Associated Reflex 14B/14T
 

Hey all anyone seen these yet? Looks like the mini scene might take off! Super excited to see what comes of this.

https://www.teamassociated.com/cars_and_trucks/Reflex_14B/RTR/

I'd love to know the diameter and length of that Reedy 4500 motor's can. My experience with Reedy non-sensored brushless motors is that they run hot. Based on my experience with Mini 8ights I'm thinking I'd want a slightly larger motor. However, it appears that the ESC mounting plate doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room. Still, I love minis and I've been wanting to add another Associated to my stable so I'll probably get the truggy version.

Looks like universals in front dogbones in rear.

Dude that motor is super tiny for something like this, it is listed as a 280 can? Heck most 1/18 come with a 380 or 390 can motor.
From comparing pictures of the spur against other spurs it does appear to be 48p.

It has 3 gear diffs. https://www.teamassociated.com/parts...tial_case_kit/

curious on the tires and carpet conditions. We run mini racing in the winter. LC Racing vehicles being quite popular due to what you get for the price. We even ran them outdoors on a 100 x 80 astro track. They were quite fun. Lots of guys liking doing a long wheel base mini buggy.

I do hope to see some of these local as I know the LHS can get these in and stock parts. Price looks good, but also curious on the motor as one of the nice things about the longer chassis LC Racing mini's is the longer can motor.

I have to say, the electronics package, mainly the esc and maybe the motor, looks similar other than color of course to what we got in with the LC Racing buggies when you didn't opt for the Tenshock motor. Wouldn't be surprised that a hobbywing regular program card (not the LCD One) works with the esc.

Most of the Associated escs seem to be Hobbywing rebrands, the Sc600 is a rebranded neutered wp10bl60.

The is ESC is definitely a Hobbywing OEM part. HW makes parts for Losi, LC, and Reedy. I'm not sure about the little 280 motor they decided to use. That along with the tiny 2mm shaft(appress Reedy went the same route with this one) was a huge sticking point for the Losi minis. I will be curious to see what the motor mount is made from and how easily it will be adaptable to a 380. Hopefully, with AE being behind it, there will be a plethora of aftermarket parts support, but that remains to be seen.

My only other small gripe is the plastic diff gears, but that might not necessarily be a deal breaker. Many 1/10 race cars use plastic gearing, though I wouldn't expect the same level of quality here.

Given the fact that the LC Racing cars come with a proper 380, metal chassis, fluid filed metal diffs and a few other goodies, and the price is about exactly the same as their EMB-1 buggy, it has a tough act to follow. But I'm down for anything of reasonably high quality drawing more attention the mini scene.

If we can get more companies to make a 1/14 scale that have the same dimensions as the Losi and LC Racing 1/14's that would be great. The wheelbase on this one is variable but from what to what?

I am really hoping this will start a class for them. I put my name on the list for when they are available. I may grab one to see how these compare to my LC cars. Only thing I see is parts will be stocked at local shops.

The close up photo where you can see the servo shows the brand on the servo as batan - they are connected with LC racing I understand. I would say these are LC manufactured. Wouldn't be surprised to see a version of LC's own new LWB buggy soon. Also, Blue versions of the red LC alu shocks branded as factory team parts coming also.
Personally, I'm kinda disappointed, they're pretty late with this. Would have been nice to see something a bit more innovative. But hey ho, I'm sure it will sell well, may end up tempted myself (especially by a LWB buggy).

Well I just pre ordered through Amain. I'm really hoping this is a good buggy and they come out with some decent upgrades. I will see how this compares to my LC buggy but the LC is really hard to beat for the price.

I hope that Exotek and or MIP comes up with upgrades like they did for the RC18T. Also hope that AE releases a true 1/14th scale truggy in the future,not this buggy chassis with truck body stuff lol.

Not yet but I see there available on ebay now.

I had a chance to check out both the Truggy and Buggy Version.

The Buggy and Truggy version differ only in basically the body and the front wheels on the buggy being narrower. It is the same dimensions from what I can tell as the LC Racing EMB-1 Buggy.

The tires are fairly hard. The pins almost feeling harder than the other rubber. The shocks have a similar kind of look to the LC Racing ones. I think with some eyelet changes it would be possible to mount the shocks to the vehicle. I do feel you could mount LC Racing springs as a tuning option.

The vehicle also has droop screws that are kind of hidden in the chassis. we didn't notice them till the center diff was pulled to put different fluid in it.

The a-arms appear to have mounts for sway bars which would be useful for higher traction conditions.

The ESC is non-programmable. We tried a few different HW style programming cards but it would not drop into a mode that could be programmed. I called Reedy about this to find out if a programmer would be available but, it won't be. It also has a feel to it like there is a lot of current limiting or a very curved throttle curve. The ESC looks like a HW quicrun ESC, which from a few places is like $25.

The motor looks to be similar in size to the stock EMB-1 motor, so I don't see an issue with that.

All in all I think its a good first offering, with a few things namely that ESC I feel could have been done better.

this is my first rc truck since a losi xxt that i used to race circa 2002. next video will be way better i promise. i usually use adope premier but i did this in windows photo editor lol. I also shot this in 120 fps for slo mo but again, windows photo editor. cheers. who else has one of these?

://yo utu . be/l4w9LtrwF0M

edit ^^ had to hax the link because im new :)

Picked up my Reflex last Friday, threw in a Futaba receiver and 2000mah Lectron pack, and hit the track with it on Saturday. Fun little truck, minus the very hard tires. After swapping out the stock shock oils for 20w front/10w rear, and several applications of Liquid Wrench on the tires to soften them up a bit, things were much better.

The tires were still not great even after the LW applications, but it was managing to get around the Tox Box track in New Richmond, WI fairly well. The diffs come with just a coating of grease in them, so it was diff'ing out bad to the front...tore the truck apart on Sunday, and installed 10k/10k/4k in the diffs, which should help as well.

The esc has a significant ramp up to the throttle, and doesn't seem to be adjustable at all. I have a Hobbywing 16BL30 esc on the way, which I hope will eliminate the laggy throttle.


I also have some LS Racing truggy wheels coming, which should have the appropriate offset (10th buggy rears do not have enough offset to work properly), and will let me use 10th buggy tires for better grip.

LC Racing 1/14 Truggy Rim Pair of 2 White

Hopefully it wasn't a mistake to buy the Reflex over the LC truggy or Mini-8...I guess I'll find out soon enough. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rct...aececd7457.jpg

you find yourself in the Felton MN area we race mini's actively here. (vid of 1/10 vehicles but mini is our primary focus)

https://www.facebook.com/fmminiracers/



the LC Racing Rally tires are our go to tire here as they provide excellent grip, are relatively cheap for a mounted set, and need no sauce, just glue the front tire edges to give a bit more drift. They get better as they wear.

Just got mine this week. One thing I can say is it handles amazing compared to my mini 8. I took the diffs apart last night to check for wear after 10packs and they seem to show no wear so far. Really liking this thing so far. As mentioned the stock tires are super stiff, I didn't bother with them so we threw on some EMB1 tires. The stock motor runs hot, and there is very little room for a bigger motor. Going to try to fit a 28mm, hopefully we can squeeze it in, but I doubt it. Worth a try though. Stock ESC feels like an on and off switch on throttle and the LVC is set a bit high. Swapped it out for a 35amp and problem solved. Stock radio wasn't for me as well, quickly swapped in my Futaba. Other than that it's a solid car overall. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rct...7fce203bf8.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rct...1616b80803.jpg

Handling wise, the 14b has alot more aggressive steering, while keeping the rear end planted. I did fill the diffs up with oil right out the box, with 7/5/3 though. I have not played with shock oils but the rear end does "chassis slap" every now and then but I'm sure with some more time we will get rid of that. I drive both cars back to back and the M8 felt very numb and understeered. I can never find the right set up to get the m8 to corner well and stay planted, it was either or. The 14b feels very balanced and handles much better Imo.
As far as the motor goes, you can fit a longer can, but a wider can looks like it might not fit. The stock motor and mount sit really close to the center drive shaft cover. I still haven't tried fitting the 28mm can, really doubt it will fit but I'll try it anyway. Hope this helps, cheers!

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can someone link me some new mounted tires that will work well on my 14t? i did some wide open driving on asphalt and wore the fronts down pretty heavy but the LHS didnt have any options. id like to get a set of tires for tarmac and a set for loose dirt. also, i notice you guys are adding oil to the diffs. does that make it slip less? what type of oil should i get. thanks. i just got a maxamps 2250 100c (grade a fresh cell) pack for it.

also, another video of my truck. i needed an excuse to do a low light test on this camera anyways. i couldnt help myself, ive been shoveling like a mad man to turn my garden into a dirt track for the winter. its about half done but its gonna snow soon and freeze up. htt ps://yo utu.be/8M_A9oGqU5k

maybe one of you kind folks can put a proper video link

Im running LC Racing tires on an outdoor dusty track. They're a direct fit. As far as diff oil, yes it makes the car alot more stable. 7k Front 5k center 3k rear has been working well for me. Heres link for the LC Racing tires
Front: https://www.ebay.com/itm/LC-Racing-12mm-Mounted-Front-Tire-Set-Yellow-for-EMB-1-EP-1-14-RC-Buggy-L6002Y-/202262591411?txnId=1724859802010
Rear: https://www.ebay.com/itm/LC-Racing-12mm-Mounted-Rear-Tire-Set-Yellow-for-EMB-1-EP-1-14-RC-Buggy-L6001Y-/202262580720?txnId=1724859803010

28mm motor fits!
 

So I stripped the stock spur gear today and grabbed the spare 70t out the parts bag. Figured I'll try fitting the 28mm and as you can see fits perfect! Going to order some spare 58t spur gears and try that next. Should run alot cooler and a bit more torque never hurts, I hope lol. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rct...cefa783771.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rct...4385f1fd05.jpg

so i wanrt the buggy wheels? are they not narrower then the TA truggy stock wheel?

ill have to find some not on ebay, at least i know what i need now. ty

do u recommend a brand of diff oil?

you can find LC Racing parts at the warren RC site.

You can also use sedan wheels and the tire type you like from there too. LC Racing Rally tire sets work great.
I'd be curious if the LC Racing truggy motor would fit. pretty nice motor.

Team Associated oils works great and made my Lucas oil.

h ttp://casterracingmi.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1759

h ttp://casterracingmi.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1569

h ttp://casterracingmi.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1559

these would be correct right? ill order 1 set of the buggy and 1 set of the truggy tire to see which i like better.

aLSO, i got my track mostly finished (it was a lot fo shoveling grading and raking) and recorded some clips of my first battery pack.

youtube.com/watch?v=E-vvlAmp1os&feature=youtu.be

Installed the new Hobbywing 16BL30 esc today...MUCH improved throttle response. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rct...aa6b8e9daa.jpg

yeah i really don't get by Associated did what they did by going with that locked style of ESC. Its same darn esc.

some updates and questions.

ordered 3 sets of lc tires (2 buggy 1 truck)
found a set of aprex onroad tires that fit a the LHS
got a better charger for my new max amps 2250 pack
got 3000 and 5000 TA diff fluids.


tomorrow im gonna do my first maintence/teardown. what would be my best options for those diff fluids? they didnt have 7000.

ht tps://imgur.com/a/dRiIwr8

the tires did pretty decent in the rain on tarmack with pebbles. i turned downt he steering and was able to corner at high speeds though it did understeer a bit and oversteer under heavy breaking. could be driver skill or setup or both. also, wet conditions.

Try 5front 5center 3rear. Then see how you like the feel of it and go from there. I tried 7/5/5 yesterday and went back to 7/5/3 today.

thanks my friend. what is the purpose of lighter oil in the front . Is it because the back takes more pressure during acceleration (and doesnt have steering) so it can handle the heavier oil ? then the light in the front so it can manage the more dynamic front wheels speeds? im trying to understand why as well.

Ram the Reflex at the track today after the races were over...it's a ton of fun!!

https://youtu.be/zH4zohU2jVk