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4tec 3.3 any good in racing?

4tec 3.3 any good in racing?

Old 06-14-2006, 08:50 PM
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Default 4tec 3.3 any good in racing?

Hi, Im thinking of getting a nitro sedan for just playing around and also to race. The 4tec sounds nice with its 75+ mph. Is it any good in racing? IF not, what cars do you guys recommend and also what engines? Thanks.
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Old 06-14-2006, 09:13 PM
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The Nitro 4 Tec is a basher... plain and simple. It's not race legal by any stretch, nor would it be a good racer if it was made legal. It is fast as all Hell, but other than that it's for running in front of your house or blasting past some people. They will be impressed, but it will take some mad driving skill to get a .12 powered 4-Tec to impress anyone at a racetrack.

It is very durable, and easy to start, maintain, and repair, but it's not light or agile enough for racing. It has a suspension geometry, steering design, and overall construction that's made for the parking lots... not the racetrack. It doesn't have the same race spec parts as a purpose built racer. Check your local tracks for a sport class that might run RTR touring cars with no engine or chassis requirements. This class would be perfect for the 4-Tec. The 3.3 engine is a good mill, but it's way too big to be legal (It's a .20 whereas legal engines are .12) and the chassis is a bit too high and bulky to be a good racing design.

I'll let the nitro on-road racing crowd give you some good advice on a racing touring car, but let me be the first to say that this car is the best choice for someone who wants to run it in front of their house and have tons of fun ripping up local parking lots. It's just stronger than anything else out there that's meant to race..... and cheaper and easier to repair too....
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Old 06-14-2006, 09:38 PM
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Well that is just what im looking for a cheaper and easy to upkeep fast running nitro car. So they do pretty good in the parkinglots hu! Well i may have to look into that.
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Old 06-14-2006, 10:32 PM
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Definatly... I'm not saying they are bad cars, quite the opposite. I am saying they are great cars to drive around and beat on in the rouch bumpy stuff in parking lots. They are very strong, and it's a Traxxas so parts are everywhere and always affordable. The engine comes with a tuning and operation DVD to make everything easy, and the starter is electric. All you do is plug in the EZ-Start and push the button. The glow plug lights up and the engine cranks... it's as simple as that. If the light doesn't come on in the starting unit you need to replace the glow plug. No guesswork, no pulling, no extra batteries, no swore wrists...... but it is heavy.

It is a great parking lot basher. It will out bash any racer out there..... but it's track performance against the purpose built racers are minimal. It's like a Dodge Charger. It's fast, powerful, and very fun to play with. It's got more power than most cars in it's class, and it's also got the added luxury of some modern refinements. Put a Dodge Charger on a racetrack with LeMans cars and it's still just a 4 door family sedan pushing a bunch of horsepower. But, that Charger will go a whole lot longer on one set of tires than those LeMans cars will..... and the parts to fix one are a whole lot cheaper. Plus, it's got power everything and it's still a great car.
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Old 06-15-2006, 10:04 PM
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So pretty much what your saying is if your wanting a good onroad nitro car it's the one correct? Is the 3.3 to much for it though? And is the electric as good as the Nitro? I uses to have a T-maxx 2.5r but traded it off. So im kinda liking the electric since i got a MINI LST. So im having a hard time choosing which one i would like better and how much difference there is in in price and upkeep. $354.99 for the 3.3 and $160.00 for electric well hard to choose.

Last edited by bpandragon; 06-15-2006 at 10:48 PM.
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Old 06-16-2006, 07:53 AM
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If you want to bash around the N4tec is good, but if you have the intention on racing get a new car from the start.
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Old 06-16-2006, 08:35 AM
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Originally Posted by bpandragon
So pretty much what your saying is if your wanting a good onroad nitro car it's the one correct? Is the 3.3 to much for it though? And is the electric as good as the Nitro? I uses to have a T-maxx 2.5r but traded it off. So im kinda liking the electric since i got a MINI LST. So im having a hard time choosing which one i would like better and how much difference there is in in price and upkeep. $354.99 for the 3.3 and $160.00 for electric well hard to choose.
What Platinum Racing is saying is that if you are looking to just bash, then buy the Nitro 4tec. If you are looking to get into the club racing scene, consider buying the proven race cars brands like Mugen, Serpent, Kyosho, HPI and even the Associated Nitro TC3. The Nitro 4tec is not a race car for touring car track setups and only the more polished, skilled racers might be able to get one to work on a club track. So, if you planning on getting into the club track racing scene, don't get the 4tec.
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Old 06-16-2006, 09:19 AM
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4tec 3.3 is no good for racing. Get a 720.
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Old 06-16-2006, 09:36 AM
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Before you purchase, check the local race scene. If you plan on doing any structured club racing, ask if they have a class you can run a 4Tec in.

Pretty much, for a fast, durable, run with your friends and chase cars up the street rc, it's about perfect. However, if the car gets near an actual track or a race, you see the shortcomings come up. If you plan on doing any serious (or semi serious) racing, you may want to start with a different platform. But if you just want to run in a lot, race once in a while (not being really competetive) and the locals allow it, then go for it.
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Old 06-16-2006, 09:39 AM
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Unlike Luke W, here are a list of cars for racing to look at, evaluate, and choose to meet your needs, abilities, pocket book, etc:

Kyosho: V-one RRR, FW-05RR
Mugen: MTX-4, MTX-3
Serpent: 720, 710
HPI: R40
Associated: Nitro TC3
Team Magic: G4
RD Logics: Mongoose (same as the G4)

No one car in this group is any better than the other. Some may have better attributes over another but all are pretty equivalent. It is just picking one and making it work for you. Just read up on each one and make your own informed decision. Remember, parts availability or the ease in which replacement parts are obtained will be one of the key factors in your decision. Check with you local hobby shop to see what they carry and/or can obtain rather easily. Hope that this information helps.
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Old 06-16-2006, 09:54 AM
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Good list. The two things you have to consider is parts availability and budget. Every car you listed there will need an engine, pipe, receiver pack (sometimes a specialized one) and a starter box, whereas that 4Tec is RTR (although the NTC3 can be had RTR). That may also play a factor in what car to get.
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Old 06-16-2006, 10:48 AM
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As far as nitro Vs electric... lets put it this way... some nice torquie electric touring cars will beat nitro touring cars on a tight complex racetrack. With electric, it's possible to achieve a lower center of gravity, and higher torque because electrics put out more low end punch.

Electrics are less maintnence, but require more initial money to get going. They are charge and run, and if you get a cheap RTR and some cheap batteries you can be going soon... but if you want to get serious it's pretty pricey. Nitro is expensive over the long haul with new engines, pistons, fuel, ect.....

The MLST is a great truck, and they are very fun. They can go more places than a touring car. Ask yourself this... do you want pure on-road speed, or off-road versatility? An off-roader can be built into an on-roader very easily, and perform alright when set up correctly. An on-road car will pretty much dominate pavement over any off-road conversion. We make HPI MT's and Traxxas 2WD off-roaders good oval cars for our local track, but that's because the track is very casual. We have some very fast cars running Pro-Stock (27T ROAR legal motors in any 2WD single motor electric Traxxas vehicle: Rustler, Bandit, Stampede ect....) but the stock touring cars are still faster and more nimble.

You can take an off-roader anywhere, and if you want on-road performance you can get it with some tuning and new parts. In an on-road car you can put longer shocks, larger wheels, and in some cases longer arms and make a rally car, but the maintnence factor goes up insanely. For example, old TC3 owners will know what I'm talking about when I say that a TC3 will hit a sandy area in the street and grind the steering. Touring car rally conversions will always require more care because the basic design is still built for clean, stable, high traction low mess street running, whereas an off-roader will be able to handle the abuse of gravel and rocks bouncing off the drivetrain, off the gear cover, into the bell cranks, and onto the suspension. In some touring cars the droop can be altered by small rocks that get caught under the arms. Steering can become stuck, and shocks can get dirty and contaminated.

If you think you might want to race in some dirt or gravel start off with an off-roader. You can always slap some on-road tires on a lowered off-road car and hit the pavement, because the suspensions are stronger and more resiliant to the rough stuff. If you want to either bash on-road or race at a touring track, you will find that a touring car is your best bet. The NTC3 RTR is a good car to start with, but the Nitro 4-Tec 3.3 will smoke it everytime. The engine is a bit easier to operate, it's a lot more powerful, and it has an onboard starting system.

There is also a difference with those 2 choices because the NTC3 is shaft driven while the Nitro 4-Tec 3.3 is belt driven. The shaft is a bit simplier and in my opinion more durable. I have never driven a shaft driven nitro touring car, but with the electrics when you get a fast motor in there you do experience a bit of torque steer (When the rotational force of the motor/engine shifts the weight of the car to one side). I don't know if this is the case with a NTC3, so I'll leave the rest with the guys who know first hand.

Put a Dodge Charger on a racetrack with LeMans cars and it's still just a 4 door family sedan pushing a bunch of horsepower.
I still stick by this statement as a good way to describe the racing cars out there and the Nitro 4-Tec 3.3.
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