Packed With Performance – Team Associated’s RC8T4 1/8-Scale Nitro Truggy

Team Associated has been an integral part of the 1/8-scale nitro off-road scene for the better part of the past two decades. Starting out with the introduction of their RC8 platform in 2007, and then the RC8T later in 2008, Team AE made its mark on the industry and never looked back. Their dominance and ingenuity in the 1/8-scale segment has been so impactful that several of the company’s world titles have come from their 1/8-scale nitro racing efforts. With their longstanding experience in 1/8-scale racing, they continue to improve upon each of their kits and push the bar every time a new one is released. Lucky for us, we were able to get our hands on one of their newest kits, the RC8T4. This awesome race kit is packed full of performance with several new features. Let’s jump in and take a closer look at this terrific truggy.

Designed for success

If you’ve ever gotten your hands on one of Team Associated’s 1/8-scale nitro kits, you’ll know they’re always something to behold. This kit is no different and comes loaded with high-quality parts, which are beautifully manufactured and machined to perfection.

At its foundation, the RC8T4 is based around a 3mm-thick machined aluminum plate chassis that has been hard anodized to protect from wear and corrosion. Newly designed front and rear gearboxes incorporate larger bearings to improve the lifespan of the bevel and pinion gears, while both gearboxes feature updated pinion angles to improve the overall drivetrain efficiency. The front gearbox now features a 3.5° pinion incline, while the rear is 0°. Both the front and rear gearboxes feature the same fluid-filled, tunable differentials as the T3.2 but now include updated inner diff gears.

At the truggy’s center sits the easily serviceable center differential housing and brake unit, which has been slightly updated from the previous T3.2 model. The center is a two-piece design that separates at the halfway point to make maintenance and disassembly simple and convenient. The brake rotors have been updated to accommodate the new center drive bones that now feature longer drive pins. Steel universal shafts connect the front and rear gearboxes to the center diff, while steel CVAs are included at the front and rear of the truck to send power to the wheels.

Team Associated made the biggest updates to the RC8T4 with its suspension, including all-new geometry and parts. The T4 still features the same great steel pillowballs as the previous model but now includes new 8° steering blocks. These new steering blocks reduce the kingpin inclination (KPI) to improve the overall ease and consistency of how the truggy drives. The upper pivot blocks have also been redesigned for wider geometry in an effort to improve handling and consistency.

The front upper arms have been updated to use bushing inserts for caster adjustment rather than clips like the previous model. Upper arm length remains the same as the T3.2 and they include optional plate inserts to fine-tune flex. The lower arms feature a new design that moves the location of the droop screw to match up to the new chassis. All the suspension arms on the RC8T4 are now made from AE’s updated plastic, which is the same material as the T3.2 “HD” components. Additionally, Associated updated the rods ends throughout the kit using the same material from their 1/10-scale off-road racing models. At the rear of the truck, AE incorporated new symmetrical hubs with removable axle height inserts.

Newly designed shock towers at the front and rear of the vehicle feature updated geometry to further improve the truggy’s performance. The front tower includes more body mounting points so all styles of truggy body can be fitted to the kit, while the new rear tower features an updated wing mount. This new design captures the wing mount with lock nuts on the inside of the tower, which is a nice departure from the previous design that required screws from both sides. The RC8T4 still includes AE’s high-performance large-bore shocks with 3.5mm shafts, which are tried-and-true components from the previous model. AE has updated the shock eyelets to now include +2mm and +4mm options to complement the new suspension geometry and allow for fine-tuning of droop and shock lengths.

The RC8T4 is loaded with parts that allow for tuning of the vehicle’s flex characteristics. The rear chassis brace has been redesigned to mount directly to the gearbox and now includes an internal plate that can be removed or changed out with a harder material as you choose. The front brace is similar in design and mates up to the carbon plate that ties the front end together. The new modular servo tray features a multi-piece design that allows for multiple configurations to also fine-tune the truck’s flex performance.

This new tray mates up to a rear receiver box and includes a built-in transponder/power switch mount. An enclosed battery box sits beside the servo mounts to finish up the electronics tray. As with previous models, Associated includes machined aluminum engine mounts and a machined aluminum tuned pipe mount, now with an updated spring-type pipe hanger. Other notable updates to the RC8T4 design are a new fuel tank that includes an ergonomic lid puller, two different sets of body mounts to accommodate different body styles, and a new rear wing design that improves straight-line speed and downforce.

SPEC’ED OUT

As with all nitro racing kits, there are several parts that are required to get the kit running. These are high-end racing models, and there are a lot of options available when it comes to running gear, so it makes sense that these parts are left to the builder to choose.
For this build, I wanted to include some of the best components I could get my hands on. This is a high-performance racing truggy after all, so why not deck it out with high-performance parts? The engine I chose is the latest offering from Adam Drake, the O.S. Speed AD3. Combined with an O.S. Speed tuned pipe and header, this race-tuned engine is more than capable of laying down the power needed to propel the RC8T4. Next up, I opted to install Team Associated’s adjustable clutch system. I’ve found this clutch to perform extremely well for the changing grip conditions at various tracks around my area, allowing me to adjust clutch engagement on the fly. For steering and throttle/brake control I outfitted the truggy with a pair of ProTek RC high-performance servos, using a 170SBL for the steering and a 170TBL for the brake and throttle. I also decided to install Associated’s optional aluminum servo saver arm for peace of mind. The Factory Team anodized blue looks pretty sweet, too. A set of Revolution Design aluminum servo arms were installed onto the servos for precise control. These were specifically designed for the 3.2 series of vehicles, but I found them to work perfectly on the T4 as well.

For some extra suspension performance, I installed a set of MIP’s Bypass shock pistons. There’s nothing wrong with the stock pistons from the kit; I’ve just used MIP’s Bypass pistons in the past and really liked their performance. I was a bit surprised to find that the kit does not include a way to run emulsion-style shocks out of the box. The bleeder caps require an optional set of emulsion seals to make that happen. They’re cheap, easy to install and readily available from Associated. I was just a little surprised that they weren’t included. I also installed a set of T-Work’s Teflon pillowball spacers, originally designed for the 3.2 but identically spec’d to the T4 plastic inserts. The Teflon material ensures super-smooth performance from the pillowballs and only requires very minimal maintenance to keep them at their best.

For wheels I decided to go with Avid RC’s Truss truggy wheels. Truggies are heavy vehicles, so the added support and structure from Avid’s Truss design seemed like a great option to explore. I wrapped the wheels in JConcepts Triple Dees, a great tire design with tread that is ideally suited for my local tracks. Finally, and most obviously, I opted to complete the truggy with a JConcepts F2 truggy body. Affectionately known as a “bruggy,” this style of body has become one of the latest trends to sweep the truggy segment.

PERFORMANCE DRIVEN

With all the technical specs and parts out of the way, let’s talk about how this thing performs. To put it simply, it’s a true pleasure to drive. The new suspension geometry of the RC8T4 makes the truck so easy to control, even in the loose sections of the track, that it’s difficult not to have a big grin on your face the whole time you’re driving it. I ended up using a mix of settings from a couple of the pro driver setup sheets posted on AE’s website, with the goal being a fairly neutral starting setup. I know that this can be a mixed bag of results sometimes, but this actually proved to be a great starting point for the truck. The radio exchanged hands between myself and my brother, who happened to be my assistant at the track for the day. Both of us noticed the truck hooked up right away to the track surface and only required a minimal amount of getting used to in order to get in the groove.

It was no issue to get the truck up to speed from a standstill, quickly finding its way down the front straight at full throttle, remaining perfectly controlled and composed the whole time. A quick jab of the brakes provided a brisk, controlled stop of the truggy’s momentum, allowing me to easily navigate the hairpin turn at the end of the straight. Its smoothness and composed capability let me easily line the truck up to the track’s first set of jumps, lining up just right so I could get right back on throttle, and propelling the truck over a large triple into yet another tight turn.

The track carried on like this, with an ever-flowing series of technical turns into big jumps, snaking back and forth, finally making its connection back onto the front straight. All the while, I felt in almost complete control over the truck, the only thing ever letting me down being my own unfamiliarity with the track layout and the timing of the jumps. I’d be lying if I said I never crashed that day… I crashed quite a few times, actually. But never did I ever feel it was the truck that let me down, only my own capabilities as a driver. The truck, if anything, helped me gain more confidence in my abilities than I had before. It was just so well composed and felt planted the whole time. Any crashes or tumbles were solely the fault of the driver, and what’s better is that the truck never seemed to be affected by them. All parts of the truck remained in perfect shape, showing no signs of wear from the use and abuse at the track.

Team Associated RC8T4 Team Kit VEHICLE SPECS

P/N: 80947
Street Price: $719.99
associatedelectronics.com

Height (as tested): 5.1 in. (130mm)
Length (as tested): 21.65 in. (550mm)
Width (as tested): 15.9 in. (405mm)
Wheelbase (as tested): 14.8 in. (375mm)
Weight (as tested, no fuel): 9 lbs., 4 oz

Scale: 1/8
Chassis: 7075 aluminum
Shocks: Large-bore aluminum, adjustable, oil-filled
Suspension: Independent, front and rear
Front & Rear Differentials: Fluid-filled, steel bevels
Center Differential: Fluid-filled, steel spur
Front & Rear Driveshafts: Steel CVA
Center Driveshafts: Steel universal
Bearings: Rubber-shielded ball

ADDITIONAL PARTS (Not Included)

O.S. Speed Adam Drake 3 Engine
O.S. Speed 2090SC Tuned Pipe w/ 85mm Manifold
Team Associated Factory Team 4-shoe Adjustable Clutch System (P/N 81420)
Team Associated 16mm Emulsion Bleeder Shock Seal Set (P/N 81184)
Reedy Electronic Power Switch (P/N 27035)
ProTek RC 170TBL Black Label Servo
ProTek RC 170SBL Black Label Servo
ProTek RC 2300mAh 7.4V LiPo Receiver Battery Pack
Revolution Design RC8T3.2 Aluminum Servo Arm Set
J&T Bearing Co. 17mm Wheel Nuts
Exotek 22mm 1/8th XL Aluminum Wing Buttons
Avid RC Truss 4.0” 1/8th Truggy Wheels
JConcepts Triple Dees 4.0” 1/8th Truggy Tires
JConcepts F2 1/8th Truggy Body

FINAL WORD

The RC8T4 is a further continuation of Team Associated’s innovation and ingenuity in the world of 1/8-scale nitro off-road vehicles. The truck is so well designed that it gives the driver that much more confidence and control on-track. Whether it be navigating tight, technical turns or just straight up sending it over the big jumps, this truggy won’t fail to impress. If you’ve been considering a nitro truggy for yourself, then I’d highly suggest you check out the Team Associated RC8T4. You won’t be disappointed. As always, thanks so much for reading. I’ll catch you in the next one.

---

Text and Images by Lauren Short