Build and Drive Review of the new ARC A10MF
First off, I downloaded and printed off the manual and read through just to get an idea of the build.
I’d still like to see a manual included in the kit even if it costs a little extra, but I understand why they aren’t included.
Starting off the build I sand down the edges of the carbon parts with one of my wife’s nail files. Do this at your own risk
The front diff was the first step, a tip here that I personally do is trim the edges of the gears and sand the backs of the gears flat with some 800grit wet/dry sandpaper and when assembling the diff, use some SIMSpec Red O-ring Jam on the O-rings to help prevent leaking and wear. This should give you a silky-smooth diff which with a FWD car is super important. Another tip; measure the diff with a diff checker (if you have one) to keep track of the readings as FWD’s can be hard on the diff and the fluid can become lighter with use.
Another thing I do is to use some paint on the eccentric hubs to make it super easy to see they are in the same position.
Next up were the carbon arms.
Pay attention to how they go together and glue the plastic bits once you have them all installed, to make sure they are all correct.
There was zero binding and I like to use brass screws to mount them into the chassis to avoid any damage with big hits.
Easier and cheaper to replace a screw than an arm or chassis plate. I used the SIMSpec Shock Tool to make the installation of the pivot balls super easy and quick.
I used the upgrade alloy lower shock mounts with this build as I liked them on the A10 and I feel they improve fast change of directions. This is something FWD cars don’t always do as well as one would like.
Bulkhead and motor mounts went on next and they mounted up perfectly. Used an alignment tool to make sure the bulkheads were 100% square. This is something that always should be done.
The servo mount was the next step. Pay close attention to how this goes together and make sure it’s square. Some tweak can happen if it’s not together properly. Running the servo lead can be a little tricky. There are 2 routes that are the best options. One is to go in front of the motor mount, or to run down the side of the motor mount on the battery side. This is the method I chose. (See pictures to get a better idea).
Really liked how the included weights can be mounted in multiple positions inside of the front and rear arms. A nice touch.
Steering knuckles and drive shafts were next.
The A10MF comes with the zero-play drive hex’s and they are just perfect. No shims are needed at all. I personally always remove the shields of the bearings and clean out the grease and make sure you have a super thin oil. Only install the outer shields. This frees the drive train up a little. I recommended the SIMSpec Slick Bearing Oil for this.
The front drive shaft came prebuilt, but I always rebuild these with anti-wear grease and pay attention to the way the clips go so they don’t come off.
When installing the completed knuckles onto the arms I use a drop of purple Loctite onto the grub screw to stop it coming undone with use. This was an issue I had with the A10 to start with.
The new A10MF has the V3 top A Arms which are a bit more bulky than the V2’s These are super smooth, but just pay attention with the gap to the rim. I did find some brands of tyres may rub on them. To make this job of installing turnbuckles easier I always add a drop of oil and use the SIMSpec Turnbuckle Tool.
The shocks are the same as the A10 touring cars, which is nice for those that have a spare set already.
When building shocks a few general tips I use:
The shock adjustment nut - I always grind a slot into these to make it easier to count turns when setting up the car.
Make sure you always either use shock oil or grease on the O-rings to lessen the chance of damage when installing the shock shaft and to reduce wear and air getting into the shocks. I use Red O-ring Jam by SIMSpec Engineering.
Last steps were the front bumper, body mounts and battery mounts. The front weight is super neat but still chunky (80 grams).
The only thing I personally would like to see and upgrade is how the front battery is mounted into this car. I am not sure how else one can do this but just be careful with the thickness of the shorty battery you’re planning on using. I don’t think a low profile one will work.
Overall the kit was super nice to build and the instructions were straight forward to follow. The quality of this kit is once again a step up for the brand. Really hard to see any quality difference between the A10 series of cars and the big brand names.
Upgrades used on this build were:
ARC R112009 Alloy Servo Mount
ARC R112044 18mm Alloy Bell Crank
ARC R139005 Front Suspension Mount Alloy
ARC R139006 Rear Suspension Mount Alloy
Cox RC Shock Spring Retaining Collar
SIMSpec 20mm Offset Servo Arm
SIMSpec Brass M3x6mm countersunk screws
SIMSpec Stainless Steel Screws
Electronics:
Hobbywing Juststock ESC*
Hobbywing Juststock 13.5t G2.1*
Proamps BLS139 Servo
Sanwa RX-482 Receiver
Sanwa MT44 Radio
Nosram 5900 Shorty Battery
*Class control items
Test driving and first race meeting with the ARC A10MF
First drive of this car was WOW! The front-end grip was insane compared to every other FWD car I’ve driven. It turns in harder than my touring cars.
It took some time to get the rear to have enough grip to keep up to the front. I haven’t got it nailed setup wise yet, but it's already as quick as my heavily tuned and modified ARC R12FF.
Tried a lot of different settings and the car really responded well with each change.
One thing we noticed was that with the same gearing as the old car, the new A10MF is quicker down the straights.
First race meeting was at TFTR (Templestowe Flat Track Races) night race against two of the country’s best FWD racers.
While still not having the rear of the car 100% right grip wise, we were able to race with and set the hot lap in multiple of the finals.
Special thanks to ARC and SmokemRC for getting this kit out to me in record time.
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