ARC R10 2015 Black Edition build and Review

Advanced R/C Car (ARC) have only been operating for only a few years however, their level of development within the TC scene has been quite remarkable.

Zen Racing made the decision to commit themselves to the brand and is the sole UK distributor.

Being the distributor can only get you so far, they are always on the lookout for the best racing drivers to join the team, this will help develop the brand and make it the most successful team within the TC racing scene.

The main people behind this team are Paul Rodemark and David Spashett. David is a multiple National, European and World champion. An impressive CV if you ask me!

My name was put forward to Zen racing. After a few emails discussing my racing career and aspirations, a deal was put together and I am now a driver on the team.

Although I really enjoyed my time with my previous team, Zen racing are purely committed to the on road scene and are able to progress my career forward

After a discussion with David, an ARC R10 2015 black edition was dispatched to me along with a few other parts to get me started

Overview

The R10 2015 black edition is a limited edition kit that has a few special and optional parts included in the kit. The differences between the regular and black edition are as follows:

1. Matt black aluminium components
2. ECS front universal driveshafts
3. Split pivot blocks front & rear
4. Black alloy turnbuckles
5. Front belt tensioner
6. Black steel screws
7. Full set of roll bars

Beside the special edition black parts, these are parts that are most commonly parts purchased separately to enhance the performance of the car

Build

As with my previous reviews, I will concentrate on areas of interest. If you are building a kit yourselves, these may help you in the build

This car is designed with the professional racer in mind. I would not recommend this as a 1^st time builder, there are a few areas that are not explained in great detail that the professional takes for granted.

No tools are listed that you will require for the build. When you have been racing for a while, you would normally have the necessary tools to build the car. Although the instruction manual would look basic in detail, it covers the important areas that are specific to the ARC; common sense is required to successfully build the car.

The manual is broken down into the individual bags and are numbered accordingly.

NOTE: There is a supplement to the manual regarding the black edition, please read this before commencing the build. The black screws are also in a separate bag, not in relevant bags in the build. If you choose to use the black screws, you may want to separate the screws into a pot to find the right screws for the relevant areas

I like to build my cars with a sense of reliability and strength. I built the car with a full Lunsford titanium turnbuckle set. These are slightly heavier than the alloy ones, but I have bent an alloy turnbuckle on a previous car.

I also used a titanium screw set from the excellent Moody Fools.

They supply full titanium screw kits for all of the popular of cars. The screws reduce the weight of the car by approximately 17g. A very speedy delivery and excellent service. Would highly recommend.

Bag 1

The spool cover has a shaped side. Although this is highlighted in the manual, I would recommend a small drop of super glue to retain the cover onto the spool itself

The rear diff builds very well 1^st time if built correctly. I used silicon grease on the main diff seal to prevent leakage. Make sure the notches are aligned when screwing together.

Bag 2

I built the shocks with 4 hole pistons (optional part). I personally like 4 hole pistons, I will look to try 3 holes at some stage

With the Sorex tyre and UK spec carpet, I drilled the shock caps to achieve zero rebound. I tried the car with caps undrilled initially.

I was unable to achieve the recommended total shock lengths without cutting a part from the threads of the shock shafts. I cut about 2mm off each. The lower ball ends are different front/rear, double check before fitment

Bag 3

I prefer 64dp gears; you will require an offset spur or one with a thinner mounting area. Panaracer gears fit perfectly

As usual, I use a good friend of mine to seal my carbon work (also a Zen Racing driver)

When you fit the diffs to the bulkheads, pay special attention to where the diff tension notches are located. I added a small area of paint to make identification easier

Bag 4

I build turnbuckles with a small amount of lip balm on the threads to ease construction. I then fit the servo horn to the servo before the turnbuckle.

The anti roll bar drop links can be adjusted to different heights to achieve different handling characteristics. I put a specific shim between the drop link and ball stud to gain an accurate measurement

TOP TIP - Use shims to set the distance to ensure left and right measurements are always exactly equal

The suspension arms have 6 holes to fit the shocks, ensure they are the same side to side to maintain symmetry. It sounds obvious but it can happen to the best of us at times.

Bag 5

The camber turnbuckles have different inner/outer cups. The closed type should sit on the outside

Little details like this show the thought that has gone into the design

Bag 6

When fitting the servo, its recommend to fit servo mount rubbers to prevent damage to the servo. Personally, I prefer to use a Tamiya Hi torque servo saver for indoor racing

Electrics

I took the opportunity to upgrade my electrics and radio gear when building the car. Zen racing supplied a G-Force ESC & 17.5 motor. Although I have since changed to a Trinity motor, the G-Force motor is a very good motor for the money and highly recommended

I have been using Spektrum radio gear since my transition to 2.4 GHz back in 2006, I felt like it was time to change my radio gear for a brand new system.

A couple of emails to Stuart Parnell at Lesro models led to a Sanwa MT-4 unit being supplied. 

A new Sanwa MT-4 to steer the ARC

This feels like a nice unit in my hands, a well thought out design. You are given options to tune the feel to the wheel and throttle resistance and a different pistol grip.

Initial track test

A fresh Blitz TSX 0.8mm bodyshell was painted up for a track test. 0.8mm is a perfect thickness for club racing

As I race at my club every week (Bristol Model Car Club), it’s a perfect test venue for the initial track test.

I started with my normal Sorex tyre setup I have used on the past few cars as a starting point. For the 1^st time ever, I have had grip roll on a Sorex tyre! The car generates so much raw grip, I spent most of the night trying to prevent grip roll. Speaking with an ARC team driver afterwards, it was suggested I drill the shock caps.

The next night, I went to the Newbury RC club to have another test session. The carpet at Newbury is older and has a lot more additive/rubber in the carpet, so should give more grip than Bristol. With the drilled caps, the car would not roll over even with increased levels of grip. I was able to take TQ and the A final win quite comfortably, check out the video below

Overall

The build of the car is fairly straightforward. Some areas of the car needs common sense to build it properly as some details are not explained thoroughly.

However, the way the car is thought out and designed is exceptional!

The car is designed with racing in mind. Some areas of the car are quite simple in design, but that shows the confidence and vision of the design team to not over complicate the design.

Some cars I have built in the past have had clever innovations, but they carry extra parts and extra weight as a result. The ARC is the lightest car I have ever built. At the end of the day, a racer would prefer an efficient, lighter car. Even though the ARC uses lightweight parts I must say that it does not sacrifice reliability as a result, some manufacturers suffer from the parts being delicate if they are light, those issues are non existent with the ARC!

See you at the Track!