Review: Team Associated SC10 4×4

Some things hit our industry like a ton of bricks; brushless motors, LiPo packs and recently Short Course trucks. Everyone has jumped on the bandwagon and build a purpose-built SC truck, most basing them off of their 1/10th scale stadium trucks. The next phase in SC trucks, 4WD, has manufacturers scrambling to build shrunken-down 1/8th scale truggies with oversized bodies. One company, however, loaded up its engineers with some energy drinks and said “Let’s make something innovative and original”. What you see here is Team Associated’s entry into the 4wd Short Course battlefield, the SC10 4×4. This truck is taking no prisoners!

AT A GLANCE
WHO MAKES IT: Team Associated
WHO IT’S FOR: Everyone
HOW FAST: n/a
HOW MUCH: $270
BUILD TYPE: Kit

FACTS
-As you can see, the SC10 4×4 is not like anything else in the AE lineup. Heck, it’s not like anything else from anyone else either! This is a completely new design that screams hi-tech.

-The SC10 4×4 utilizes a direct drive rear end (motor straight to the rear transmission) and a belt driven front end. There is some skepticism about this setup but I can assure you it works fantastic. The entire system is sealed to keep dirt and debris out for a longer lasting, extremely free-rolling drivetrain.

-The chassis is modular to make maintenance and repairs much easier. The chassis breaks down into three main pieces; the front, center and rear clips. The shock towers stay attached to their perspective gearboxes but out of the way when removing the differentials.

-The center spine of the SC10 4×4 is basically a rigid cover that helps keep debris out of the belt-drive system. Remove the central cover and you can check the belt. Remove the front and rear covers and you access the spur gear and pulley system.

-The SC10 4×4 comes with AE’s new 13mm, big-bore bottom-load shocks. Rubber boots help keep debris off the shafts, and a new, low-friction X-Ring seal keeps the shocks silky smooth and extends the time between rebuilds.

-The battery compartment on the SC10 4×4 seems a bit tight, but every pack I tried (2S LiPo and 6-Cell NiMh) fit without any issues. You’ll also notice that the battery gets tucked under the spine; this helps keep the SC10 4×4 narrow and the heavier weight as centralized as possible.

-This thing is built like a tank. The suspension arms are uber-thick, as are the shock towers and chassis components. You should have no issues with parts breakage.

PROS
• Direct- and belt-drive transmission is completely new from the ground up
• Modular chassis design for easy repair and maintenance
• 13mm big-bore threaded shocks
• Fluid-filled gear differentials utilizing 32 pitch drive gears
• Unique center slipper clutch allows the front and rear to slip independently
• Aggressive handling

CONS
• Would have liked a racing set of tires
• Could require a servo lead extender

ON THE TRACK
STEERING Neutral
It is typically inherent in 4WD vehicles to have a little bit of push, but the SC10 4×4 didn’t get that memo. It acts very much like its 2WD cousin but with 10 times the rear traction. The kit setup is spot-on (with the kit tires) and whips around the track quite nicely. Turn-in is crisp and precise, and the 4WD system yanks the SC10 4×4 out of the corners with authority.

ACCELERATION Excellent
Let’s see; 4WD, loads of power and decent tires = yahoo-level fun! While the stock kicks aren’t the best, I was still amazed at how hard the 4-wheeler launched when I performed a few full throttle runs. For giggles, I mounted a set of JConcepts Barcodes on the beast and this pretty much took the SC10 4×4 to the next level. Acceleration was fantastic, and even though I really thought the belt-drive system would limit the truck’s power-handling, this is certainly not the case. I’m confident it could handle more than my 5.5 brushless motor!

BRAKING Very Good
Here’s the Catch-22. Yes, the SC10 4×4 and LRP combo can handle quite a bit of go, but how does it handle braking? On our indoor track this setup was really good, but because it was a bit tight (and my ham-fisted driving was taking over), I was having to use the brakes a lot to get the truck to make the corners. This resulted in a bit of a heat issue that caused the brakes to fade halfway through the run. Smooth out the driving a bit and I’m sure all will be fine, but what fun is that???

SUSPENSION Excellent
The addition of the 13mm big-bores was a great idea by the A-Team. The smaller shocks would have really been given a workout with this truck. These new shocks are plush and extremely easy to build. Because the arms are meaty, the turnbuckles are thick and the shock towers use a pound of plastic, you have so little flex that those shocks get to do all the work…the way a suspension is supposed to work. Couple that with a plethora of adjustments and you have yourself a winning setup.

DURABILITY Excellent
I haven’t had any issues with the SC10 4×4 as of yet, and the few that I saw romping around the track appeared to be bulletproof also. I really can’t see anything on this truck that might be fragile, but only time will tell.

THE LAST WORD
The SC10 4×4 has become a hot commodity since its release. Its innovative design shows that Associated
is not content with just releasing a re-hash or ‘copied’ 4WD truck. This is the next generation of short
course racing and could spur a slew of new, out-of-the-box designs in all forms of RC. I have my fingers
crossed that anything else new coming out of the AE camp is just as original as this.

LINKS
Team Associated, teamassociated.com, (949) 544-7500
LRP, distributed by Team Associated, rc10.com, (949) 544-7500
Reedy, distributed by Team Associated, rc10.com, (949) 544-7500