Electronic Upgrades for TC4
 

Hi everyone,

I've been out of the hobby for a really long time and I've always wanted to get my old car running again. It has a lot of radio issues, interference, etc and basically doesn't run properly. I have old ancient technology, as it's been a while. I was thinking about upgrading all of the electronics and just keeping the chassis, just to get it going again, and slowly get myself back in to the hobby. I just don't know where to start, as I've been out of the loop for more than a decade.

I have a TA TC4, with the Tekin G10 ESC, 6 turn motor, can't remember the radio system. Batteries are old 2000/2400 nimh.

Does anyone have any recommendations on where to even start, to replace all of my old tech (batteries, ESC, motor, radio)?

Thanks!

The Associated TC4 is a good chassis and makes an excellent club racer. You will want to go to a modern brushless system for power and I recommend the Hobbywing XR10 Justock ESC as a good start. If you plan to race, you can pair that with a nice 25.5 brushless motor for the VTA class, or a 21.5 for the USGT class. Again, the motors from Hobbywing are reliable, fast and affordable.

With a brushless power system, you want to go to a 2S lipo battery pack, and will also need a proper charger for that. I race with Goldbat 2S hard case lipo packs and they work well and are quite affordable from Amazon. A good AC/DC charger will prove versatile to use at home when plugged in or when out at the track when you need to power from a 12V source, like your full-size car's battery. I use a SkyRC 6X80 charger that has been rock solid and reliable. It even has Bluetooth and can be linked to a smart phone if that's your thing.

The Gravity RC spec USGT pre-glued tires are great value and again are not too pricey. If you plan to run the VTA class, then your only tire option are the VTA tires from Protoform.

A decent steering servo is always nice, and my go-to servo has been the Savox SC1251MG low profile servo. Ball bearing supported with metal gears and excellent speed and torque.

Where’s Bert when you need him?🤷‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

What's your budget? For the radio I'd consider some of these options:

Futaba 3PV
Noble NB4
Sanwa MT-44

I recently acquired a lightly used Futaba 4PL with the matching receiver for a reasonable price and it's great. My other radio is the economy Airtronics/Sanwa MX-V set. Both older but still have more than enough features for the average man.

The weak point in the TC4 is the steering rack, so make sure to have a few spares. The GPM blue alloy version looks nice but breaks just as easily as the stock parts.

Hi
You still have those 2400 in hand ? Can I have them what brands are they ?

you know how it is ,, Bert only accept an oppointment only ;)

Thanks a lot, very helpful!

Thank you, I really like that Futaba. Just curious, would it also work with my current electronics? I might slowly buy things, and with the radio, at least I can get it moving again unless I can fix my existing one!

Ahahahah......Whatever you do, make sure you get the lightest esc, ulcg lipo(less than 245grams), low profile servo, etc.....
Also, put your esc settings at the lowest minimums for brakes, throttle, etc, to smooth things up, and you will love it....I am still getting my tc4 faster at the 360v2 Sunpadow points series, eventhough I still got lots of progress to make....Good luck.....Never fear, Bert is here !!!