T3 Tips

[RustlerBoy]

Well, i am getting a T3 in a week. What are some tips that are specifically for the T3 like building tips, running, gearing. One question, oes the T3 Team updated body come pre cut?

[racerman333]

u should get an xxxt if you havent ordered or got the T3 yet, its alot newer and you wont have to worry about having an outdated car in a year or 2.

[rims']

i only had one problem building my t3 and that was the shocks i suggest that you sand the burrs off of the parts on the inside. good luck building and great choice with the t3

[RustlerBoy]

I wanted a XXXT but didn't have the moolay. Well, here is m list. I have a price cap of $190, so please tell me what i should get and shouldn't get. I already have a Trinity P2K, Novak Fusion, batterys, an 18 and 19 tooth pinion, and a charger. Please tekll me what I should get or get rid of and get

Thanks!
LG2194 Associated RC10T3 Team Kit Updated 1 169.99
LXKB72 TK4821 21T HARD ONE 48P PINION 1 4.79
LXKB71 TK4820 20T HARD ONE 48P PINION 1 4.79
LXE256 Dubro Ball Wrench .050 1 2.19
LX2890 Associated Springs Rear Red Firm (2) 1 2.39
LX2888 Associated Springs Front Red Firm (2) 1 2.39
LR0249 TK4816 16T HARD ONE 48P PINION 1 3.91
PC2194 Kyosho Car Aids Metric Screw & Nut Set (Promotional Item) 1 1 FREE
010V3 WWW SAVE $15 ON $149.90 Order
Sub-Totals: In-Stock Items: $190.45
Back Orders: $ .00
Combined: $190.45

[RustlerBoy]

I probably wont get the 16 tooth pinion!

[racerman333]

i dont think you would need the dubro ball wrench. and if you race your probably not going to use red springs go for some silvers if you want extra springs. I got that kyosho car aid for free and it is totally useless because it is metric and not one screw or nut fits the T3. Also buy stock # Tc10 or Tc5. Yea you wouldnt need the 16t pinion if your using a p2k.

[HowieStern]

most important hop-ups???

1. RPM rear arm mounts

2. careful assembly (with grease) of the stock servo saver

that's the 2 most important hop-ups in my opinion... and the best part is... the first one is like 8 bucks... and the second one is FREE...

btw... you will probably need a 20 or 21 tooth pinion for a P-2-K in a T-3... and you won't know if you can actually use the red springs until after your first test drive (but i have yet to use red's on mine)....

peace out... :)

[GoFaster]

I would recommend getting RPM front and rear bumpers if you like to run into thing. They are alot better than stock. I also like the RPM spur gear cover better because it is already colored and cut and looks alot nicer. Be sure to shrink wrap your cvd's.

You probably won't need your 18 & 19 tooth pinions, the 20&21 will suit it better.

Good luck.

[RustlerBoy]

I am getting the ball wrench because i dont have a wrench to fit these pinion gears!

[racerman333]

wrenches come with the car, and if they didnt you would be able to go to the hardware store and buy a set of four or five wrenches that fit every screw including the set screw for the pinion forlike $3 or less.


Howie-i have never used either of those on my T3 and ive been racing it for 2 yrs. Stock mounts are good enough. Ive only broken them one time. But they are cheap, and i think they have the longer screw with nut on them so they could be good. What i did was buy the racers edge rear aluminum brace and it prevents any arm mount breakage while stiffening the rear end. Also ive never greased my servo saver ever and it has never failed, all you need to do is clean it once in a while.

Did you type in Tc10 in the search box?

[RC Freak]

i have a ftt3 and it was alot easier to build it with the hex drivers. the sizes you will need r .05 5/64 3/32 and 1/16. i got the dynamite and they r great and they r anodized red.

[BrahmaBullSQ]

yeah... i have a FT T3. you'll want about a 20 tooth pinion for the P2K. I have a Fantom P2K and it's awesome!!!

the only real problem that I had was tightening the diff properly because i never built a car before. :rolleyes:

and make sure you did what Howie did with the servo saver. mine strips molded (not metal) gears like crazy. it hasn't done it in like three weeks now so i'm happy.

[racerman333]

you could get the duratrax drivers from tower. I got them and theyre dirt cheap. Maybe not as high quality as dynamite or those other brands, but for the price theyre worth it.

[RustlerBoy]

Thanks a ton guys! Here is my new list!
LXVC32 Associated RC10T3 Team Kit Updated 1 169.99
LXKB72 TK4821 21T HARD ONE 48P PINION 1 4.79
PC2194 Kyosho Car Aids Metric Screw & Nut Set (Promotional Item) 1 1 FREE
TC10 CATALOG COUPON CREDIT (Promotional Item) 1 1 -10.00
LXKB71 TK4820 20T HARD ONE 48P PINION 1 4.79
LXRB14 RPM Mini Bumper Blue B2/B3/T3 1 3.79
LXRB10 RPM Gear Cover Blue B2/B3/T3 1 5.69
LX9109 Bondhus Balldriver 1/16 Hex Tool 1 1.85
LX9112 Bondhus Balldriver 3/32 Hex Tool 1 2.09
LX9111 Bondhus Balldriver 5/64 Hex Tool 1 2.09
LX9108 Bondhus Balldriver .050 Hex Tool 1 1.70
LXRB12 RPM Rear Bumper Blue B2/B3/T3 1 3.79
010V3 WWW SAVE $15 ON $149.90 Order
Sub-Totals: In-Stock Items: $190.57
Back Orders: $ .00
Combined: $190.57

[HowieStern]

yo racerman....

so you spend 30 bucks on a aluminum brace... and claim that's what keeps your arm mounts from breaking?? those are strickly eye candy... (heavy and expensive eye candy at that)

when was the last time you ever broke the stock tranny brace?? i'm sure someone on this board has.... but i'm sure many more have broken or stripped the stock rear arm mounts... (the aftermarket alum tranny braces in no way prevent lateral motion of the rear arm mounts... so... they do not keep the arm mounts from breaking or stripping)

btw... "stock mounts are good enough.. i've only broken one set.." do you know what an oxymoron is???

but the main reason i actually recommended them is-> a lot of times the stock mounts don't break, they just strip... in that case the arms start to move which causes excess wear and/or failure of the drive shafts and outdrives..... while the chances of outdrive damage are greater on the B-3 than the T-3, the RPM rear arm mounts are still worth their weight in gold on the truck....

about lubing the stock servo saver..... it's not to keep the servo saver from breaking... it's to save your servo gears...

you have been racing a T-3 for two years... how many B-2, B-3, and T-3 owners have you seen with stripped servos?? probably a ton... i know i have...

aftermarket servo savers really don't work well in a B or T-3... there isn't much room, and this usually results in a lack of throw even from the smallest of savers.... so you have to make the stocker work the best it can....

if you use high buck metal gear servo's... you may never have a problem with the stock saver... if you never hit a pipe or crash... you may never have a problem with the stock set-up..

but... if you use plastic gear servo's or smack the pipes much (or jump off buildings)... chances are the stock saver will do little to nothing to protect your servo....

the stock saver seems to work fine for large hits, but not for small sharp ones (the types that normally waste your servo gears).... a tad of grease between the V's sure helps make the saver respond better to the sharp hits...

i consider those two points the weakest links on the T-3... that's why i recommed those two changes.... others have other opinions.... thats what message boards are all about...

peace out.... :)

[combones]

AE rules. Just like howie said, slightly grease the servo saver V's. Also try to slightly round them with very fine sandpaper or by trimming with your exacto knife, if you don't, you'll probably strip the servo gears on the first or second battery. Then save and get a good metal gear servo. Good doesn't mean expensive, either. The Cirrus 60-mgbb servo is about $25 and is a very good servo that should last. Get them at stormers or www.hobbypeople.net (http://www.hobbypeople.net) ;)

[staggsracing]

I had also read that you should file the \/ of the servo saver to round it just a little and then use diff lube. Seems to work good on both of my T-3's and B-3. Also the importance of a good servo does not seem to be discussed much here. I feel the steering servo is just as important as a speed control. Spend the money on a good servo and forget about it. I use Hitec digital high torque ball bearing servos and they are awsome! They are fast and strong.Other manufacturers make the same type and work well also. You cant win if you cant steer! :eek:

[ 07-13-2001: Message edited by: staggsracing ]

[racerman333]

ok the aluminum brace i was talking about is not a transmission brace. It costs about $8. It connects the 2 rear a-arms and fits right in the back of the battery tray. Also it makes it so you can take the whole rear arm system out as one peice instead of 2 which i think is convenient.

[atariT3]

Lots of mumbo jumbo right? you just want to get into some truck racing right? your choices are between the XXXT and the T3 but you're not getting the Losi because of the money factor. So you've decided on the T3 right? I wouldn't go buying hop-up parts for it just yet. I've been racing my T3 since December 98 and I bought it used for 200 from a guy who played with it a couple of times and didn't like it, basicall still new. i've raced this car over a hundred times now at my freind's house in the back yard, my back yard, Yuma, and the track in Hemet and I've never striped a servo gear. I only use the stock setup wherever I go except Hemet where I just switched to blue springs to keep my car a little stiffer cause I kept hitting the tops of the jumps couse it was a gas track. The stock setup works the best, that's where the car designed to work, then you can change it if you feel like it. Don't go buying pretty parts for your truck, they won't help and might make it worse. My freind had a XXT Graphite Plus and he bought all this aliminum stuff for his car, that car was so stiff. he broke a lot of parts because nothing would give a little on the truck. Stiff parts transfer the force to the next weakest part and breaks it, my freind with his GP kept breaking his A-arms. keep it stock for now. The only parts I've broken were one A-arm mount, a front body mount, and a screw in the tranny brace striped out, the one holding the shock tower on top, a little dab of super glue in the hole and it has like new. See it I hadn't had a plastic tranny brace I could have snapped my shock tower.
one thing you should get though is a front RPM bumper, it's bigger than the stock. I broke a front body mount cause when you get in the back of somebody it put that force on the front of the body which puts it on the body mount till it snaps. The included bumper hides behind the body and is nothing more than a skid plate for the front bulkhead. I would stronly suggest the front bumper at least.
Don't spend your hard earned cash on parts you don't really need. You buy parts when they have a problem, and these racers have all had different problems just like me. each driver is different, your driving style will determine what you break.
Also if your wondering what hi-tech servo I use in my car is? A stock S3003 and I've never broke a gear, a novak 410 I got out of a truck I bought at a yard sale for 3 bucks, a Reedy Rage tuned, and Panasonic 3000's team spec. i hit the wall, flip my car over, hit other cars, come off jumps wrong and all kinds of stuff, still nothing has broken for me.
Just buy the truck dude and probably the 20t and maybe the 21t pinion and you're going to be good. I run a 19t on my Rage cuase it has a lot f RPM, with that torque from the P2K 20 will do you good on tight courses and bigger or on the street 21 is gonna be cool.

[atariT3]

setup tips: just make sure the pistons are clean of any flanges, otherwise they'll mess up your new shock bodies. Build the car exactly how the intructions say. The special tools you'll get in the kit, everything else you should be able to get done with a few allen wrenches and pliers. Start with the team setup. As for a ball cup driver you dont' really need one, for the Losi you do cause they're a pain to get on the turnbuckles. Just use a cloth under the pliers when your putting the turnbulkes on the ball cups so you don't strip out the pretty ball cups and put those little white things on the ball ends so everyone knows you got a new truck (they help by preventing premature wear on the ball cup by keeping dirt out).

[RustlerBoy]

Atari, you have helped me SO MUCH!!! So, does the truck come with the .050, .035, 1/16, 3/32, and other allen wrenches????? Also, does it come with the tuning guide? THANKS SO MUCH!! YOU SAVED ME ABOUT 20 bucks! THANKS!!!

[racerman333]

there is a little tuning section in the back of the manual but it does not include associateds T3 tuning guide booklet

[racerman333]

Howie- heres a link to my page and it shows the aluminum brack near the bottom.
http://www.geocities.com/flipsk8r25/rc10t3.html

[RustlerBoy]

ALL RIGHT! I placed my order yesterday! Here is what I got

T3 Team Updated
Associated 87 tooth stealth spur(for extra's)
Associated Hood Pins(for Extra's)
RPM Gear Cover Blue
Associated Complete Tuning Guide T3
Great Planes Heat Shrink(for CVD"s)
Great Planes short Hex Wrench(5)(For extras in my pitbox)
Trinity HardOne 20 tooth Pinion
Trinity HardOne 21 tooth Pinion

[racerman333]

nice list. The only thing i'd change is that when i run out of hood pins i switch to safety pins.

[rc10t3racer]

Rustler Boy, I tried one of the Trinity Pinions in my T3 (I belive it was one of the Zero Gravity pinions) and it would not fit with the RPM gear cover on. The particular Trinity Pinion I bought was too long and it rubbed against the RPM gear cover.

I have no experience with the Hard Ones, so I'm unsure if they will experience the same problem. I use Robinson Racing Aluminum Pinions and have had no problems.

[Bodido GT]

The T3 does come with the allen wrenches you need, but... They kind of bite. They can strip screws unless you're really careful. Keep the truck stock for a while. You'll be just as fast.

[smikeallen]

I plan on purchaseing a pair of TC3 for my son and my self. This board is a help as I joined tonight and my knowedge has increased. Any other comments, that you would share to help me pruchace the right things from the right place would be appreciated. Some questions I have are is there an up dated version and if so how can I make shure I get the newer. Is a high torque servo important. Where can I mail order some inexpensive batteries, and which ones should I purchace. The last time I got batteries I got some shiped from Florida that were single cells, that were in boxes and I built my on packs. My son and I just have fun, we have mostly Associated trucks that we run on asphault for fun.

[nsane]

Well, lets clarify a little, are you getting TC3s? or T3s?

As for servos, for just playing around its not vital, but I'd still recommend picking up a couple of the Cirrus servos from Hobbypeople - I believe its the CS-60MGBB that is a pretty good servo for $22. Batteries, its hard to say.. until you get in the market for matched packs, which for bashing you don't need.. I'd probably go with something like Maxx Paxx from Trinity, 2 1900mah packs for $40 is a pretty good deal.