I am running a Futaba 3pl on my 5ive t. I notice at long range I have a lot of latency. Is that normal for longer range on all radios or should I be using something else?

That's not normal for any radio to have highly variable latency unless you're going so far away the signal itself is going in and out but Futaba's range is one of it's strongest points, even on the 3PL. What you may be experiencing is that with large, inherently slow-reacting vehicles, your perception of it's reactions changes as it gets really far away.

It's about a 1/2 second delay. It gets better the closer i get. And it's pretty far away when it does it.