newb questions

[itsatoe]

after looking threw many cars i thought i was decided on getting a rustler but then changed my mind and now I'm going to get a savage. I'm probalt gona get the savage ss as a kit and i want to no if there is anything i should no about it like weaknesses.heres is all my questions
1 i heard that some people have trouble switching to 2nd gear did anyone else have this problem.

2 also just tell me any tips about the car or its engine like is the .25 engine anygood why is everybody buying picco and about what is the speed difference from the .21 and .25

3 what gas should be used a 20 or 30 percent

4 should i get new air filter read it was to small

5 what radio should be bought cheap as possible

i want to no as much as possible thanks

 

[LarryA]

1. I've had no problems with 2nd gear and I never touched anything. I think it depended on the person who assembled the truck. The SS in kit form may require that you assemble it yourself (don't know).

2. I run the stock .21BB engine and it finally runs good with another make head and carb. The Picco .26 Outlaw engine is popular because of the power it has compaired to the stock engine. No comparison to the .21BB.

3. I would recommend the 20%. 30% will probably not give you any real noticable difference but will put more strain on the engine and shorten life somewhat. 20% seems to be the most common by far. Most brand name fuels should be fine but some R/C engines can be picky about what they drink. Mine does not like the Wildcat fuel at all, runs like crap so I reverted back to the O'Donnell I used for years.

4. One of the best filters is the Motor Saver with the outside foam cover.

5. Inexspensive gets you what you pay for. I prefer FM computerized because of the added features and adjustability you will never see on a low end AM radio. They are well worth the initial cost and the better models allow you to enter and store setup for multiple cars.

6. Other:
Put an inline fuel filter between the tank and carb.
Ifpossible run with a 6V receiver pack (servos work much better at 6V.
A failsafe would not hurt at all.
Wire tie the top of the engine head or go with a body that protects the head.
Put an extension on the exhaust to help keep the residue off the rear suspension (dirt magnet).

Good luck.

 

[itsatoe]

what was wrong with the engine before you fixed it

 

[Rex2342]

1:The Savage SS center gearbox come assembled and should be set up from the factory.People have trouble getting them to shift because they have trouble tuning engines too.The engine need to reach the right RPM's before the truck will shift the way it is supposed to.

2:I've been hearing some good things about the .25 engine.If your new to the hobby than you should be fine with that engine for a long time as long as you take care of it.

3:HPI reccomends 20% in all their kits so stick with the 20% for now until you learn to tune properly and learn what glowplugs to use for what fuel. and stuff like that.

4:Get a Motor Savers or get the HPI one.They both have the same design and same filtration system.I think they are the same.

5:Radio gear is something I did not want to "cheap out on" so I spent a couple of extra bucks for an FM one.JRXs2 and Futaba 3PDF are nice radios and can be had for around 100$-120$.I'd try and find one without servo's though.You'll pay more for a radio with servo's and you won't be able to use them on the Savage SS.Just find one with the receiver only and it will save you a few bucks.

6:I didn't see this mentioned but your going to need some GOOD servo's for this truck.High torque for steering and something relatively high torque for throttle/brake.I'm running a Hitec 945MG meatal gear servo for steering and a Hitec 625MG metal gear servo for throttle/brake.The 945 might be a little out of your price range but the Hitec 645MG metal gear servo also works well for steering and is alot cheaper.your looking at at least another 70$ for servo's depending on where you look.

 

[itsatoe]

ok hows this is all from tower

ss kit 350
gas 2 app 19
glo start 20
ex glo plugs app 10
Futaba 2PHKA 2-Channel AM/1 S3003 Servo/1 MC230CR 80
high torque servo 30
air oil app 5
after run app 5
tire glue app 2

this is what I'm planning on buying is the servos that comes with the controller ok for trottle its a Futaba S3003 Servo Standard i really dont need those controllers that store different models because I'm a teen and i dont plan on getting money for any more models yet also is there any thing else that should be added to the list that I'm forgetting

 

[Error401]

Fuel: I'd get it at the lpcal hbby shop by the gallon. if you're running a .25, you'll go through fuel pretty quick.

glow plugs: get 1 or 2 hot rated plugs to start off on. I run duratrax gold at the moment, but my mills are broke in now, but I broke them in on duratrax carbon plugs.

Glow plaug wrench: necessary to change plugs and works on the tire lugnuts. This might be included in the kit, but I'm not sure about that.

Radio stuff: Get a 5 cell Nicle Metal Hydride (NiMH) hump pack. The dry cells are ok, but they'll run dead pretty quick and a rechagable pace will eventually pay for itself. Also, a charger for the hump pack.

Tools: The kit should come with a decent "starter" set of allen wrenches, but you'll need some other tools too. The list can get big quick, but I wouldn't order a whole set right off the bat.

Other Glue type stuff: LOCTITE blue and green flavors. If you don't use loctite, you will be guying screws and bolts on a regular basis.

 

[LarryA]

Originally posted by itsatoe
what was wrong with the engine before you fixed it

I could not get it to run worth a crap no matter what I did. It would run for a little while and seem good then just go bad like all the mitxtures went to hell. When it ran, the engine was very sound and worked good except I thought it ran a bit on the hot side. First I changed the head and the temps came down some but the engine still ran about the same. I decided to try an SH carb I had in my parts and then BINGO! It tuned very easily and has been running very good since with only minor top end adjustment for weather conditions. Seem the HPI carb was my problem all along. I do not like the midrange needle that seemed to be way too loose. I'm guessing that the MRN kept moving and that screwed everyhting up. Anyway, carb change and all is great.