In 2010, the world watched as every manufacturer battled it out at the 1/8 World Championships in Pattaya, Thailand. Team Associated showed up in force and made a valiant effort to claim the victory, but after a week of driving on the brutal Pattaya track, they fell short. Coming home, the engineers went to work, creating an updated 1/8 scale from all the testing they had learned at the Worlds. The following result was a dominate 1-2 victory at the 2011 ROAR 1/8 Scale Off Road Championships in the hands of Ryan Cavalieri and Ryan Maifield. I’ll be taking my new RC8.2 to the track to see if it all the hype is truly warranted.
AT A GLANCE
WHO MAKES IT: Team Associated
WHO IT’S FOR: Intermediate to Advanced
HOW MUCH: $520
BUILD TYPE: Kit
FACTS
-The biggest upgrade to the RC8.2 is the new 7075 aluminum chassis. It has been lengthened by 3mm, making the buggy more stable and easier to drive.
– New suspension arms were also designed with in conjunction with low-CG shock towers to help the RC8.2 handle rough and bumpy terrain. This is perfect for those tracks that get blown out after a weekend worth of racing.
– Monster 16mm, big bore threaded shocks are standard issue on the RC8.2 These shocks feature 4mm, titanium nitride-coated shafts and revised shock boots to increase durability and provide longer times between rebuild.
– The A-Team has made building the RC8.2 much easier by pre-building the turnbuckles. You may not think this is all that groovy, but let me tell you, it is. I even double-checked them to see if they were correct and the length was spot on!
– A slew of Factory Team goodies are included in the RC8.2 kit, including aluminum steering knuckles, top plate, steering posts and suspension mounts. Also included are the Team’s new lightweight aluminum input gears.
– The RC8.2 comes with JConcepts Punisher body and Illusion rear wing. Both of these give the nitro buggy a pissed off attitude!
– There are no tires included with the RC8.2. I was going to count this as a negative but completely understand why. AE was able to keep the cost down a little more by excluding a set of tires that you may or may not even use. This is a high-end racing buggy and letting you choose the tires you need for your track is actually a smart solution.
ITEMS NEEDED
– Steering servo
– Throttle servo
– Receiver pack
– Transmitter and receiver
– .21 size nitro engine
– Manifold and pipe
– Tires
– Starter box
– 20%-30% nitro racing fuel
– Glow igniter
– Fuel bottle
– Charger
– Paint for body
ITEMS USED
+ Team Associated XP DS1015 steering servo
+ Team Associated XP DS 1313 throttle servo
+ Reedy 1700mAh 6.6V LiFe receiver pack
+ Reedy 121VR-ST .21 off road nitro engine
+ Reedy 3-chamber tuned exhaust system
+ AKA Gridiron tires
+ Futaba 4PL Radio System
+ XXX-Main 1/8 scale sticker sheet
+ DuraTrax starter box
+ Byron’s Gen2 racing fuel
TOOLS INCLUDED
+ Metric Hex Wrenches
+ 4-Way Nitro Wrench
PROS
• Lengthened chassis helps improve handling
• Complete Factory Team treatment gives you all the hot parts from the get-go
• Every imaginable tuning adjustment included
• Low-maintenance, fluid-filled gear diffs
• JConcepts Bulldog body and Illusion wing are welcome additions
• Body off, this 1/8 scaler is all business
• Can-do-no-wrong-on-the-track attitude
• Built like a Sherman Tank
CONS
• Charging the receiver pack is a bit of a pain
ON THE TRACK
The RC8 has always had gobs of steering. The 8.2 is no different. At low and medium speeds, you can pretty much put this buggy anywhere you want. At higher speeds it can get a little pushy but that really depends on your driving style. Once I learned the line better and backed off the throttle slightly it carved a good corner. I’m sure with a little extra tuning it could be wicked through the faster sections. There is certainly no lack of power from the Reedy 121VR-ST engine. This thing screams and, teamed up with the 4WD system and AKA’s Gridirons, getting around the track in dramatic fashion is never a problem.
The RC8.2 is also a monster in the braking department. A pair of heatsinked brake discs can be individually adjusted to allow more front or rear brakes, depending on how you want the buggy to handle. More front and you can add push to your ride. More rear and you can cause the rear to move around under braking. I biased the brakes a tad to the rear for a little movement and it worked great!
This is where I noticed the biggest improvement with the RC8.2. With the previous version, you could do consistent laps all day long on a somewhat smooth surface. Lay down a rough track and the RC8 became a little twitchy for the average driver. I always felt like I had to stay on top of it to keep it going around the track with any kind of speed. The 8.2’s longer chassis and updated suspension arms have changed that, giving this buggy a complete attitude change on the rough stuff. Even on some of the bumpier sections, it feels a lot more planted and agile than before. You still have to be on top of it, but because it’s so much more stable your confidence level with this car is greater, meaning you have less fear blasting through these sections.
With a 1/8-scale buggy, you really have to get it wrong to not score an Excellent in this category. The RC8.2 jumps nice and level, and quick inputs with the steering or throttle help adjust the buggy’s attitude in the air. No drama here.
I mentioned in the Pros and Cons that the RC8.2 was built like a Sherman Tank. Well, look at it. It’s all muscle. As far as I can tell, there is not a weak point on this thing. I gave it a couple tanks of severe driving and it came back looking like new. I almost purposely bombed a few of the big jumps and just let it land however it wanted to test the durability, but that never happened. I was actually having a really good time attacking the track.
THE LAST WORD
The RC8.2 is definitely a better handling buggy than its predecessor. Its unruly habits on a rough track have been fixed, making it extremely stable and easier to drive. I love the addition of all the Factory Team parts and, even with all of them, the RC8.2 is still lighter than the previous RC8. I’m hoping this new nitro buggy will help bridge that enormous gap between me and my first 1/8 Scale National Championship! I’ll let you know how that goes…
LINKS
Team Associated, www.teamassociated.com, (949) 544-7500
Reedy, distributed by Team Associated, www.rc10.com, (949) 544-7500
Futaba, www.futaba-rc.com, (217) 398-8970
AKA, www.raceaka.com, (951) 677-2500
XXX-Main, www.xxxmain.com, (905) 816-1551
DuraTrax, www.duratrax.com, (217) 398-8970
Byrons, www.byronfuels.com, (712) 364-3165
