Lost in the sauce!

[woody]

Hey guys,
Maybe I can get some good tip on what to do! Here is my dilema, I am at a lost for what .21 conversion kit I should use for my T-maxx. I have looked at everything, from HardCore Racing, to Xtreme racing. The largest problem I am having, is they don't tell you any information regarding their product. Except for all the bells and whistles. That great, but I really need the meat and potatoes. So here goes:

Hardcore Racing Pro conversion: Comes with no chassis braces do I need to buy theirs, or can I just use my own??

Xtreme Racing: Really nice, but they come with a plastic extended drive shaft just like Hardcore racing. So, who do I go to to replace it with an aluminum or titanium??

Dynamite: Cheap, looks easy! But what is hard anodized?? Is it aluminum, or plastic??

I've looked at others, but I still pose the same questions?? With all of these conversions, I'm really concerned about the difference of shaft length and chassis braces. can I use the stock ones, or can I buy the MIP's and they work also??

I'm not one to go for cheap stuff, but I also don't want some crapt parts like plastic drive shafts!! Come on Hardcore racing!! I really like the dynamite conversion kit. Let me know what you guys think? Please help me out.

P.S. I have read all the threads on the .21 conversions, and not much help deciding.

 

[30%NitroBoy]

Woody - The biggest question is, how much money do you have to spend bro. You can't beat the Dynamite kit for the price and most all of the conversion kits come with a plastic slider mid drive line extender. For $289.00 with Mach .26 engine and CVD's it's hard to beat. Don't get me wrong about the chassis on that kit bro, it's plenty strong as I know guys with that conversion that bash the poop out of it with no probs. I'm just partial to a Titanium chassis is all and I want a serious race ported engine. If you wanna play really hard and really fast, their's often a high price for admission.

Peace

 

[woody]

Hey Nitro30%,
I can spend like $500 or more if necessary, but I want to be able to have all metal parts is you know what I mean! So, you say the dynamite system is pretty good. I take it that both their chassis and chassis braces are aluminum?? That's cool, I don't have to have Titanium. I just want everything to go together smooth. None of this crapt where a part doesn't fit, and now I have to wait another 2 weeks to get up and running. I'm in Japan, and so I have to order everything over the internet. Sucks!! Our LHS, carries only Kyosho and Tamiya!

 

[30%NitroBoy]

Hey woody....Before I take off for the night..

Japan huh.....Been their and had a great time. I guess them make production cars fast enough so you can drive through the pollution...lol. I've been to South and North Korea and i thought it pretty much sucked. Japan is awesome in comparison and I love Sushi like none other. Send me some Blue Fin Toro overnight when you get a chance..lol. That sucks that they only sell those brands...they're great but WTF. I'm sure you can get O.S. engines their though.

I wouldn't be concerned and focused on an "all metal" Maxx. This mindset needs to be rid of in the hobby to extent. Yes, metal is stonger then plastic but it can still break and bend is much more expensive to break. If you want a bulletproof maxx it's gonna cost some bucks but it doesn't have to be all alluminum and titanium by any means. I would do RPM A-Arms all around, if your running RPM arms then I would get Alluminum bulkheads and run titanium hinge pins. If your going to run the stock plastic bulkheads then I'd definitely get some $10.00 rpm bulkhead braces. If any of your RPM stuff does break then they'll replace it for free...that's sweet in this hobby.

How fast do you wanna go and what kind of power is of your prefference. Are you more concerned with top end speed, low end or a broad power band?

Their's a plehtora of great engines on the market as you probably know. The skys the limit with price often. If you have a specific engine in mind and the money I'd go with the Titanium Pro kit from HCR, run the stock plastic "center drive" sliders as your weak point like others here and then get good CVD's for the front and rear. The Dynamite kit comes with most everything you'll need though including a nice polished alluminum tuned pipe and header. THe HCR kit only comes with a header. You just need to make sure that your slipper is always properly tightened (not to tight or lose) with big bore power as this is the give point in the clutch system.

FYI....Allot of people her love the COnversion kit from XTM and I think it's safe to say that it's highly reco'd too.

Peace

 

[woody]

Hey thanks for all your help 30%Nitroboy. Presently, I am running RPM arms, I had to ditch the ones that American CNC Machining had sent me. That just did not it right, let alone they were a piece of poop. My buddy, that got me into this hobby has set me up a sweet deal. He just turned in his HPI .21 and payed the difference for a .25, he's got a Nova head on it already. He said he would also give me a slightly used THS pipe all for $150, he was trying to mount this thing into his 1/8 scale kyosho Kanai edition buggy, but due to some technical difficulty with the header it would not fit. I know a HPI engine in a T-maxx, kind of funny! But, this will finally allow me to run with the big dogs. I guess you could say I'm building my truck for brute force (big) trying to get those Hot Bodies Truckzilla tires on there also. I guess more for show, and just playing around with. My HPI MT2 is what I will be setting up to race. I did look at the XTM conversion, but it looked really cheaply made. I also took a look at UE, which I am weighing heavily towards. They had it going for $288. I really like that opened look of the chassis. Anyway, I appreciate all of your help. Take care and have a good evening

 

[30%NitroBoy]

Hey Woody...no problema brother. Opinions are like assholes but I usually base mine from real experience. LMAO about a Maxx with an HPI engine.

Let us know how the race action in Japan is and good luck with your Maxx. I like HPI cars and trucks in general but I'm not a huge fan of their engines to say the least. They do guarantee them though like Traxxas and that says allot. Your not gonna get a warranty other then DOA from most any high end Italian engine company. I have been pretty impressed with the performance I've seen from the new Savage 25 RTR and the SS kit with the 25 engine. It definitley puts the HPI .21 in the ole Savage to shame.

As for UE's products, what's not to like other then the prices and his sometimes arrogant sales copies. I've throw him some serious coin in the past month.

Keep us updated on what you do bro

Peace

 

[woody]

Hey NitroNoy,
I have decided on the UE chassis/.21conversion! You just can't beat the quality! I imagine for my style of driving, it will last along time. Not to mention, I was looking further on his site, and noticed that he likes the military! Good for me! He offers 25% off the list price of anything I buy. Can't beat that! Anyway, thanks for all the advice, and when I get it up and running, I'll post a pic!

Take Care!
Woody:redbuggy:

 

[woody]

Hey NitroBoy,
Finally got the UE chassis in, and mounted the engine up and all. I've spent the past few days, breaking in the engine. Let me tell you, that is the most boring thing in RC's. Anyway, I took the truck off the blocks that I was breaking it in on, and started driving it real slowly around. Whew!! Talk about some grunt! I'm looking to upgrade the tranmission and differentials next, with all UE products. I guess, I will be building a SuperMaxx! Minus just a few things! Like the Racer-x/Ext suspension. Not to fond of aluminum A-arms. Everything else, should be UE though! Hey question for you?? Any ideas on some good titanium skids?? I was thinking of HCR, but is there an underground company out there, that makes some really good one. Remember Originate never Duplicate! Take care!

Woody

 

[30%NitroBoy]

Hey Woody, Good to read ya and thanks for the update man.

Yeah, Breaking in an engine PROPERLY can be a bitch and tedious but it's worth it when you've got a perfect seal with your piston and sleeve and you open that engine up for the first time after break in. I HATE breaking in big-bores with a pullstart, thank god for roto-start..lol.

Glad to here about the Chassis (pics of everything would be awesome). I love UE's products like most people but hate their prices. That's sweet that they offer a 25% Military discount.

As for Ti Skids and SKid plates in general, I don't know about an "Underground" company (HEHE) but I've researched everything the T-maxx aftermarket has to offer in this repsect. Ti skids work great but they can still break (Titanium doesn't like to bend but more snap). I love RPM Skids but they don't make them for a longer conversion Chassis. I'm gonna be running the Spring Steel skids from RC Solutions and I'd reco you do the same. They kick ass from all accounts here and should best Titanium and even RPM Plastic/vinyl.

FYI, One of the best things you can do to prevent serious damage to the front end if/when you get into an accident is to 86 (get rid off) the front bumper setup on your maxx. The bumper (like a real car or truck) obviously isn't designed to take a 30-40+MPH head on collision. By doing this your relying on the skids to take the initial impact and transfering allot more shock NRG to your metal chassis and metal braces instead of your bulkheads and all the other stuff on your front end. WHen it comes down to it, All the stock Maxx bumpers setup does is look pretty.

Peace

 

[woody]

Hey NitroBoy,
Well, I did take some pictures, but they were to large for the website. I guess Woodie has a lock down on how large the files can be. Any way, I know what you mean by getting rid of the bumper. I thought about getting the new VBS system from UE, so I can get rid of the bulkheads. But, man they are like expensive! Anyway, this weekend we ran our trucks. After I was done at the end of the day, I noticed that I had blown 2 shocks. Damn, I guess a rebuild is in order. I wish I could find some good shocks, that really hold up to a mild day of running. I've got the Progressive suspension ones, but after spending like $200 I realy don't like them. I think I'm gonna try out the Ofna ones. But, that will be a while. Anyway, take care and have a good day!

Woody