Earlier this week Team Associated announced an upcoming addition to the their family of brands which they call Element. From the initial press release it seems that Element will be AE’s “trail and crawling” brand as their first tag line was “your journey begins here.” That was less than two days before the truck would be announced.
Fast forward 48 hours and in a surprise move Element released all of the details for the truck. The platform, like the brand, is all-new. From its stamped steel c-channel frame rails to its innovative “overdrive” Stealth X transmission the Enduro Trail Truck platform is packed with some features that crawling enthusiasts have come to expect and some that are quite innovative.
Starting with the parts that you see first the Sendero body is a generic mold that, while reminiscent of several different models, does not directly replicate any one specifically. The body is a two piece unit creating options for the end user to remove the bed and install their own rear cage section or flatbed, if that is your style. The cab features a separately molded grille, clear headlight lenses with LED headlights and separate buckets, folding side view mirrors and windshield wipers. The wheels are molded in gold and are licensed replicas of Method’s 701 Trail Series beadlocks. The Wheels are functional beadlocks too; the six center screws hold the sections of the wheel together and the removable center cap covers the wheel retaining nut. The truck rides on licensed General Grabber X3 tires that are molded in a soft, high-performance compound.
The new Stealth X transmission appears to be a traditional 3-gear unit but a deeper dive inside reveals the Enduro’s standout feature: overdrive built directly into the transmission. Out of the box the truck is over-driven 5.7% to the front and with optional parts can be set to 11.83% or 1:1. Transferring power out of the transmission are three piece telescoping driveshafts with an extended aluminum center section. Next up in the driveline are hardened ring and pinion gears both front and rear. The front axle features universal shafts for more strength and better steering angle while the one piece rear axle housing contains one-piece 80mm. axle shafts.
In the suspension and steering department the Enduro features 5mm. steel links in a triangulated 4-link configuration in the rear and a 3-link with adjustable track bar in the front. The chassis mounted servo sends its steering power down to a behind the axle (BTA) steering setup for improved approach angle and a lessened chance of steering damage when coming in contact with trail obstacles. Next to that servo, a Reedy 1320MG metal gear unit with 173 oz-in or torque, is a blank space for another servo, this time to be used as a winch.
Along with the powerful servo is an equally powerful motor. The Reedy 16-turn 5-slot motor promises high torque along with supreme smoothness. Powering the new motor is a Reedy SC400X electronic speed control with selectable low-voltage cutoff and drag brake settings, pre-installed T-plug and a 6v/3a internal BEC. The truck is controlled by a new 3-channel XP130 2.4gHz radio system.
Included in the package are two battery trays, one for smaller “shorty” packs and one for larger “standard” sized packs. The bumper mounts are adjustable and spaced to fit common post mounted bumpers while the rock sliders are adjustable as well. Combined with the 12mm hexes all of the adjustability opens up the options for future customization.
