Test Bench: Avid SC10 Accessories

Test Bench: Avid SC10 Accessories

For many years Avid was best known for their high quality, yet affordable RC bearings, especially their popular Revolution series.  But back in January 2012 they announced that they had formed a partnership with former Team Associated engineer Kurt “COACH” Wenger to offer more accessories and aftermarket parts.  Since then they have released a plethora of products with many designed to fit the Team Associated B4.x, T4.x, and SC10.x line of vehicles.  Kurt was the lead designer of the Team Associated B4 platform, which has now gone on to win 6 IFMAR World Championships, so he definitely brings some street cred to this new product line.  For this review will take a look at seven of these new products for the SC10.

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Vented Motor Plate

One of the worst enemies for your brushless motor is heat.  The hotter your motor gets the worse it can perform and sometimes it can lead to premature failure.  Avid’s motor plate is designed to allow in more air to help cool your motor while keeping out dirt at the same time.

Here you can see the angled vents.

Here you can see the angled vents.

This is achieved by its unique 45 degree angled vents that allow air to pass through, and these vents also cut down on the weight if the plate.  The plate is may be lightened but it is still rigid enough to hold your gear mesh since it is made of anodized 3mm 6061-T6 aluminum.  The plate is only available in black and even features a silver chamfered edge.  To install it simply remove your existing motor plate and use the same screws to attach the new one.  It is a nice clean fit and with any motor plate make sure you add a dab of blue threadlock to the screws so they don’t back their way out of the new plate.

Motor plate installed in a SC10 transmission.

Motor plate installed in a SC10 transmission.

In my testing I could see that my motor temps were slightly cooler and the vents didn’t allow in more dirt than you normally see the when using the OEM motor plate.

Item no. AV1011
Price: $17.00 (varies with dealer)
Material: Billet 6061-T6
Weight: 16.8g (FT B4.1 Milled Plate: 15.7g)

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Triad Slipper Clutch

One of the cool features of the Factory Team SC10 4×4 when it was released was its new VTS three slipper pad system.  Soon after that factory drivers started experimenting with this setup for other 1/10 vehicles and now Team Associated even includes them in their Factory Team B4.2, T4.2, and SC10.2 kits.  But before these kits hit the market Avid had released their unique three pad slipper clutch system called the Triad.  The Triad is offered in two different kits, one for modified racing and one for stock racing.  Each kit comes with two spur gears that are designed for that racing class, otherwise they are exactly the same.

Here you can see how small the plates and pads are.

Here you can see how small the plates and pads are.

The Triad uses three small slipper pads and drive plates that are about the size of a penny.  This system promises to offer you a smoother throttle and brake feel, more consistent jumping, and less maintenance.

All the components that make up the Triad slipper clutch.

All the components that make up the Triad slipper clutch.

Installation can be a little tricky the first time through and thankfully instructions are included.  Once this is installed you adjust the slipper settings just like you would any slipper clutch and the overall look and feel is very cool.

Triad installed in a SC10.

Triad installed in a SC10.

In my testing I found it to perform well. Since there is less rotating mass, I felt I got a little more pop out of motors.  One downside to this system is that you can’t use the normal spur gears that Team Associated (and others) have been offering for years.  Make sure you have some spares on hand and Avid offers all of their spur gears separately for about the cost of an OEM spur gear.

Item no. AV1020-MOD
Price: $28.00 (varies with dealer)

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Associated Shock Standoffs (Short and Standard)

After months of testing and spy shots online, Team Associated released their anticipated 12mm big bore shocks.  These new shocks use a black aluminum shock cap and are designed to be used with their Factory Team aluminum shock bushings.  So this means you have metal in constant contact with each other and eventually you take off all of the anodizing and wear out your caps.  To combat thi,s Avid has designed shock standoffs that use replaceable Delrin pivot bushings.

Here you can see how these standoffs compare to the stock version.

Here you can see how these standoffs compare to the stock version.

These bushings act as a buffer zone between the two surface contact points and are sold in replacement packs of four.  To help keep the shock screws from bending, the aluminum shock standoffs use a wide base.  They are constructed out of 7075 aluminum and are anodized in black for that factory look.  To install them simply remove your old aluminum shock bushings from the mounting screw and then set them aside.  Then slip on the black shock standoffs and then hold them in place so you can install the Delrin pivot bushings.  Finally, slip the shock through the mounting screw until the bushing is seated inside the shock cap’s opening, and then lock it down with a shock mount nut.  Since this is a two piece system make sure that when you install these on the front shock tower you don’t lose the bushing before you install the shocks since the front tower tends to lean at an angle towards the chassis and they can slide off.

Standoffs installed in the front.

Standoffs installed in the front of a SC10.

I have been testing these for a few months now and the Delrin bushings are still holding up well.  I also compared my shock caps to other caps that were using the Factory Team aluminum shock bushings and I could definitely see a difference in the amount of wear.  I plan to upgrade all of my big bore shocks to Avid standoffs.

Item no. AV1018-SHORT
Price: $6.00 (varies with dealer)
Material: 7075 aluminum

Item no. AV1018-STD
Price: $6.00 (varies with dealer)
Material: 7075 aluminum

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Aluminum Steering Bellcranks

The first accessory item that Avid offered after they teamed up with Wenger was aluminum steering bellcranks.  For years, Factory drivers have been disabling their servo saver system by gluing the servo saver halves together.  By doing this they gained more steering response, and thanks to today’s stronger metal-gear servos, the chances of stripping out gears is slim.  But even with this modification a driver could still break the plastic servo saver, so Avid developed their bellcranks.  Avid’s bellcranks come in two pieces, one to replace the plastic bellcrank and the other is used to replace the plastic servo saver.  Both are manufactured from billet 6061-T6 aluminum, anodized in black, and laser etched to enhance the looks.

Assembled bellcrank.

Assembled bellcranks.

To install it, remove the existing plastic bellcrank and servo saver and then set them aside.  Make sure to keep the bolts, bushings, and bearings since they will be reused.  When you assemble the new bellcrank make sure you add a dab of blue threadlock to the 4-40 x 3/8 screws that install through the steering rack since you are working with metal on metal.  Also make sure to apply threadlock to the servo link’s ballstud before you sink it down into the new bellcrank.  Finally, install the assembled bellcrank into your vehicle and you are ready to hit the track.

Bellcrank installed in a SC10.

Bellcrank installed in a SC10.

In testing I did find my truck a little more responsive,  and I  have yet to break one of my servos.

Item no. AV1000
Price: $20.00 (varies with dealer)
Material: Billet 6061-T6
Weight: 10g (Stock B4 Bellcranks: 7g)

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Carbon Fiber Rear Hub Tower

Since Team Associated released their Factory Team rear aluminum hubs in their .1 kits, the hot setup for high grip, smooth tracks was to use the “C” link location with their optional carbon fiber rear hub tower.  To switch from the standard “A” link location you had to remove the rear hub tower by backing out two screws that held it in place, plus the ballstud that is used for the turnbuckle.  This meant more work and you had to carry both parts with you in case you were to break one of them.  With Avid’s design you can set your car up for both A and C locations with one part.  The rear hub tower is made of 3mm carbon fiber composite and is very lightweight since they only weigh in at 2.2g each.  Each rear hub tower is comprised of six holes, three on the top for the “A” link location, and three on the bottom for the “C” link location.  So instead of having to remove your rear hub tower each time simply move the ballstud up or down.  And each set of hubs also includes two 3/16” aluminum locking nuts and black oxide washers to help with the installation.

Hub tower installed in a SC10.

Hub tower installed in a SC10.

To install them, remove the existing rear hub towers and set them aside.  Then install the new rear hub towers by tightening down the two lower screws and then finally use the 3/16” aluminum locking nut to keep the ballstud in place once you position it on the rear hub tower.  In my testing I used slightly longer lower screws so that I could capture them on the backside of the rear aluminum hubs.  You don’t need to do this, I just prefer this method versus using the stock screws.  Initially I thought that the ballstud might “egg” out its mounting hole and move to another location since they are so close together, but after months of testing I have yet to break one of these rear hub towers.

Item no. AV1013
Price: $12.00 (varies with dealer)
Material: Carbon fiber composite
Weight: 2.2g per pair

IMAG2120Avert Design Aluminum Spring Cups

It is inevitable that at one point or another you will crash your vehicle out on the race track.  When you do there is a chance you can dislodge your 12mm big bore shock cup so that you lose it or worse yet you can strip out the plastic shock end.  Avid’s unique Avert Design aluminum spring cups aim to resolve both of these common issues.  These caps are made of 6061-T6 aluminum and are very light weighing in at only 1.3g each.  Each cup features an Avid laser etched logo and they are anodized in black.  But the most noticeable feature of these caps are the angled slot design.

You can see how the Avert Design (right) compares to the stock cup (right).

You can see how the Avert Design (right) compares to the stock cup (right).

By creating this “curve” in the path the shock shaft must take to remove them, this helps to keep them in place during wrecks.  And unlike the stock plastic cups, these aluminum cups won’t flex, which will also help to keep them in place.  Installation is simple with no other modifications needed.  Simply remove the original cups and install the new Avert caps.  The Avert cups have a smooth top surface design while the original plastic cups have holes in them.

Avert cups installed in a SC10.

Avert cups installed in a SC10.

Avid says this will keep dirt from getting trapped inside of these holes, but in testing I did find that these new cups can actually collect small amounts of fine dirt since there is not a way for it to escape.  And I definitely had my share of wrecks but each time the caps did their job and never popped off.

Item no. AV1017
Price: $20.00 (varies with dealer)
Material: Billet 6061-T6
Weight: 1.3g each

Source: https://www.avidrc.com

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Updated: July 21, 2015 — 3:40 PM
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