I am thinking about getting into 12th scales, ive been looking at the 12L4 and the CRC carpet knike 3.2r both are close in price but the 12L4 of coarse uses t-plate and the CRC uses damper rods.

Which do most run and how do you guys feel about the cars?

Also I know AE offers part support for the cars for many years after the car is not in production any more.

How is CRC on the part support for their older models?

I really like the look of the CRC, but the part support down the road in a few years is very important also....

Please LMK what you guys think,,, Thanks,, COOTER :cool:

I feel both cars are excellent and part support is great way you go because both cars use the same front end the parts are readily available. The 12L4 is easier to set up because of the friction plates and t bar and tends to stay more consistant with less maint. the carpet knife is also good but not as easy to set up but once it is is out right awesome, but can get out of "tweak" easy. and i also think the 12L4 is more forgiving (if there is such a thing in 12th scale LOL ) to the new driver. I have had both cars and I am back to a 12L4 Based car with a T plate and friction discs(car is the SG1 from BMI)But i just set a friend up with the 12L4 who is just getting into it.

You can also look at the Rev. 4 or even the new Trinity.

I personally find Link cars FAR MORE CONSISTANT and far less likely to lose their tweak setting in a crash. I also find them to be easier to maintain. They are more tedious to build, but you'll never run into the "why does my car drive like it's outta tweak, even though it's perfect on the tweak board?" syndrome. T-bars are fiberglass, and the fibers can become damaged in a crash, and sometimes the old "white area" method can't fully diagnose a ruined T-bar. A metal coil spring is a far more durable, and consistant way of managing chassis roll.

What it comes down to is this..... Buy what you like. Don't let the T-bar guys or Link guys sway you. Watch the guys at the track who are fast, there's probably a link guy and a T-bar guy who are fast. See which car looks like it drives the way you would want a car to drive. Then buy THAT car.

As far as parts support goes, pretty much all companies except Trinity can get you what you need. The crazy thing about 12th scale is the overall design of the cars hasn't changed that much. It is more of refining an original design so parts end up being interchangeable.

If you are ask this because you are looking for a deal on an older car I would suggest not to get the older car as chances are it has been used more and the chassis might be tweaked so the car will never be good from the start.

Hey Ian....I just wanted to practice that for Cleveland...hehehhe

My personal preferance is the Calandra car. Parts availablility isn't a problem. (CRC is in New York) and if you call them direct, more than likely you'll be talking to Frank or Frank Jr who are the owners. (their also the same guys everybody gets their Ozite from) I don't care much for the old school t-bar cars because as the bar begins to age, it's ability to fo a proper job diminishes. In hard crashes, the t-bars have a tendency to break or fracture making the car basically undrivable.
But, as somebody else said, it's your personal choice.

Tim.... Good luck with whatever you decide to drive!!

Ian...."FAR MORE CONSISTANT" Your marbles must be rolling around again:p I absolutely loved my Rev3 but that would be the last thing that I think you could say about the link car. I just remember Ray spending hours working on getting the links right then he gives it to someone to drive and one hit later its out of whack again. But......your more than welcome to your opinion. :) You can also look at the Rev. 4 or even the new Trinity.

I personally find Link cars FAR MORE CONSISTANT and far less likely to lose their tweak setting in a crash. I also find them to be easier to maintain. They are more tedious to build, but you'll never run into the "why does my car drive like it's outta tweak, even though it's perfect on the tweak board?" syndrome. T-bars are fiberglass, and the fibers can become damaged in a crash, and sometimes the old "white area" method can't fully diagnose a ruined T-bar. A metal coil spring is a far more durable, and consistant way of managing chassis roll.

What it comes down to is this..... Buy what you like. Don't let the T-bar guys or Link guys sway you. Watch the guys at the track who are fast, there's probably a link guy and a T-bar guy who are fast. See which car looks like it drives the way you would want a car to drive. Then buy THAT car.

Boy Thats a lot to digest, LOL, I have to admit I am leaning towards the CRC after some more research, I also looked at the rev4 it has many simalarites to the CRC but I still am not sure, ill continue to watch the guys at my local track like you guys sugested . Chuck lonegran runs at our track on occasion, ill also talk with him and see what he thinks...

Thank you very much for help and input :thumbsup: Please keep it coming..

Tim....

If you're just getting started, I think you'll find a t-bar car far easier to set up in a variety of conditions and also easier to drive. CRC has a t-bar car in addition to the ck if your preference is Calandra. You can also start with the 12l4 and upgrade later on if you want a stiffer chassis etc for high bite carpet. Many companies make conversion kits including Hyperform Racing for the 12l4. The thinner, more flexable 12l4 chassis will actually make the car a little easier to drive at first and helps make up for the setup being slightly off.

Have fun, 12th scale is a blast!

BTW-Chuck is sponsored by Bruce so he runs the Rev4...

BTW-Chuck is sponsored by Bruce so he runs the Rev4...

And before he used the Rev. 4 he also won some major races with a 12LC!

Have fun, 12th scale is a blast!

BTW-Chuck is sponsored by Bruce so he runs the Rev4...

Yea I knew Chuck was sponsored by them so I would say its safe to assume he would recomend the Rev-4 :thumbsup: But my greatest concern is future part availability and some one said the AE would be best and CRC next and so on.

Ive been racing sedan for several years know and have been itchin to try 12th scale I really appreciate all you guys for your input, ive raced a couple of my friends cars ill also have to see what they run and see which one I liked more.... :cool: :wave:

On another note a suggestion for your 1/12 scale is that the CRC "T-Fource" car has the option of using the t-bar tweek screws or the side springs. That is what makes this car more versatile compared to the other 1/12 scale cars. Of course I am a little biased on this.

Although I raced a Rev3/4 for 4 years, now I run a most awesome AE L4, I too must put in props for the T-Fource. I built one for a friend and he loves it and I too like the ease of tuning.

My take on the Rev3/4 isnt about tweaking-cause a crash hard enough to tweak the rear pod on a link car will also damage or break a t-bar car. Its also not that a dialed Rev3/4 isnt an amazing car to drive (like on autopilot-just hammer the throttle and steer) is that the L4 and t-fource always seem to be good everytime you run them. Low grip to high. A Rev3/4 can require more set-up knowledge and can be a bit too agrressive in nature for newbies. IT can also handle quite dramtically different in low and high bite and if you dont know how to tune or dont have the time-you might have a very hard car to drive till you figure it out.

Does the 12th scales us the same tweak gage that I have for my tc3 or is there a new one I will need to invest in? :cool: :thumbsup:

You can use the same one, or use quarters on the front wheels.

Get the car set and lift in the center of the chassis... if the quarters don't hit your tweak board at the same time, the one side is lifting before the other.

You can also tweak the car from the rear by lifting the car from the centerline of the car and eye-balling which tire lifts first.

All three methods work, use what you feel comfortable with!!

Man Brian, you have the expensive tweak board. Us low life's use the cheaper version.........................................ni ckles or pennies. LOL

LOL! I got the cheaper version now... I used to use 50 cent pieces!!