Team Associated’s shaft-drive RC10TC3 changed the face of electric touring car racing forever. Now the Team is proud to introduce the Nitro TC3, a new state-of-the-art 4WD nitro-powered touring car designed to raise the standards of nitro sedan performance.
The Nitro TC3 started with the basic proven drive train of the TC3, modified and strengthened to handle the power of today’s nitro engines. A solid aluminum "floating" driveshaft connects the front and rear gearboxes. An all-new suspension was designed to offer the the full range of adjustments; caster, camber, and toe-in, yet be very user-friendly and easy to build using our supplied "setup gauge."
Of course, everybody wants a two-speed in their nitro sedan, so we created a new two-shoe (clutch-type) externally adjustable two speed that solved the common problems of reliability and "floating" shift points found on "finger" type two-speeds. Optional gears offer a wide range of usable ratios for tuning to any size race track. We also used Kimbrough spur gears in all kits.
The Nitro TC3’s brakes also represent a giant leap forward. We looked to the full-size race car teams for a brake pad material that would provide consistent, fade-free braking, and a floating carbon-steel rotor for durability.
The Nitro TC3 is the only nitro touring car that accommodates either pull-start, side exhaust, or rear-exhaust engines, both slide-valve or rotary carburetors, and your choice of flat-pack, hump-pack or dry-cell receiver battery configurations. So no matter what your power preferences are, the Nitro TC3 can handle them.
The newest versions of the Nitro TC3 feature a revised rear suspension (dubbed "ver. 2") with many benefits. In the previous version of the rear suspension, if your car was hit hard in the rear, sometimes the toe links would pop off or the turnbuckles would move in the ball cups. This new setup eliminates the rear toe links.
Attaching the turnbuckles to the hubs and tower by screws strengthens the setup, and provides a wider range of adjustments. The previous design only had two positions for the upper arm. Now there are three positions and the hub carrier upper ball joint can be adjusted vertically.
The use of the lower pivot balls on the hub means toe and track are adjusted by one or both of the pivot balls. Roll center is adjusted by a vertical ballstud on top of the rear hubs. Camber is adjusted by a turnbuckle. You can now use the blade type roll bars on the rear suspension in addition to the front.
Version 2 Rear End Features
Camber is now adjusted by the turnbuckle at top.
Adjust rear toe-in by turning the forward-most screw through the wheel.
Adjust rear track width by turning the rear-most screw through the rear wheel. Use the track width gauge (shown) to establish standard track setting.
Magazine Review
The Factory Team kit not only has the advantage of all the cool factory hop-ups, but it also has the highly anticipated version two rear end. The updated rear end worked out nicely for me, and having the option of putting on a blade sway bar in the back is also very trick. And since it comes with all of the option parts, which equal over $200, you can't go wrong. The Nitro TC3 has been an Xtreme Ten Best two years running. With the release of this kit, that streak might get extended. Associated didn't just slap on a new coat of paint, they did indeed raise the bar.
--Xtreme RC Cars, July 2004
The Nitro TC3 started with the basic proven drive train of the TC3, modified and strengthened to handle the power of today’s nitro engines. A solid aluminum "floating" driveshaft connects the front and rear gearboxes. An all-new suspension was designed to offer the the full range of adjustments; caster, camber, and toe-in, yet be very user-friendly and easy to build using our supplied "setup gauge."
Of course, everybody wants a two-speed in their nitro sedan, so we created a new two-shoe (clutch-type) externally adjustable two speed that solved the common problems of reliability and "floating" shift points found on "finger" type two-speeds. Optional gears offer a wide range of usable ratios for tuning to any size race track. We also used Kimbrough spur gears in all kits.
The Nitro TC3’s brakes also represent a giant leap forward. We looked to the full-size race car teams for a brake pad material that would provide consistent, fade-free braking, and a floating carbon-steel rotor for durability.
The Nitro TC3 is the only nitro touring car that accommodates either pull-start, side exhaust, or rear-exhaust engines, both slide-valve or rotary carburetors, and your choice of flat-pack, hump-pack or dry-cell receiver battery configurations. So no matter what your power preferences are, the Nitro TC3 can handle them.
The newest versions of the Nitro TC3 feature a revised rear suspension (dubbed "ver. 2") with many benefits. In the previous version of the rear suspension, if your car was hit hard in the rear, sometimes the toe links would pop off or the turnbuckles would move in the ball cups. This new setup eliminates the rear toe links.
Attaching the turnbuckles to the hubs and tower by screws strengthens the setup, and provides a wider range of adjustments. The previous design only had two positions for the upper arm. Now there are three positions and the hub carrier upper ball joint can be adjusted vertically.
The use of the lower pivot balls on the hub means toe and track are adjusted by one or both of the pivot balls. Roll center is adjusted by a vertical ballstud on top of the rear hubs. Camber is adjusted by a turnbuckle. You can now use the blade type roll bars on the rear suspension in addition to the front.
Version 2 Rear End Features
Camber is now adjusted by the turnbuckle at top.
Adjust rear toe-in by turning the forward-most screw through the wheel.
Adjust rear track width by turning the rear-most screw through the rear wheel. Use the track width gauge (shown) to establish standard track setting.
Magazine Review
The Factory Team kit not only has the advantage of all the cool factory hop-ups, but it also has the highly anticipated version two rear end. The updated rear end worked out nicely for me, and having the option of putting on a blade sway bar in the back is also very trick. And since it comes with all of the option parts, which equal over $200, you can't go wrong. The Nitro TC3 has been an Xtreme Ten Best two years running. With the release of this kit, that streak might get extended. Associated didn't just slap on a new coat of paint, they did indeed raise the bar.
--Xtreme RC Cars, July 2004
Features
- The rear suspension now accepts the blade-style anti-roll bar as used on the front suspension. This style of anti-roll bar is much stiffer than the standard wire-type roll bar setup, and can be easily adjusted while mounted on the car. The wire-type roll bar is also included.
- Of course, no internationally-raced pro-level touring car would be properly equipped without a dual-chambered tuned pipe, so the Factory Team NTC3 comes with our race-proven dual-chambered pipe.
- The Factory Team NTC3 kit features a revised rear suspension with a more secure system of rear toe-in adjustment via the two horizontal pivot balls on the redesigned rear hub carrier.
- A new outboard vertical ballstud offers a wider range of adjustability with more roll center and camber gain options.
- The Factory Team NTC3 is also loaded with over $200 of pro-level Factory Team options … Factory-blue titanium turnbuckles, threaded aluminum shock bodies, aluminum wheel-hex hubs ... and more! It also includes the full range of molded carbon composite chassis components, and a distinctive hard-anodized, black aluminum chassis, making the Nitro TC3 Factory Team an outstanding value for less than the price of many other manufacturer’s “standard” kits. Our heavy-duty Factory Team front one-way is included, which is our racing team’s standard setup for greatly increasing the NTC3’s corner speed carrying capability.
- The NTC3’s shoe-type two-speed transmission has also been revised to offer a finer range of adjustability, and more positive shifting. In the Factory Team kit, this new “Sure-Shift” transmission now comes with the racing team’s favorite gearing combination, a lower 6.43:1 first gear for more low-end punch out of the corners, and a higher 4.44:1 second gear for blistering top speeds.
- The #2290 two-speed shoes are now slotted. Through the slots, you can now see the springs compress, allowing you to eliminate guesswork and back off the screw consistently.
