We’re excited to reveal the first vehicle based on a completely new 1/8th scale platform, the Tekno RC NB48 2.0 1/8th 4WD Competition Nitro Buggy.  This new platform includes so many changes, simply calling it a .5 is not enough. It’s a ground-up original design where almost everything has been rethought, re-engineered and retooled.

NB48 2.0 Features

• 3mm CNC 7075 Aluminum Hard Anodized Lightened Chassis
• Independent Servo Mounts w/ Decoupled Battery and Radio Boxes
• CNC 7075 Shock Towers, Pivot Blocks, and Motor Mounts
• 16mm Bore Fluid Filled Shocks with CNC Delrin Pistons and Guides
• Double-Bearing Center Differential w/ Split Differential Mount
• Rear Hub and Arm Insert System w/ Adjustable Roll Center and Toe
• 3 Fluid Filled Easy Access Differentials
• Long Arm, Narrow Pivot Suspension Geometry
• 1-Piece Wing Mount and Ultra-Lightweight Wing
• 2nd Generation Quick Fueling Body
• Proven Tekno RC Durability
• All Metric Hardware

The second objective was smoothness. After years of improving the performance of our previous differentials, we took that knowledge and put it to work here. We decided on a slightly finer internal gear pitch that meshes better and produces less heat. Less heat results in greater consistency, virtually no fade, and the exceptionally long oil life we observed during testing.

To further reduce heat build-up and improve consistency, we developed a compact double-bearing supported center differential. Up until now, 1/8th scale RC differentials have had steel outdrives spinning inside steel sleeves, either in the spur or ring gear, or in the diff case. Metal on metal contact, even when properly greased or aligned, produces excessive heat. We have mitigated this issue by using ball bearings in place of the traditional sleeves to fully support the center outdrives and completely eliminate the metal to metal friction between the outdrives and the mating parts.

Differentials endure some of the most extreme forces during a run and any diff issue pretty much ensures you’re not going to win the race. With these changes we feel we’ve made them even stronger. During our year of testing, the gears, pins, diff cases, and outdrives certainly stood up to all of the abuse we threw at them.

NB48 2.0 Bulkheads

The larger differentials meant that new bulkheads were required. We used this opportunity to implement some other features we’ve had on our list for a while, such as improving access to the front and rear differentials during maintenance. Let’s face it, if the diffs are hard to access you are less likely to service them or make a setup change. As mentioned above, time between maintenance on the diffs is much longer, but when you need to make that quick setup change before the A-main, you’ll appreciate how quickly and easily they are to access.