Originally Posted by
wallacengineeri
I have seen quite alot of strong Tekno reviews, including the ET48.3 as a few of them. However, I honestly dont blame XRay for their old design. I mean Ive always stuck to the term "if it ain't broke, then dont fix it" right? If its the ultimate platform then having Tessmann just update bits and pieces was probably the right way to go.
Such a hard decision between these two...
I mean so you have the ET48.3 which is far more popular and handles absolutely PERFECTLY according to most owners. However, then you have the XT8E, which seems to be even more premium, with lots of insanely nice graphite parts, and with the updates from Tessmann I have no doubts that it is even lighter and stronger now.
As far as pricing goes, yes the XT8E is more expensive, but at the price point that you are spending to get either of these truggies, plus what you have to spend to complete them, really negates the price difference. It just isnt noticable at this tier.
The one big advantage to the Tekno is parts support. As far as I can see the XT8E has NO aftermarket parts support AT ALL. I cant seem to find a single aluminum hop-up for this thing anywhere.
I would like just a few basic aluminum upgrades for my truggy. Just the most important things that seem to cause the most damage when they fail. Things like Differential cases (I cant tell you how many times I have overheated diffs and melted them, causing the planetary gears so sit incorrectly and then get "crunchy". I would also like aluminum steering knuckles and carrier hubs. Those things seem to break all the time. I think I have seen all of these parts available for the ET48.3 if I remember correctly...
The shroud will cause over heating because the electronics wont be able to cool effectively.
The reason Xray didnt update it is simple, Europe doesnt have a truggy following, so its been neglected. Its only been updated because of Tessman.
The Tekno is a tank and doesnt need upgrades. Metal cases are over rated, they just add extra rotating mass. If youre melting cases, thats because the car is open diffing too much, bearing maintenance is lacking and also incorrect oil. Too much load on the diffs.
The Tekno trucks dont fail, theyre extremely robust and strong out of the box. The only things i would do is ditch the shock cap bushings and use fuel tube, also use the delrin shock guides and longer shock perches. Apart from that the Tekno doesnt need anything. The alloy hubs and c hubs arent needed. Tekno plastic is amazing, dont forget Tekno started off as a conversion brand for bashers, and then developed race kits... Cant speak for the new xray, but i had the older one, and it was a very dated design, the new one has been refined, but the Tekno is a stand out truck for a reason. But Xray and Tekno dont require after market parts support, 2 of the toughest and nicest kits ive built have been Xray and Tekno. Xray plastic and build quality is second to none, but the Tekno was a very nice build and an extremely strong kit.