I have two Savages and was thinking of selling one to get an LST.
They are both really good trucks.
One of the main advantage of the Savage X or XL regardless, is that it is so popular that you can find pretty much anything used really cheaper than new, from stock parts to the most expensive titanium and CF options.
Another great thing is that there are so many parts for it out there that you can make it pretty unique both in looks and mechanical aspects.
Browsing Savages pic and forums you d find pretty much anything from a truggy wannabee to street racers and MT bashers. It s also a very simple truck with identical front and rear and that makes your maintenance and costs a lot easier on you.
Last but not least, the information about how to mod, improve, tweak and set up a Savage is just everywhere and that makes learning it a lot easier .
Now the LST and LST XXL smoke any stock Savage or TCrapxx on a track anyday I m sure. I drove one and I was really impressed, was a lot more truggy like than the heavier Savage. Very sharp and accurate response, great handling on the flat and bumpy areas, faster in curves and easier to position the front where you want it to be without the rear end going wherever it feels like etc ect. Unlike Traxxas horrid plastics that seem to snap like balsa wood, it appeared to me it could take some beating too.
It s a lot more advanced in the conception and the weight distribution has been thought well. Strangly the stock savage reminded me of the early porsche 911 with areally heavy butt an engine too powerful for their chassis and suspsension. If you accelerate too hard all the weight in the rear end = no grip on the front and severe understear, if you brake and suddenly the font end grips again and you re oversteering, resulting in a classic spin or hitting the inside of your curve...
SO power is one thing but weight distibution is crucial. Power vs weight, the LST is also winning and lighter stock than the savy.
So all that is great on paper and on the track or bashing, hence why i m willing to buy one but ...
I don t get the same feeling of companionship and of a community with Losi LST That you get with a Savage, I like to share things, opinions, fun, bash race, tips, compare how this and that works with your friends online or at the track. I think that s also what is missing in the LST is the soul of the people behind it. If that makes any sens . To me that s what RC is about. What the point in having a super duper CF chassis to show off and no one to show it off to :\
Losi being quite more expensive that both TCrapxx and Savages, I guess fewer people use them, they are not as well distributed, even by major chains so it s a bit of a super black sheep to me. Maybe it s just too good, too polished and too perfect and sometimes it kills some of the fun. I love muscle cars, they re big loud, gas guzzlers, 500 or 600 hp of pure americana legend that would not stand a micron of a chance to beat a Nissan or a subaru on a track with TWO curves. Well so what, that s what straight line are made for!
I order everything online, used or new so not having a Losi LHS close by really wouldn t be a problem to me.
I guess at the end of the day ( and the long boring post), it s all a matter of what will make you happy ? Performance ? Looks ? reliability ( Both are sturdy trucks)? Sharing infos and passion with more people ? Budget ? Maintnance Cost and parts availability ?
Tough choice ...
