HI! New here. Thought I'd say hello and share how I wound up with two rally cars.
09-08-2015, 08:25 AM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
HI! New here. Thought I'd say hello and share how I wound up with two rally cars.
Hi everybody.
I recently jumped into electric RC cars, and took my 13 year old son along with me. I've had RC vehicles for years, all of them just toys. Nothing hobby grade. We'd taken an interest in quadcopters, and I picked up a pair of of Blade Inductrix quads... tiny little things. We flew them around the house, in a field on a calm day, and then we kept going back to the hobby store looking for the next step up. We'd broken and repaired the tiny quads already, and I knew that as much as we may have wanted to learn to fly bigger and more exciting things, finding a place to do it safely and the money to keep them in the air was going to get frustrating, and fast. So since we like cars, I figured "let's just stay on the ground". Now where to start?
After looking at all the styles and purposes of electric RC cars, I figured "rally style" would give us a good mix of abilities on and off road. After looking around at options, I pulled the trigger on a pair of Team Associated ProRally cars. They're brushless, came with a lipo battery and charger. My son and I have really been enjoying them. I picked up an additional pair of the same lipo 2S 3300mAh batteries they came with, and then wound up caving and buying yet another pair of 5000mAh lipos along with another charger. I'm hooked.
Unfortunately, this past Saturday I was trying to navigate a parking lot and my depth perception was off... I thought I was going to drive my ProRally between two concrete islands in the lot, but I was so far away, I didn't realize I wasn't lined up with the gap between the curbs and slammed dead on right into the curb of one of the islands while going full speed with a 5000mAh 40C battery on board. Oh the sound that made. I put the car in reverse, backed away from the curb, and turned around and drove it to where I was standing. It wasn't pretty. One front wheel was barely hanging on and the other was pointed the other direction. The $20 worth of parts I ordered to repair it ought to ship to me today.
I know that Team Associated stuff isn't nearly as popular as other brands, our local shop only carries two of their cars and no parts. But, at $380 each with lipo and charger (times 2... $760!) for my son and I, using a coupon code for a discount, it seemed like the place to start. For what it's worth, these cars are pretty robust. Everything screws together with hex screws, and the stuff that takes a hit in a crash is pretty strong. Before my 45mph header into concrete, we'd rolled, jumped, sideswiped, and bashed into so many things but nothing broke. Not a body mount, nothing. It cornered hard enough to dismount a tire or two. Considering how hard I hit that concrete, to have only broken a couple of bushings that held the control arms in, and the metal brackets that held the bushings, I'd say I bought the right cars to start out with. We enjoy them on pavement and dirt. Pavement drifting and sliding is really wearing out the rear tires. I ordered extras. Maybe I'll order a set of street wheels and tires with a better compound.
I wish they'd have sealed the drivetrain a little better. Stuff that gets kicked up by the tires fills the area around the spur gear, slipper, and driveshaft. Not good. I've been thinking of ways to protect that area. Maybe it needs inner fenders of some sort. But aside from that, the Team Associated ProRally cars have been a lot of fun.
OK, thats enough from me. Thanks for reading. Looking forward to learning some stuff.
I recently jumped into electric RC cars, and took my 13 year old son along with me. I've had RC vehicles for years, all of them just toys. Nothing hobby grade. We'd taken an interest in quadcopters, and I picked up a pair of of Blade Inductrix quads... tiny little things. We flew them around the house, in a field on a calm day, and then we kept going back to the hobby store looking for the next step up. We'd broken and repaired the tiny quads already, and I knew that as much as we may have wanted to learn to fly bigger and more exciting things, finding a place to do it safely and the money to keep them in the air was going to get frustrating, and fast. So since we like cars, I figured "let's just stay on the ground". Now where to start?
After looking at all the styles and purposes of electric RC cars, I figured "rally style" would give us a good mix of abilities on and off road. After looking around at options, I pulled the trigger on a pair of Team Associated ProRally cars. They're brushless, came with a lipo battery and charger. My son and I have really been enjoying them. I picked up an additional pair of the same lipo 2S 3300mAh batteries they came with, and then wound up caving and buying yet another pair of 5000mAh lipos along with another charger. I'm hooked.
Unfortunately, this past Saturday I was trying to navigate a parking lot and my depth perception was off... I thought I was going to drive my ProRally between two concrete islands in the lot, but I was so far away, I didn't realize I wasn't lined up with the gap between the curbs and slammed dead on right into the curb of one of the islands while going full speed with a 5000mAh 40C battery on board. Oh the sound that made. I put the car in reverse, backed away from the curb, and turned around and drove it to where I was standing. It wasn't pretty. One front wheel was barely hanging on and the other was pointed the other direction. The $20 worth of parts I ordered to repair it ought to ship to me today.
I know that Team Associated stuff isn't nearly as popular as other brands, our local shop only carries two of their cars and no parts. But, at $380 each with lipo and charger (times 2... $760!) for my son and I, using a coupon code for a discount, it seemed like the place to start. For what it's worth, these cars are pretty robust. Everything screws together with hex screws, and the stuff that takes a hit in a crash is pretty strong. Before my 45mph header into concrete, we'd rolled, jumped, sideswiped, and bashed into so many things but nothing broke. Not a body mount, nothing. It cornered hard enough to dismount a tire or two. Considering how hard I hit that concrete, to have only broken a couple of bushings that held the control arms in, and the metal brackets that held the bushings, I'd say I bought the right cars to start out with. We enjoy them on pavement and dirt. Pavement drifting and sliding is really wearing out the rear tires. I ordered extras. Maybe I'll order a set of street wheels and tires with a better compound.
I wish they'd have sealed the drivetrain a little better. Stuff that gets kicked up by the tires fills the area around the spur gear, slipper, and driveshaft. Not good. I've been thinking of ways to protect that area. Maybe it needs inner fenders of some sort. But aside from that, the Team Associated ProRally cars have been a lot of fun.
OK, thats enough from me. Thanks for reading. Looking forward to learning some stuff.
09-08-2015, 10:11 AM
#2
Hey NurseDaddy, welcome! You did well. Had I not gotten a great deal on a couple short course trucks, I'd have bought what you did. That Associated rally car is based on their ProLite 4x4 truck, highly thought of. Kinda sucks your LHS doesn't carry many parts for it. Just keep a set of front and rear suspension arms on hand and you'll probably be OK. Oh maybe an extra pair of steering knuckles.
Usually I suggest getting an after market set of bumpers to protect the car, since stock bumpers are mostly cosmetic. But with the rally car body, I can't picture anything that would work with it. You may want to look around T-Bone Racing or RPM to see if they have anything that'd work. Yeah those right-angle curbs can be vicious.
As for all the stuff that gets thrown into the inside of the car, I found that using a piece of duct tape, folded over on itself lengthwise to make it stiffer, and secured to the chassis with some Shoe Goo, make pretty decent "fender wells", and does help keep stuff from getting thrown into the chassis. Not entirely, but they do help. Give it a try.
Usually I suggest getting an after market set of bumpers to protect the car, since stock bumpers are mostly cosmetic. But with the rally car body, I can't picture anything that would work with it. You may want to look around T-Bone Racing or RPM to see if they have anything that'd work. Yeah those right-angle curbs can be vicious.
As for all the stuff that gets thrown into the inside of the car, I found that using a piece of duct tape, folded over on itself lengthwise to make it stiffer, and secured to the chassis with some Shoe Goo, make pretty decent "fender wells", and does help keep stuff from getting thrown into the chassis. Not entirely, but they do help. Give it a try.
09-08-2015, 05:22 PM
#3
Hey welcome to RCU forum..
A good place that you might can buy parts for your rides is towerhobbies,ive bought from them for years,an they are very knowledgable.
They also have coupons & deals.They issue out flyers an catalogs also.
A good place that you might can buy parts for your rides is towerhobbies,ive bought from them for years,an they are very knowledgable.
They also have coupons & deals.They issue out flyers an catalogs also.
09-09-2015, 05:38 AM
#4
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks for the welcome 
The rally car has bumpers under the body and they've been pretty tough and effective so far. Except for the top speed run right into the curb. My parts shipped... hope they arrive soon. As far as Tower Hobbies goes... I bought the cars from them, and have ordered my repair parts from them too. So far, so good. Their coupon codes have helped me save a few bucks. I got in right before they changed their codes recently, and got $140 off my order for the two cars.
I'm going to tinker with some fender well ideas.
Thanks again.
The rally car has bumpers under the body and they've been pretty tough and effective so far. Except for the top speed run right into the curb. My parts shipped... hope they arrive soon. As far as Tower Hobbies goes... I bought the cars from them, and have ordered my repair parts from them too. So far, so good. Their coupon codes have helped me save a few bucks. I got in right before they changed their codes recently, and got $140 off my order for the two cars.
I'm going to tinker with some fender well ideas.
Thanks again.
Last edited by NurseDaddy; 09-09-2015 at 05:41 AM.
09-12-2015, 04:32 PM
#5
Tower is a good place to shop. I frequent that site. If you think you'll be investing more into RC and general hobby merchandise then consider their "Super Saver Club." They give you different codes with additional discounts and have a members only list that changes with different sales. I think it's like $20 for a year to join.
Associated may not be popular in your area but they are one of the "big" brands. They've been around since the 60s technically but as a RC company since the 80s. You'll probably see a ton of Traxxas stuff at your hobby shop because they invest heavily in marketing. I own a Traxxas truck and it's fun to drive; but it's not necessarily my favorite. My first hobby-grade RC was an Associated RC10. My second was an RC10B4. Then I've owned a SC10, SC10B, and currently a SC10 4x4 and a RC10GT2. I still have my first RC10 sitting on the shelf. Associated makes a good product and anything WILL break if you beat it hard enough.
Also, use an air compressor to dust out your cars after each run. If you don't own or have access to one then I'd start shopping. The tiny little 3 gallon ones will work but they can't hold higher pressure for long with such a small tank. If you can get a 10gal or larger then you can run tools easier with it. I have a little Craftsman 2gal here which is better than nothing but my dad has a 25 gallon Campbell Hausfeld which is a night/day difference.
Associated may not be popular in your area but they are one of the "big" brands. They've been around since the 60s technically but as a RC company since the 80s. You'll probably see a ton of Traxxas stuff at your hobby shop because they invest heavily in marketing. I own a Traxxas truck and it's fun to drive; but it's not necessarily my favorite. My first hobby-grade RC was an Associated RC10. My second was an RC10B4. Then I've owned a SC10, SC10B, and currently a SC10 4x4 and a RC10GT2. I still have my first RC10 sitting on the shelf. Associated makes a good product and anything WILL break if you beat it hard enough.
Also, use an air compressor to dust out your cars after each run. If you don't own or have access to one then I'd start shopping. The tiny little 3 gallon ones will work but they can't hold higher pressure for long with such a small tank. If you can get a 10gal or larger then you can run tools easier with it. I have a little Craftsman 2gal here which is better than nothing but my dad has a 25 gallon Campbell Hausfeld which is a night/day difference.
Last edited by BKoz559; 09-12-2015 at 04:36 PM.
09-15-2015, 05:10 PM
#6
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have a compressor. I just bought a new blower nozzle for it. I wish I had that power in a portable size. It'd be nice to be able to blow the debris out in the field. I'm going to look at portable options, but if I can get my chassis protection ideas going, then I'll need it less.
Today I stripped my spur gear.
I've been fighting to keep my front end together since the big hit into the curb. I'd replaced parts but now it turns out the gearbox that the front end is mounted to is cracked. So the replacement gearbox housing and more front end parts are on their way, but the spur gear won't be here until the day after.
Meanwhile, my son and I have been looking at other cars, maybe planes. We're infected with RC fever.
Today I stripped my spur gear.
I've been fighting to keep my front end together since the big hit into the curb. I'd replaced parts but now it turns out the gearbox that the front end is mounted to is cracked. So the replacement gearbox housing and more front end parts are on their way, but the spur gear won't be here until the day after. Meanwhile, my son and I have been looking at other cars, maybe planes. We're infected with RC fever.
09-16-2015, 07:33 AM
#7
I have a compressor. I just bought a new blower nozzle for it. I wish I had that power in a portable size. It'd be nice to be able to blow the debris out in the field. I'm going to look at portable options, but if I can get my chassis protection ideas going, then I'll need it less..
09-17-2015, 07:57 AM
#8
Ahh, what's wrong with thus forum... Out of a whole page the OP's post is just a tiny colum?.?
man, RCU is going down hill... If this is some attempt to get rich or save the forum then it's a epic fail..
seriously, this is what I see.... And every thread is like that?
man, RCU is going down hill... If this is some attempt to get rich or save the forum then it's a epic fail..
seriously, this is what I see.... And every thread is like that?
09-17-2015, 06:42 PM
#9
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Grand Haven, MI
Posts: 2,984
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yeah, it sucks... But hey, a couple more ads aren't gonna keep me off my favorite forums! 
Wish it was different, but it is what it is. Nothin I can say or do to change anything. Well, other than buy some ad block...
Wish it was different, but it is what it is. Nothin I can say or do to change anything. Well, other than buy some ad block...
09-19-2015, 10:10 PM
#11
maybe.... i just think its a bad for a dying forum, this is only going to make the situation worse... Im just kicking my self that I dident change forums year ago, I only came back this time to see what people think
