Team Associated RC12L3 Oval Kit

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.

• Street covers on-road bashers: speed-run, muscle and drag cars built for straight-line speed rather than racing.

Only one axle is driven, the rear on almost every 2WD RC car.

• It is lighter and simpler, and it takes more throttle control on loose ground.

Sold without a motor, so you choose the motor, ESC and battery yourself.

• Rows that depend on the motor say so.

A kit you build yourself from parts.

• Most kits come without motor, ESC, servo, radio and battery, and many without tires or a painted body.
• The manual lists what to add.

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.

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.

The small gear on the motor shaft. Fewer teeth gear the car shorter: quicker acceleration, lower top speed and a cooler motor. More teeth do the opposite.

• It depends on the motor you fit, so the maker does not list one.

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.
• The Gearing parts table below shows this car's pitch and part numbers.

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.
• This one is worked out from the tooth counts the maker publishes.

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.

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.

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

The tooth spacing of the fitted gear, stated as metric module or diametral pitch.

• The meshing pinion and spur need matching pitch. A missing pitch can be inferred from the other fitted gear; module and diametral pitch are not silently converted.

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

• At high speed tires can balloon and grow, so the real gearing gets taller as the car goes faster.

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.

• Carbon fiber is light and stiff, and costs more; edges can chip in a crash.

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.
• Threaded bodies set ride height with a collar you turn, rather than clips.

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 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.

• At the rear it mostly shapes grip under power and landings: thicker oil holds the back up and keeps it steadier on the throttle; thinner oil lets it squat and follow rough or loose ground for more grip.
• Bashers and monster trucks often go thicker to take big landings without bottoming out.
• 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.

Motor KV is the RPM a motor turns per volt with no load.

• This vehicle comes without a motor, so there is no stock KV; it depends on the one you fit.

The diameter of the motor's output shaft, which a pinion's bore must match.

• This vehicle comes without a motor, so it depends on the one you fit.

The highest LiPo cell count the maker rates the electronics for.

• This vehicle comes without electronics, so it depends on the ESC and motor you fit.

Motor mount material: A documented battery, motor, or ESC installation detail. Electrical ratings and physical fit are separate checks.

Battery pack configuration: A documented battery, motor, or ESC installation detail. Electrical ratings and physical fit are separate checks.

Battery retention: A documented battery, motor, or ESC installation detail. Electrical ratings and physical fit are separate checks.

ESC mounting method: A documented battery, motor, or ESC installation detail. Electrical ratings and physical fit are separate checks.

No transmitter comes in the box; you supply one that speaks the receiver's protocol.

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).

No charger comes in the box.

• Use a charger made for the pack's chemistry, LiPo or NiMH.

It needs a motor KV, and this vehicle comes without a motor. Fit one and the calculator works it out from the motor's KV and the gearing.