An afternoon bashing with the Savage X 4.6

[jojoviudez]

A cold sunday in Anchorage, Alaska 38 degrees to be exact. But I still took my Savage X 4.6 out to the nearest school ground for some bashing. Before anything else, I'd like to start by saying I used to own a Tmaxx TRX .15, and Tmaxx 3.3 but I sold it and made a wise decision of buying a Savage X 4.6. I liked the Tmaxx especially with the 3.3, it was a fast truck, too fast for a newbie if you ask me. But it would just easily break parts. And just would not hold a trim adjustment. It's a good thing my tmaxx was upgraded to RPM A arms, which is a must. I felt like I was repairing the darn thing more than bashing, which is exactly what I was doing. But that is the past. Now I have a whole new outlook in Nitro monster truck. I am new to nitro and like some here, I learned as I go. This forum definitely helped me a lot to enjoy this hobby. All I can say is the Savage X is 2 thumbs up and tons of fun for an afternoon bash. I got this Savage X used, but the previous owner only used it a couple of times. When I got it, it literally looks brand new. And the engine may just be as well . So I'm taking it easy trying to do a good break-in. It took me awhile to adjust the high speed, low speed needle and idle to where I want them to be. I may just need to adjust it again the next run. But I did gave the truck some hard rolls, that I’m pretty sure the Tmaxx would not have survived at all. My apologies to all Tmaxx fans, but I just feel more confident with the Savage X, did I mention I was just using a stock RTR? I don't care if the Savage is made of mostly plastic. In my opinion, the manufacturer tested and made a good basher r/c truck the way it should be. It was amazing! Kids and adult onlookers were really impressed when they saw it do a hard roll after just a 2 feet jump. It rolled like it would never stopped. But it recovered and was running as if nothing happened and it seemed to be ready and asking for more! I have to admit when I first saw the Savage X at LHS, I was not that impressed with it and was more attracted to the more marketed / popular Tmaxx. But now that I own a savage, I may not go back to a Tmaxx ever again. If ever I go back to traxxas, I may consider a revo or a summit. So today, I am so happy and most especially I don’t have any plans of visiting my LHS soon, just to buy broken parts…..because there is none! Now, I did notice that it burns more fuel faster than a 3.3 and it’s so loud! They definitely did not call this big block for nothing. I’m using Byron’s 15% nitro 18% oil. It’s just for bashing and I don’t plan to race so I'm okay with this, and another thing, it’s a bit cheaper per gallon. All I can say is I love my Savage X 4.6! Now I'm addicted to the nitro sound as well as the fumes. Hmmmmmmm.

 

[brokeitagain]

It'll blow a maxx away as far as durability is concerned that's for sure. Lol I've had mine 10 to 15 feet in the air time and time again n all I've ever done is break the little tie rod mounting ears and I finally bent the shock shafts but that's it. Have fun with it man the hits it takes will make ur jaw drop lol.

 

[jojoviudez]

It'll blow a maxx away as far as durability is concerned that's for sure. Lol I've had mine 10 to 15 feet in the air time and time again n all I've ever done is break the little tie rod mounting ears and I finally bent the shock shafts but that's it. Have fun with it man the hits it takes will make ur jaw drop lol.

10 to 15 feet is for pro's hehehe I'm just happy to see it eat dirt and do small bunny hops. I agree with you that it will blow a maxx away, when I first read about the durability of a savage on other forums, I was skeptic about it. And eventually I became a believer! Long live Savage X!!!! Hehehe. btw, can I see a photo of your flux? I saw that you have one on your profile. Thanks and happy bashing to you.

 

[brokeitagain]

Yea they are def durable lol. I'm not a pro tho, just ran mine for a while then said f it, let's see if it takes the jumps and holds up like they say lol. I've got video on my phone doin a backflip over two of my buddies, not somethin id recommend, but they said just do it lol. It cleared em both with plenty of room to spare, ill see if I can post it somehow. Here's my pride n joy tho lol

And the inside. the wheels are the black ones, the guy I got it from put the green truggy wheels on it to see how it looked.

 

[jojoviudez]

brokeitagain All I can say is.....Impressive and Awesome!!! I figured I might end up converting my savage to electric in the near future. But for now I'm still addicted to the loud noise of the engine and the smell of nitro. I like your wheels and tires, so did the guy gave you 4 matched set of wheels or your missing one front right tire? What type of radio are you using? 2.4ghz? I don't see an antenna and the ESC. Thanks for posting a photo, oh if you do post a youtube video I'd be interested to see it as well. thanks.

 

[Racer 1966]

Forget electric - nitro Savages RULE!!!!

 

[brokeitagain]

Lol yea I still love nitro too, but I don't have to tune if I walk in the door n wanna run it. Which is nice cuz I get home at 7 so I barely got time to run em before it gets dark. My final defence tho is can ur nitro do a standin backflip? Lol

To jojo thanks for the compliment, she's my favorite truck lol. All the tires match tho, black beadlocks (which stilll don't hold the tires on lol), the guy I got it from had the wheel off his losi 8ight on it to see how it looked, but I got the black ones in the first pic along with 2 sets of rims from him. As for the tx I'm runnin the stock hpi am one unfortunately. I was supposed to get a spectrum with it but the guy left it at his beach house which is out of state so I won't be gettin it for a bit. The esc is a mamba monster it was just off the truck for cleanin along with the rx.

The truck how I got it had
Hpi mud mashers on beadlock wheels, 17mm hubs, 5mm tvp, (they're on tcscrawlers.com for 20 bucks as an intro offer. Worth every penny in my opinion), bulletproof diffs, aluminum body TiNI shaft big bore shocks, 2 2s 5000mah 28c batteries, rpm control arms, thicker hardened steel drive shafts and axles, as well as a box full of extra diffs, gears, screws, clips, two shock towers, charger and more than I can list lol.

They definitly will take a hit tho and just keep runnin with no issues. If all goes well ill be gettin a nitro one as well eventually, gonna fix this one up somemore first tho. Good luck with it and enjoy it!

 

[Racer 1966]

Lol yea I still love nitro too, but I don't have to tune if I walk in the door n wanna run it. Which is nice cuz I get home at 7 so I barely got time to run em before it gets dark. My final defence tho is can ur nitro do a standin backflip? Lol

The most tuning I usually ever have to do is a 1/4 turn one way or the other on the HSN. The standing backflip is about like a wheely,useless : no I can't do that,close, but no

 

[jojoviudez]

The most tuning I usually ever have to do is a 1/4 turn one way or the other on the HSN. : no I can't do that,close, but no

Since i bought a relatively new savage x I'm currently tuning the idle speed so it wont consume more gas when idling but i think i already hit the sweet spot on the idle. Now everytime I start the engine all I do is increase the throttle trim from the transmitter a bit and when the engine is all fired up, I just put the trim back to zero and hear it purr like a nice kitty.
From time to time I notice the truck tends to wheelie, in fact I damaged my cover because I wasn't able to control the throttle and I may need to buy the wheelie bar for protection. But I guess for a newbie like me, wheelies are exciting for some time. Then it progress to higher jumps until slowly I break something and call it a day. I've seen a nitro(tmaxx 2.5) do backflips on YouTube and I figured doesn't that put so much force to the gears? Oh well I guess that's a trick I will never learn but still be fascinated how they do it.

 

[brokeitagain]

True wheelies can be useless, but tons of fun when ur bashin n not racin. Plus its just great to see the look on peoples faces when u do the backflip n they've never seen it lol. I still want a nitro to add to the collection tho, and its nice to know tunings easier on the savage. You gotta remember I learned to tune on trx mills, which suck at holding a tune, and they're the only engines I've messed with so far. (2.5 and 3.3)

As far as the backflips go its pretty easy just don't hold the throttle while it lands. That's what puts a lot of stress on gears cuz its WOT and the tires suddenly stop when they hit the ground. But hitttin the gas will pull the front end up, lettin off will bring it down, and hittin reverse will bring the back end up. That's how these guys online do the flips and balance their cars in midair. Another way to see what I mean is get ur truck runnin, pick it up by the roll bar and tap the throttle. Just make sure you're clear of the tires lol n you'll feel the front pull back when you gas it. From there its a matter of findin a jump tall enough to get the air ya need.

Also type in savage flux 6s on youtube. I think its the third vid down you'll see why I love my savage lol. Backflips with no ramp = awesome! (And reaaly hard on the diffs, trans, etc. But still fun)

 

[jojoviudez]

True wheelies can be useless, but tons of fun when ur bashin n not racin. Plus its just great to see the look on peoples faces when u do the backflip n they've never seen it lol. I still want a nitro to add to the collection tho, and its nice to know tunings easier on the savage. You gotta remember I learned to tune on trx mills, which suck at holding a tune, and they're the only engines I've messed with so far. (2.5 and 3.3)

As far as the backflips go its pretty easy just don't hold the throttle while it lands. That's what puts a lot of stress on gears cuz its WOT and the tires suddenly stop when they hit the ground. But hitttin the gas will pull the front end up, lettin off will bring it down, and hittin reverse will bring the back end up. That's how these guys online do the flips and balance their cars in midair. Another way to see what I mean is get ur truck runnin, pick it up by the roll bar and tap the throttle. Just make sure you're clear of the tires lol n you'll feel the front pull back when you gas it. From there its a matter of findin a jump tall enough to get the air ya need.

Also type in savage flux 6s on youtube. I think its the third vid down you'll see why I love my savage lol. Backflips with no ramp = awesome! (And reaaly hard on the diffs, trans, etc. But still fun)

I watched the youtube video and said to myself WOW! It can do that???? hehehehe....Now I need to find a bash buddy who has a r/c ramp and be willing to try his savage to jump first before I do hahaha. I don't have a reverse yet on my savage x, and I may or may not get that later on. Made me remember the phrase....."With Great Power, Comes With alot of Broken Parts" hehehehe. Thanks for letting me know about that video. Happy bashing to you.

 

[brokeitagain]

Yea reverse isn't needed, it just helps do front flips. If you hit the brakes in the air you'll see it brings the front down quick lol. Also remember all the ads for savage have it 20ft in the air with the quote "dude its a savage. I got this" lol. Trust me when I say a savage takes a beating. I counted 6 double backflips, 65+ backflips, 4 front flips, and wheelies for days, not including standing backflips (I've done about 8 of em) and I just bent the shocks shafts followed immediately by the wheely bar cracking after it landed right on the back end for what had to be the 10th time. But I got all the other flips just fine, then my buddy smashed the front end hard after he jumped it which bent the shafts. But that's all that's happened to break so far. Also remember every time I jumped it it was 10+ ft in the air lol. I drive it hard and it shrugs it off, trust me you'll love it and it will take a while to break somethin unless you hit somethin full speed or completely F up a big air landing. Go bash it and you'll see what I mean lol.