Team Losi Racing 22SCT RC Short Course Truck Review

For The Front of the Pack!

This article was originally published in RC Driver’s June 2015 issue.

Photos: Walter Sidas

Short course racing’s spot in the competition world is solid, requiring companies to build top-of-the-line trucks for those who want to win. Team Losi Racing is without a doubt one of those companies that is continually striving to produce better competition machines for their followers. They have a dedicated design team, race team and support dedicated to continually developing new race machines in most popular categories and short course is one of the categories still going strong. So to keep out in front of the aggressive SC pack, Team Losi Racing has recently launched the new 22SCT 2.0 platform and it’s packed full of upgrades and refinements that really make it more of a new machine than just a follow-up to its predecessor. We’ve put in the bench time, tune time and track time on the new 2.0 and we’re ready to pass on our findings.

REVIEWER’S OPINION
There is quite a bit that has changed on the 22SCT 2.0 in comparison with its predecessor and those changes amount to big performance gains that make this truck a must-have for those who want to stay competitive and out in front of the pack. The TLR 22SCT 2.0 pack- age is a great value with its included option parts and top quality components.

TOOLS AND ACCESSORIES INCLUDED
• Greases, oil, threadlock and turnbuckle wrench

ITEMS NEEDED
• 7.4V LiPo Pack
• LiPo charger
• Radio System
• High Torque Servo
• Electronic Speed Control & Motor
• Tires
• Paint
• Pinion gear

ITEMS USED
• Team Orion R10.1 Electronic Speed Control- Team Orion has been racking up championships with their speed control line and the R10.1 is the latest competition speedo. The R10.1 has the latest software for smooth operation and fully adjustable programming via the USB link or programming box.
• Spektrum DX4R Pro Radio- With a competition truck, you want a competition radio and the DX4R is the perfect pairing for the 22SCT 2.0. This multiple model memory radio has a great feel and plenty of programming options if you want to get deep into tuning.
• Spektrum S6040 Servo- This is my go-to servo for many of my racing vehicles. The S6040 has plenty of speed and torque for most 1/10 applications and compliments the rest of the Spektrum gear packed in our test truck.
• Team Orion VST2 17.5T Motor
• AKA Impact SC tires
• Robinson Racing Pinion

HOP-UPS WE RECOMMEND
• Mid Motor Conversion, TLR338001- TLR offers a mid motor kit with everything you need for the conversion to dial this truck in on high grip surfaces. It does take some wrench time to make the switch, but it’s a good tuning item to have if you run on a variety of surfaces.

• Alumium Rear Hub Carrier Set, TLR334022– Swapping out to aluminum rear hubs over the stock composite units will bump up the durability of the truck and make you feel better about pushing this truck to the edge while racing.

• Slipper Tool, TLR2990– Ok, it’s a little expensive at $20, but it makes life so easy, grab the aluminum slipper tool to make maintenance and tuning a lot easier on your 22SCT 2.0.

FEATURE BREAKDOWN

The chassis is the familiar hard-anodized aluminum plate that is machined to reduce weight and foam strips stuck to the chassis under the battery prevent the battery from slapping the hard material. There is more mill work to the 2.0 plate compared to the 1.0 plate. This makes it lighter and lets the user mount the ESC and servo lower. The new kit now offers the ability to mount the speed control/ battery placement in two different locations in rear motor mode, either on a top deck location that lets you use a long pack or you can use a short pack and mount the speedo to the chassis. As mentioned, the kit comes with everything you need for a rear motor truck, but the mid motor option is sold as an aftermarket kit.

There is a lot going on in the way of suspension revisions on the SCT 2.0 starting at the front. All-new arms, caster blocks and steering knuckles have been developed for the truck. The arms have a less dramatic sweep to them and the revised blocks let the driver push through corners with a more forgiving feel without scrubbing speed.

New wider rear arms with reworked off-set on the new hubs should make the truck feel more reactive and exit corners faster; we’re game to see how it feels on the track. The arms swing on Ti-Carbo coated hinge pins and aluminum spacers are now provided for the pivot balls for precision suspension geometry. Also on the aluminum goodie list is an aluminum rear camber block. This was a popular upgrade on the original SCT, but it’s stock on the 2.0. Then we get to the dampers, Gen II shocks with x-ring seals that offer better seal with less friction. Also reducing internal friction are the machined pistons that glide in the aluminum shock bodies.

The transmission may look the same on the outside—composite case rear motor placement, plastic gear cover with slipper access and a machined aluminum motor plate—but the big change on the transmission is located inside. TLR developed a new differential for better consistency and a smoother feel over longer runs between rebuilds. The differential  features Tungsten diff balls, machined diff rings, precision outdrives, heat treated thrust washers and a center diff gear with centering pegs to prevent slop while under loads. New, longer CV driveshafts extend to the hubs to accommodate the new arms and aluminum 12mm hex’s mate up with the wheels. Back under the gear cover is the HDS slipper assembly with grooved slipper plates that reduce the chances of pad glazing and inconsistent operation.

The steering assembly is a big change over version 1.0 as the new 2.0 comes with the crank style steering setup that TLR released and every 22 owner pounced on to upgrade their vehicle. The cranks are composite plastic supported by ball bearings that slide over a machined aluminum post. The composite drag link is compact and the steering servo links up with it via a short tie-rod. New offset rod ends are used for the right steering geometry and all the tie-rods and ends on the truck are the HD version for better durability.

ON THE TRACK

STEERING
The new 22SCT 2.0 didn’t take long to make me happy, this truck steers well going into the corners. On the previous version the truck often felt light up front going into the corners and would push. The new 2.0 feels much more consistent and feels as if it’s planting the front wheel. Coming out of the corner too, the tires seem to be on the right plane to lay down the traction and allow the driver to power out of the corners. On high speed sweepers, the truck felt super planted after I switched up from the AKA Impacts we used for photos and used soft AKA Wishbone 2 tires up front and Super Soft Wishbone 2 tires in the rear coated in Team Maximus “The Stuff” tire treatment.

JUMPING & HANDLING
Our testing took place on a groomed high grip indoor track and there were several roller jumps, drop offs in high speed corners and a rhythm section to test out the handling of the 2.0. Over the rollers, the truck stayed squared up and didn’t exhibit any pull that would require correction. The cool part was the drop offs, where I could just motor the truck and the 2.0 would maintain excellent grip as it landed onto the lower levels of the track. Some other trucks on the track would veer as they dropped down, but the chassis on this truck would sit flat and the suspension did its job of collecting the truck and kept it on point. Through the rhythm section too, the truck maintained easy control and didn’t kick out the rear. Overall this new machine feels more stable than the 1.0 which we were impressed with too. Then there were the big jumps on the track, the SCT 2.0 sailed over the large gaps with a slight nose up that I would kick back down with some braking. There was a little noticeable air under the body which I tamed later by cutting out just a few vent holes. Overall, air time on this truck is level and lots of fun.

ACCELERATION & BRAKING
With the truck’s efficient driveline, revised dual pad slipper, impressive differential setup and the right geometry at the rear hubs, the SCT 2.0 is very easy to control when ripping on the throttle. The truck spools up quickly on short shoots which allowed me to clear several jumps on the track with ease. On the straight the truck had great pull even with the 17.5 motor. Under braking the truck tracks well and doesn’t diff pull too much, even when late braking into some of our test tracks corners. Laying down the power in a 2WD vehicle can be hard, but the SCT 2.0 has the right setup to make it easier to pull the throttle.

DURABILITY
This is a race truck and we treated it like one, laying down fast lap times on the track. There were some short turns that resulted in pipes being hit and some tumbles off of jumps, but there were no broken parts to report. The differential kept a smooth feel where version 1.0 of the truck started to develop a gritty feel in the same timeframe. The body stayed intact too and there was no cracking in the bed area.

SPECS AND TUNING OPTIONS

DIMENSIONS
LENGTH: 21.15 in. (537.15mm)
WIDTH: 9.72 in. (246.9mm)
WHEELBASE: 12.72 in. (323.0mm)
WEIGHT: 4.8 lbs.

BODY, WHEELS AND TIRES
BODY: Low profile Lexan SC body
WHEELS: Black spoke rim with dish insert option
WHEEL ADAPTER TYPE: 12mm
TIRES: Not Included

SUSPENSION
TYPE: Double wishbone
SHOCK POSITIONS: Multiple arm and towers
CAMBER: Adjustable link
ROLL: multiple tower and hub rod locations
WHEELBASE: Adjustable rear hub spacing
RIDE HEIGHT: Adjustable preload shock collars
MISC: Optional kick-up and pivot blocks spacers included

STEERING
TYPE: Swinging crank
TOE: Adjustable tie-rod

CHASSIS
TYPE: Stamped and machined plate
MATERIAL: Aluminum
THICKNESS: 2.5

DRIVETRAIN
TYPE: 2WD rear motor
TRANSMISSION: 3-gear
DIFFERENTIAL: Ball differential
CLUTCH TYPE: Dual pad slipper
GEAR RATIO: Pinion/ spur
BEARINGS: Sealed ball bearing

WRAP UP
It appears that Team Losi Racing has delivered again with the 22SCT 2.0. The new version is much different from the previous competition truck and those differ- ences equal a noticeably better handling truck on the track. TLR also gets the nod for including parts in the truck like the aluminum pivot block, steering cranks and HD rods that were options on the 1.0. We like it when manufacturers include the option parts we really want in kit revisions. Of course the quality is all there, the build is great and when you’re ready to hit the track you’re ready to lay down fast lap times with a truck that will work with anyone’s driving ability.

LINKS

AKA Products, Inc. raceaka.com, (951) 677-2500
Spektrum distributed by Horizon Hobby, spektrumrc.com, (800) 338-4639
Team Losi Racing distributed by Horizon Hobby Inc., losi.com, horizonhobby.com, (800) 338-4639
Team Orion Inc. team-orion.com, (714) 694-2812