Fixing to buy nitro...which one...

[FORDSVTTHUNDER]

I'm sure this happens daily on here but here it is. I haven't had an rc in 20 years. I've decided to get a nitro and I've read forums for a week trying to decide what I want. I'm looking at HPI X 4.6 Savage, nitro rustler and of course the jato. I want speed and handling with the ability to go on some dirt. I don't care about flips or jumps. I just want to thrash around. I like what I hear about the durability of the savage but I'm not sure I'm a monster truck guy. I know nitro has a steep learning curve and I'm willing to try. Seems like the break in process is the most important part and it's gonna kill me to do wait it out before I can tune and go. Any input would be greatly appreciated. I just want something I'm not gonna break every time out. Of course it's gonna happen but I'm hoping from driving failure rather than bad craftsmanship. Thanks. I'm about 40 min east of Huntsville Al. So I guess tower hobbies would be where I buy parts but I plan on a new rtr package online purchase. Thanks.

 

[Pope]

Have you considered a Truggy. Gives you the best of all worlds as far as off road goes. And is more durable and more able than any other off road RC. Check out the losi 8ight-t 2.0 RTR comes with everything you will want to upgrade in the other RC's you listed right in the box and will save you money in the long run.

If not of what you listed you should go with the savage for sure. I would recommend the Kit version or SS as HPI calls it. You get to learn a lot but putting it together yourself.

 

[srusinek]

Since I've come back to the hobby in 2010, I've noticed a lot of changes that are very good for the newcomer or the person that's been away from the hobby for some time. The first thing to look at is YouTube. There's a lot of vids on there that will help you learn visually. Another great thing is the dvd that the manufacturer gives you. It gives you a lot of info and a reference to go back to. If I were in your shoes I would get the savage x 4.6 2011 version. Not only do you get a pretty much glitch free 2.4 radio but you get a pretty good rtr engine in the 4.6. If there's any weaknesses in the savage it has to be the throttle servo. Welcome back to the hobby and let us know what you purchased.

 

[SchrodeMode]

Out of the three you have listed, I'd go with the Savage. You never know when your going to find a "rough" spot and the 4x4 MT will handle it much better than the 4x2 Stadium Truck. I have both the Jato and the Rustler and I prefer my Rustler, the Rustler is and extremely easy platform to work on and once you get your tuning skills mastered you can jump up to a larger engine and it'll be a beast. With some slight upgrades the Rustler can be pretty bullet proof, I jump mine 7-10' and do backflips constantly and am only bending shock shafts and these will be replaced with Big Bores. Another plus about the Rustler is it's easy to convert the front axles to hex style, if you do this it will not allow more wheel options but will also allow you to rotate your tires, I've seen people do it on Jatos but I haven't my self, so I'm unsure how easy it is. I haven't BASHED the Jato really hard yet, but I'm willing to bet if you do the same upgrades to it that you would do to the Rustler it would be pretty comparable in durability, the only additional area of weakness is the front upper chassis mount but they sell aluminum braces for it. My choices would be as follows
1. Savage - 4x4 MT will be more controllable on anything "rough" (No personal exp)
2. Rustler - Easy to work on and make into a solid basher. (My favorite 2wd ST)
3. Jato - Speed demon that can also be made into a capable off road truck. (My favorite speed truck.

As Pope stated before, a truggy is an excellent option due to the handling and durability but they are much more "out of the door" than the other rigs you have posted.

 

[Phins Fan]

+++For the Savage out of the 3 you have listed. The Rustler - Not enough ground clearance IMO for a basher. Jato has about the same ride height but considerably faster and IMO fragile at those kinds of speed. The Savage has excellent ground clearance, a solid rep for not breaking everytine you drive it, and has enough aftermarket support that you could play with the suspension and engines to the point of almost turning it into a truggy of sorts. Welcome to nitro my friend!! Glad to see theres still people out there that want more than plugging in a battery and playing!!! Its definately more work but, for me anyway, the fun is wrenching and improving on what you have!! Good Luck!!

 

[hamz9561]

I would definitely recommend against the Jato. I've seen too many of them in pieces after the slightest error. The Nitro Rustler is a decent rig for for beginners and has lots of aftermarket support. Parts for the Rusty are available almost everywhere. The Savage 4.6 is an excellent truck. It is built like a tank and is incredibly durable. Unfortunately it is not the best handling truck of the three because of its much higher center of gravity.

 

[FORDSVTTHUNDER]

Thanks for the help guys. I think this is the first time I've seen guys give advice without bashing on each other. Sounds like I found the place for me to re learn this hobby. Now let me ask you this....why is my local HS strongly recommending t maxx over the savage? The guy said he had one but it was hard to work on so he runs traxxas. He says there are tons of parts on hand to fix and speed up the maxx. To my knowledge the new x 4.6 is suppose to be easy to work on. The only bad I've heard on the savage is they are slower than the maxi,don't handle as well and they have a plastic exhaust pipe? I left the sport running 2wd electric buggys and trucks. I am really out of touch when it comes to nitro. I've watched YouTube vids till I've gotten headaches trying to decide. One looks better on one and then the other out performs the same in another. Sorry for all the rookie questions.

 

[samrsnow]

Your LHS is a joke if they think a T-maxx is better than a Savage.

It's not all about speed or how easy it is to work on (savage isn't hard to work on) it comes down to durability and HPI far better in that department.

Why is he strongly recommending the T-maxx? so you come back and spend a load of $$$ on parts because Traxxas plastics are not that strong, and the T-maxx design isn't the best compared to other trucks on the market.

So, IMO a Savage is the best choice if you want a solid truck :thumbup:

 

[Pope]

X2 LHS's make verry little on RTR's they just don't have much of a mark up. They make their money on Kits (better value in the end for you as well) and parts. The t maxx also has a higher markup for him than a savage. He is pointing you in the direction that best suits his pocket not what is best for you and yours. The T maxx has its good points but you are going to want something that you don't have to upgrade straight away to have it hold together or replace parts everytime you run.

Please take a look at the Losi 8ight-t RTR before you make a choice. If you don't go with it that's fine but you may regret it if you don't. I say this cause I have watched to many friends leave the hobby because of frustration caused by MT's and cheap RTR's that ended up costing them way more than a high quality rig would have cost them by the end of their first summer. I myself have made this mistake as well.

 

[FORDSVTTHUNDER]

X2 LHS's make verry little on RTR's they just don't have much of a mark up. They make their money on Kits (better value in the end for you as well) and parts. The t maxx also has a higher markup for him than a savage. He is pointing you in the direction that best suits his pocket not what is best for you and yours. The T maxx has its good points but you are going to want something that you don't have to upgrade straight away to have it hold together or replace parts everytime you run.

Please take a look at the Losi 8ight-t RTR before you make a choice. If you don't go with it that's fine but you may regret it if you don't. I say this cause I have watched to many friends leave the hobby because of frustration caused by MT's and cheap RTR's that ended up costing them way more than a high quality rig would have cost them by the end of their first summer. I myself have made this mistake as well.

I would love the Losi. But it's just too expensive. Plus the rtr kits still require separate purchase of batteries,glow wand and so on. I'm just wanting to ease into this to make sure I'm gonna want to stay in it. I could drop almost a second off my 1/4 mile time in my big toy(Ford Lightning) for that kind of money. I agree the Losi is awesome from what I've read since suggestion. But $800 plus batts and the rest of what I need....just more than I can spend right now. It really made me sick once I read up on that 8ight and loved what I saw and then saw the cost. I'm not buying from my LHS. Found the savage x 4.6 with everything but fuel rtr for $469. I can afford to try nitro out for that. If you know where I can get the Losi rtr for better price please let me know. Thanks man.

 

[hamz9561]

The Savage is a much tougher truck out of the box than the Maxx. The pipe can be changed very easily and at not much cost.

 

[FORDSVTTHUNDER]

What about the HPI D8 S? Is it considered reliable? Any count?

 

[SchrodeMode]

I believe it's new, not sure if any one has run it, the HPI site says it available soon. If you're not wanting a MT and the truggy is too much, a 1/8 buggy is a good option. The buggy will have great speed and handling, they are durable because they are made to handle the abuse of races and they are also pretty easy to work on, again because of their racing heritage. Many buggies are also able to be converted into truggies, if you decide you wanted bigger tires and a little more ground clearance. Where exactly do you plan to drive, if it's a grass field, will it be cut? I know Phins Fan says that the Rustler doesn't have enough ground clearance but the stock tires will wear and if you replace them with a set of Trenchers you get a decent ride height, not like a MT but I haven't had a problem with mine getting stuck.

 

[Greywolf74]

Just depends on what you want FORD,
Savage = best off road and most durable but slower
Jato = Very fast but the least durable....mostly used onroad because of its speed IMO.
Rustler, Faster than the Savage, Slower than the Jato. Can do some offroad with proper wheels and suspension adjustments. More durable than the Jato but not as durable as the Savage. Can be made faster with bigger engine and clutchbell.

Thats my take on the three you mentioned. I think you could be happy with any of them as long as you get the one that sounds closest to what you after in an RC.

My personal pick would be the savage but thats mostly because i find off road to be much more fun than onroad. Only thing I like to do onroad is speed runs but for that your better off going electric.

 

[FORDSVTTHUNDER]

I'd be running on street,short grass and hard red clay. If it seems to be durable,I'll get on some hills.I'm hearing savage over and over so I guess I'll go with it. Any recommendations on a temp gun?

 

[Phins Fan]

I utilize a Raytek gun. Occasionally... Its a good reference but your tune shouldnt be about temp alone. You will find you can have 3 of the exact same trucks that will run optimal at 3 completely different temps. Temps are a good starting point but not a know all save all for tuning IMO

 

[srusinek]

Traxxas does make a quality product since I have the original tmaxx that's not so original. From what I've heard and what I've seen first hand, the tmaxx is kinda fragile and with you breaking parts and so on, the hobbyshop will make more with that purchase. The savage has been a truck that has been evolvoing since it's inception. Very easy to work on. Parts support is great. HPi has great customer support but some may disagree and to top it all off the brand has a 2 year warrenty on almost everything. When I bought my Baja 5SC the engine was not set correctly and I never checked. I ended up breaking it in on the wrong settings and being lean. I contacted HPI and said if your engine breaks within 2 years, we will replace it free of charge. HPI is a no brainer. The temp gun is a very wise investment because you cannot go off of smoke only. You need that temp just to see where you're at and how the engine is performing. One suggestion is just make sure you get one that a display where it tells you the current temp, the hot spot and then it holds that reading. If you get one that just gives you the reading, you cannot look and see your hot spot so to speak.

http://www.ryobitools.com/catalog/accessories/misc_accessories/IR001

 

[hamz9561]

I actually got a temp gun from Harbor Freight that works just fine.

 

[cwal1774]

Plus with a Savage you have to option of adding a 3rd gear to the transmission. Making it a 3 speed thus curing the "so called" faster T-MAXX problem.

 

[Greywolf74]

Woddy recommends the Kintrex IRT0401 thermometer Its only 20 bucks. If mine ever stops working I'll probably buy one. I tried a cheap gun from china via ebay and it was a POS. First time I took it out in the feild with me and it started throwing of various readings so I started comparing it to my Racers edge gun and it was off and not nearly as consistent as the Racers Edge. i threw it over my shoulder and regretting wasting that 12 bucks