Team Associated B5M Factory Lite review

Time for another review.

Those of you who have been following my blog know I purchased a B5M Factory Lite recently and started racing it.  I’ve had about 15-20 batteries through it and feel I have enough information to do a full review, so here it is.

Overview

The B5M has been out for a couple of years now, and won a bunch of races and is the successor to the very popular B4.2.  Team Associated came out with two versions of the car, the B5 (rear motor) and the B5M (mid-motor).  Probably 90% of sales were for the B5M, and since its release they updated it to the B5M Factory Lite.

The Factory Lite (FL) is targeted primarily at 17.5 stock racers, and features some nice improvements over the original B5M to lighten it – titanium turnbuckles, aluminum front hexes, V2 slipper, 3-gear transmission, and a milled chassis.  It also has an aluminum rear camber block, which is an improvement over the original plastic one.

It also features the B5 arms (flat front arms, B5 rear arms) which smoothens out the steering and makes it a little quicker turning.  It’s basically the best of everything.

I built mine up as a stock spec 17.5 buggy, using completely kit parts except for V2 shock shafts/pistons and X-rings.  Fully ready-to-run, it weighs in at 1525 grams.

Build: 10

The build went very nicely.  I was familiar with the platform, having built a B5, but after going through a Losi/TLR phase, it was surprisingly refreshing to build an AE kit.  AE kits are definitely well thought out, the instructions are clear, and I feel like the plastics and screws are of slightly higher quality than TLR kits.  The plastics are a little firmer and easier to properly thread screws, and the screws are a little sharper and more durable in my opinion.  No issues with the build, it went together perfectly.

Performance: 10

The car just plain kicks ass.  With some decent electronics, the buggy rips.  It handles predictably, it jumps neutrally, it accelerates and brakes well.  I find it to drive very well out of the box with the kit setup.  I think the only thing I changed was dropping 1mm on the rear camber block, else it’s a completely stock setup.

There is less forward and rear weight shift as compared to my B5, and it definitely corners flatter and with more speed.  With the B5, you can feel the rear end swing around in the corners.  It doesn’t plant the rear tires down as much as the B5 – the B5 definitely drives better in slick conditions, but in high-bite there is no comparison.  I’m probably 0.5 seconds/lap faster (on a 16s indoor track) with the B5M.

The shocks are not quite as smooth as TLR 22 shocks, but they work just fine for me.

The car is also extremely light – it has the factory team bearings and weighs only 25 grams over ROAR minimum, and this contributes to the amazing acceleration of the car.

Durability: 9

With the B5, I did break a few parts – front shock shaft, front A-arm, front turnbuckle, rear hubs, but on the B5M FL all of those parts have been upgraded/redesigned. 

It’s got titanium turnbuckles, a redesigned rear hub (longer ball stud with a nut and washer), and I’m using V2 titanium-nitride shafts.  The car isn’t unbreakable, but so far I haven’t broken anything on my B5M FL.  I’ve done some gnarly cartwheels and lawn darts, but it’s held up great.  Even the wing has taken some solid abuse and still looks OK.

It could be that the lighter car makes it a little more durable, but my B5 was only 40 grams or so heavier.

Value: 10

At $279, the buggy is basically the cheapest race buggy on the market.  Considering what it comes with, it’s really the best deal out there.  You have aluminum shock bodies, titanium turnbuckles, a hard-anodized milled chassis, aluminum hexes front and rear, wow.  The TLR 22 costs $60 more, the Kyosho is $100 more, and the Euro cars are expensive also.  Yes, you don’t get wheels, but the price is low, low… low!

Support: 10

AE customer is great, and there are more setup sheets and team drivers for AE than any other brand.  Probably more than all other brands combined!  I’ve gotten quick responses via e-mail from their support staff, and there is a lot of info online and on AE’s website on improving your car.

Dislikes

I honestly can’t think of anything.  It’s not as smooth driving as the TLR 22 2.0, but I like the aggressive nature of the car.  About the only thing that’s annoying about the car is that you need to glue in the front hub inserts, else they tend to get sloppy.  But it only takes a couple of minutes and everyone uses 4mm of trail, so it’s not a big deal.

Conclusion

The car drives awesome, it’s cheap, and it has the best support.  If
you’re not a brand-o-phile, you really can’t go wrong with the B5M
Factory Lite.  The only problem you’ll have is that the car is so
good, everyone at your local track will have one!

At the time of this post, the TLR 22 3.0 just came out and from what I’ve seen of it at the track, it looks as good as the B5M FL, if not better.  I’m going to have to get my hands on one eventually, but for now I’m having so much fun with the B5M it may be a while.