Hello all!  

Well, it's not just me. Here is another review of the Traxxas rally, the KB version, that pretty much says it all, and the video shows it all.

$feature=relmfu

The commenter states he doesn't have much drift experience, but I do, and the performance of the rally you see is pretty much as good as I was able to get it to do.  
What burns me is the amount of slick marketing the rally gets, when Traxxas (which makes some of the best OFF-ROAD trucks in the business) hasn't spent ANY time or effort to engineer a quality ON-ROAD car (their 4-Tecs don't count, as those are as bad as they come for on-road) in years. This was the best they could do. And they failed. I'm not surprised. Using a re-hash of the mini E-Revo wasn't the smartest move. Maybe for sales, but not for performance.

I gave thought to getting one of these, to see if they could be made to work on-road, but the commenter pretty much cancels out that idea, with his take on the chassis set up, that can't be modified for better balance, because the motor is situated where it is, and the use of one battery unbalances it further. Two batteries will introduce so much power (which the VXL puts out in raw, unrefined spades) that the rally would well nigh be impossible to control. Add to that the fact that the VXL cannot be programmed, and you have the recipe for a handful of broken parts.

Traxxas also made it impossible to get actual 1/10 scale wheels to fit, as they chose to mount what are -0 offsets. Regular "0" offset wheels are NOT the same. soooo, you are stuck with what comes with the car, and cannot do much to improve it. Very sad.

I would warn anyone considering getting one, to consider a bonafide 1/10th scale chassis, as they will be easier to mod, have better aftermarket support, and be easier to drive.

EDIT: I have two Associated 1/18th scalers, one for rally, and one for drift, and both work better than the Traxxas rally.

Here's a vid on what the Traxxas rally is good at!  



Check out 1:58. !!!LOL!!

I think we have found a good use!!!  

I guess the vid can't be brought up. I tried, but you can still see it at Youtube, just type in "will it blend traxxas gymkhana."

You will see a window with KB and a guy in a white lab coat-that's the one!  

Remember.....1:58!!  

Yeah, the rally never appealed to me in any way.. Its WAY too expensive for a 1/16 vehicle.. 300$ right?
For 300$, you could get a Sprint 2 Flux.. I don't know a lot about drifting, but the Sprint 2 Flux probably drifts better than KB rally!
But why would Traxxas build a vehicle which can't go on-road or off-road? It seems to do neither of them properly!

I'm not sure, and I don't profess to know the reasons, but to me, it was about profit, and nothing more. Ken Block is a celebrity here, within the Rally community, and even outside of it, to a certain degree, because of marketing and slick advertising. Now, he IS one of the best rally drivers to come along in a good long while, and Traxxas using his name to sell their product is a smart one, but the product just doesn't meet the hype.
Lots of products suffer from the same thing, but Traxxas' attempt to sell to KIDS, something that won't even do half of what it should do, as the advertising suggests, is tantamount to criminal behavior. In America, we call that "grifting."

Now don't get me wrong....Traxxas makes FANTASTIC off-road trucks! FANTASTIC! But their attempts at on-road over the years has been abysmal, at best. The 3.3 Nitro 4-Tec and Jato are prime examples. Even the electric 4-Tec was a dog. They couldn't even be bothered to engineer a new chassis for the rally. Just slap a flashy body on a 1/16th scale E-Revo, bolt on green wheels (which are non-industry standard, BTW, because they are -0 offset) and call it good.

I have posted this at two other forums, and am getting some responses that mirror my own sentiments, like yours. At one, I dare not post it in the "mini/micro" forum, because I would probably be hung in effigy (or for real! ), burned at the stake, have my eyes poked out and fingernails pulled, for my opinions.

All that aside, I think the last vid, with KB doing the honors with the blender, was a kind of hint to what he really thinks about it!

Surprisingly,this is the first bad review I have read about it.But yeah,an off road chassis cannot be modded to make an on-road chassis.Shame that such a thing should be done by traxxs.They need to do what they do best,off-road and come out with a 1/8 scale buggy from scratch.It should have ZERO parts compatibility with their existing platforms.But who listens to us?

I feel the rally was a marketing gimmick like the monster jam trucks.They need to get serious now

Yup..
Frankly, I havn't seen any good NEW land vehicles from Traxxas after the Slash 4x4 and Mini Revo..
That 1/8 scale buggy sounds AWESOME! But, it could share a chassis with the E-Revo..

I'm afraid they are succumbing to the "fast-cash" mantra that has infected this country. I'm seeing it everywhere, except certain foreign companies. I'm afraid Losi has, also. Their micro stuff is the worst they have ever released, the electronics go kaput by just breathing on them. Traxxas is having some trouble, there, as well. Their mini-VXL's are dropping like flies.
Which is odd, because the 1/10th and 1/8th scale stuff is still quality, but it seems the smaller you go, the worse it is. Except Associated. Associated's entire line is STILL quality.

Yah, the magazines here are full of "Oh, the rally is this, The rally is that." The rally is only one thing, and that is C-R-A-P. I never thought it would bother me as much as now, but I'm really getting tired of companies trying to deceive people with slick advertising, and magazines being their willing accomplices.
I wrote this thread to warn all here, to watch out for stuff like this, because it is being pushed in America, and I just know they will export it, thinking all y'all are dumb enough to buy into the hype, too.

BE VERY CAREFUL! Not all forums will have what I wrote here! Some will even have threads where they heap praise about things that are a bonafide waste of money and time.  If you have to, grill someone about what it is you intend to purchase, and if you don't get an answer to your satisfaction, it probably isn't any good.  NO product is perfect, so you should be able to see whether the truth is being told or not, because magazines will NOT tell you!
I can answer questions about on-road, but even I don't know everything, so you must be careful! The RC market is changing, and not for the better!

Scary picture then.....the rally does seem to have a serious identity crisis.Traxxas should step their game up and do it soon.If they do,they can kill losi too.I too have read about their mini line being a load of $hit.

I can't get the video even after searching.This is what I got.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=will+it+blend+traxxas+gymkhana&aq=f

Here it is:

thanks

SICK!!!

Did you see how little of what it supposedly does? Then a crash? All of it on a treated concrete floor.

Gotta admit, though, the blender was satisfying! 

Here's a few I got off Youtube, on the VXL3 problems.

Mind you, one of them is from pure operator error, but the others are from the "If fast is good, faster is better" train of thought that permeates the thinking of anyone who buys Traxxas:









And why is it, it's only Traxxas, you may ask, but it isn't. These problems with other brands stem from the same aforementioned attitude that Traxxas themselves, spawned, especially in America. I alsways wondered why I never saw many Traxxas models at a race, except in the monster truck class, which no longer exists. Traxxas doesn't now hold the top spot in numbers for SC racing. Associated does, with their SC10.
And Traxxas is nowhere to be found in on-road, and is doing it's best, I hear now, from other on-roaders, to kill the on-road segment of RC. They feel that Traxxas' rally is an attempt to draw on-roaders to off-road. Now, I don't know how true that is, but if so, the rally is a pretty lousy attempt.

I came to on-road, FROM off-road, and will never go back, but as you can see, Traxxas offerings are going the way of Novak. Using the cheapest components that can be found, and charging top dollar for it, using name recognition to boost sales. I wonder how long it will be, before it affects off-road?

whoa whoa....lets slow down.You're saying traxxas is trying to get more guys into offroad from onroad?And lets be clear about one thing,Traxxas's cars are not meant to be raced all out.The SC10 is a purpose built racer.But I agree with a few issues you have pointed out.Still,Traxxas has the BEST RTR package anywhere.The rally was really bad and lets hope its the last one.

Traxxas should come out with a car to COMPETE with the others.But with their designer who left(Don't remember his name)brought out the Revo and slash 4x4 platform.I believe these 2 are the best platforms that traxxas have.They should use these to advance more.Not just slap a new body and give it a new name.

I guess RTR elecs are not good most of the times.(unless they are rebadged castle ESCs and motors).Traxxas does seem to have problems with their VXL ESCs but their motors are very good.My slash's elecs are going strong.

I believe the user problem is in vid3 with some stupid kid believing he can run the VXL on 14.4V.But yeah,people do get crazy with speed.A fast car is not necessarily the fast car on a track.

Oh, hey, don't get me wrong.....Traxxas DOES make good stuff, mostly in their 1/10th and 1/8th (loosely speaking) scale line. Their original Velineon is, for the most part, the simplest BL system out there, with the highest power-to-weight ratio of any other system. That it can't be programmmed is it's one biggest drawback, but it was released in a time when the only system that was adjustable, was Castle's. I still have an original Velineon system, left over from my off-road days, and it still works, though because of it's power delivery, has no real application for what I do.

I put up the vids to show that the MINI VXL is a whole different thing, and is indicative of what I was saying earlier....cheap components in their electronics, that are not just prone, but guaranteed to fail.

The Slash IS meant to race, and is, all over America, right now. With the preponderance of aftermarket parts for it, it is still competitive, but for how long, no one knows, because other competing companies are coming out with designs that supersede the original Slash. HPI's and Associated's offerings are only two. And Associated has it's own 4X4 SC (belt-driven, and a nice one it is)now.

Since on-road is "dying," (it has slowly been reducing the number of races, and were it not for drift, most tracks would be closed, here), the number of drivers who don't want to give up driving have been returning to off-road (as most of us began there), so there is my assertion that Traxxas is trying to "hurry" them to do so, by releasing the rally, to bridge the transition.

The fact that it is NOT dying in other parts of the world means that it will never completely die, but to be fair, even Losi has released cars to do as Traxxas is doing, and they're no better than the Traxxas examples.
I guess I'm a purist, because I have never accepted the quasi-scale offerings being put out, as of late. Quality is of great concern, and should be, considering the cost of the hobby, and my warnings are a "head's up" to all, so no one gets burned, like the kids in the vids show.

ahh....Now that you mention the mini vxl(I guess its called the VXL-3M.Am I right?),it does seem to have a lot of problems.But traxxas should step their game up.


On the AE SC10 4x4,why did it get a belt drive???It should have had a shaft drive.Belt drive will be destroyed in dirt.Its fine for on-road but not off-road.I think durability will be a big issue.

The basic trend of the market is to make bad stuff on purpose so that you break it and buy it.I remember my brother opening his DVR(Archos)to find that the HDD's vent for heat was closed by tape.It works during the warranty period but once its outta warranty,its probably going to go kaput.And to think this is done by a good company like Archos!!!

Associated seems to be doing that a lot nowadays (Even with the RC18T2/B2).. I'm not sure, but its probably because Belt is more forgiving while trying out gear ratios.. Could be some other reason too.. Even Losi's XXX-B (I'm not sure about the name) and one of the Tamiya buggy's have belts..

Associated's cars simply aren't meant to be bashed, unless its an MGT.. They are PURE BREAD race cars.. Don't get me wrong, you could bash them a little, but what's the point of taking a car like the B44 or SC10 bashing?

Traxxas, on the other hand, are meant to be bashed, as well as raced.. Now, they can't get the best of both worlds..

@Gandhar, the VXL3M (I think) was MEANT to go 14.4v.. 2x7.2v NiMH with a series connector.. It was to get the Revo to 50+MPH..
Hell, people have put a 4s in there! But, that was using an external BEC..

@Gokemidoro
The on-road class simply isn't here because of lack of tracks! As of now, there isn't even 1 on-road track in India! As soon as they open one, I'm getting myself an on road!

Divyam,all the velineon ESCs are rated for 3s max.Thats 12.6V.Weird.Anything more than 3s on that is homicide.3s is suicide.2s is sick.

Belt drives suck on dirt tracks.No idea why Tamiya,AE,Losi have even tried it.

Traxxas as you rightly said balances the two well but the rally has no idea what it should be doing.off-road or on-road.

Good discussion going!!

Divyam,  the SC104X4's belts are fully enclosed a la Losi's XXX. In fact, the chassis bears a resemblance to their SC18, just in larger scale. It also brought back the "clicker" front one-way, too. From what I'm seeing so far, it will decimate the competition, because it corners better than anything else out there.

iamahuman,  The VXL3s was marketed with the parallel connector in mind, so the kid in the third vid screwed up. He got the series connector, thinking it would "boost" his power. Well, it did, it did so much, he fried it. Why Traxxas won't delineate the connectors for whatever model is another example of bad marketing, since they make both types of connectors.
I had this discussion with a friend some time back, and we agreed that this type of thing would happen, and look at it now.

Has no one heard anything about the on-road track that was supposed to be going up in Bangalore? What happened to that?

I don't know about Bangalore but Chennai may be getting one.. Lucky guys in Chennai   
Yeah, I read about the one way clicker... Dontn know how it works or what it does though..

Yes, the SC18 chassis has enclosed The belt drive.. It's completely sealed..

But then it's wrong on Traxxas' side to advertise 50+ mph with the series connector.. That's not fair to the consumers! At least did they replace the fried ESC?

http://traxxas.com/products/models/electric/7107_7105erevo116
If you scroll down, you' ll see an image which CLEARLY states that the car will hit 50 mph with extra 7.2v batt. And optional SERIES connector..

The clicker is like the front one-way on on-road cars, except instead of it being the bearing, it's a two-plate design, where the plates are shaped like the vanes on a jet engine. If you have one spinning, and the other contacts it, but does not press into it, it will still allow the second plate to spin, with a "clicking" sound, as the vanes of both plates move against each other. Now, the second plate will still spin, or "freewheel", in one direction, but won't in the other. Obviously, if you lock both plates down, they become one unit, and will spin in both directions the same, until they are loosened again. What the clicker allows is the ability to drive out of corners with both front wheels, instead of relying on diff action, which only drives one wheel, making powering out of corners more efficient.
The clicker was popular some years ago, Losi had a couple of models, I think, that had it. It died out (no one can really explain why) in off-road, but has always been around, in on-road, as the one-way bearing.
The perceived (I say perceived, because I never saw it as a detriment) downside to the one-way or clicker is you do not have reverse or brakes in the front wheels. If you depend on brakes, you do not need the clicker. It's a good thing many electronics companies have adjustable ESC's, because a little drag brake dialed in will help a lot.
The clicker and one-way are a boon to aggro drivers (like me), but if one is not an aggressive driver, it takes some getting used to, because it will be VERY easy to get into trouble with it. The tendency is to drive too fast, without taking into account just how important having front brakes is, and the ability of some to be able to adjust to not having any.

On Traxxas.....That's the "more speed" mantra Traxxas markets, and it's all BS. They make it seem as though you never have to actually TURN the thing!   And Traxxas is now CHARGING to replace fried ESC's! Whether it's the companies' fault, or the operator's. THAT is how many ESC's that have fried since the mini VXL has been released. It's now cutting into the profit margin (because of crappy components), so they are forced to charge.    Just like Novak.
Now, if they just emphasized use of the PARALLEL connector, the Mah rating bumps up, not the voltage, and the car would still scream (why, is anyone's guess, it would still be uncontrollable), and no fried ESC's.

But that's Traxxas for you. They should get into RC drag racing. It's all most of their line is good for, anyway.

Ah, now that you mention one way diffs, I recall them being used in LOTS of drift cars!
The clicker looks useful.. Lets see how it turns out..

But ALL of Traxxas' models aren't meant for speed.. Granted, the Rustler is PURELY speed..
But, take a car like the E-Revo.. Brilliant suspension.. Atleast I like it..

That's right, they should have had some kind of disclaimer, about the 14.4v thing! Instead, they are encouraging it!

Wow, I haven't been able to get on for a while.....Don't know why. Anyway, onward!

Yah, the clicker was a good idea, and it's not known why it fell out of favor, but there are things that go that way for no apparent reason, so it must have been to "even" the field, because there isn't any other good reason to have discontinued it. It works on the same principle as the one-way in on-road cars, but in on-road, one-ways aren't considered cheating, so it's a mystery.

Yah, the Revo series is just as fast, if not faster, when set up correctly. My own nitro Revo was good for 55 MPH. My E-Revos were faster. I never had to take them to that speed bashing around, though I did take one on the highway, and it was able to overtake the car I was in, by at least 10MPH. The guy driving behind us was laughing!

I did the parallel connector (custom made, before the mini VXL came out-years before), and it worked well, but the power boost (I was using four 2S batteries-YES, four!) was like a drag racer. You didn't dare turn the wheel, or it would outdo a gymnast, with all the cartwheels, batteries flinging everywhere! That was also with a Castle system, the early Mamba maxes, which would take serious abuse, and I was never able to fry one.
Believe me, I've done just about every stupid thing you could do with an RC car, so what's happening now comes as no surprise. I went to on-road, because the refinement there is a welcome relief to spending all that money on broken parts, which is all off-road represents to me now.

Never read about the one way diffs.Gotta read more about them.So in short,the AE sc10 4x4 would be the king of the hill in SC racing then?

And Traxxas's cars do have tons of speed,I like the revo series too and I like my slash.With a few mods,it actually handles quite well.Now that I have learnt to slide it,its more fun.Traxxas does appeal to the basher though.On RCG,I see lots of guys asking about the rustler.As far as I believe,only 4 cars that Traxxas makes are good all-rounders.The E revo,the Revo,the slash 4x4 and the slash 2wd.Apart from these,I really don't like  the other cars they use.


Any vids from your crazy exploits gokemidoro?

So, from what I have read,they are useful on high bite surfaces and when you don't need too much braking.And it also allows more power to be applied during a corner where we brake or let off the throttle in a normal car.Am I right?

I wouldn't go so far as to say it's king of the hill, because driver skill plays a much bigger part. It DOES give the driver an edge though, because the clicker, acting as a one-way, gives basically three wheels of power, out of a corner. Why three? the rear diff drives only one wheel at any time. the other is just "neutral." With the clicker, BOTH front wheels are under power, so, hence three wheels. This is much more power than the average AWD chassis. It doesn't matter if it's on-road or off. The great thing about a one-way is that as you know, the front inside wheel is spinning less around a corner, the outside wheel has to spin faster, to keep up. the clicker allows this, by powering the outside wheel, and since the inside wheel is spinning less, will "freewheel" for a short time, but will still keep power to the ground, especially when getting back on throttle, out of the turn. This also reduces "push," where the front end doesn't seem to want to turn sharply enough. Since the inside wheel is still under power, it "drags" the front end around, and makes the chassis respond to sharper input. Adding Ackerman will enhance it further.
Now the clicker can be locked, by tightening the cinch nut, just like a slipper clutch, and also allows adjustment of the clicker, which on-road one-ways don't have, but they don't really need it, because the physics is different. With the clicker adjusted for one-way operation, as I said earlier, there will be no brakes and no reverse at the front wheels. Drag brake is very important here, as it can help slow the truck down, without the driver pushing the trigger forward, to set up for a turn, which means faster response time, faster cornering speed, and faster lap times. It also allows the driver to dive deeper into the turn, before letting off throttle, and let the drag brake "swing" the rear end around to where he wants it, then pull back on throttle, and power out. That's the "aggro" way of driving, and it's how I drive.   

I also agree with your list of Traxxas vehicles, because the rest of Traxxas' line is not meant to race. Sorry, but I don't have a videocam, but I DID go to an office supply store that carries them, and was blown away at how inexpensive they are! I can get one for less than $100!!! Trouble is, now I don't know how to post vids!!
I'll get one soon, but all I can vid is on-road, because I gave up off-road a couple of years ago.

Nice explanation.I'm sure others will come out with a one way diff soon enough.

I too drive pretty much the same way.I try to let off as late as possible and get on the power to slide the rear end and the slash straightens itself out and bang!!I use the throttle to swing the rear end around as soon as possible.

Open an account in youtube.If you have a Gmail account,you can use the username and password from that too.Once you are there,you have to choose which vid you want to upload.It should upload and just like how you post the link here,post that link and it will be embedded.

At approx. 1:45, you'll see where the right front body mount "nipple" is, just above it, is a "hump" in the belt channel. That is where the clicker resides. They didn't give it any mention in the ad, though it is most probably the most important improvement made to any SC chassis.

I assure you, with a front one-way, or clicker, aggro driving takes on a whole new meaning! I'm almost afraid to find out what it's street price will be, but I can say, that dollar for dollar, it will be inexpensive, compared to what Traxxas would have charged for it, had they come up with it.

Mind you, this still won't get me back into off-road, but if the chassis shows promise, I may get one, and mod it for 1/8th on-road GT racing (like the Traxxas Slash 4X4 project, only for bonfide on-road racing!)!  With a few tweaks, it may be just as good there, as in dirt.  I did it with the SC18, and it worked out pretty well! Maybe I can do it at twice the size!!!

Thanx for the Youtube info. Don't have Gmail, but will find out how, from someone here, who has done it, if there are any I can find!

Wow, great explanation!
Gandhar, you should try doing that on 2 2WD vehicle.. LOTS more fun! But, requires mad throttle control to stay in the turn..

Gokemidoro, they seem to have it over at Amain and tower.. 279$.
Doesn't seem bad for that price!

Divyam,4wd makes it easier.I'm spoilt

But great explanation there gokemidoro.

I personally would not go out and buy it immediately.I'd like to see what problems people have with the car.Every car is bound to have problems.The slash had(and has)a driveline problem.

I just don't get why AE didn't advertise the clicker

Hey, guys! Still having troubles with my PC....Tsk!

Divyam,   $279??!! At that price, it'll be easy to mod, for a lot less than I was expecting, which was closer to $400. I did the math - chassis, body, a set of 1/8th foams, and correct shocks - about what I was expecting to pay for just the chassis!

iamahuman, don't let that stop you, as I know a bit something about belt-drive chassis, and about the only things you wil have to concern yourself with (and I believe Associated has addressed this) is belt tension. Everything else is pretty much the same as shafties (except for the clicker). Actually, the chassis is pretty simple, compared to most belt-drives, so you should go ahead and get one if you like, because I can guarantee that any Associated will be quality. I have never been disappointed in any Associated I have ever purchased.
You'll be blown away at how simple the clicker is, too!

Hey, All!

Here's one of the designers of the Associated SC10 4X4 to explain it's finer points:



At apporox. 18:35, you'll see what he says about the clicker, and how it affects handling and power delivery. The rest is selling the chassis, but I don't think he's overstating anything, because of what I see, it's all geared toward total performance, not just one thing or another.  The simplicity is the one thing that impresses me. No bells and whistles, it doesn't look like a Rube Goldberg contraption, just simple, compact design. Look at the width of the chassis!

I like it.

http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_info.php/cPath/1_44_1785/products_id/199030/n/Team-Associated-SC10-4x4-1-10-Scale-Electric-4WD-Short-Course-Race-Truck-Kit

Really aggressive pricing! 269$!!
I MAY just get one, after reading a few reviews.. My main concern is durability..
AE probably makes trucks that are best suited for PRO drivers.. So, for them, durability is not an issue..
But, a newbie like me is likely to crash at the track.. So, I want a durable truck..

Divyam,

No worries. I have had several Associated cars and trucks, and never had a moment's trouble with any of them! Sure, the occasional broken part, but not anywhere near the frequency of any of the Traxxas trucks I've had.  I still have an 18R rally (custom modded for rally), that is more than four years old, has been mercilessly abused, BL powered, with not a single broken part, in any of those four+ years. You may have seen it in one of my links, that one. The red one. I have two others, another that is just as old, with the same track record. The third is too new.

I don't think durability will be a problem with this new truck. I don't think you're very familiar with American RC off-road drivers......They tend to be hard on their equipment, and this truck will take it, I assure you!
Yes, it's a race truck, but it has to take some serious abuse to race, and from what I see, it is stout enough to do anything it's asked to do, as long as it isn't something it wasn't designed to do, like having an oversized power system in it.

I wouldn't be worried about it. It's a game changer. If I were still into off-road, I'd jump on one!

But spares would be a problem here in India.Divyam,if you do get it,I really will have to work on my driving and my only advantage will be more power.The SC class here would go crazy if you get the SC10 4x4.

Yes.. Spare parts.. BIG problem for me.. I really need parts support.. O don't wanna order online, every time I break something as small as a A-Arm..

@Gokemidoro
I read somewhere that you can't out a bigger power plant than a 550 sized can.. It Just wont fit..

A 550 would be more than enough on an SCT.The vxl is almost too much and is a 540 can.The 550 cans have upto 75% longer stators and offer way more torque than is necessary for SCts.

Divyam,

That particular can was the Novak Ballistic SC. It is 7mm too long, and actually shows just how inefficient they can get, when the can cannot fit the application (I guess you can tell I'm not big on Novak, either). ANY other motor will fit, if it is 540/550 size.

My advice on spare parts (get ready, this list will surprise you)?

Front and rear control arms (A-arms), as you said. Besides bodies, that's it. If you are still not satisfied, E-mail Associated, and ask them which parts are continually replaced. I don't think the answer will be much different.

And as Iamahuman says, 550 is too much, especially if you are not going to race. This particular chassis is a lightweight. If you slap in a system too large, you invite disaster. The Traxxas VXL is 3500 Kv. The Castle SCT is 3800 Kv. To go above this is abuse, and you will actually invite broken parts, so stay within reason when choosing a power system for an SC truck. The truck has a number of safety features built into it's design, but it cannot withstand overzealous power choices. No SC truck will, no matter who makes it.

If you are in a position to recommend or sell them, this caveate MUST be stressed, so you are not deluged with folk complaining about how "fragile" the truck is.

On the castle SCT,is it a 550 can?I know its a 4 pole design.And also,have they solved the throttle curve problem?I would like to get one for my slash.

540.

It's specially programmed for SC. LOTS of torque, but limited RPM, as it should be, but it will "wake up" your Slash.

For sure.    

I had one of the early Slashes, and the Sidewinder (non-SC) I had in it required extra weight placed in the front of the chassis, because it wouldn't turn. Too much RPM. It had to be fully off-power to do so.

I think now is where the SC104X4 becomes attractive, because it DOESN'T need to be off-power for turns! It can be motored almost all the way through. With a clicker, all the more so.  

EDIT:

On programming - the SCT is fully programmable, like all of Castle's ESC's. There is a profile for any driver. I've played around with them enough to know. The Castle Link is a must-have.

Thanks.

IF I get one,I will get the castle link too.

Yah, always be ready to try new things.

I think once you try out the Castle Link, you won't be satisfied with any other system. I, myself have no curiosity about other systems, because Castle accomodates all my needs.

You might also give the Surface Field Programming Card a try. It's twice the price of the Link, but you can program your ESC without a PC, and when at home, it will act as the Link (it is USB adaptable), so you have full flexibility! I had the Link first, but tried the SFPC, and found the Link to be redundant, because I was using the SFPC almost exclusively.  It's about $50, so it may still be within your budget, but it's indispensable!   And you only need one, because it will adjust ALL Castle ESC's, AND the HPI Flux!

Yeah..
I'll have to see about the SC104x4..

Either ways, Gandhar, go ahead with the SCT system! (If you can)
Its just 109$ ! So, you may still have some funds left for the programming card!!   

HOW does Castle sell them for so cheap?! Even the new Sidewinder v2.. Cheaper and SUPPOSEDLY more powerful than the previous one! Yet to check that out!

Castle doesn't use "name recognition" to sell their products. They don't have to charge for the name, and have been using the same component suppliers for years, so the need to charge more would only hurt their business, though the quality of their products would remain the same.

It's also the best indicator of just how much extra you pay, for other brands. The fact that their systems aren't sensored is another. Their advances are making sensored systems redundant, because if adjusted correctly, their systems have VERY little "cogging," and are becoming more responsive all the time. The original system I purchased years ago had pretty bad cogging, and couldn't be adjusted out, no matter what you did. The new systems aren't like that, but people who remember that early system won't change their mind, and won't try a new system to verify, so they keep forwarding the same misconceptions. It's the only excuse they use to badmouth Castle.
The four-pole motor system is almost devoid of cogging, has gobs more torque, but still has that distinctive ratcheting beep sound, so people who hate Castle use that to whine, but if that's all they have, to say whether a system is good or bad, they aren't worth listening to.
I have issue with most other brands, because of the price factor vs. quality, though some make good systems, the price is the big turn-off.

Novak should be avoided at all costs. They charge the highest price, for the worst components, of ALL manufacturers. Imagine a car company selling the worst, ugliest, most fragile compact car, for the price of a Ferarri. That's Novak.
Now imagine another car company selling the Shelby Mustang KR "Super Snake," (800BHP) for the price of a Hyundai. That's Castle.     Now toughen up the KR/SS, for 24 hr. LeMans, and that is the new Castle systems. 

They are the only company I know, that sells systems that will outlast the car they're put in.

I wish this very interesting discussion (with lots of useful information) had a better topic title !  The current topic title is so generic

Yah, sorry about that.

It kind of morphed into a discussion I had no idea would be about the Associated SC104X4, but since short course was the last off-road I did, it seemed pertinent I give my two cents.

It's just my overblown distaste for the Traxxas rally. Horrible RC car. Traxxas' worst to date. Doesn't do anything well (might as well be a paperweight, albeit a very expensive one). I just got tired of seeing glowing report after gushing review, knowing what was going on isn't the truth about it - just more Traxxas worship. 
I just want people to know that the rally is NOT what everyone may be led to believe, that's all.

So, anwar, what's your take on the Associated SC104X4?

NACG - Not a car guy (yet!)

I only have a Slash 2WD for my son to play with.

How about separating a part of this thread into ...........

I'm already there!

Check the new threads! See you there!