Review - Element RC Enduro Ecto
ELEMENT RC ENDURO ECTO REVIEW
What is the Enduro Ecto?
The Enduro Ecto is a 1/10 4WD ready-to-run trail truck from Element RC. Although it’s built on the Enduro platform, it has been built a little differently. It’s been primed for raw performance with a lightweight body, extended wheelbase, a crazy amount of steering, and more.
But we’ll get to that. Keep on reading to see what we thought of the Enduro Ecto. Plus, you can check out Brett’s video review at the bottom of the page!
Let’s talk about the body.
With RC trail trucks, there is usually a spectrum between scale realism and performance. To get more performance you sometimes have to sacrifice some realism. To get more scale realism, you may have to give up some performance.
The stock Ecto leans towards the performance end of the spectrum, having a simple, clean, and lightweight body. Doing this keeps the weight down and the center of gravity low.
Like most RC bodies, it’s made from lexan and it’s styled like an early American pick-up truck. A few scale details are added in the form of decals such as on the front grille, the windows, and along the side. It also features a hard plastic fuel cell and roll bar in the bed of the truck, which are both attached from the underside of the body. There are a few more scale details included, that you can add yourself, such as plastic antennas and a couple of GoPro cameras.
On the front end, you’ll also find a hard plastic bumper with a non-working winch and winch fairlead. The bumper is attached to the chassis for rigidity and is adjustable.
What about the tires and wheels?
The tires and wheels are very scale. The tires are officially licensed General Grabber X3 Crawler Tires and they are 4.65 inches tall. The wheels are plastic Element RC Ocho 1.9 inch beadlock wheels.
The wheels are on a standard 12mm hex, which means most after-market 1.9 inch wheels will fit on the Ecto.
How is the Ecto out on the trail?
One big thing to note about the Ecto is the use of the Gatekeeper chassis. The Gatekeeper chassis features high-performance trailing arms instead of a traditional link suspension.
This moves the shocks and weight bias more forward, which allows for more shock tuning.
This chassis also features a longer wheelbase at 12.8 inches, where most trucks are 12.3 inches. The difference doesn’t look very big, but it does add some extra stability, especially when climbing up.
One downside to a longer chassis is often a decreased turning radius. But the Ecto counters this with CVD front driveshafts and an overdrive transmission. The CVD driveshafts give more steering angle to the front wheels. And the overdrive transmission means the front of the truck is slightly pulling the rear of the truck around. This ends up giving it a sharper turn radius.
What powers the Ecto?
Under the hood we’re looking at a 550 size 14-turn brushed motor and SC480X brushed ESC, which are both water-resistant. Steering the truck is a Reedy 1523MG metal gear steering servo which is also water-resistant. One thing that is not water-resistant is the XP-R4 receiver.
Of course, to bring your truck to life, you need a battery, which is not included. The Ecto is 2S and 3S LiPo compatible. A shorty pack is ideal for a crawler like this, but a full-size battery tray is included. If you want maximum performance, you’ll want to run a 3S LiPo.
A shorty pack like the ProTek RC 3S 4500 mAh LiPo is perfect for an RTR truck like this. It’s got enough power and plenty of run time to keep you on the trails.
How is the Ecto overall?
The Ecto is an excellent performing truck right out of the box. And you can tell, that’s what it was meant to be. The lean body and Gatekeeper chassis lend themselves to raw performance. The long chassis gives you stability, while the CVD driveshafts and overdrive counter any ill effects on steering it might have.
But it doesn’t stop there. Any RTR crawler can get better with upgrades. Lowering your center of gravity, finding the perfect tires for your terrain, upgrading electronics, and so much more can make it perform even stronger. In addition to performance upgrades, scale details and accessories are a great way to make your truck uniquely your own.
Read more on performance upgrades for RTR crawlers here.