Review: Team Associated Factory Team RC8Be

I’ve been pretty lucky to own and drive just about every form of RC vehicle. For some reason, however, the whole 1/8th scale E class has slipped under my radar. I’m not sure why; I mean, the cars are 4WD, capable of handling a ton of power, handle good and look pretty cool. Thankfully, I was able to swoop in and grab the review for Team Associated’s flagship buggy, the Factory Team RC8Be. This buggy is basically the RTR version offered in kit form and loaded up with all the Factory Team options AE has available. Am I excited? Uh, ya, who wouldn’t want to thrash test a top-of-the-line race car with all the bells and whistles!

THE FACTS
WHO MAKES IT Team Associated
WHO IT’S FOR Intermediate to Advanced Racer
HOW FAST 42.45mph
HOW MUCH $409
BUILD TYPE Kit
VEHICLE TYPE 1/8-scale electric buggy
THE BOTTOM LINE There is no mistaking the term Top-Of-The-Line when you put this buggy on the track!

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
• A lot of the yucky-build parts of the FT RC8Be come pre-assembled, including the 3 differentials. Just pull apart, add your diff fluid, seal back up and install. I would suggest checking some of the Team Drivers setups to see what fluids they are using.

• The 16mm big-bore threaded shocks also come pre-assembled and require you to fill with oil. These bottom-load units are super smooth and soak up the track imperfections with ease. Shock boots help keep the debris off the shafts.

• Thick, 5mm 7075 aluminum shock towers grace the front and rear of the car, and pre-built turnbuckles keep assembly time down.

• The molded battery tray can handle either a pair of ROAR approved 1/10th scale LiPo packs or one enormous 3-4S pack. Foam padding and some serious Velcro straps keep the pack securely in place.

• The Team has included a set of Proline 83mm wheels and M3 Holeshots with the RC8Be. These should work fairly well on most tracks. The hubs are compatible with most 1/8th scale wheels out right now.

• The heavy duty plastic wing is adjustable to create different degrees of downforce. You can also slide it forward or back to adjust how the downforce translates to the rear wheels.

ITEMS NEEDED
– 7.2 – 14.8V LiPo pack
– Servo
– Electronic speed control
– Brushless motor
– 2 Channel radio system
– Battery charger
– Paint

ITEMS USED
+Reedy 4s 40C LiPo pack
+Team Associated XP DS1015 servo
+LRP SPX8 ESC
+LRP 2800kv Brushless Motor
+Futaba 4PK
+Racer’s Edge SureCharge 2010

TOOLS INCLUDED
+3/32, 5/64, 1/16 hex keys, turnbuckle wrench, wheel wrench

NEEDED
– A quality SAE Allen Driver set is recommended

DESIGN ANALYSIS
Blue 7075 aluminum suspension mounts capture the front and rear arms and help beef up the suspension. Molded bushing inserts allow for easy and quick adjustment of front kick-up, rear toe-in and rear anti-squat.

The suspension has every adjustment you would ever need to tune your RC8be for the track; camber, caster, toe, droop, anti-squat, kick-up, etc. It even comes with a full set of anti-roll bars!

The motor mounts securely to a thick aluminum mount. This mount also retains one side of the center differential. This ensures a good gear mesh between the pinion and spur gear.

The ESC mounting platform is large enough to accept a monster ESC. Looking at the LRP, I could almost install TWO in there! This large footprint does not limit you to a certain ESC.

On almost all cars, quite a bit of stress gets put on the steering knuckles. AE has addressed this by including a set of cast aluminum pieces. Tolerances are perfect and they are extremely durable.

PROS & CONS
+ Feels extremely solid when you pick it up
+ Pre-assembled shocks, differentials and turnbuckles cuts down quite a bit on build time
+ Included Factory Team parts really make the RC8Be look Factory
+ Handling is crisp and aggressive
+ Durable drivetrain can withstand quite a bit of power
+ Includes body, wheels AND tires
– Stock setup is overly aggressive

SPECS & TUNING OPTIONS
RC8Be
DIMENSIONS
LENGTH 18.5 in. (470mm)
WIDTH 12 in. (305mm)
WHEELBASE 12.7 in. (323mm)

SUSPENSION
• Shock position—7 holes front tower, 9 holes rear tower, 2 on suspension arms
• Anti-Squat – rear hinge pin mount
• Camber (F&R)—turnbuckles
• Toe— front turnbuckles, rear hinge pin mount
• Wheelbase—rear hubs can be spaced

DRIVETRAIN
• Diff stiffness—grease or silicone diff fluids

MAINTENANCE & TUNING TIPS
• There are quite a few screws that mount into aluminum parts. If you used threadlocking compound during the build, you should be ok. Still, it’s something to keep an eye on.

• The larger 1/8-scale motors and huge LiPo packs create an immense amount of torque. It’s not a bad idea to check the motor screws after every run to make sure they haven’t loosened up.

• The wheel nuts do a good job of holding the tires on, but because of the tolerances in the plastic wheels, the wheel nuts may not engage the locking nylon. A quick turn after every run will help prevent the wheels from falling off and rolling away (right Greg?).

PERFORMANCE
Test Conditions: Smooth with high traction
STEERING Oversteer
The one thing Team Associated vehicles always seem to have is an abundance of steering. The RC8Be is assembled with a very aggressive steering setup which allows the buggy to carve around hairpins with ease. I almost think that for a box-stock setup, it’s a bit overly-aggressive. The buggy seems to pivot on the front end, pulling the weight off the rear and causing the car to be ‘swingy’ (yes, my new technical term). Personally I like the steering, but thankfully you can tune the RC8Be to mellow out the steering. Just be prepared the first couple times out on the track.

ACCELERATION Excellent
As anyone can tell you, 1/8-scale buggies are known for their awesome acceleration. Remove the nitro and drop in a LRP SX8 brushless system, juice it up with a Reedy 14.8v LiPo (that’s a 4S pack kiddies), and slap on some Pro-Line M3 kicks and you have enough rip-roaring power to dig four nice-sized holes under the car! No need to be gentle with the throttle as the RC8be’s stout drivetrain can handle what you dish out. This thing gets up and boogies…no questions asked.

BRAKING Good
The RC8Be had zero issues when braking from any speeds. Until you entered the corner, it felt stable with very little wiggle. Once turning, however, the RC8Be’s super-steering took over. The only real issue I had was with the brake fade in the LRP SX8. First off, the SX8 is a bit smaller than most 1/8th scale ESC’s, giving it a disadvantage already. Secondly, the RC8Be is, ummm, portly, and repeatedly hauling this beast down from a full speed pass without fading requires something pretty substantial. Not really a fair fight for the SX8 on the tight track I was running on.

SUSPENSION Excellent
The suspension on the RC8Be has had quite a few years of tweaking to get it just right. On the slightly rutted test track, the RC8Be was a joy to drive. In the high-speed sweeper, a few other cars seemed a bit unstable. The RC8Be, however, kept its composure and just powered through the corner. Switch-backs were not a problem either, as the buggy whipped through them with its super steering.

JUMPING Excellent
Lots of power usually means, well, BIG AIR! While there was only one big jump on the test track, there were quite a few double-doubles. Airing it out over the big jump allowed me to use throttle control and the front tires (turning them acts as an off-the-ground gyro) to move the buggy around in the air, creating a sort of air-ballet. The power and acceleration of the RC8Be also let me cut a corner tight, mash the throttle and turn the simple double-doubles into one large quad jump. The RC8Be feels very balanced in the air and definitely gave me confidence that I could clear anything I attempted.

DURABILITY Excellent
As I mentioned before, this thing is seriously tough. The parts are beefy, the Factory Team upgrades eliminate all the weak points the buggy must have had (I can’t imagine it having any), and the drivetrain is incredibly durable. On the third battery pack I decided to test out the drivetrain. Launching the buggy off the big jump, I kept the throttle pinned just before landing. This spools up the drivetrain and, when the buggy lands, creates a tremendous strain on the CVD’s and differentials. I did this, oh, an ENTIRE battery pack and after a final inspection found that the RC8Be looked brand new. This means this tank should survive any main event without incident, as long as you keep it in good condition.

THE LAST WORD
As anyone would be, I’m pretty stoked to add the Factory Team RC8Be to my warehouse of RC cars. After putting it through the paces, I can see why it’s won so many races and is considered one of the leaders in its class. The drivetrain is bulletproof, the handling is crisp and precise, and the styling of the body and wing really make this a complete package. Throw in the Factory Team go-fast-goodies and you have a smokin’ deal for around $400.

LINKS
Team Associated, teamassociated.com, , rc10.com, (949) 544-7500
Reedy, a division of Team Associated, teamassociated.com, , (949) 544-7500
LRP, distributed by Team Associated, teamassociated.com, , (949) 544-7500
Proline, prolineracing.com, , 800-899-RACE (7223)
Futaba, futabarc.com, , (217) 398-0007