Ideal beginners racing touring car.

[Jonny-Young]

Hey guys can you please recommend a cheapish beginners touring car 1/10th please as this is what my nearest club race. (electric).

Thanks

[JJ The Boat Wizzard]

A TT-01 Or Somthing Around That Mark

[Jonny-Young]

Have these got plenty of hop-ups and spares available then please.

[JJ The Boat Wizzard]

Absolutly Loads , Check Your Private Messages I Have Sent You 1

[colmo]

How does the Associated TC3 compare? I know DMS-Racing have the Factory Team edition kit for £99 - about the cost of a TT-01, but with the hop-ups already installed

[Jonny-Young]

You both have PM

How does the HPI e10 match up?

[sosidge]

The Tamiya TT-01 is a great beginners car. Foolproof to assemble, foolproof to drive, and about as cheap to buy as you will find.

Downsides with a TT-01 is that it can't handle any serious power, and the hop-ups, while pretty, are money down the drain, it will never handle as well as a true racing chassis, so you are better off saving for a race chassis when your skills are up to scratch.

My TT-01 is great fun, it's basically a no-stress race meeting if I take it, only problem is that the standard silver can motor is very slow compared to higher-powered cars on a big track. If there is a class for silvercan motors at your club then it is much better.

Next step up the ladder is a Tamiya TA05. This is still an easy build and an easy drive, but needs a little more care with the setup and the maintenance (due to having more adjustments and a belt drivetrain - the TT-01 has basically no adjustments and a sealed shaft drivetrain).

The great thing about a TA05 is that the hop-ups are worth buying, with a few well selected ones you can have a car that is the virtual equal of the top-end racing chassis.

I used to have a TA05-R in the past and it was a really good drive, excellent on low grip surfaces, and only fractions of a seconds per lap slower than my current TOP Scythe.

Tamiya also do a TB-03 which is like a shaft drive TA05 so might be a bit less maintenance, but I have never actually seen one in the flesh.

The TC3 would still be a competitive car, my concern would be new parts availability as it has been out of production now for 4 or 5 years. Also, it is not quite so easy to assemble and maintain as the Tamiyas.

If you are prepared to spend £300 on a chassis, then all the top cars are competitive (just look at the tech charts). But they also tend to need even more care when setting up and even more TLC to keep them running fast, and they tend to have a lot of steering which can be hard to handle for beginners!

[colmo]

My major concern with the TT-01 and the HPI e10 is lack of proper bearings (I believe they're plastic bushings). That's another £10-20 on to the price of what looked like a cheap car.

Looking at the Associated website, it looks like parts availability is still ok for the TC3 FT.

[colmo]

I would recommend going along to the club before you spend any money. There's every chance you could get offered 2nd hand gear, in good nick, for cheap.

[Jonny-Young]

Some good advice there guys thaks very much.

[colmo]

In answer to your PM, I think I'd better make plain that many touring cars come as kits - that means none of the other gubbins you need to run.

My TC3 FT suggestion is one such kit - I believe they don't even supply wheels!

That being said, a kit can be doable on a budget - just don't buy basic kit at new prices, as you'll be upgrading in no time - this goes particularly for 27mhz radio gear and brushed motors and ESCs - everyone has some of these rolling around in their spares boxes, and will virtually give them to you. Talk nicely to your new club-mates, and ask lots of questions!

The other option is a RTR set - the Hot Bodies Cyclone S is quite a nice example - the shell alone is worth £30! It also has a wealth of hop-ups - the listings for 3rd party parts for the Cyclone S is nearly as long as the TT-01 on the RCMart website. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the parts for the Hot Bodies Cyclone are compatible with the Cyclone S, so you can gradually upgrade it, as much as you like, to the status of a full-on competition touring car.

[jimmy]

I thought the TC3 went pretty well but I found the suspension to be a bit weak for indoors racing - one tap and I'd be breaking the plastic hinge pin braces or bending the suspension pins etc. It was generally OK since there were others racing TC3's at the time so I could borrow parts if something broke.
Isn't the Tamiya TA05 supposed to be a really decent touring car?

[colmo]

Originally Posted by jimmy

I thought the TC3 went pretty well but I found the suspension to be a bit weak for indoors racing - one tap and I'd be breaking the plastic hinge pin braces or bending the suspension pins etc. It was generally OK since there were others racing TC3's at the time so I could borrow parts if something broke.

What edition was it? The one I've pointed out is a Factory Team edition - don't know if that makes a difference.

Originally Posted by jimmy

Isn't the Tamiya TA05 supposed to be a really decent touring car?

I'm not best placed to comment (having never even seen one), but it is reputed to be tough as old boots, and as mentioned earlier, pretty quick (so much about touring cars depends on setup). Very popular for drift racing, too, I believe.

I think the way you could rank the cars mentioned are:

Beginner (cheap entry cost, expensive to upgrade fully):
TT-01
HPI e10

Improving (more expensive, but feasible to race at higher standards with upgrades:
Cyclone S
Kyosho TF5 (not sure if it's any good, but it's a candidate)
TA-05
...and I suppose the TC3 FT goes in here - was a top car in it's day, still decent now.

Pro:
It gets silly in this bracket for new priced cars, but you can pick up good, fairly recent TCs 2nd hand for <£100; this is as a rolling chassis, but the previous owner may throw in some/all of an old radio, motor and ESC, servo, battery pack, wheels and tyres to get you started. I took this route (cost about £72 delivered on eBay, but is a rather obscure brand with no parts availability in the UK!), only to discover my nearest club raced buggies, primarily...

[sosidge]

If the OP is an absolute beginner to RC, then the best route would probably be to buy new. And the best value is usually a (*shudder*) RTR (ready-to-run).

I would always recommend a kit in a shop "deal", that way you build the car, so you know how it works, and you can build it to whatever standard you choose. The RTR's tend to be thrown together in the factory, although the standard of build is generally good, you do get the odd howler (missing bearings, over-tightened parts etc).

Second-hand is a real step into the unknown, it takes a bit of experience to filter out the decent stuff from the junk.

AM radios and brushed motors may seem old-tech, but they work and are simple. When you are starting out, you just want to drive around the track, you don't want to be tweaking settings all the time.

[Jonny-Young]

Hi guys im not a complete beginner i have built a few rc cars from kits in the past and i used to race mardave with a 14x2 T motor and an lrp esc so not a complete NOOB. Cheers

[qatmix]

The Ta05 is tough as old boots, and also rather fast. They consistantly make it into the Afinals at our club.

Personally I think its a fantastic car, and would recommend it over more expensive cars if you want a reliable, fast and tuneable car.

[colmo]

Originally Posted by qatmix

The Ta05 is tough as old boots, and also rather fast. They consistantly make it into the Afinals at our club.

Personally I think its a fantastic car, and would recommend it over more expensive cars if you want a reliable, fast and tuneable car.

That's a ringing endorsement - I'm sold

What's the going rate for them? A quick search suggests £70 for the basic kit, and £100 for the IFS kit with shell, new.

Btw, are there any real advantages to the IFS version? (Inboard Front Suspension, before you ask)

[qatmix]

The IFS has the later suspension set-up (the lightweight reversable set-up, which does give you some more tuning options.. if you wish) The std ta05's have suspension like the older EVO4 Which is more durable as it has bigger bearings in the hubs.

There is also a new TA05v2 coming out very soon. It has the same suspension as the trf (albeit plastic non carbon re-enforced) and a different motor mount, and a more narrow chassis. It will probably be around £130-40 ish as the exchange rate isnt that good atm

basically, they are all good. get the one that fits your budget best

[colmo]

Can you use standard 48 or 64 dp spur gears on the TA-05? The whole business of 0.4 and 0.6 metric dp spurs and pinions which Tamiya do on everything except the 501X and DB-01 buggies is annoying for people with a set already, and to beginners who may then move on to other touring cars which use imperial dp gearing.

[sosidge]

Yes, you can fit standard spurs on a TA05.