My Traxxas X-Maxx 8s Build Thread

[CJSRCLIFE]

Hello everyone, This is the official build thread for my 2nd Traxxas X-Maxx 8s i got my truck in early June of 2023 in a trade for my Sledge, 4-Tec 2.0 Ford GT and my 2nd Slash 2wd. At first it ran well but i had the stock radio glitch up on me so i took it out and sold it then put in my Radiolink radio system then i had to do some driveline repairs after my 3rd run with it. After i repaired it all was well until the stock servo seized up at the near end of my last bash. Here's some photos of the truck.

This is after my last bash when the servo died but i have big plans for this truck i first put in a Hobbywing Max 6 borrowed from my Traxxas XO-1 V1 since i won't be running that car for the winter. and i want to test the Max 6 with the stock motor before upgrading to the new 5687 1,100KV motor i just bought today and i might pair that to a Firma 160 V2 whenever i have money to make the swap. And before anyone asks yes i'll be buying a new motor mount for the 1,100 next month along with a few other upgrades i'll be buying the new Hot Racing motor mount for the X-Maxx\XRT Trucks since all the WFO mounts are sold out on their site. My plan is to make a truck like Jason Perrin from YouTube's truck he also had an 1,100KV hobbywing as well as a Firma 160 his truck also had a few Pro-Line parts like the reservoir shock caps and HD shock shafts as well as the Pro-Loc wheels with Trencher tires. The only things i'll do differently is blue arms and aluminum parts and a few other things.

 

[Tunedfrog]

Xmaxx's are a kick in the arse aren't they?
Easy to work on, plenty aftermarket parts and runs with a serious attitude.

 

[Krakentuned RC]

I love me some X-Maxx content! I'm going to be watching this thread closely, keep up with the updates! Really quickly though, why not stick with a MAX6? I ran a MAX6 & 1100kv setup on my X for over a year with no issues. My only reason for upgrading to the MAX5 was because my X got super fat.

 

[CJSRCLIFE]

I love me some X-Maxx content! I'm going to be watching this thread closely, keep up with the updates! Really quickly though, why not stick with a MAX6? I ran a MAX6 & 1100kv setup on my X for over a year with no issues. My only reason for upgrading to the MAX5 was because my X got super fat.

I love X-Maxxes too but i feel this truck was kind of an impulse trade and i should have just bought a brand new truck but it's too late now to switch it out. As for the
Max 6 and the 1,100KV hobbywing i just plan to test the Max 6 i have for now then i will either buy another Max 6 or keep my current max 6 in the X-Maxx then buy a castle mmx8s 1717 1,650kv combo for that car. Or maybe i'll buy a Firma 160 V2 for the X-Maxx and move my max 6 back into my XO-1.

 

[StevenMax]

Hello everyone, This is the official build thread for my 2nd Traxxas X-Maxx 8s i got my truck in early June of 2023 in a trade for my Sledge, 4-Tec 2.0 Ford GT and my 2nd Slash 2wd. At first it ran well but i had the stock radio glitch up on me so i took it out and sold it then put in my Radiolink radio system then i had to do some driveline repairs after my 3rd run with it. After i repaired it all was well until the stock servo seized up at the near end of my last bash. Here's some photos of the truck.
View attachment 172579View attachment 172580

This is after my last bash when the servo died but i have big plans for this truck i first put in a Hobbywing Max 6 borrowed from my Traxxas XO-1 V1 since i won't be running that car for the winter. and i want to test the Max 6 with the stock motor before upgrading to the new 5687 1,100KV motor i just bought today and i might pair that to a Firma 160 V2 whenever i have money to make the swap. And before anyone asks yes i'll be buying a new motor mount for the 1,100 next month along with a few other upgrades i'll be buying the new Hot Racing motor mount for the X-Maxx\XRT Trucks since all the WFO mounts are sold out on their site. My plan is to make a truck like Jason Perrin from YouTube's truck he also had an 1,100KV hobbywing as well as a Firma 160 his truck also had a few Pro-Line parts like the reservoir shock caps and HD shock shafts as well as the Pro-Loc wheels with Trencher tires. The only things i'll do differently is blue arms and aluminum parts and a few other things.
View attachment 172581

Over the years I have learned that is you leave the TSM down/off the stock servos can and do last.

My TSM was on when I first got the truck and it was just sitting there on and I heard the servo just strip. Seems if the truck wasn’t parked straight and even something was off somewhere. Happened a few times so I turned the TSM off and it’s never happened again. And I send this thing. I do have metal gears but it’s still a 3 year old stock servo. Zero issues!

 

[CJSRCLIFE]

Over the years I have learned that is you leave the TSM down/off the stock servos can and do last.

My TSM was on when I first got the truck and it was just sitting there on and I heard the servo just strip. Seems if the truck wasn’t parked straight and even something was off somewhere. Happened a few times so I turned the TSM off and it’s never happened again. And I send this thing. I do have metal gears but it’s still a 3 year old stock servo. Zero issues!

Great info but i don't run the stock radio system anymore sold that off a few months ago and put in a Futaba then a radiolink receiver due to me running my RC8X. the last few Traxxas RTR's i had with the TQI's they would glitch up on me and most Traxxas vehicles after awhile i pull the stock electronics out of them and sell them on eBay.

 

[StevenMax]

Great info but i don't run the stock radio system anymore sold that off a few months ago and put in a Futaba then a radiolink receiver due to me running my RC8X. the last few Traxxas RTR's i had with the TQI's they would glitch up on me and most Traxxas vehicles after awhile i pull the stock electronics out of them and sell them on eBay.

It could be related to the servo saver then maybe. I noticed it needs to be cleaned here and there. Being plastic mine kept getting dirt and little micro rocks in it and sanding itself till it wouldn’t work anymore. I did install the upgraded spring and ran a full bolt with a nut on the end to help hold it together but I leave it a little on the softer side. It’s tight, but not crazy tight and I can still work it with my hand. Dry spray lube is a good addition for it too.

 

[CJSRCLIFE]

It could be related to the servo saver then maybe. I noticed it needs to be cleaned here and there. Being plastic mine kept getting dirt and little micro rocks in it and sanding itself till it wouldn’t work anymore. I did install the upgraded spring and ran a full bolt with a nut on the end to help hold it together but I leave it a little on the softer side. It’s tight, but not crazy tight and I can still work it with my hand. Dry spray lube is a good addition for it too.

Great info, Even though i might put an aluminum bellcrank in the truck someday my truck might already have the upgraded servo saver spring on it but i don't think so since it's not running the 2085X. I'm on the fence if i want to take the risk and try the 2085X or just get the GPM standard servo conversion kit and convert the truck to a standard 1\10 or 1\8 servo. But i don't currently have a lot of money on hand due to getting my special meal for the month and having to upgrade to YouTube premium due to their "new" stupid anti adblock rule.

 

[Mrgoodwrench35]

I've been running the 2085X with the upgraded spring for about a year now and no issues. Has survived half a dozen skate park sessions on some heavy duratrax Sixpack tires too. Not super fast but seems pretty tough.

 

[CJSRCLIFE]

I've been running the 2085X with the upgraded spring for about a year now and no issues. Has survived half a dozen skate park sessions on some heavy duratrax Sixpack tires too. Not super fast but seems pretty tough.

Oh cool, I plan on running some big ol trenchers like Jason P's truck and many other youtuber's trucks but i'm a little worried about heat running that, the 1,100KV, The Max 6 and maybe mod 1.5 gears although i could gear down if the Hot Racing motor mount will allow it.

 

[Mrgoodwrench35]

I tried the max 6 originally and didn't like it. It didn't seem to have much more power than the factory esc, and went up in smoke in short order. My X is a little on the heavy side so maybe that's why.

I didn't know Hot racing made a motor mount for the Xmaxx. My experience with hot racing is they make very nice looking parts, not tough parts. I went all in with M2C and have no regrets. Great company, good warranty. They stand behind their stuff.

 

[CJSRCLIFE]

I tried the max 6 originally and didn't like it. It didn't seem to have much more power than the factory esc, and went up in smoke in short order. My X is a little on the heavy side so maybe that's why.

I didn't know Hot racing made a motor mount for the Xmaxx. My experience with hot racing is they make very nice looking parts, not tough parts. I went all in with M2C and have no regrets. Great company, good warranty. They stand behind their stuff.

Yeah that's what i'm worried about running a Max 6 with all the other parts i might run but i figured out maybe if i use a higher speed HV fan on the ESC i might not have any issues. So far i've had good luck with Hot Racing parts although i did have an X-Maxx spur strip but that's when i had issues with the pinion.

 

[StevenMax]

Great info, Even though i might put an aluminum bellcrank in the truck someday my truck might already have the upgraded servo saver spring on it but i don't think so since it's not running the 2085X. I'm on the fence if i want to take the risk and try the 2085X or just get the GPM standard servo conversion kit and convert the truck to a standard 1\10 or 1\8 servo. But i don't currently have a lot of money on hand due to getting my special meal for the month and having to upgrade to YouTube premium due to their "new" stupid anti adblock rule.

I just posted a pic of my bellcranks. I too went to alloy route and it ended up bad. The servo saver tore itself up way worse than plastic due to the dirt getting in there and it did it fast. After a few packs it was completely locked up. So here’s what I did. The drive side is alloy as is the bar across while the passenger side is the stock plastic. Fits together perfect and works great.

The 2085x is exactly the same as the stock servo except for the metal gears inside. It comes with a heavier duty spring and that’s all. Tossing in a set of metal gears in to the stock servo makes it a 2085x, so I’d go this route to save money.

I’m on year 3 of this setup so maybe you can get some good luck going too. I use a dry spray lube here and there but other than that pretty maintenance free. I’d expect to change the servo saver once jn a while regardless just because of how it’s designed.

 

[CJSRCLIFE]

View attachment 172644
I just posted a pic of my bellcranks. I too went to alloy route and it ended up bad. The servo saver tore itself up way worse than plastic due to the dirt getting in there and it did it fast. After a few packs it was completely locked up. So here’s what I did. The drive side is alloy as is the bar across while the passenger side is the stock plastic. Fits together perfect and works great.

The 2085x is exactly the same as the stock servo except for the metal gears inside. It comes with a heavier duty spring and that’s all. Tossing in a set of metal gears in to the stock servo makes it a 2085x, so I’d go this route to save money.

I’m on year 3 of this setup so maybe you can get some good luck going too. I use a dry spray lube here and there but other than that pretty maintenance free. I’d expect to change the servo saver once jn a while regardless just because of how it’s designed.

That's cool, Maybe next month i'll start working on the steering department of my X-Maxx to get ready for new tires and motor. I already bought the 1,100KV 5687 motor which i now kinda regret since they now have a 5690SD G2 the only thing is they don't yet have a Max 6 G2. But i can use my Max 6 G1 provided it doesn't burn up or have issues with the 1,100 all i need is a motor mount, some steering work, new tires and a few other small things and she'll be a true monster.

 

[CJSRCLIFE]

What's up everyone today was an exciting day i got my new 5687 1,100KV motor along with my new stock X-Maxx servo and i also got to run the truck in the field next to my grandparents apartment.

Here's the parts i got in today the motor and the servo but i'm starting to feel like i jumped the gun on the new motor and i would have been better off going with a Max 5 G2 with 5690SD G2 combo but i guess i can go that route if the Max 6 and the older 1,100KV have issues and i can't fix it with an esc fan upgrade.

Here's the parts out of the packaging i installed the servo before i went to my grandparents today and it steers fine again but i might do a real servo upgrade either to a 2085X or a standard servo conversion with a high torque\high voltage servo before i install the 1,100 and better tires and wheels.

Here's a pic after the run in the field it was fun but next time i will probably bring the ramp my dad built for me over there to try out. It was a cool day where i live so temps on the Max 6 where on par with the stock VXL-8s right around 120 - 140 *F but the stock 8s motor ran 150 - 165 *F today. also the stock tires didn't blow or tear off the rim on todays run so that's great. There will be plenty more updates with this truck as i'm finally getting more run ins and bashes without breakages or failures. Goodbye for now and i hope you all have great weekend and Halloween.

 

[CJSRCLIFE]

Hi everyone, Today i put new motor heatsink fans in my X-Maxx project since after the last run i discovered the original fans were destroyed most of the blades were smashed off so i bought some surpass hobby rocket 35x35x10mm that go up to 21k rpm at 8.4v but i currently at them at 6v and they performed great.

These are the original fans that i pulled after i discovered the motor was running over 165 F and my Max 6 ran at 140 F.

Here the new fans when i got them in the mail.

The fans installed in the stock fan shroud after a little bit of modifying.

The truck after today's run the esc barely got over 110 F and highest the motor got was 140 F at the back of the can and it was mostly 110 - 125 F for the rest of the motor. I'm now really happy with the truck after the mods an repairs but i might buy the new Max 6 G2 esc with 5690SD G2 1,250KV motor combo sometime next year or run the Max 6 G1 already in the truck with the 5687 1,100KV i bought early this month. But i also found out i will need new tires soon cause i have a small tear in one of the stock tires it will be a matter of time before i blow the stock tires off the rims.

 

[CJSRCLIFE]

Hi everyone, How's all your weekends going? Last Friday i bought new Badlands MX43's for my X-Maxx project and new gearing to regear it to compensate for the Badlands. i went from 20\50 to 16\54 it's less than stock gearing but the truck is still fun and it runs way cooler than before even with the heavy MX43's.

Here she is after my 45+ minute run in my front yard with a ramp that my dad made for me.


Here's under the body still running the Max 6 G1 and the stock motor

Here she is on the bench with the badlands but now that body is starting to fall apart so now i'm looking at getting a rock n roll stock body or getting the Proline bash armor brute body and reusing the stock cage. Let me know what i should do next.

 

[CJSRCLIFE]

Hi everyone, How's it going? If you saw my last post i ran my Outcast 8s EXB V1 Roller today along with my X-Maxx here. Today destroyed my front diff ring and pinion gears due to no grease on the gears and the front diff covers separating from the front bulkhead i didn't realize it started grinding until it was too late.

Here was the damage on the ring gear i also took out the pinion and it was also chewed up. So my truck either needs a new front diff set or a new ring and pinion. Let me know what will be easier to do as i might buy new front and rear diffs now that destroyed the front diff.

Can you see the metal shavings in the bulkhead?

That's all for now, My X-Maxx will be down for awhile before i can order parts.

 

[Mrgoodwrench35]

Was it the plastic or aluminum cover? I noticed jennysrc has the 'ultimate' xmaxx parts which have alum. covers.

I think the plastic covers flex and work loose. I haven't had a reoccurance since switching to alum.

 

[CJSRCLIFE]

Was it the plastic or aluminum cover? I noticed jennysrc has the 'ultimate' xmaxx parts which have alum. covers.

I think the plastic covers flex and work loose. I haven't had a reoccurance since switching to alum.

Traxxas has those aluminum covers too, I have decided to repair then sell off this X-Maxx and save up for a new one since i'm not willing to put more money or work into this truck also i'm tired of constantly working on it and never performing where it should. I originally wanted an X-Maxx with Blue aluminum parts like my first one and i remember that truck was a lot more reliable since i bought it brand new back in 2021. Now i want an ultimate or the new belted tire version and don't need two X-Maxxes in my life i don't have the space.