CompetitionX CompetitionX is the most up-to-date source for RC Car News, Reviews and Videos for Radio Control. We also have the most comprehensive Manual Database on the web.
A couple years ago I did a $500 budget build with an entry-level touring car and received a lot of good feedback. I was told that this allowed quite a few people to enter the prestigious TC market without having to spend a cool grand to find out if they liked it. Since then, I’ve received a few emails wondering if the same could be done in the short course segment, seeing as it is one of the more popular areas in off-road. I’m sure I could come up with something entry-level, but one of the hurdles I have to overcome was the fact that most manufacturers already produce a club-level version of their high-end race trucks that are pretty competitive right out of the box. If you wanted to continue on to the higher ranks of stock racing, however, you could easily drop an additional $250 on top of your initial $200 investment. That puts you at a price point of around $450, so I decided I’d give myself a $375 budget for this Budget Short Course Build. Let’s see what I can do.
PARTS LIST
TURNIGY
hobbyking.com
• SCT V2 2WD Short Course Truck, Part Number: 9249000909-0
• TGY-5521MDHV Servo, Part Number: 9295000007
• Trackstar 100A 1/10 -Scale Sensored Brushless ESC, Part Number: 9052000037
• Trackstar 17.5T Sensored Brushless Motor 2270kV, Part Number: 9192000029
• GTX3 AFHDS 2.4GHz 3-Channel Radio, Part Number: 9114000003
• 6000mAh 2S 7.4v 25C Hardcase LiPo, Part Number: T6000.2S.25HC
• ACCUCEL-6 6A Charger, Part Number: ACC6
PRO-LINE
prolineracing.com
• ION SC MC Clay Front Tires, Part Number: 1191-17
• ION M4 Rear Tires, Part Number: 1191-03
PARMA
parmapse.com
• SPEEDFLO SC Truck Body, Part Number: 1237
CHASSIS
There are very few companies out there where you can buy a decent chassis that doesn’t already come with a ton of upgrades (i.e., Factory Team SC10 or TLR 22SCT), so I had to dig deep for something affordable yet still has enough tuning options to compete. After scouring the internet, I came across Turnigy’s SCT V2 2WD Short Course Truck. This truck would be the perfect platform for a budget, entry-level build; it came in kit form, had a standard layout like most other SC trucks (meaning there would be no surprises in handling) and came in at ONLY $84.28! Yes, you read that right…$84.28. Sold.
Total Cost Thus Far: $84.28
There were a few, cool aluminum options parts available, but I held off until I was able to round out the rest of my build. If I had a few extra pennies, I’d pony up and get them. More on that later.
SERVO
Finding such a killer deal on the truck, I decided to keep searching the HobbyKing site and see what other great deals I could come up with. Sure enough, I found a Turnigy TGY-5521MDHV servo, a high-voltage, metal-geared digital servo that rocked a whopping 338 oz./in. of torque and a .11 transit speed. Excellent torque rating, acceptable speed and it cost only $29.20. Sold.
Total Cost Thus Far: $113.48
BRUSHLESS ESC/MOTOR
The ESC/motor will be the heart of this truck. While I wanted it to be as inexpensive as possible, I also needed the combo to provide me with three things: a smooth, linear feel, the ability to adjust major features within the ESC and the ability to handle the power as efficiently as possible with the least amount of heat buildup. As I mentioned in my last Budget Build, heat build-up can do two things: 1) it can cause parts to overheat, thus losing their efficiency and 2) heat is the loss of overall power; if there’s heat, that’s lost power that is not being transferred to the motor. I’ve heard good things about this set-up and since the price was right, I decided to give the Trackstar 100A Brushless ESC and Trackstar 17.5T Brushless motor a shot. This is a sensored system that conforms with ROAR’s Sportsman Class racing rules and features a timing-mode indicator LED (for non-timing mode), is programmable (via an optional programming card) and includes an external cooling fan. The motor timing can also be adjusted by external timing ring. Best of all, this ESC/motor combo only put me back $84.12.
Total Cost Thus Far: $197.60
TRANSMITTER
I rarely shy away from my two personal radios simply because I like the way they feel and find them very easy to us. Using one of those systems would have automatically doubled my budget thus far, but since I’m a digital radio snob, I had to find a cheaper alternative. Turnigy offers a 2.4GHz radio system that features three channels, 2.4GHz technology, a backlit LED screen, 10-model memory, trims, EPAs, low-voltage warning, ABS, DSC…almost everything you need it a solid 2.4GHz system. And to top it off, it felt pretty comfortable in my hands as well. Oh, and did I mention the $39.78 price tag?
Total Cost Thus Far: $237.38
BATTERY
I was torn when choosing a battery mainly because I could get a really inexpensive NiMh pack and suffer a heavier truck or a slightly more expensive LiPo and save weight. Since lighter is faster and, having used them before, I knew how well they worked. I went with a Turnigy 6000mAh 25C 7.4V LiPo pack. At a street price of only $27.17, it’s hard to pass up this deal. I did have to swap out their proprietary plug for a Deans-style one, but that was a small modification I was happy to make to save some cash.
Total Cost Thus Far: $264.55
TIRES
Tires are going to be a major part of this truck’s set-up and it’s one thing I don’t skimp on. I made a phone call to the track I would be running at and asked what the hot set-up was. I was told one of the best tire combinations was Proline’s ION SC tires; MC Clay in the front and M4 compound in the rear. Done. I ordered up a set and mounted them on the stock SCT wheels (using the included PL inserts). They felt great and the $41.48 was well worth the grip I’m going to get on the track.
Total Cost Thus Far: $306.03
BODY
The Turnigy 2WD SCT comes with a pretty slick-looking clear body, however there was a bit of an issue while I was painting it. The result was a cracked body beyond repair, so plan B was to ship a Parma SPEEDFLO SC Truck body out to Larry Genova of Kustom RC Graphics…and boy did he deliver! This was an unexpected $39.99 that I would’ve liked to have used somewhere else, but I think the addition of a high-flow body will help the truck perform if I run it outdoors.
Total Cost Thus Far: $346.02
CHARGER
The final step in this build was the charger. Since I’ll be running LiPo packs in this truck, I knew I had to pick up a good LiPo charger. When my uber-expensive chargers are in use, I sometimes pull out my Accucel-6 6A Charger from Turnigy. It’s a small AC unit that features a digital readout, simple push-button controls, can handle up to 6S Lithium packs (or 1-15 NiMh/NiCd packs) and has a max charge rate of 6A. Best part, it rolls in at a cool $24.07!
Total Cost Thus Far: $370.09
OPTION PARTS
Since I had a measly $4.91 left over, I decided to ring up some option parts. I added a set of aluminum shocks, aluminum steering system, aluminum servo mounts and aluminum arm mounts. Those parts added an additional $8.31 for a grand total of $378.40 for this project. That’s not too bad; only $3.40 over my $375 budget and I have a fully customized short course truck! The final test, however, is on the track.
Grand Total: $378.40
THE DRIVE
If I told you I was completely confident in the performance of this truck I would be lying to you. Other than the tires, body, charger and battery, I haven’t used any of these products before. On top of that, the total cost of this truck (without the tires, body, charger and battery) was under $250…not a price tag I’d equate to performance. Once at the track, I gave the SCT the normal pre-run setup. Tires secure, check. Battery charged and securely fastened, check. Steering and ESC set, check. Slipper set, check. I dropped it down on the track and did a slow lap to get a feel for how it handles. Right off the bat I noticed the truck handled well in the tighter parts of the track. The TGY-5521MDHV servo worked flawlessly and allowed me to manhandle the SCT around the track. Once I hit the high-speed parts of the track, however, I noticed a little bit of push through the corners. The combination of the Proline M4 rear tires and the slight chassis flex was creating so much grip that I had to wait on it for a second before getting back on the power. A spring change or the addition of a rear anti-roll bar should fix this.
On the flat sections of the track, the speeds were great (once I found the right gearing). While I was just as fast as any other 17.5T SCT out there, I did have a slight advantage out of the corners with the loads of rear grip this truck has. Be warned, however, that this truck uses 32p spur and pinion gears so the excessive noise coming out the transmission area is normal. If you can make it happen, I’d see about installing a 48p gearset to help with both the noise and efficiency of the drivetrain.
Initially, the SCT jumped with its nose slightly up in the air. I played with battery location a little until it became extremely predictable in the air. Thankfully there weren’t any overly-insane, wind-buffeting gaps to clear, so I didn’t have any issues with blow-over or the dreaded noseway-up landings. I’m sure all the cutouts in the Parma SPEEDFLO body had something to do with this.
Throughout the day I did do a little tweaking on the truck to maximize its performance. I changed shock locations as well as camber settings. I played with wheelbase, roll centers and ride height. All of these are things that can be done on this truck as it sits without any spare parts (except shims for the roll centers). Near the end of my session, I had my budget build tearing up the track like a high-dollar SCT!
WRAP UP
For the $380 I spent to build this truck, I can honestly say it was a success. My lap times, with minimal tuning, are within one second of the faster trucks on track. If I had a couple race weekends to sort this truck out, I’m pretty sure I could put it on the podium. That’s the upside.
The downside is that even though the truck is fast and works well, I’m not sure exactly HOW much faster it can be. The plastics used to mold the suspension are pretty flexible and, while that does help with the durability, can hurt the overall performance and consistency since you never know how the suspension pieces are going to flex. With that said, I may have hit the cap on this platform.
In the end, the object was to build an entry level short course truck that is fast, competitive and, with a total price under $380, will allow you to get your feet wet in SC racing without breaking the bank. My work is done. Time to go racing!
EDITORS NOTE: Please note that even though this project was done within a limited budget, this does not mean it will work for everyone. Some car set-up knowledge will be beneficial to tune your ride to obtain maximum performance.
