Team Associated 18R Subaru Drifter

[nascarkeith]

I'm doing some extra work this summer for play money so I decided to get back into onroad. I started looking and researching online and decided to go with a Team Associated RC18R. I liked the 1/18 scale because it is easy to transport and it works well in my driveway. The $139.99 RTR price was nice as well. I was surprised to find that included in the RTR was a TX with a 9.6v rechargeable battery.
Here it is in all its stock glory.

I usually don't start upgrading when I get a car. I usually can't afford it on my budget so I wait and upgrade as stuff breaks but like I said I have a little play money for this one.:o While I was researching I found out that the steering on stock 18r has some slop in it so I bought a Driven Productions steering link to fix. I also read that rocks were bad to get into the gears so I got a Driven Productions gear cover to fix that. The biggest and most noticeable upgrade is the Reedy 6100kv brushless set up. Man this thing scoots.


I peeled some decals off the RTR body and put some back on to fit my style a little better. I also have another Subaru body that I'm getting painted up for it. This thing has the longest antenna wire I have ever seen but I was able to cut the antenna tube down and coil it enough to get it looking decent. I will probably put a Spektrum RX in it later.

I also got a Duratrax 1600mah battery as a spare and to add a little run time. Since I'm wanting to drive I've moved the shock mounts around and tightened up the rear diff. It does pretty well but has a tendency to snap around. With the brushless set up it has plenty of power to spin the tires but it seems to be in a slide and grab a front wheel and spin out. Any suggestions?

[j0e]

looks like a fun little rig.
how 'bout some vids?

[crawlinnTN]

wow looks alot like my rc18t cept, a street version. im runnin a mamba 25 with 8000kv motor! it will do over 50

[nascarkeith]

j0e, these little rc's are a lot of fun. crawlinnTN, there are several versions of the RC18 that is one reason I got this one. Parts are plentiful. It is just a RC18 buggy or truck with shorter suspension arms.

I'll have to work on making one, Joe. I just got it in Wednesday so right now I'm trying to get it set up how I want it. I've got the new body painted up and mounted but I still have to do a little suspension tuning.

[Huey]

Nice! My friends and I have a small fleet of these. They are a ton of fun if you make a small track on your driveway and race a few of them together.

[Grumpster1980]

Looks good! I bet its fast with that motor!

[nascarkeith]

Originally Posted by Grumpster1980

Looks good! I bet its fast with that motor!

Stock they have been clocked to run 20mph. I bet mine is running around 25mph or so. What surprises me is not how fast it is but how quick it is. It takes no time to get to full speed.

I have fooled with this thing all day and its right on the edge of being set up right to drift. I think the suspension is pretty good because the diff adjustment is what is making the biggest difference. I can tighten it down and spin out. It won't hold a drift. If I loosen it a 1/2 turn then the car pushes and won't go into a slide. I have messed with it and think that since the adjustments are down to the diff and are that sensitive it may take some drift tires to really get it sliding. I had heard that with a brushless set up you could drift on stock rubber but I'm not having much luck.
Anyway here is how it is currently set up.
RTR RC18R
Spektrum TX/RX
Reedy 6100kv Brushless Motor/ESC
Driven Productions Steering Link
Driven Productions Gear Cover
Stock Gearing (18/?)
Stock Wheels/Tires
Stock Shocks with Fuel Tube Bump Stops
Thin Pre-Load Spacer for Lower Right Height and a little Droop
35 weight shock oil up front/ 65 weight in the rear
Associated Kamino Body with Exotek High Downforce Wing or the RTR Body
Rear Diff tightened but not locked

So what do you guys think? Do you see anything I'm missing why I can't sustain a drift or do you think its all in the tires?
Since I am running a Spektrum set up now I didn't need the antenna hole in the RTR body so I decided to open up a sunroof to make it look better.

[Grumpster1980]

Originally Posted by nascarkeith

Stock they have been clocked to run 20mph. I bet mine is running around 25mph or so. What surprises me is not how fast it is but how quick it is. It takes no time to get to full speed.

I have fooled with this thing all day and its right on the edge of being set up right to drift. I think the suspension is pretty good because the diff adjustment is what is making the biggest difference. I can tighten it down and spin out. It won't hold a drift. If I loosen it a 1/2 turn then the car pushes and won't go into a slide. I have messed with it and think that since the adjustments are down to the diff and are that sensitive it may take some drift tires to really get it sliding. I had heard that with a brushless set up you could drift on stock rubber but I'm not having much luck.
Anyway here is how it is currently set up.
RTR RC18R
Spektrum TX/RX
Reedy 6100kv Brushless Motor/ESC
Driven Productions Steering Link
Driven Productions Gear Cover
Stock Gearing (18/?)
Stock Wheels/Tires
Stock Shocks with Fuel Tube Bump Stops
Thin Pre-Load Spacer for Lower Right Height and a little Droop
35 weight shock oil up front/ 65 weight in the rear
Associated Kamino Body with Exotek High Downforce Wing or the RTR Body
Rear Diff tightened but not locked

So what do you guys think? Do you see anything I'm missing why I can't sustain a drift or do you think its all in the tires?
Since I am running a Spektrum set up now I didn't need the antenna hole in the RTR body so I decided to open up a sunroof to make it look better.

Here are a few simple things to do to get it to drift..... Here is a video of my drifter (HPI sprint 2 flux 5700kv 2s lipo) with ABS tires on it.


1. Fully Lock the rear differential this is a must.

2. Get some ABS Tires smooth in the rear and notched up front. If the ABS are to slippy for your liking then get some HPI rubber drift tires.

And you will be golden.

[nascarkeith]

Grump, that is a nice little drifter you've got there. Remember this is 1/18 so the HPI tires won't work. I found some abs drift tires made for it at thetoyz.com so I ordered those. That should get me sliding. Thanks for the advice.

[nascarkeith]

Originally Posted by j0e

looks like a fun little rig.
how 'bout some vids?

Here you go

[ChevyLuv]

ive got one of these cars well an 18t with a brishless they are rediculous how do you find yours?

[Gula]

Looks like it's a fun ride

[nascarkeith]

ChevyLuv, with rubber tires on it this thing is a rocket.

Gula, it is a very fun car set up either way. Rubber tires are fast but the abs is fun for drifting.

Speaking of abs tires I got the Driven Production ones I ordered in and mounted them up on another set of black wheels.


I've also been doing some work on the extra body I got for it. I trimmed the front bumper, added a splitter, cut open the grill, and meshed it in to show a styrene intercooler.


On the back end of the body I did some trimming and made a styrene diffuser and added exhaust.


I think that will pretty well finish up the other body.


Once, I did some testing and tuning I shot some video. I ended up locking the rear diff and tightening the front pretty good. Here is that video.

from Keith on Vimeo.

[WrenchHead]

Nice score NK. I have a small fleet of these RC18 rigs.lol One of my top 5 favs is the RC18R. They do rip and get there way to fast at times. Like the list of mods you got on er'. Me and a bud get together and tear up the local tennis courts and in my driveway. How did you make the splitter and attach it.(pics) Also I switched to the NiteLine body for looks and performance. Holds better at high speeds.

[nascarkeith]

WrenchHead, that body looks great! I ordered the Kamino RTR because it was cheaper than the Nightline. I almost ordered a Nightline body as my extra to trick out but I was afraid I would have to change body posts heights between the two so I just stuck with two of the same body.

Where did you get the mirrors on your body? Have you got any good tricks or tips I need to know about these little guys?

The splitter was easy to make. You can either take the lexan you trim off the front of the body or a piece of styrene. I used styrene so it would be a little stronger. I just traced the shape of the front end and cut it out. Then, you set the body on it and adjust how its sits and tack it in place with hot glue. Shoe Goo will really hold it in place once you get it lined up right. You can add canards and stuff but I figured I would just knock them off. Once I had mine glued on I used a dremel to shape it and clearance it around the tires.

[NeXt559]

nice!
i recently purchased a sc18r that im going to be converting to a rally car.

my baby nephew is afraid of all my other rc's since the 1/10+ scale hopefully 18th scale doesnt scare the little guy

[j0e]

looks great and i love the vids!
definitely looks like a fun little car.
good show, NK!

[WrenchHead]

Originally Posted by nascarkeith

WrenchHead, that body looks great! I ordered the Kamino RTR because it was cheaper than the Nightline. I almost ordered a Nightline body as my extra to trick out but I was afraid I would have to change body posts heights between the two so I just stuck with two of the same body.

Where did you get the mirrors on your body? Have you got any good tricks or tips I need to know about these little guys?

The splitter was easy to make. You can either take the lexan you trim off the front of the body or a piece of styrene. I used styrene so it would be a little stronger. I just traced the shape of the front end and cut it out. Then, you set the body on it and adjust how its sits and tack it in place with hot glue. Shoe Goo will really hold it in place once you get it lined up right. You can add canards and stuff but I figured I would just knock them off. Once I had mine glued on I used a dremel to shape it and clearance it around the tires.

Hey NK.Thanks for the props. I got an HPI accesories kit from my LHS and used the mirors from it. I got the Kamino as well since the NiteLine wasn't out yet. Hated the stocker lid and modded it as well. Got a replacment Kamino but when I was done with it I didn't want to trash it. So I saw the NiteLine had come out so I scored that one as well.At $12 you can't have to many of them. My Niteline has a light kit installed behind the decals so in the pic you can' see it. Works great at night as well. I got a whole notebook of specs I cam share with you. I got your PM and when I get some time I will send you a spec sheet of my setup.Here are a few more pics for you hungry eyecandy types. Aren't we all.lol Thanks for the props NK.

My original Kamino build body.








And a few more of the NiteLine.

[jon1197]

very bad car's indeed. i love them, niteline also! love the body

[nascarkeith]

Both bodies look great WrenchHead. One more question for ya, what wing and brackets are those on the back of the Kamino body?