owners are either getting out or upgrading to newer versions. Every hobbystore that I've been to carries parts for those 2, after all they are pretty popular (or widely-sold) cars.

The advantage of buying used is that you can get lot of stuff extra, i.e. car comes with radio, speed control, motors, extra tires, bodies, parts, and maybe some option/hop-up parts. If you lucky you might even find someone selling batteries and charger too.

I would go with the idea of buying the same for both of you. Not only you need less parts, but then you can work with each other for the adjustments.

If you're a complete noob, then I would say have fun with this. When you get better, then you can start thinking of moving up to a later vresion. The first year I would say you be busy focus on driving and not breaking, and getting started getting familar with adjustments.

If you want to spend a little more money, the Team TC4 and JXRS are also available too on the resale market, but since they are more recent versions, people want a little more $$. But shop around you be surprised how much money you can save.

Jon Kerr

iTrader: (17)

RTR's a are great for saving money and getting on the track quick. The biggest problem with them and the reason I'm completely against them is that they don't teach you a thing about how to work on your car. By building a kit, you learn the car inside and out before you ever hit the track. This way, if something goes wrong, you'll have an idea at least about what happened and how to fix it. I've seen many new racers get frustrated because they've bought an RTR and they go race it and something breaks and they have no clue how to fix it or even have the tools to do so because they simply didn't know.

Go for a couple (the same) kits, TC4 team, XXXS, TA05, whatever you like, and build them up and learn all you can about them. Knowledge is key. You'll have more fun and eventually have better results the more you know about the car. Just have fun.

And use these forums for help. Search for what you need help with. Most things you'll run across have been discussed here a few times. If you can't find an answer, ask. Use PM's too. If you need to ask a quick question, send someone a PM.

baih

you may want to consider one RTR to start with. you will also need batteries, charger, maybe a power supply depending on your choice of charger, discharger, better tires for racing.

start a shopping list of what you want. you will see how much this adds up.
if your son enjoys the fun and can drive. then buy the better equipment.
the reason i say this is my friend bought his son a AE factory T3. i bought the speed control. we used the radio from another truck. i told him to practice. he told me how good he was after a few months and was ready to go to the track. i took him and he found out how bad he was. he couldn't make a lap without crashing. he said i put in too slow of a motor. he wanted a 11 turn so he would have lots of power. OMG. i walked back and forth on the track. i was being patient. he has not asked me to go to the track since that day and shows no more interest in rc.

Bob Barry

iTrader: (22)

I wanted to add one thing. Consider getting the Spektrum radio. It costs a bit more but you will be up to date in technology and you wont have to worry about your son breaking the crystals. Plus it comes with 2 servos for you. As for cars, TC4 or JRXS...parts are everywhere . As far as motors and batteries...thats a loaded question on this forum. My advice is find a company that you trust and stick with them. companies that I would trust...Express, EA Motorsports, SMC, Br00d...Im sure there are many more but these are just a few that I have dealt with. Do your own investigating and research.

Bob

A. Rhodes

iTrader: (32)

I would go with the TC4 over the Losi or Tamiya. AE parts are widely available at most tracks, so you should be covered. The TC4 Team can easily be upgraded to the FTTC4.

ESC's - you can go one of two ways. Purchase base models (LRP Quantum Sport), which will work fine for stock and some of the higher turn modified motors. The top two ESC are the LRP Quantum 2 (soon 3) and the Novak GTX. These are used by 90% of the racing scene, and are some of the best money can buy. They are more expensive than a base ESC, but you will never need to upgrade.

Motors - you need to check into what the local track is running, and then purchase the correct motors. Trinity or any Trinity based stock motors are a great choice. The Monster is a more torque based motor, where the Epic stock motor is higher RPM motor. I would go with a Trinity motor from Trinity to start, and in time, move into the tuned motors. There are way too many choices to list for motors, but here are three really good choices - EA Motorsports, Brood, eXpress.

Make sure you get a good set of tools from the start.

If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me, or send me an email - [email protected]