PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES.
1:8 scale off road racing is one of the hobby’s most challenging disciplines; it requires a high standard and demands attention to detail. The latest development to come from Associated Electrics’ Area 51 is designed to push boundaries of performance and build upon the number of accolades accumulated by the RC8 series.
RC8B4e Team Kit Features
New chassis layout featuring two different shorty-style only battery configurations. Both configurations include a centrally mounted center differential and in-line center dogbones for superior drivetrain efficiency and equalized chassis balance.
- Configuration 1: Two 2s shorty “saddle pack” for lowest CG and exceptional weight bias
- Configuration 2: One 4s shorty for simplified setup and more centralized weight bias over a traditional full length 4s battery
Innovative front-end geometry with reduced kingpin inclination steering blocks places the wheel pivot in the center of the front tire for increased stability and consistent steering through the entire steering throw
- Paired with a new wider upper suspension arm pivot
New front upper suspension arm design
- Designed to accommodate a wide range of flex and stiffness options.
- Optional inserts will be made available for fine tuning flex and stiffness and will fit on the top or bottom of the arm.
- Includes a molded “wing” insert for increased front-end downforce.
- Uses a replaceable molded hinge pin bushing to reduce slop and increase suspension dynamics
New front lower suspension arm design
- Designed to accommodate a wide range of flex and stiffness options. Optional inserts will be made available for fine tuning flex and stiffness
- New one-piece anti-roll bar link mounts in-line with the anti-roll bar with a BHCS instead of a shock pin for simplified assembly
- Optional inserts mount to the top or bottom face of the arm – racers choice!
New rear suspension arm design
- Designed to be of optimal flex and stiffness with no insert. However, optional inserts will be made available for fine tuning flex
- Optional inserts will be made available for fine tuning flex and stiffness and will fit on the top or bottom of the arm
- New angled one-piece anti-roll bar link is mounted in-line with the anti-roll bar with a BHCS instead of a shock pin for simplified assembly
New rear wing mount has adjustable wing angle shims, significant strength improvements, an aerodynamic shape, and extra clearance for shock position adjustment
- Two wing height options are available to tune the rear downforce
- Three wing angle positions: 0, -2, and -4 degrees
- The improved design also secures the wing mounting nuts so that they will not spin in the mount
- The four wing mount screws into the rear tower access from the rear end of the buggy for simplified maintenance
New rear wing has more vertical fins for increased straight-line stability, a taller rear wickerbill height for increased downforce, increased strength in various areas to reduce bending fatigue, and dimples on the backside as a template for cutout holes
- Two wing buttons are included for additional tuning options: the first is a traditional one-piece flat button and the second is a vertical stabilizing fin for even more straight-line stability
New rear chassis brace has several design features and flex options
- Rear brace is mounted centrally to the gearbox, which reduces material fatigue, centralizes shear forces, and improves the life of rear end drivetrain parts
- Has three different chassis flex options using two chassis hole mounting locations
1. Use both screws (most rigid).
2. Use one screw, long location.
3. Use one screw, short location (most flexible)
- The upper brace joint has two flex tuning options at the gearbox
1. With included molded inserts that prevent twisting and only allow flex along the centerline pivot of the brace
2. With optional turnbuckle ball for flex in more degrees of freedom
- Removable insert to customize the amount of flex in the brace
More features…
- New two-piece clamping motor mounts make for secure mounting and allows for mounting of a 30mm motor fanThe gear mesh is adjusted from the bottom of the chassis, just like on RC8B4
- New battery trays with battery stops built in for easy battery position adjustments
- New oversized hook and loop straps for simplified and secure battery mounting
- New ESC tray with protective shield has two chassis mounting positions – one for each chassis configuration
- New receiver box with built in servo mounts has integrated cable routing and increased volume for fitting larger receivers
- Wire routing clips included for clean wiring of batteries and motor sensor wire
- New side guards have integrated wire routing clips and are over 1 inch narrower than RC8B3.2e
- New RC8B4e specific 7075 aluminum hard anodized chassis features updates to strengthen the front and rear droop tab areas, an increased width along kick up area, and accommodations for the electric specific layout.
- Includes the RC8B3.2 splitting center bulkhead with a new RC8B4e specific center top plate
- New RC8B4e specific front top plate has been updated to fit the new steering geometry and an offset RC8B4 front chassis brace
- New steering bellcranks with top-mounted steering rack for extra clearance around gearbox assembly
- New aluminum steering rack designed around the updated front end geometry is lightweight and durable
- New steering bellcrank nuts are longer to reduce drag from the steering rack under flex
- Updated steering servo linkage features a new heavy duty threaded ball and steel screw joint
- New A and B blue aluminum suspension arm mounts are shaped to interlock with the RC8B4 chassis
- New 7075 aluminum hard anodized chassis features updates to strengthen the front and rear droop tab areas and an increased width along kick up area
- New upper suspension arm link mount is significantly wider than RC8B3 series, providing the required geometry for the new reduced KPI steering blocks
- New front shock tower has strength improvements and allows for the upper suspension arm insert to be mounted from front side via a recessed pocket, without disassembly of the tower from the gearbox
- New RC8B4e specific carbon fiber front top plate with offset front chassis brace
- New front chassis brace is the same length as the “short†version from RC8B3 for ideal front end flex
- New front body post is recessed into the front top plate and the reversible design is easy to mount
- New spring cups and shock rod end design has a locking screw to keep the cups in place during a crash and has improved material; the same tough material as our 1/10 rod ends
- New front shock bushings are 1.5mm longer than RC8B3 shock mounts
- New rear shock bushings are 4mm longer than RC8B3 shock mounts
- Large diameter, Low-Profile SHCS are used throughout the buggy to replace a traditional screw/washer system.
- New two-piece rear body post features a rubber grommet to allow some flex to extend the life of the body
- New rod ends have improved thread engagement, slotted area for easy turnbuckle wrench access, and are made from a same durable material as our 1:10 rod ends
- New longer 5x44mm rear camber link
- New +1mm offset rear hub features a symmetrical left and right common design with axle height inserts for adjustable roll center tuning. The standard bearing size used is an 8x16x5mm flanged but the hub will still accept 15x21x4mm bearing for CVA axle tuning options
- New CVA axle has a “stub” design with retainer sleeve to capture pin and uses two 8x16x5mm flanged bearings (the same as the RC8B3 universal axle setup)
- 93mm CVA bones used on all four corners of the buggy
- 93.5mm front and 104mm rear center dog bones with 14mm pins on are now standard equipment for increased drivetrain efficiency
- New rear shock tower features two built in wing height positions; the RC8B4 “low” is the same height as the RC8B3 “high” and RC8B4 features an additional +5mm height option by adjusting the wing mount adapters, all easily accessed from the rear end of the buggy
- Standard wheel hex sizes include a “+0” mm front and rear
- Standard anti-roll bar sizes include a 2.2mm front and 2.4mm rear bar
- New RC8B4e Gamma body styled by Area 51 engineers for superb aerodynamics, superior handling, and unmatched beauty. Includes three different style of gearbox noses: a traditional nose cone, a mid-height wing, and tall-height wing.
RC8B4e Team Kit Legacy Features
V3 differentials with 42T ring and 12T pinion gears for improved gear ratios
- Includes new updates to HTC sun and planet gears with removed pocketing to extend diff life and improve gear mesh and remain more consistent over long runs.
- +2 degree steering block arms
- 16mm shocks equipped with blue front (8.75 coil) and new green rear (11.25 coil) springs, ‘stiff’ style shock bladder, combination bleeder/emulsion caps, and blue aluminum threaded collars.
- RC8B3.2 narrow C and D arm mounts
Major Wins for the RC8 Platform, 2009-2022 (PDF)
Due to ongoing R&D, photos may not match final kit. Vehicle shown on these pages equipped with items NOT included in kit: Reedy motor, battery, ESC, servo, receiver, wheels, tires, body, and pinion gear. Assembly and painting required.
