Chassis Focus - Tony Phalen's Super Truck | ETRL
The Super Truck class in the inaugural ETRL season has started off a little slow. Most people have single trucks set up for the Tamiya Championship Series (TCS), meaning these same trucks will drop right in to the Spec Truck class.
However, as expected, once some of the drivers saw how fast and fun these trucks are after being upgraded to Super Truck status, the interest peaked, enough so that the class more than double during Round 2 of the Series.
I have to say my truck was pretty dialed and, since that time, I've received quite a few questions regarding my Super Truck; what's my setup, parts I've used, etc. I decided to do a little Chassis Focus post outlining my truck - the same one used in Round 2 at TQ RC Racing. So, without further ado, let's get to it!
The first thing I want to point out is that the chassis still fits in the TCS rules; I've not cut or any way modified the chassis (it's against the ETRL rules anyway). I've used all the parts that come in the kit; stock body mounts, battery strap, bumpers, etc. That being said, it should make your build pretty easy - just swap out some aftermarket goodies with the stock parts and you're good to go.
Here is the chassis I based my build on:
58661 Tamiya Buggyra Racing Fat Fox
You can also use either of these two trucks as well, just with different body styles:
58632 Tamiya Team Hahn Racing MAN TGS
58642 Tamiya Team Reinert Racing MAN TGS
58642 Tamiya Tankpool24 Mercedes Actros
Suspension
My first order of business was to beef up the suspension. These trucks are fun to drive stock, but the suspension really needs some attention to extract the most performance out of the vehicle. So, here's what I used:
42102 TRF Special Oil-Filled Damper Set
Link: https://bit.ly/3DpyR0k
53674 Tamiya Adjustable Upper Front and Rear Suspension Arms
Link: https://bit.ly/3dg9nHS
54059 Tamiya Front Carbon Shock Tower
Link: https://bit.ly/3DnuuCB
54060 Tamiya Rear Carbon Shock Tower
Link: https://bit.ly/3Dkcqtl
Drivetrain
The Super Truck class allows the use of a 21.5T motor. Aluminum bits were dropped in place to reduce plastic drivetrain lag. Tamiya's speed-tuned gear set was also added to hone in on the perfect ratio of speed and acceleration. Here are the parts I used:
TFE4509 Fast Eddy TT-01 Type-E Ceramic Bearing Kit
Link: https://bit.ly/3xQKPPq
TT-069BU Yeah Racing TT-01 Front Spool
Link: -
53663 Tamiya TT-01 Ball Differential (Rear)
Link: https://bit.ly/3ofrynu
53665 Tamiya Speed-Tuned Gear Set
Link: https://bit.ly/3xMKxZA
53666 Tamiya Aluminum Motor Mount
Link: https://bit.ly/3deXsdt
54026 Tamiya Aluminum Drive Shaft and Joint Set
Link: https://bit.ly/3DnvwhX
Steering
I like to have a precise steering feel and, well, the stock steering can be a bit wandery. To fix that, I dropped in the aluminum steering system and adjustable steering links. While I haven't yet, I'm looking at changing out the servo saver and drag link.
54058 Tamiya Aluminum Steering System
Link: https://bit.ly/32KAvwC
53864 Tamiya Aluminum Steering Bridge
Link: https://bit.ly/3rwBafB
Electronics
I've got some high-ish end electronics in this rig, more because I had them lying around that I felt the Euro Truck really needs them. That being said, you could use some more budget-friendly pieces and still be just as competitive. Here's what I have going on:
30112000 Hobbywing XR10 Justock Spec ESC
Link: https://bit.ly/31vwonO
27401 Reedy S-Plus 21.5T Motor
Link: https://bit.ly/3ognHX5
FUTM0661 Futaba S9551 Low-Profile Servo
Link: https://bit.ly/3IdisiV
FUTK4908 Futaba 7PXR
Link: https://bit.ly/3uAQx4l
WTF3010 WTF 30mm Cooling Fan (see post here about mounting: Adding a Motor Cooling Fan)
Link: https://bit.ly/31vwP1q
PTK-5129-19 ProTek Graphene Plus LiHV 5000mAh 2S LiPo Battery
Link: https://bit.ly/3Ic5lP4
(Sorry for the wiring job - this is usually tidied up after I'm happy with my running gear.)
So that about does it. Hopefully this will excite some people into building a second truck for the Euro Truck Racing League! The class is growing each race - get in here and let's have some faster-than-stock fun!
