R/C CAR STAFF

There was a time where both hobbyists and racers flocked to nitro cars, often dumping their electric cars off on the side. In all honesty, I can’t blame them. I did the same thing. It was that initial draw to the sound of the exhaust note of the engine, the smoke, the high-speed runs without worrying about batteries dumping, and the refueling. It was just all so cool. But technology has changed a lot since the days of the ol’ NiCd SCRs. Now, you’ll see people doing just the opposite; converting their nitro cars over to electric. This was absurd less than 10 years ago, but it’s now a commonality. It still doesn’t have the draw that nitro does, mainly because it’s practically silent, but once the speed bug has bitten an RC’er, they get bitten hard. And as more and more hobbyists and racers cross back over that line, they find more and more options. For RC8, RC8T and SC8 owners, Associated has a very appealing option that borders Factory Team options. Check out the new E Conversion.

FEATURES OVERVIEW
The conversion includes, for the most part, everything you need to convert your nitro burner into a battery-powered monster. In the box, you get the battery tray, battery straps, a new receiver box, an aluminum motor mount, pinion gears, spur gears, and additional hardware and various odds and ends to complete the conversion. All you need to buy in addition to the kit is the brushless system itself.

TESTING
Between the three Associated cars, we decided on converting our SC8 over to brushless power. And I’m sorry to give it away at such an early point in the story, but this is single handedly the best thing we’ve ever done to the car! Starting off with the actual conversion process and the fitment of the parts, this is easily the best-looking conversion on the market. All the parts went in smoothly with little to no finagling. There is only one additional modification to the truck during the conversion, and that’s to remove the fuel line guide on the left side-guard. Outside of that, every part bolts straight onto the chassis with no additional modifications. The final result is a clean, factory finish that looks immaculate.

Using Novak’s HV Pro with a 5.5 turn, the SC8 became a completely different car. There is just so much more bottom-end torque, right on tap! Not that it wasn’t fun prior to the brushless conversion, but the SC8 is so incredibly entertaining to sling around in the dirt with its newfound bottom-end torque.

CONCLUSION
This is a fantastic conversion for any of Associated’s 1/8-scale chassis. Keep in mind that this kit is better suited for those who already own an RC8, RC8T or an SC8. We do not recommend buying an RTR just to convert it. If you add up the price of the car, the conversion, the brushless system, and the battery packs and charger, you’ll see that it’s not the most cost-effective route. Fortunately, Associated has recently released electric versions of the three vehicles, so look out for that if you’d like to try the brushless 1/8-scale route.

On the other hand, if you currently own an RC8, RC8T or an SC8, and if you’re adamant on going brushless, this is a highly recommended option. The kit fits perfectly and looks totally factory.