cheapest way to rebuild/install a more powerful nitro motor? savage x 4.6

[pelicanprentice]

hello, i have a hpi savage x 4.6 and i love the truck. my engine is probably on the way out pretty soon, I've had the whole truck since 2010 and i barely drove it.
i believe the stock motor on this is the hpi 0.28 however i want to upgrade/rebuild to a more powerful one for the cheapest price possible. I'm not really in a rush so i dont mind rebuilding albeit its gonna be my first time. i think i saw the recommened picco and lpi or whatever that brand is called however they seem to be going for $200+ and i dont feel like spending that much

what would yall recommend me to do?

thx!

 

[D3MON]

Dynamite Big Red .28 would be my recommendation.
LRP .32 possibly as well, but is closer to 200$ mark.
Dynamite .28 RTR wouldnt be bad either, but probably comparable to the HPI .28 power.
Novarossi .28, but they did go out of business due to Covid, so parts will dry up rather quickly.
SH28-p8 or P6 wouldnt be a bad option either.
there are the Force .32s but i havent really heard the greatest things about them.
just make sure what you get is a pull or roto-start.

 

[tntpoof]

Go electric.Seen this guys Savage about 6 years ago put E in it and a few other up grades. and a 4 cell lipo . it was a Monster great speed ting would run for 30 minutes then drop another 4 cell and do it again

 

[pelicanprentice]

Dynamite Big Red .28 would be my recommendation.
LRP .32 possibly as well, but is closer to 200$ mark.
Dynamite .28 RTR wouldnt be bad either, but probably comparable to the HPI .28 power.
Novarossi .28, but they did go out of business due to Covid, so parts will dry up rather quickly.
SH28-p8 or P6 wouldnt be a bad option either.
there are the Force .32s but i havent really heard the greatest things about them.
just make sure what you get is a pull or roto-start.

thanks for the reply i wanted to ask, is it cheaper or possible to be able to rebuild and end up generating more power?

 

[D3MON]

thanks for the reply i wanted to ask, is it cheaper or possible to be able to rebuild and end up generating more power?

i guess it depends as far as the "cheapness" of it for rebuilding, is it becoming low on compression and thats why you are saying its on the way out?
you can get pistons and sleeves re-pinched by a few companies for around 15-30$ that will restore the pinch. typically doing that though it is a good idea to swap bearings while you are there, and inspect the con rod for up and down play, if there is play towards and away from the piston you should replace it. over time the con rod journals will wallow out a bit and the slop will cause the crankshaft to bang on the rod pin bore and eventually cause the rod to fail.

there really isnt a whole lot of options to get more power out of them, primarily getting a tuned pipe that matches the engine's power profile well, running a quality 30% fuel, and or getting them modded, but make sure it is with a known good engine modification service provider. i.e. adam drake, RW mods, RB mods, a bad mod job will make them worse than when they started from factory, or even cause them to not run at all.

typically it is better in the long run to get a new engine. pistons and sleeves can be from 80-100$, bearings another 20-40$, and at that point you are already most of the way to another new known good engine.

 

[alfredwong2003]

If you are up to it, porting your own engine. That will give you more power. Otherwise you are stuck with what you got even if you get new piston and sleeve or bearings.

 

[Losi215]

Check out the gentleman’s website at RW mods. The guy is doing orders/preorders on Argus .28 pullstart or rotostart engines for no joke, 120$. I ordered one myself. If you are unfamiliar with Argus, fret not as they are rebranded Alpha engines which are Taiwanese race engines typically held in high regard. Also as stated above, the guy can get your hpi engine pinched or rebuilt in a pinch but at the price of these Argus engines, it’s worth a shot just to order one.

 

[D3MON]

Check out the gentleman’s website at RW mods. The guy is doing orders/preorders on Argus .28 pullstart or rotostart engines for no joke, 120$. I ordered one myself. If you are unfamiliar with Argus, fret not as they are rebranded Alpha engines which are Taiwanese race engines typically held in high regard. Also as stated above, the guy can get your hpi engine pinched or rebuilt in a pinch but at the price of these Argus engines, it’s worth a shot just to order one.

RW mods is definitely a good guy, sent a few engines to have him pinch for me. no BS and tells you whats going on. one of the ones i sent in had more play in the con-rod to crank connection than he'd like to see so he went and made me aware and asked if i wanted to follow through with getting it re-pinched. talked to the guy in a few FB groups I'm on as well. very knowledgeable.
i might have to try one of those argus engines, need one for a buggy i got recently.

 

[Losi215]

Yeah man check it out! Cheap engines and supposed to be a bit better then SH quality for cheaper. Makes no sense why they are so cheap but I ordered one right away just to have another .28 on hand. Planning on using it YEARS down the line for my lst, or if I accidentally order a savage or something on ebay. Lol

 

[cbaker65]

New Engines | Rw Mods (rw-mods.com)

Thats a good deal!...

 

[pelicanprentice]

thx for the help! if i was down to spend $200-300
how much more power could i get with the best nitro motor? i want acceleration more then top speed i guess and i want to be on nitro

 

[Losi215]

thx for the help! if i was down to spend $200-300
how much more power could i get with the best nitro motor? i want acceleration more then top speed i guess and i want to be on nitro

The 200-300$ category for monster truck compatible nitro engines is dead my friend. I can’t think of one “higher end” engine that’s still readily available. You have the dynamite .28, SH .28, Argus .28, LRP .32 all available today for 130-190$. Novarossi used to have a .28 that was well liked but you cannot find one anymore unless it’s on eBay, and people want 450$ for what used to be a 220$ engine. And the picco .28, pretty sure they haven’t made the .28 in a decade and again, people want 300-400$ for there used picco on eBay which is a complete rip off for en engine in unknown condition. Also, if you were able to find the higher Italian .28s, you won’t be able to find a single part for the engines if needed. It’s probably best to just go with one of the engines discussed above, as the quality, performance, tuning, and lifespan will be more then adequate for your Hpi savage.

 

[Losi215]

I just realized I totally forgot to answer the original question. The higher end .28’s they used to have(picco and novarossi) are incredibly powerful and well made. They were always more finicky to tune then the cheaper .28’s. Not hard to tune, but required more time to get dialed and required really precise turns of the needles to get dialed properly. Also, some people had durability problems with their monster trucks because it was just almost too much power with the higher end, more expensive Italian engines. I have a losi LST monster truck with a novarossi .28 pullstart engine, and while it’s a complete beast, it took me awhile to get it tuned to my liking, and I live in fear of broken parts because it’s so powerful. Therefore I take it easy because parts are expensive, I can’t get anything for the engines anymore, and it’s just an old monster truck in general so I don’t beat the crap out of it. Already killed transmission parts once so I basically take it out in a parking lot and just rip it that way instead of bashing it like crazy. Still, tons of torque and top end and the engine generally runs well now that I have it set. If you want to go and find a higher end expensive engine, prepare yourself for more time, effort, and money spent but also more speed and power for sure.

 

[johnnydmd]

Dynamite Big Red .28 would be my recommendation.
LRP .32 possibly as well, but is closer to 200$ mark.
Dynamite .28 RTR wouldnt be bad either, but probably comparable to the HPI .28 power.
Novarossi .28, but they did go out of business due to Covid, so parts will dry up rather quickly.
SH28-p8 or P6 wouldnt be a bad option either.
there are the Force .32s but i havent really heard the greatest things about them.
just make sure what you get is a pull or roto-start.

I was checking up on Novarrossi, can't seem to find any info on them that is recent, no updates in some time. The speculation was that they would re-open after the pandemic, but nothing yet thus far. Remaining hopeful, or that they'll see their equipment and allow someone to keep making them.

 

[johnnydmd]

As to the original question. Like mentioned, the Dynamite Big Red .28 is a really good option, it will have good power. The SH .28 P3 is another great option, both have roughly the same output, with the SH being a tick less.

If you go the LRP .32 or SH .28 P8 route, you're absolutely going to have to upgrade your drivetrain. Both of those engines have enough power to blow things up pretty quick. I run the SH P8 in my solid axle truck, that is significantly upgraded with steel CV drive and swing shafts, and it has turned them into pretzels, or exploded them on a regular basis. Part of that is me running heavy wheels and tires along with it, but because of the power, there's not much option there. If you're spinnin', you ain't winnin'. And spinnin' is a huge problem with this much power. Bottom line is that both of these engines will give you far more power than you can harness - but - you'll be able to surprise your buddies running their 6s Arma's.

 

[cbaker65]

Novarossi is no more ,they folded under as they had issue before the Covid thing!
The rest of their engines being sold off are rare ,collectable an is expensive!

 

[pelicanprentice]

As to the original question. Like mentioned, the Dynamite Big Red .28 is a really good option, it will have good power. The SH .28 P3 is another great option, both have roughly the same output, with the SH being a tick less.

If you go the LRP .32 or SH .28 P8 route, you're absolutely going to have to upgrade your drivetrain. Both of those engines have enough power to blow things up pretty quick. I run the SH P8 in my solid axle truck, that is significantly upgraded with steel CV drive and swing shafts, and it has turned them into pretzels, or exploded them on a regular basis. Part of that is me running heavy wheels and tires along with it, but because of the power, there's not much option there. If you're spinnin', you ain't winnin'. And spinnin' is a huge problem with this much power. Bottom line is that both of these engines will give you far more power than you can harness - but - you'll be able to surprise your buddies running their 6s Arma's.

gotcha thanks! do u know how much i have to spend to upgrade my drivetrain if i get the better engine?

 

[Losi215]

gotcha thanks! do u know how much i have to spend to upgrade my drivetrain if i get the better engine?

Just chiming in here, as I don’t actually have a savage but have read about them since 2005. I think the dynamite and SH engines really won’t stress out your savage too bad. The savage is already a durable platform from what I understand, and the savage has always offered powerful, big engines from the factory. If anything, I think the plastic spur gear could be a weak point, and I know HPI offered a bulletproof differential setup that might be able to withstand more power. But In general the Savage is one of the more durable monster trucks offered and I see no reason why you would have to spend, let’s say hundreds of dollars...upgrading the platform to handle dynamite or SH replacement engines that really won’t be that much more powerful than the stock engine. Maybe a bit more, but I doubt your savage will turn into a pretzel with any of these engines. Reliability is partially achieved by just basic maintenance. For example, shimming your diffs correctly will be the different between stripping out your ring and pinion, or having them last for years. You want to run the correct silicone diff oils front and rear also, nothing insanely high that will torch your drivetrain. You’d want to make sure your clutch is in good shape and replace if necessary and your clutch bell bearings are fresh. You want to check your diff outdrives front and rear where the driveshafts ride in and check them for wear and replace before things break. But either way, you should be able to drop an engine in the savage without too much extra cost. Hope this helps

 

[pelicanprentice]

Just chiming in here, as I don’t actually have a savage but have read about them since 2005. I think the dynamite and SH engines really won’t stress out your savage too bad. The savage is already a durable platform from what I understand, and the savage has always offered powerful, big engines from the factory. If anything, I think the plastic spur gear could be a weak point, and I know HPI offered a bulletproof differential setup that might be able to withstand more power. But In general the Savage is one of the more durable monster trucks offered and I see no reason why you would have to spend, let’s say hundreds of dollars...upgrading the platform to handle dynamite or SH replacement engines that really won’t be that much more powerful than the stock engine. Maybe a bit more, but I doubt your savage will turn into a pretzel with any of these engines. Reliability is partially achieved by just basic maintenance. For example, shimming your diffs correctly will be the different between stripping out your ring and pinion, or having them last for years. You want to run the correct silicone diff oils front and rear also, nothing insanely high that will torch your drivetrain. You’d want to make sure your clutch is in good shape and replace if necessary and your clutch bell bearings are fresh. You want to check your diff outdrives front and rear where the driveshafts ride in and check them for wear and replace before things break. But either way, you should be able to drop an engine in the savage without too much extra cost. Hope this helps

thanks for the reply and sorry for my dump reply, I'm kinda a noob and was thinking of just running the engine and whenever something breaks to just replace that part? just because i dont really drive too much but i also want to keep it running just incase i want to take it for a spin some days
or is this a bad idea cuz if something breaks it could damage other components even more kinda thing

 

[johnnydmd]

You could just run it and see what breaks. I think you'd be ok with the Dynamite engine or 3port SH engine. The 8port and .32 are going to add a decent amount more power than the stock engine. I had no issues when switching from the KE .25 to the 3 port SH .28, though there was a power increase. When I switched to the 8 port, that's when the steel swing shafts started popping(now I just carry a lot of spares).