410.2 New to Club Racing (Questions)

[obessedwithrc]

New to Club Racing 13.5t Buggy (Questions Thread)​

My friends and I have decided to start racing at the SDRC Raceway here in San Diego. While I am not new to RC or to Tekno, I am new to racing, and I'm opening a thread to ask questions as they come up. Thank you in advance for sharing your wisdom!​

For context, we are racing in the 1/10 buggy stock class and are all running the EB410.2. For reference, I have many other Tekno rigs: MT410 (original), EB48 2.2 (almost finished), ET48 2.0, SCT410 2.0, MT410 2.0, SCT410SL, ET410.2, and now the EB410.2 (almost finished). I have built/ torn-down and re-built and heavily customized many, many RCs, but have never raced them.

The questions below will be from myself and three other friends of mine who are in the process of wrapping up our buggy builds and will be heading to the track soon!

Track Details:

• SDRC Raceway in Miramar, San Diego
• Type: Indoor warehouse
• Surface: Clay

Club Recommendations (so far):

• Box Stock EB410.2 Setup
• 6400mah Pro-Line Graphic LiHV (or equivalent)
• ProTek RC 160T LP Servo (or equivalent)
• Xerun XR10 Pro G3
• Xerun V10 G4R (13.5T)
• T1 TZO slicks

Q1: Are there any "immediate" upgrades to consider?

• I will be running the aluminum shock caps and a few carbon fiber bits like the steering top plate, towers, RX tray, and and differential top plate

Q2: Does it make sense to run a fan, regardless if motor temps are under control?

• I.e., will a lower motor/ esc temperature increase efficiency? (Yes, I know the XR10 comes with a built-in fan)

Q3: We've heard the EB410.2 "is heavy" compared to that of other brands—to what degree does this matter?

• Should we be overly concerned with weight-saving upgrades at some point?
  • I ask "at some point" because we're just starting and do not expect to be first-place qualifiers anytime soon

Q4: Are there any "immediate" changes to box setup that you'd make?

• Yes, when to tune is heavily dependent on many factors... that said, in your opinion are there blatantly obvious "Ya now, Tekno should have recommended this out of the box instead of that changes that you'd make to the setup right away?"

Q5: What parts, specific to the EB410.2, replacement/ maintenance parts do you keep on hand?

• I.e., what parts are most likely to break and/or to wear out/ require replacement? And roughly, in what frequency are you replacing them?

Q6: What's the best approach to meeting other racers without "invading their space?"

• We'd love to meet some of the other racers and to learn about their rigs (especially those who run the EB410.2)—what's the best way to approach them?

Q7: Does lightening rotating parts help all that much?

• I.e., Tekno sells aluminum stub axles and a composite differential gear set—I know Tekno says not to use these parts if you're new to racing... I'm just curious

Q8: Do you spend any time/ attention to tuning your chassis flex?

• ProStar RC offers a few different styles of chassis braces to tune overall chassis flex—is it worth "tuning" the chassis flex at some point?
• I do have the "stiffest" chassis brace they offer which I had bought for my ET410.2 basher—would it benefit my EB410.2 for racing purposes?

Q9: Do you break your bulkheads that often, or is there any benefit to stiffer bulkheads?

• ProStar RC offers a magnesium, ceramic-coated partial bulkhead—I have a pair that I planned to run on my ET410.2 basher—is it worth running one, or both on my EB410.2? If so, would you run front or rear? Or both?

Q10: Do you spend any time/ attention to balancing the weight of your EB410.2?

• I.e., do/ did you use a scale similar to that of Sky RC's to check and optimize weight distribution?
• If so, did you add weight (i.e., brass C block) or remove weight (i.e., titanium screws), or both? What was the optimal weight balance you were going for? What was your primary approach/ method to add or remove weight?

 

[RustyUs]

I don't race anymore, nor am I going to touch on every question. It sounds like you got a good grasp of things and what to expect.

If you were told the T1 TZO slicks are the hot ticketed tire, then you shall be well on your way with box stock setup I would think. Pratice, practice, practice. Just focus on running clean laps until you get to know the track better. Pushing too hard and being marshalled all the time is no fun. If you find others running the EB410, just explain to them your situation and would like to pick their brains for any tips/help they might offer you in your setup.

Tune the buggy for your driving style. Following a setup sheet of someone else can give some insight to what you might need to adjust/change, but don't fully rely on it.

Having the ET410 and SCT410SL platforms already should give you a heads up on what wear items you need to keep on hand. I don't know how extreme your "bashing" habits are during your mini truggy and SCT runs, but slamming hard onto a clay track might not be as forgiving as what you put your other rides through. Bulkheads, rod ends, and hinge pins... Does the track have parts for Tekno RCs? You already got aluminum shock caps... that would be my only recommended upgrade for DNF prevention. The Prostar bulkheads would be on the far end of shopping (for me) list unless my driving is just horribly wrong causing repeated breakages.

Spec class racing... if/when the competitive nature takes over. you may be compelled to buy the top dollar/top rated electronics of the month club has to offer, as well as all the weight saving parts out there for an already "husky" older platform. Having the very best gear isn't going to make you a great driver overnight. Sportsmen class available for those who are starting out?

Hopefully, someone will chime in and give you better in-depth detail what to expect in your journey.

 

[obessedwithrc]

Hey @RustyUs — thanks for the reply. I really appreciate the time you took to provide all of this very helpful information. A few comments/ questions below:

Tune the buggy for your driving style. Following a setup sheet of someone else can give some insight to what you might need to adjust/change, but don't fully rely on it.

My bashing driving style is comprised of full throttle until I have a dead truck or a dead pack. I feel like driving style is less important than let's say, the specific use-case for each truck. i.e., stunt basher, beach ripper, desert truck, etc.

What does "driving style" mean as far as racing is concerned? In other words, what are the attributes/ adjectives that would be used to define a driving style? What would be the best approach to being able to spot different driving styles at my local track?

Having the ET410 and SCT410SL platforms already should give you a heads up on what wear items you need to keep on hand. I don't know how extreme your "bashing" habits are during your mini truggy and SCT runs, but slamming hard

This was great! Thank you!

onto a clay track might not be as forgiving as what you put your other rides through. Bulkheads, rod ends, and hinge pins... Does the track have parts for Tekno RCs?

I don't bash my SCT410SL that hard... I mostly drive it as a short course truck, albeit, I do subject it to high speeds and punishing terrain. I have yet to break anything.

I do bash my ET410.2. 6-10ft jumps on loose dirt are not uncommon. I am running Phase1RC bumpers front and rear. The quality and material of the bumpers is similar to that of T-Bone Racing (may the R.I.P). I'm also running both rear braces and the full-length ProStar RC carbon fiber top brace. I reinforced the body with cement tape and shoe goo.

I'm running a full titanium everything (screws, turnbuckles, shock standoffs, shock pins, etc. I have yet to break anything. While that stuff doesn't matter so much for bashing, I really enjoy all-out custom builds. I built a Mojave 6s from the ground up and was able to lighten it by 15%.

Many of the weight-saving parts I fabricated or found online, all the way down to making my own titanium diff pins and using Tekno parts (shocks, rod ends, steering posts, etc.) where-ever I could. It was a fun project and I'm surprised the carbon fiber chassis I'm running has held up to the abuse I've put it through. I did try running carbon fiber hinge pins. The lowers broke immediately. The upper hinge pins lasted for quite a while.

The other project I'm working on is a building a custom, heavily modified EB48 2.2 converted to a 1/8 short course truck. The plan is to use the ET48 2.2. chassis and run the Arrma Mojave 4s 1/8 scale body with tires off the new Team Corally Shiroi XP 6S 1/8 6S SCT. It should be a fun/ challenging project.

Here's a pic of my ET410.2:

Having the very best gear isn't going to make you a great driver overnight. Sportsmen class available for those who are starting out?

I agree. I plan on setting my throttle limit to 50-75% to start with until I can make it around the track consistently and then slowly bumping it up as my driving improves.

They do have a Sportsmen class. That's what we'll be running. I have called the track multiple times to ask questions. Do you think starting with the XR10 Pro G3/ V10 G4R combo was a bit overkill of a recommended electronics package for the Sportsmen class?

Regarding common wear items, the track does carry Tekno parts. It makes sense since Tekno's warehouse and office are here in San Diego. I do get a 20% military discount buying from Tekno directly; however, I plan to support the local track by buying parts from them after my initial build is complete.

Hopefully, someone will chime in and give you better in-depth detail what to expect in your journey.

Actually, your response is/ was super helpful!

 

[davidg]

Like RustyUs I also have the tekno 410sl, which shares a lot of the parts with your car. I wouldn't worry about the ProStar bulkheads. I've only broke one in 2 years and that was on a 1/8 track with some pretty big jumps. I would suggest checking your steering bell cranks, mine kept getting a bit of slop in them. I eventually got the exotek aluminum ones, they're listed for the original eb410. But they fit fine on my sct, another guy at the track was also running them on his. Unless your track is super high bite, I wouldn't worry about that ProStar chassis brace. I would think that's more for a high bite carpet track.

 

[RustyUs]

Hey @RustyUs — thanks for the reply. I really appreciate the time you took to provide all of this very helpful information. A few comments/ questions below:



My bashing driving style is comprised of full throttle until I have a dead truck or a dead pack. I feel like driving style is less important than let's say, the specific use-case for each truck. i.e., stunt basher, beach ripper, desert truck, etc.

What does "driving style" mean as far as racing is concerned? In other words, what are the attributes/ adjectives that would be used to define a driving style? What would be the best approach to being able to spot different driving styles at my local track?



This was great! Thank you!


I don't bash my SCT410SL that hard... I mostly drive it as a short course truck, albeit, I do subject it to high speeds and punishing terrain. I have yet to break anything.

I do bash my ET410.2. 6-10ft jumps on loose dirt are not uncommon. I am running Phase1RC bumpers front and rear. The quality and material of the bumpers is similar to that of T-Bone Racing (may the R.I.P). I'm also running both rear braces and the full-length ProStar RC carbon fiber top brace. I reinforced the body with cement tape and shoe goo.

I'm running a full titanium everything (screws, turnbuckles, shock standoffs, shock pins, etc. I have yet to break anything. While that stuff doesn't matter so much for bashing, I really enjoy all-out custom builds. I built a Mojave 6s from the ground up and was able to lighten it by 15%.

Many of the weight-saving parts I fabricated or found online, all the way down to making my own titanium diff pins and using Tekno parts (shocks, rod ends, steering posts, etc.) where-ever I could. It was a fun project and I'm surprised the carbon fiber chassis I'm running has held up to the abuse I've put it through. I did try running carbon fiber hinge pins. The lowers broke immediately. The upper hinge pins lasted for quite a while.

The other project I'm working on is a building a custom, heavily modified EB48 2.2 converted to a 1/8 short course truck. The plan is to use the ET48 2.2. chassis and run the Arrma Mojave 4s 1/8 scale body with tires off the new Team Corally Shiroi XP 6S 1/8 6S SCT. It should be a fun/ challenging project.

Here's a pic of my ET410.2:

View attachment 11433

View attachment 11434View attachment 11435



I agree. I plan on setting my throttle limit to 50-75% to start with until I can make it around the track consistently and then slowly bumping it up as my driving improves.

They do have a Sportsmen class. That's what we'll be running. I have called the track multiple times to ask questions. Do you think starting with the XR10 Pro G3/ V10 G4R combo was a bit overkill of a recommended electronics package for the Sportsmen class?

Regarding common wear items, the track does carry Tekno parts. It makes sense since Tekno's warehouse and office are here in San Diego. I do get a 20% military discount buying from Tekno directly; however, I plan to support the local track by buying parts from them after my initial build is complete.



Actually, your response is/ was super helpful!

I don't know what motor you have, nor the rules, for me to give judgement upon.

Driving styles can change during a race when other traffic is involved and a person is new to the track. Take things slow to feel the vehicle and get to know the track's obstacles before pointing and shooting a triple in front of you.

 

[RustyUs]

Hey @RustyUs — thanks for the reply. I really appreciate the time you took to provide all of this very helpful information. A few comments/ questions below:



My bashing driving style is comprised of full throttle until I have a dead truck or a dead pack. I feel like driving style is less important than let's say, the specific use-case for each truck. i.e., stunt basher, beach ripper, desert truck, etc.

What does "driving style" mean as far as racing is concerned? In other words, what are the attributes/ adjectives that would be used to define a driving style? What would be the best approach to being able to spot different driving styles at my local track?



This was great! Thank you!


I don't bash my SCT410SL that hard... I mostly drive it as a short course truck, albeit, I do subject it to high speeds and punishing terrain. I have yet to break anything.

I do bash my ET410.2. 6-10ft jumps on loose dirt are not uncommon. I am running Phase1RC bumpers front and rear. The quality and material of the bumpers is similar to that of T-Bone Racing (may the R.I.P). I'm also running both rear braces and the full-length ProStar RC carbon fiber top brace. I reinforced the body with cement tape and shoe goo.

I'm running a full titanium everything (screws, turnbuckles, shock standoffs, shock pins, etc. I have yet to break anything. While that stuff doesn't matter so much for bashing, I really enjoy all-out custom builds. I built a Mojave 6s from the ground up and was able to lighten it by 15%.

Many of the weight-saving parts I fabricated or found online, all the way down to making my own titanium diff pins and using Tekno parts (shocks, rod ends, steering posts, etc.) where-ever I could. It was a fun project and I'm surprised the carbon fiber chassis I'm running has held up to the abuse I've put it through. I did try running carbon fiber hinge pins. The lowers broke immediately. The upper hinge pins lasted for quite a while.

The other project I'm working on is a building a custom, heavily modified EB48 2.2 converted to a 1/8 short course truck. The plan is to use the ET48 2.2. chassis and run the Arrma Mojave 4s 1/8 scale body with tires off the new Team Corally Shiroi XP 6S 1/8 6S SCT. It should be a fun/ challenging project.

Here's a pic of my ET410.2:

View attachment 11433

View attachment 11434View attachment 11435



I agree. I plan on setting my throttle limit to 50-75% to start with until I can make it around the track consistently and then slowly bumping it up as my driving improves.

They do have a Sportsmen class. That's what we'll be running. I have called the track multiple times to ask questions. Do you think starting with the XR10 Pro G3/ V10 G4R combo was a bit overkill of a recommended electronics package for the Sportsmen class?

Regarding common wear items, the track does carry Tekno parts. It makes sense since Tekno's warehouse and office are here in San Diego. I do get a 20% military discount buying from Tekno directly; however, I plan to support the local track by buying parts from them after my initial build is complete.



Actually, your response is/ was super helpful!

Where did you order your Phase1RC bumpers from?

 

[obessedwithrc]

@davidg - The employees at the track recommended the TKR6560A aluminum Ackerman plate. Were there specific component(s) of the bell crank steering assembly which develop slop over time? i.e., Ackerman plate, bell cranks (arms), etc.? In other words, would running an aluminum Ackerman plate fix the issue? or do you recommend upgrading the entire bell crank assembly?

 

[obessedwithrc]

@RustyUs - I bought the Phase1 bumpers here https://promodels.be/. They ship internationally.

 

[davidg]

I just changed the steering bells on my 410sl. I just picked up a et410.2, I’ll probably wait till the stock pieces get some slop in them. Before I change them. I know they say there for the original eb/et 410. But they fit fine on my sct.