Jack Smash

iTrader: (35)

I was running mod on carpet and once i snapped an outdrive twice I had the outdrive flex enough for the dogbone to come out. I have my old leftover steel diffs in the car now.

Neil

After closer inspection it looks like the second time it failed. The cup just flexed too much and it popped out. Im going to try running a aluminum diff in the front. I just hate adding rotating mass to my car. But I hate sitting out races more over a .50 cent part.

Jack Smash

iTrader: (35)

There are too ways to keep something from braking, give it more mass or give it more pliability. One is heavy, the other is flexible. Neither is a desired attribute of a race car.

RCknight

iTrader: (5)

did you shim the cvd? There is a lot of play per stock instruction building. I shimmed mine up so there was no play. I shimmed them on the inside so the cvd head was deeper in the outdrive. When you first build them, after a few runs, you need to adjust them again. After that they should be fine. I have been running mine with a brushless in mod mode with no problems yet. They are starting to show wear now, but I getting somewhere around 10 runs on them before they show abuse. Maybe you got a bad batch or something.

Neil

I don't follow where do you shim the cvd? By the inside wheel bearing?

RCknight

iTrader: (5)

what about the Pro 2's arms and the current list of Tamiya sedans. They have more mass but they are carbon. Not much heavier, their light, stiff, and stronger than AE's. Are their cars fast? 2-world titles? So.... I would guess that if you make parts that break easy you will sell more parts? Don't, po....po.... the company for not making a better product? It amazes me. Some here must work for these companies. Please, don't make it better!

RCknight

iTrader: (5)

it puts the cvd head deeper in the outdrive. It puts less stress on it. There is still room for the cvd head to move. A guy really needs to shim this car up. Cvds and arms.

Formula1fan

Thanks dude]

gotpez

I have to agree that the plastic outdrives do get 'dinged up' a bit, but they still work fine. I had one set in the car for over a year with no problem.

Now, I don't think you can build as smooth of a diff with the plastic as you can with steel or aluminum. The pressures they are forced to endure cause them to warp and not give even pressure across the diff rings. You can still get a decent diff, but definitely not as smooth as with metal.

As far as heating up becase of mod, that is most likely because the diff is slipping. If it isn't slipping, no extra heat should be generated. I have seen local drivers that like to 'let it slip' like we used to in the old days for off-road. I would much rather put all that power to the carpet and make the car move!!!!

tc3Guru

u know i think i know why my outdrives melted becaause i remember now being stuck agaisn't the wall and i kept tappin the throttle cuz the damn turnmarshall did'nt see me. i'd say that would definitely do it. especially because my diffs were tight because i had just built them and the diffballs are too big. that reminds me i think i read a thread maybe in the thread about better diff balls. anyone got any insight and a link to where i can purchase these.

Vue Vang

Wow...I know that there are some weak spot on the car that can use some touch up but to say that companies like associated are making weak arms to just sell part is a bit unreal. I really don't see what the problem is. If you hate associated that much then run other brand.

There are so many other different cars out there to pick from. If you think tc4 arms are weak just wait untill you tap the wall with your full size dar.

I guess I must have been lucky not to have broken any arms on my tc4 yet. Got my fingers cross.

Boomer

You know, with the extreme variance between the various models that Tamiya makes, unless you tell me which model to compare I'm not going to be able to. I really don't know anything about Tamiya and don't really wish to.

As far as the Pro2's arms being great, yeah, they were but they weren't made for good competition and even with carbon, the car still wasn't in the same league as the TC3 or MR4. Everyone knew this then and we know it now.

The TC3 had a reputation for being fragile when it first came out. It turns out to have been over-blown, just as the TC4's is overblown.

The car is not made for HITTING things. It's a high-end competition car, not a bumper car.

If you hit something, don't complain when it breaks. Rather, don't hit that thing.

If someone crosses a lane and t-bones you, well, discuss it with him. . .

BTW - they don't call me Boomer for nothin - I AM the stress test for everything I own.

johnbull

TC3 and 4 durability.

Like some guys said already. You're not supposed to drive it at the boards. If you do, any car will break.

Another valid point is materials used. Use a soft and pliable plastic and you won't break anything. But you won't win anything either. Your choice. I have seen guys break TC3 arms every race, and seen other much faster guys who never break anything. Form your own conclusions.

OUTDRIVES. Yes the plastic outdrives do get a bit of a hammering in mod. They are fine for stock and will last the life of the car, if maintained properly. In mod they need very regular maintenance and must be kept fairly tight, but run properly, they will do the job too. I think that's fair enough.

I have run the aluminium IRS outdrives on our TC3s and killed the problem at source. I have already built the diffs for the TC4, and yes, you've guessed, IRS alloy spool up front, and IRS alloy outdrives at the rear.

What I no longer use from IRS is their pin cushions. I now use Corally Assassin drive shafts, which are a straight replacement fit on the TC3 / 4 and use Corally's own drive shaft cushions (blades). I change the blades on my son's mod car every 4 or 5 meetings so cost is minimal, and they are much simpler to replace.

Just one problem. I'm still waiting for all the graphite bits before I start the full assembly.

billtc3

i raced a tc3 for 3 years in the local modified championship. the plastic outdrives broke every once in a while, in big crashes, but so did the graphite or aluminum ones my friends were using in their (not only associated) cars. recently, we had an indoor carpet modified race for the first time. there, i noticed that due to the huge torque of the motor and the unlimmited carpet traction, the plastic outdrives would split even if i didn't crash.

to overcome that, i glued a 2mm strip of fibre tape, the kind you use to hold the battery in some cars, a few turns around the outer part of the outdrive, right over the cvd pin. like some manufacturers use an aluminum ring to hold their derlin outdrives together. the tape stayed in place for the whole race and held the outdrives from splitting! very simple, effective, light, zero-cost solution!

enjoy your tc4s!

RCknight

iTrader: (5)

TRF415 the current world champ. Can't compete with a stronger arm? Whatever.....