Project: Team Associated Qualifier ProLite 4×4

Whenever a new vehicle hits the shelves (especially a Ready-To-Run), I always have this thought in the back of my mind that asks whether this vehicle could be a potential racer. I’m quite competitive and to me ANY RC car is a viable option for a racer project. AE’s new Qualifier Series ProLite 4×4 hit my desk and immediately, I knew this truck could be one of those you never see coming on the track. Big brushless power, 4WD and a tunable suspension are definitely the key ingredients, so we weren’t going to hold back this wolf in sheep’s clothing!

PARTS USED
• Team Associated Qualifier ProLite 4×4 – #7052
• Team Associated 12mm Shock Kit – #91315
• Team Associated 12mm Shock Spring Kit – #91342, #91345
• Reedy Sonic 550 5.5T Competition Brushless Motor – #971
• Reedy 5500mAh 60C 7.4V LiPo – #628
• LRP Flow WorksTeam Brushless Speed Control – #LRP80970
• Hitec HI-7940TH Titanium Gear Servo – #HS-7940TH
• Futaba 4PKS-R – #FUTL7630
• AKA Cyclone SC Wheel – #23005
• AKA CityBlock SC Soft with Red Inserts – #13004SR
• Thunder Tiger Anti-Roll Bar – #PD7965-1, #PD-7965-2

CHASSIS
The chassis set up is pretty much like most other 4WD SC trucks; battery on one side and the electronics on the other. Since there isn’t much in the way of upgrades for this truck, I did keep it pretty much stock. That’s actually a good thing, as this truck probably doesn’t need any major changes to put you in the winner’s circle. That just means less money out of pocket for you!

SUSPENSION
The first thing I did was dump the stock, pre-load-equipped shocks. For racing, I like the precision (and durability) of a good set of aluminum threaded shocks. Unfortunately, AE doesn’t make a bolt-on replacement shock set (yet), so I installed a full set of their 12mm, hard-coated SC10 shocks and 12mm springs. These are great replacement option shocks that are super smooth and don’t add a bunch of weight to the truck, but will require a little work to install. Your other option would be to go with AE’s Big Bore shocks. These are the cat’s meow, but actually take a bit more work to mount than the 12mm ones. Next on the list of upgrades was the addition of a front and rear anti-roll bar set. While not something that is completely necessary, the anti-roll bars do help the cornering on this truck immensely.

DRIVETRAIN
The shaft-driven Prolite 4×4 comes with front and rear fluid-filled gear differentials that spin dogbones leading out to the wheels. In stock trim, the diffs are filled with thin, black grease…not so good when it comes to racing. I pulled both diffs out of the car, completely cleaned out the grease and filled them with a high-quality diff lube – 30K in the front, 10K in the rear. Before reinstalling, I removed all of the bearings (in the diff and in the wheels) and cleaned them out with motor spray. I then added a drop of bearing oil and put the whole shebang back together.

ELECTRONICS
The electronics in the ProLite 4×4 are really quite good for RTR purposes. The truck is fast and reliable, but I really wanted to kick it up a notch for track duty. Starting with the servo, I swapped out the XP metal-geared servo for a Hitec HS-7940TH. This servo boasts some pretty major points in the competition category, torqueing in at 222oz.-in. and a .06 second 60 degree transit speed. I should have no trouble pointing the ProLite in the direction I want it to go…ever! Moving on to the ESC, I dropped in one of LRP’s Flow Works Team Competition units. This ESC might be a bit overkill for this truck, but its smooth power delivery and the fact that it will let me drop in a motor down to 3.0Ts is a major bonus! Plus, it’s easy to set up and works flawlessly with my next upgrade: the motor. 4WD Short Course trucks demand torque; their hefty size and four clawing tires will zap the life out of anything not up to the task. To get the most acceleration possible, you should be using a 550-size brushless setup. I dropped in one of Reedy’s 5.5T Sonic 550 Competition Brushless Motors. Paired up with the LRP ESC, this combo gave me an impressive amount of rip off the line and out of the corners. Top end wasn’t amazing, but a quick gearing change will help you tune this system to your track length. To supply the mojo, I again went with a tried-and-true Reedy product, a 5500mAh 50C 7.4v LiPo pack. I’ve been using these for quite a while and have yet to have any complaints or issues with them. Finally, all this power is wasted without control, so I installed my trusty Futaba 4PKS-R radio gear. Lightning response and incredibly ergonomic, I have complete confidence that my ProLite is in good hands. Ha ha … get it?

BODY, WHEELS AND TIRES
I had planned on painting up a new body that was all wild and colorful, but then thought that would make this truck just like every other truck out there. I wanted the “Wolf” to be hidden away, so I decided to keep the stock body in place and just sneak up on the other drivers on the track. I did modify the body slightly, adding some antikite holes and a pair of air-flow winglets out back. Since tires are about 75 percent of a vehicle’s handling, I decided to change the ProLite’s shoes to a full set of AKA Cityblocks that I wrapped around AKA’s Cyclone wheels. This is a great combo for most track situations and, really, was the only identifying mark that the ProLite wasn’t stock.

THE DRIVE
I put the ProLite 4×4 through the paces on a practice day at the local track. I figured that would be the best test since the track would be somewhat blown-out from the previous days’ racing…and I was right. There were a few rough sections in the middle of the turns and the faces of the jumps were a bit tattered (as were the landings). I set the ProLite down and took about two laps at minimal throttle to get a feel for the upgraded truck, the massive increase in power and to find the fast line around the track. The truck felt pretty good around most of the track but the suspension felt a bit stiff, so I brought it back in and did a quick spring change. I also checked the ride height, camber and toe and then unleashed the beast back out on the track. I was definitely close – the ProLite had great steering through the corners. The truck’s acceleration was the most impressive part, and you could hear all four tires clawing at the ground when you ripped on it! Jumping was good too; however upon landing it still felt a little nervous. I’ll have to do some additional tuning to remedy that. I did do a little “playing” with two other trucks and the ProLite had no problems keeping up. While the other trucks did have a little bit better corner speed, the installed Reedy electronics would make up for it on any sort of straightaway. I’m ok with that; I can tune-in corner speed.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Out of the box, this truck has the potential to be something it may not have been initially designed for. It has excellent acceleration, impressive handling and with a little massaging can be turned into a pretty potent track performer. I think it does need a competition-style body (for weight and handling purposes), but it was extremely fun blowing the minds of the racers who thought I was wheeling around a stock truck. When they did see it, they were equally impressed that these slight changes could turn this implied basher truck into a race-ready platform. I think it’s only a matter of time until you see more of these on the track but, until then, just keep an eye out for mine. It’s the one with the RC Driver stickers on it.

LINKS
Team Associated rc10.com
Reedy rc10.com
LRP rc10.com
Hitec hitecrcd.com
Futaba utaba-rc.com
AKA raceaka.com
Thunder Tiger ttamerica.com