Team Associated RC18T Factory Team 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.

• Stadium trucks put wide truck tires and a truck body on a buggy-style chassis, and race on the same tracks as buggies.

All four wheels are driven. That gives more grip under power, especially on loose ground.

• The cost is more parts to maintain.

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.
• This one is 218 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.

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.

• On this car one tooth changes the gearing by about 7.1%.
• Racers change the pinion to suit the track and the class's motor rules, and often compare setups by rollout rather than tooth count.

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.

Spur teeth divided by pinion teeth: the part of the gearing that a pinion or spur swap changes.

• Here it is 4.286:1.

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 nominal size of the hole that mates with the motor shaft.

• Match the pinion mounting method as well as its size. A press-fit hole cannot be inferred from motor shaft diameter.

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 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.

• This figure is not from the maker's documents, so treat it as close rather than exact.
• Race tires wear down over a day, and a smaller tire gears the car shorter.

How far the car moves for one turn of the motor: tire circumference divided by final drive.

• It lets you compare gearing across different tire sizes; more rollout is taller gearing.
• Here it is 17.0 mm.

Axle thread: A documented stock wheel, tire, or axle measurement. Stock dimensions alone do not establish the largest size that will clear the body and suspension.

Stock tire width: A documented stock wheel, tire, or axle measurement. Stock dimensions alone do not establish the largest size that will clear the body and suspension.

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

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.

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.

Motor mount material: 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).

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.

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

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

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

• A wider car is more stable in corners and harder to roll over.

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.