The Element Enduro trail truck accounts to one of the smoothest trailing experiences.
Powered with a brushed motor, can you upgrade the trail truck to push the performance? which parts should be upgraded for best results? What are the expenses?
Well, along with the motor, many small and big parts play a role in the performance. And yes, they in fact come with a cost. But you will get a range of options from this blog. Read till the end to find out!
Upgrades and Costs At A Glance
| Part | Reason of Upgrade | Cost |
| Bumpers | Better moving angle | $15-40 |
| Motor & ESC | Faster speed | $14-180 |
| Chassis | Durability and weight | $30-50 |
| Body | Protection and felxibility | $80-160 |
| Wheels | Weight and durability. | $42-70 |
How Much Does Its Cost to Upgrade?
The entire upgrade will cost you about $250-580.
You can upgrade the Bumpers at $15-40, $14-180 on Motor & ESC, up to $30-50 on Chassis, $80-160 on Body upgrade, and $42-70on Wheels.
you can upgrade other accessories within $60-80 dollars.
5 Element Enduro Upgrades:
Yes, it is a great truck out of the box. But why stop there when you can have so much more! Even the classic fans prefer the mods I’ll be discussing here.
1. Bumpers
The stock front and rear bumpers are totally useless. Once the front and rear hang up with everything, it creates a hindrance. They mainly cause problems with the approach angles and departure angles. Any set of low-profile bumpers will provide optimum performance.
One of such parts I would suggest is the Vanquish VS4 bumpers .
High-Quality Option: Sendero/Sendero HD 1/10 Scale Full-Width Front Bumper, 1/10 Scale Full-Size Rear Bumper.
Note: Okay this is a trick for you! You can swap the front and back bumper mounts with each other. If you do so you’ll see improvement in their angle which will enhance the performance of your truck.
2. Motor & ESC
Okay, so the stock motor and ESC are the 5T brushed crawler motor and the Reedy Power SC400X ESC. This comes with a T-plug connector.
If you want some mud and water action, try the Holmes Hobbies 27T-35T Crawlmaster 540. But if you are happy with the general trail work your truck does, go for an HH Torquemaster 35T 540.
The stock ESC is very sensitive in reverse throttle response driving. Driving around the neighborhood is not a big deal. Because it has decent modulation going forward but on the trail, it is very difficult to control the reverse.
So upgrading the ESC is a necessity. My recommendation will be the Hobbywing 1080 ESC. It’s just around 40 dollars and is an absolute steal!
Not only is this ESC easily programmable, but it is very configurable too.
Separate Option: Ansmann Clash 21 540 Motor, Modelsport UK Sniper RV-20 Auto.
Combo Options: 13.5T 540 Sensored Brushless Motor For Tamiya TBLE-02s ESCs (Expensive)
3. Chassis
There is a lot of plastic on the truck. Due to the use of this soft plastic, the chassis is very flexible. This lowers the center of gravity. Under stress or an unendurable climate, the low center of gravity causes the erratic behavior of the truck. For example, it makes the truck too bouncy or jumpy all over
Moreover, this makes the stock chassis prone to damage and breaking. Considering chassis support every other part of a truck, it needs a strong durable upgrade.
My suggestion would be upgrading to hard plastic or aluminum chassis. Look for a one that helps in lowering the center of gravity of the truck.
You can give this one a go: GPM Aluminum Rear Chassis Brace
4. Body
The body is not that strong. The body posts are flexy, they crack easily. The body is totally not suitable to withstand the beating of a rock crawler. It is surprising considering the truck is meant for exactly that!
The mirrors sheared away on the second battery back very soon. The main culprit of such fragility is where the slider bars touch the body. It is at right angles. And the constant impact on right angles causes the cracks more easily.
The body posts are so flexy, they will remain misaligned. Here are a few suggestions for you.
High-end Option: Axial Scx24 Custom Chevy K5 Body
Cost-effective Options: Clear Lexan Body – Ford Raptor F150
5. Tires and Wheels
The stock tires and wheels are good-looking scale wheels. However, they are pretty rubbish as considered by most people. The tire of choice should depend largely on the type of terrain you are running the truck on.
One of the upgrades can be swapping the tires and wheels with metal ones. This also contributes to adding up a bit of weight to the truck. Of course, changing the foam of the tire can also help.
One of my suggestions will be the Proline Hyrax tires in a predator compound. This includes corner innovations or stage foams. Along with metal wheels.
Note: For Optimum performance, try to keep the weight of the wheels near 180 grams.
Element Enduro Accessories Upgrades
Swap out the servo horn, Panhard mount, and pivot balls. These are in plastic so the switch should be made to metallic parts. Because these plastic parts over time lose their characteristics and become weak.
You can also install the optional 11.83% overdrive gear. It provides 11 or 12 percent overdrive in contrast to the stock 6%.
Another upgrade can be the FT Steel pivot ball set. You can also change the rubber suspension balls.
Another thing to consider upgrading is the servo to Tekin servo. Those are really powerful servos and very smooth. But these aren’t budget-friendly. A more affordable option would be the Sävox SW-1210sg was it.
Conclusion
Element Enduro has some pretty obvious upgrades. Such as the body part, chassis and bumpers. Additionally the overdrive gear is also an important upgrade especially for rock crawling.
Surprisingly it is not as expensive as other trailer truck upgrades. More the reason to upgrade your Element Enduro today!
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