ET48 2.0 Known Weak Points?

[cobra]

I am getting ready to buy an ET48 2.0, and I've been comparing the manuals from the EB48 2.1 to the ET48 2.0 to see what parts are different.

For the most part, it looks like minor refinements, and Tekno has no plans to release an ET48 2.1 any time soon.

Are there any must-have 2.1 upgrades that I should plan on installing from the get-go? Any weak points on the 2.0 that are known to fail commonly?


Most people tell me the Tekno is the toughest truggy on the market, but then I read about destroyed gearboxes and steering blocks, so it has me wondering if these were addressed.

 

[Billl DeLong]

I no longer race TEKNO and I have shared my reasons for switching brands after my experience with the 2.0 buggy here which uses mostly the same parts and will be comparable with the truggy:
https://www.teknoforums.com/threads/build-review-eb48-2-0.1864/post-17986

I tend to agree that TEKNO is one of the most durable brands and is a very solid platform with excellent parts support. My reasons for leaving TEKNO was not because of durability around the chassis but mostly because I needed a more stable platform and the battery pack design caused me to experience too many pre-mature battery failures.

Many TEKNO Team Drivers in my area are switching over to the nitro buggy chassis and using the Mugen motor mount with AE saddle packs doing an electric conversion to get the TEKNO to handle more stable. I would imagine that the same conversion can be done with the truggy as well. Just my opinion, and I know many other drivers in my area agree that the electric TEKNO kits are better suited for drivers who have fast reaction skills and know how to carry faster corner speed. At one time TEKNO was pretty much the only brand that everyone ran at the track in my area, but now it's more balanced out between other brands.

Not trying to sway you away from TEKNO by any means, but offering some details to help you understand why TEKNO is different than other brands. There are many hot shot TEKNO drivers in my area that I can't hold a candle to... if you need blazing corner speed then TEKNO is a solid choice.

For my case, HB has been a better fit for me with a better battery tray design to where I no longer experience premature battery failures and that alone had made HB less expensive on my long term maintenance costs. In contrast, there are many TEKNO team drivers who are not reporting pre-mature failures and are adding soft neoprene tape to cushion the battery tray ( which I did not do), I was told about this upgrade after I already sold my TEKNO.

There is no such thing as the "Unicorn of R/C", you need to go down the list of cons for each brand and see what balance of features works best for you. One of the current hot shot TEKNO team drivers in my area had ran HB for a while and it was too stable for him, he needed the extra snap steering that TEKNO offers where TEKNO suits him better for his driving style.

If possible, try to test drive all the brands at your club... if a team driver doesn't let you test drive that brand, then I would exclude that brand from your list.

Good Luck!

 

[cobra]

I no longer race TEKNO and I have shared my reasons for switching brands after my experience with the 2.0 buggy here which uses mostly the same parts and will be comparable with the truggy:
https://www.teknoforums.com/threads/build-review-eb48-2-0.1864/post-17986

I tend to agree that TEKNO is one of the most durable brands and is a very solid platform with excellent parts support. My reasons for leaving TEKNO was not because of durability around the chassis but mostly because I needed a more stable platform and the battery pack design caused me to experience too many pre-mature battery failures.

Many TEKNO Team Drivers in my area are switching over to the nitro buggy chassis and using the Mugen motor mount with AE saddle packs doing an electric conversion to get the TEKNO to handle more stable. I would imagine that the same conversion can be done with the truggy as well. Just my opinion, and I know many other drivers in my area agree that the electric TEKNO kits are better suited for drivers who have fast reaction skills and know how to carry faster corner speed. At one time TEKNO was pretty much the only brand that everyone ran at the track in my area, but now it's more balanced out between other brands.

Not trying to sway you away from TEKNO by any means, but offering some details to help you understand why TEKNO is different than other brands. There are many hot shot TEKNO drivers in my area that I can't hold a candle to... if you need blazing corner speed then TEKNO is a solid choice.

For my case, HB has been a better fit for me with a better battery tray design to where I no longer experience premature battery failures and that alone had made HB less expensive on my long term maintenance costs. In contrast, there are many TEKNO team drivers who are not reporting pre-mature failures and are adding soft neoprene tape to cushion the battery tray ( which I did not do), I was told about this upgrade after I already sold my TEKNO.

There is no such thing as the "Unicorn of R/C", you need to go down the list of cons for each brand and see what balance of features works best for you. One of the current hot shot TEKNO team drivers in my area had ran HB for a while and it was too stable for him, he needed the extra snap steering that TEKNO offers where TEKNO suits him better for his driving style.

If possible, try to test drive all the brands at your club... if a team driver doesn't let you test drive that brand, then I would exclude that brand from your list.

Good Luck!

Good input! I love your detailed breakdown in the link you posted, it gives a good idea of the hardness and quality of the parts. I think there are definitely differences between brands, which is why I am researching carefully before dumping some good money into it. For example, the outdrives on my AE car showed a lot of wear compared to the same series TLR which definitely uses a higher quality metal.

I think there are certain things that can be ruled out by way of fundamental design. For example, after looking into it I am not impressed with the pivot ball design some brands offer. Without a rubber boot, these are just asking to get loose and wear out, and making camber adjustments are a pain. The c-hinge design just seems way better, which narrows down the selections further.

I think at this point I've already narrowed in on the ET48 and I'm just seeing if there's some obvious weak point I may have missed in my research.

 

[Billl DeLong]

I'm right there with you on preference for C-hubs

I do see the HB Truggy break an occasional arm here and there but that's about all I see break with that brand where swapping an arm takes just a few minutes.

I saw a TEKNO driver at the track yesterday bust a front bulkhead during the 3rd qual and wasn't able to make the repair in time before the mains started which was kind of a bummer. They have beefed them up for durability, but they are still breaking, just not as often.

 

[VRC]

Bill is right on about the handling of teknos. They are very quick in the corners. if they suit your driving style, they are great. If they don't they will slow you down.

 

[a2lowvw]

When you say toughest truggy you mean out of race spec stuff right? I think in their weight class they probably have some of the beefiest components. On my MT48 (stretched Mt410) I have had issues with bent steering linkage bent and broken camber links/rod ends, bent driveshafts. I got bumped into a Tlr 5iveB in one of our bash races and took a long tumble and walked away pretty bruised. I have also bent a front aluminum driveshaft on both et48 and 2 on the mt48 even with all the m2c braces. The Tekno’s aren’t indestructible but for a light weight truggy they do very well.