Team Associated Nitro TC3 RTR Plus

The kind of vehicle the maker sells it as. It sets what the car is built to do and which cars it is fair to compare it with.

• Touring cars are 4WD on-road cars for asphalt and carpet tracks, often raced in classes with fixed motor and battery rules.

All four wheels are driven, which puts power down more evenly and keeps the car steadier accelerating out of corners.

• The cost is more parts to maintain.

A small two-stroke engine running glow fuel (methanol, nitromethane and oil).

• It needs fuel, a glow igniter and some tuning.
• It has no motor KV or battery rating.

Ready to run: built at the factory with the electronics installed.

• Some come without a battery or charger; the maker's box contents say which.

The maker's nominal size compared with a full-size vehicle. It works more as a class label than a measurement.

• A 1/10 monster truck is far bigger than a 1/10 touring car, so compare length and weight for real size.
• This one is 384 mm long.

The maker's product number for this exact version.

• A V2, a new color, or a kit instead of an RTR usually has a different number, and parts can differ between them.
• Check it against your box or receipt before ordering parts.

On a nitro car the gear on the engine is the clutch bell.

• Its teeth work like a pinion's: more teeth gear the car taller, for more top speed and slower acceleration.

The large gear the pinion drives. A bigger spur with the same pinion gears the car shorter.

• Pinion and spur must have the same pitch, or tooth size, to mesh.
• On a nitro car the clutch bell drives it.

Every reduction after the spur, multiplied together: transmission, differentials and axle gears.

• It is fixed by the design; the gearing you change is the pinion and spur.

How many times the motor turns for one turn of the wheels. A higher number is shorter gearing: more acceleration and pulling power, less top speed.

• On-road racers often compare gearing by rollout instead, because tire sizes differ between cars.

The type of each differential, as the maker states it.

• A gear or ball diff lets the wheels on one axle turn at different speeds in a corner; a spool or locked diff turns them together for straight-line drive and climbing, at the cost of steering.

Center drive type: The documented drivetrain connection or size for this exact model. Match the mating component before buying a replacement.

The outside diameter of the mounted tire, tread to tread. A taller tire covers more ground each turn, which gears the car taller.

• Race tires wear down over a day, and a smaller tire gears the car shorter.

What the main chassis is made of and how it is built, as stated for this car. Braces, stiffeners and skid plates are not counted.

• Aluminum is stiffer than composite, which keeps the handling consistent; it can bend in a hard crash, and a bent chassis is usually replaced rather than straightened.

What the shocks are and how they are built, as the maker describes them.

• Oil-filled shocks damp with silicone oil; friction shocks, found on some entry-level cars, damp with a sprung plunger and cannot be tuned with oil.

The inside diameter of the shock body, where the piston moves through oil.

• It is a shock measurement, separate from the motor pinion bore. Match the actual shock part when ordering pistons, seals or a replacement body.
• This is a nominal size inferred from the identified replacement components. It is not a measured internal diameter; confirm the exact body, piston and seal part numbers.

The stock springs, in the maker's own wording: a color, a rate or a length.

• A stiffer spring holds the car up and resists bottoming out; a softer one lets it squat and follow rough ground.
• Rates are not comparable across makers unless they state the same unit.

The same measure at the rear, which differs from the front on this car.

Front lower shock bolt: A documented shock mounting interface at the named end and eye. A ball stud or standoff is distinct from a through-bolt. Match the mounting type, thread and eye dimensions when choosing a replacement shock.

Rear lower shock bolt: A documented shock mounting interface at the named end and eye. A ball stud or standoff is distinct from a through-bolt. Match the mounting type, thread and eye dimensions when choosing a replacement shock.

The oil in the shocks slows how fast the suspension moves. Thicker oil settles the car more slowly and resists bottoming out; thinner oil lets the wheels follow bumps.

• Front and rear run the same oil on this car, so both ends respond alike. Changing one end at a time is the usual way to shift the balance.
• It is graded in wt here. A wt number is the oil maker's own grade and differs between brands, so match the brand, or use the oil maker's chart to convert.

An engine has no KV rating.

• Nitro engines are sized by displacement in cubic inches, such as .21.

An engine drives the gears through a clutch, so there is no motor shaft.

• The clutch bell takes the place of the pinion.

An engine car has no drive battery.

• A small receiver pack or a BEC powers the radio and servos.

The stock transmitter, the radio you hold.

A transmitter comes in the box, already bound to the car's receiver.

No drive battery comes in the box.

• Buy one with the right plug and a cell count the ESC is rated for (the Battery row under Power).

An engine has no KV, so a theoretical top speed cannot be worked out from the gearing alone.

The vehicle's weight as the maker states it.

• The maker does not say whether it includes a battery.
• Lighter cars accelerate and stop faster; many race classes set a minimum weight.

Overall length as the maker states it, usually with the body fitted.

• Useful for comparing real size, since scale labels are loose.

The distance between the front and rear axle centers. A longer wheelbase is steadier at speed and over bumps; a shorter one turns more tightly.