Need this "package" critiqued please

[Mithan]

I am thinking of purchasing a TC4 and below is what I am thinking of buying. I would GREATLY appreciate it if an experienced person can critique this list and tell me what you think.

I will be using this for both stock racing as well as modified racing, so I want to have a good speed control, 2 sets of motors and a few pinions. Racing will be done on an indoor carpet track. Also, I am fairly new to this.

These links are for Towerhobbies, where I will be purchasing it from.

The Car:
Associated TC4 Kit (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&W=000682865&I=LXHZB9&P=K)

Body:
Protoform Mazda 6 190mm Body (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&W=000682865&I=LXGCZ5&P=K)

27Turn Stock Motor & Spare Parts:
Trinity Monster Horsepower Stock Pro Motor (27Turn) (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&W=000682865&I=LXDDA1&P=K)
Trinity E Brush DS Slv Serrated w/Trmnl Brush Stock (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&W=000682865&I=LXBPD8&P=K)
Trinity Golden No Solder Leads (2) (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&W=000682865&I=LXTJ21&P=K)
Trinity Rebuild Spring Set Pro (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&W=000682865&I=LXJW46&P=K)

27Turn Motor Pinion:
Kimbrough Ultramesh Pinion Gear 48P 27T (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&W=000682865&I=LXS418&P=K)

Speed Control:
Associated IPC Pro Sport (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&W=000682865&I=LXRE98&P=K)
(Should be good for anything I can throw at it)

Need more recomendations here:

Second Motor:
-I was thinking of something around 15turns, but not sure what to get. I dont want to blow more than $30 for now. When I get more experiences, I will spend more.
Does this looks ok for a starter 15t? What do you guys think?
Epic Intense Modified Motor 15T Double (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXJNG4&P=0)

-If I get a 15t motor, what size pinion should I get to go with it?
When it comes to pinions, I am clueless... :)

-I would REALLY appreciate somebody pointing out a wheel/foam tire set that will fit this car.

-I doubt I will buy another radio, but I might. This is what I would grab:
Futaba 2PL 2-Channel AM/2 S3003 Servos (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXENN0**&P=0)

I think the servers are good enough for this (1 would be spare/backup).


Hop Ups:
I may stay away from doing anything with hopups initially until I learn the car, then I was thinking about:

Associated Molded Carbon Component Set TC4 (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXJGZ7&P=Z)
This would be the full carbon upgrade set for the car...



Lastly:
Can anybody think of any parts that break a lot on this car and I should consider having spares for?


Thanks.

[tadium54]

You did your reasearch. Nice job. Everything looks good, except the motors. for mod, youre probably going to want something in the 11 -12 turn range. stick with the stock motor now until you get the feel for the car, track and handling. For stock, go to the local track you plan to race at and see what the fast guys are running. Same goes for the tires. You'll have a good starting point there. Check out a decently priced FM radio- Airtronics and JR have some good ones.

[gizmoguy303]

The car and body are great choices. For the motor, the Trinity 4499 brushes work great in Monster's, but they are available for much less than the $4 Tower wants for them. Many motor tuners offer the same brushes for much less. Here is one off the top of my head: http://www.tmxpress.net/products.html

The no-solder leads are fine, but when racing an electric car you will end up having to solder sometime. You might as well pick up a decent soldering iron and solder your motor in and out instead of using those Trinity clips. The springs are the right choice - the red on positive/green on negative is a popular spring combo for the Monster.

About the pinion gear: definitely pick up a set of pinions so you can experiment with different gearing. One 27t will definitely not do it. Try this: http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXEX34&P=ML
They offer an odd set as well.

Stick with the Stock class until you become a good driver, then move up to 19 or Mod.

The only way to find out what tires/foams you need is to go to the track and ask for advice. Buy what the fast guys are running or what they recommend.

As for the radio, you should also check out the Airtronics MX-3. It is similar in price and is IMO the best budget radio out there right now. If you stick with racing long enough, however, you will eventually get an M8 or something similar. Same with the servo. A standard servo will work fine now, but eventually you will want a very fast servo that costs $$$.

The carbon set is probably essential if you are running on carpet. If you're not running on carpet, stick with the stock composite material until you become a consistent driver. Carbon, though much better for handling (because of it's stiffness), is also more fragile and prone to breakage.

Hope this helps! I remember asking the same questions when I first started in this hobby. Racing is a lot of fun and you will be hooked by the first weekend. :D I know I was.

[tadium54]

Well said gizmo. As for the mod pinion, again, ask the fast guys at the track. Ask us if you need anymore help

[TC3Racer]

First of all... Thank You! It makes it so much easier to help a newbie when he's done his research and really narrowed down his choices. Everythin you have chosen is excellent and you will be very happy.

Just like tadium54 said - go to the track and talk to some of the guys who have been racing there for awhile. I'm sure you'll see a couple TC4's and you can talk to them about gearing options, tire selection and tuning. You'll learn alot in one day and you'll always have future sources to go and talk too.

[Mithan]

Thanks for the information guys, it is appreciated.

I am just starting to get back into this hobby and I think I am going to have a lot of fun :)

[cheerwhiner]

27t for a monster stock is overgeared. TRUST ME. Get that pinion assortment instead.

Good choices.

[Ed237]

The items you picked out are excellent choices but you may also want to consider:

Radio: New MX-A:
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXJUZ5**&P=7
I have a 2PL and would prefer to have the MX-A. It is the same price as the 2PL, but has more features like ARC & Subtrim.

ESC: Duratrax 8T Pro.
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXAXU1&P=ML
It is limited to 8 turns, but it is slightly smaller and it will fit between your receiver and motor. It also has 6.0v BEC (compared to the 5.0v BEC of the LRP). Plus you get solder posts so you can minimize the amount of wire or even direct wire. It is also programable. Don't let the name 'Duratrax' fool you. I have one and it works great.

ESC: Tekin G10 (refurbished)
http://www.teamtekin.com/cart2/asp/catalog_index.asp
I have heard nothing but great things about the Tekin G10. It has no motor limit with 6 cells and it is smaller and more programable than the LRP. And it has 6.0v BEC.

Mod Motor: Reedy Flash Point 12 x 2
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXJZM8&P=0
I have one and it's a great motor for the money. The quad magnets are super smooth.

TC4 Hop Ups:
Metal Diff Outdrives & Rings:
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXNZ98&P=7
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/WTI0001P?&I=LX2872&P=V
If you run a mod motor with the TC4 the plastic outdrives will likely break. I took my car apart 2 weeks after I had just built it to install the metal outdrives. Just put them in there when you build it the first time.

Servo: Hitec 525mg high speed
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXN688&P=0
The 5 pole motor is sweet and it has a .13 transit time at 6.0v.

I also purchased the carbon upgrade, but I could not feel that much of a difference. It is nice to have, however, because you can use your old plastic parts for spares if something should break.

I wont try to talk you out of what you picked out because like I said, you have chosen some good stuff to start with. But, if you start racing. It won't be long before you will want a programable radio and esc so you can find ways to gain a 1/10 here and there at the track.