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So I am a long time traxxas guy but just scored a brand new Savage SS 4.6 that is partially assembled/never been run. It has integy upper and lower arms already added and I am wondering if these are worth keeping or should I install the stock arms with the adjustable upper turn buckles. The rest appears to be the stock kit.

My plan is to tear it down and go through everything and ensure it's assembled correctly. I also want to pull the diffs apart and fill them with diff fluid (thinking 40k fluid) and also shim them for proper mesh. The k4.6 has never seen fuel. It has the pull starter on it but I also found a rotostart conversion in the box of parts. I already have an LRP .30x comp that I used to run in a revo and since it's still pretty fresh I am going to run this motor. It's already been converted to rotostart.

What else should I focus on? The stock 8 shock setup seems kinda janky. Should i go to the big bores and run 1 shock per corner? What about the stock axles? What else is needed to get this truck in tip-top shape?

Edit: just to clarify.. I know these trucks have evolved over time and HPI has rolled out improvements, I am just not sure where this particular truck falls in the evolution and would like to update this truck to the most current standards. Thanks!
 
Mount the stock arms.
Diff oil, front 50K and rear 30K is a good basher set-up.
Stock axles are ok for now, you can upgrade if they get damaged.
Big Bores ae good but for bashing 8 stock shocks are fine imo.
 
2d's for bouncing those arms. I would go with RPM personally but as long as you get rid of the aluminum junk, you'll be far better off.
 
Thanks, agreed on the integy parts. They will go on eBay. Another question - these Phillips head screws are a pain. Do mount stick with them or swap over to Tony's screws?
 
I'm not really sure. I guess go with what feels right. Just make sure that whatever tools you are using are quality and in good shape. I have run into poor quality hardware before and that may be your issue but if your tools are not in good shape and good quality, it makes no difference what hardware you have, it will give you problems.
 
Well - I took the truck apart and went through everything and then got it running with the LRP 30X motor. Everything works but for some odd reason I cannot get this LRP motor tuned. It idles fine but mid-range and higher sometimes it acts like it has too much fuel and other times it's the opposite and sounds lean. It ran fine when it was put in storage a few years ago (fully oiled, ect when stored). I wonder if the carb o-rings are shot...
 
O-rings and fuel lines can both be a problem.
What about the seal on the tank...
Did you place an extra fuel filter in the line? Can also cause some leaking or air-bubbles.
 
this is a new truck (NOS). Tank is new, fuel lines are new, ect. The only think used is the motor. The truck came with a new 4.6 motor. I am going to drop that in place of the LRP and see what happens. Of course I will have to go through the break in process.
 
I would check the orings first. You may also need to go thru and seal the engine itself. It Def sounds like you've got a small leak which is why it is only happening at the mid and high rpms right now. Given time, it would likely expand to cover the whole rpm band.
 
Well, I am embarrassed to say it was the plug. I mistakenly put a traxxas super hot plug in the motor and not an R5 that's called for by LRP. It runs much better now. So.... The trans shifting is dialed in but now I need to get the brakes figured out. The brakes are inconsistent and sometimes they are super sensitive and other times there are no brakes.
 
Lmao! Well, glad it was something simple anyways! As far as the brakes go, check over everything and make sure things are right where they should be, move where they should as well... Do they brakes change sensitivity as you use the truck more? Sometimes the brakes hang up a little and as the disc gets hot. The disc can also warp. Check that as well.
 
I couldn't get my LRP30S2 to run worth a crap on the stock tank. Then I switched to a 125cc OFNA buggy tank and it's was night and day better.

As for the setup, odds are the diffs won't hold up long and you will be changing to the BP ones if you can find them. When you do that, if via ebay, they come with super HD cups that use larger bones. I installed the super HD bones and outer cups/short axles at the same time as the BP install. I run 50K in front/rear on mine and it does fine for bashing. I also run the plastic big bores with stock arms. I like the big bores more than the 8 shock. Less to fail and more room for my 125cc tank to go in the stock location.

I run integy rear axle carriers to do away with the turnbuckles. They are holding up really well. I wouldn't run alloy arms though. Too likely to break everything else connected to them and to bend anyway. I also have a rear t-bonez skid/wheelie bar which really does a better job than the stock wheelie bar at keeping the body from folding up and getting destroyed.

I have the HPI dual pink composite brakes and really like those. I run an RPM center skid to protect them as I did break one once. I have run the single composite and dual steel, but liked the dual pink composite the most. Less grabby than steel and lasts a long time.

I was running 18/47 gearing, but changed it back to 17/47 that I had before. It could pull 18, but didn't hit too high of RPM in 2nd. For what I do and where I run, 17/47 should do better.

My most recent run, burned 1000cc's of fuel that day in it. First nitro run of the year.
 
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Oh... Yeah, you could try putting a loop in the fuel line near the fuel tank. That is a kind of old school truck used in the rc10gt, tmaxx and a couple others. I forgot all about that! Basically you tie wrap the fuel pressure line to itself putting a 1" Or so "ring" or "O" in the line from the muffler to the tank. It helps the fuel flow more evenly to the carb from the tank. Changing the tank was a fix for both of those kits as well as @olds97_lss suggested.

tass_7061_002.jpg


Looks just like this.
 
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are the diffs in the savage X models better than what comes in the SS 4.6 Kit?
So far I swapped the stock axles (with the right and left handed threaded stub axles) for the X model cvd shafts and 17mm hubs. I also added the plastic roll bar for the engine too. The 30x is running much better but i still get random lean-outs which seems to be tank-related. I have an extra tank from a mugen truggy and may try swapping that in. I have on order the pink disc brake kit. The integy arms are gone. Thinking of doing the FLM extended LCD chassis but not sure what all it entails to make the swap.

It's definitely a fun truck though! I used to run the 30x in my revo and this truck handles the power much better.
 
The stock tank is known to have a consistency problem. It's plagued the savage since it first came out 10+ years ago. It's referred to as the "half tank lean" issue, or HTL for short. With the way the tank is shaped, the area changes from a wide square to a small rectangle at 1/2 tank.

Many people say it's "air pressure" related, but I don't understand that. To me, it's more fluid pressure. With the tank full, there's a lot more fuel above the carb and it's heavier just by volume which causes the fluid to push itself out at a higher rate. Then when the tanks gets to the small rectangle level, there isn't as much weight of fuel trying to push it out and it's also below level with the fuel inlet on the carb, so the fuel is relying solely on the pressure from the pipe to push it to the engine. Down to the half tank level, you have the pressure from the pipe adding to the weight of the fuel causing the tune to need to be at one setting. Then at 1/2 tank, the weight of the fuel combined with the level being below the carb slows the flow causing it to go lean.

Anyway, the stock tank has issues. Most people that live with it tune the engine at 1/2 tank, then live with it being too rich for the first half.
 
That's the same thing the gt's and the Maxx's had... Not all of them in either case as I understand but enough so that the 'loop' trick was used very often either way.
 
The bigger dogbones, differential cups come from flux (with non-widening axles) or the XL (spacers and longer axles to make truck stance wider) are a great investment. ever savage I own gets that upgrade and i prefer the wider stance
 
I got that backwards actually... The loop is on the fuel tank to carb side, not on the exhaust to tank side.
 
so what are some extended chassis options? I was looking for the FLM LCD extended chassis but can't seem to find one. Can I swap to the X or XL chassis and gain some wheel base? My plan is to install a buggy tank and do the mid-mount but the current SS chassis is really short.
 
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