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RC Gurus, Buying new truck.

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expl0it

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Hey guys, new member here. I've been out of the R/C loop for so long but now I'm looking to come back and play around with it some more. So I've been reading good things about the savage and it looks like this is the one. I'm looking to purchase from towerhobbies probley. How does this look?

Primary Item —
HPI 1/8 Savage 21 Truck RTR w/3-Channel Radio
INCLUDES: One RTR Savage Truck, with Nitro Star 21BB engine with pullstart,
pre-painted, trimmed body, 3-channel pistol style AM TF-4 radio,
high torque steering servo, one replacement upper and lower hub,
Savage manual, engine manual, antenna tube, radio tray cover, small
plastic replacement parts.

DuraTrax Kwik-Pit 250cc Fuel Bottle
Hobbico Hot-Shot 2 Long
HPI Reverse Module Savage 21
DuraTrax O'Donnell 20% Racing Fuel Quart
O.S. #8 Glow Plug Standard Long x3
Combined: $481.93

Does the price seem a little high? Or about right. And i take it out of the box the savage dosent have reverse and thats what the module is they send you. Anything else i missed thats essential (i have nothing now)? Any tips input whatever is welcome. Thanks guys.
 
Welcome to RCNT and welcome back to R/C. The Savage is one hell of a truck, but the RTR version does have it's failings. Without going into alot of detail here are a few things to search for in this forum and it's archive: Dogbones, fuel tank leaning , shock tower bolt and the fuel tank, rims, and the reverse module. Don't get me wrong, I love the Savage, I have 2, but all of the things I mentioned I have had to correct on both. If I were to do it over, I would get the new SS kit, which addresses a few of the RTR 's problems, and has a bigger engine to boot. It is a kit however, and does not come with a radio. If you check out the Video forum, you will find some vids of the savge, as well as some T-Maxxes. The Savage is extremely tough and you won't be dissapointed, but I'd recommend the SS if you're not gonna race.

As for the other items you listed, buy fuel in gallons. Quarts don't last too long, and it takes about a half a gallon just to get the engine broken in. I burn Blue Thunder 20%, but just about all the branded fuels are good (except for Byron which makes my engines run hot). Plugs are pretty much a preference thing, I like duratrax, but OS is top drawer. The reverse module is cool, I have one, but it's not a real "must have" unless you want it. Also, you'll have to disassemble the transmission to install it, and add another servo to the radio box, so take that into consideration also.

Towers is a good company, but there are other places to shop too. Check out www.extremercmotorsports.com I have ordered from there and the service is outstanding.

I hope this helped out some,
Whitt....
 
Excellent choice and the price is about right around the average. Error is correct on the Savage SS and to shop around. Fuel is all up to u and what ur LHS carries so u don't have to keep buying online or drive miles.
 
You are going to want to add a fuel filter and a better air filter to that list of items.

Here's some info on the RTR version of the Savage, and a pretty good bit of reasoning for waiting on the Savage SS Kit (which addresses each issue and throws in some really good extras to boot.)

Originally posted by SkyMaxx
There are numerous write-ups on the Savage. The problem is that they are in the form of threads on this site, and they address each issue seperately. I'll try and tag a few of them for you...

1. Dogbones - the "old" stock dogbones had a designe flaw that made them prone to shearing near the ends. This issue has been addressed by HPI and anyone with the flawed bones are entitled to a free upgrade to the new version. Contact HPI for the info. How do you know if you have the old ones? Look near the end of the bone shaft. You will see that it maintains diameter constant until a point near each end of the shaft, and then it takes a very sharp decrease in diameter. This step off is the shear point.

2. The fuel systems of most RCs are self leaning. There is very little you can do to counter this. There are a bunch of imaginative ideas out there that have worked, but the best one I have seen to date is to tune the engine while it has only half a tank of fuel in the tank. This will make the engine run slightly rich on a full tank, just right near the middle of the tank and slightly lean near empty. This means that performance will actually increase as the tank empties.

3. The shocks tend to be a weak point. The stock shocks are of good design, but the exposed nature of the shocks and the long shafts tend to make them open targets for bent shafts. The only solutions I am aware of are: A.) Get a upgraded set, B.) Get the New Era upper a-arm that takes T-Maxx shocks, C.) Keep a spare set of stockers in your kit as a replacement set should you need them.

4. The fuel tank/shock tower massacre. The screw on the rear tower tends to puncture the tank on really hard landings or lid down landings. The solution, as mentioned above, is to put the head of the screw holding the shocks to the tower closest to the tank with the nut being closest to the rear of the truck. You can also glue some closed cell foam to the upper back portion of the tank to provide a little impact protection.

5. The tanks primer is a point of leakage as it gets older. It can turn into an airleak that robs the engine of power and fuel down the road. You can remove the primer (several ideas on this one) or replace the tank with a primerless tank (only a couple of options here).

6. The engine is a performer if broken in properly and tuned well, but it is still underpowered. Many people upgrade the engine as one of the first performance hop ups to the Savage. The engines of choice right now appear to be the Picco .26 Outlaw and the Ofna Hyper 21 8-Port (I run the Hyper).

7. HPI addressed an issue they had internal to the tranny, but it does not hurt to verify that it is done. There is a set screw (grub screw) that has a tendancy to back out. The solution (and HPI does this for you on the latest runs of Savages) is to open the tranny and apply loctite to the screw.

From this point, the rest of the issues are owner preferences. You can upgrade the steering servo to a high torque for better performance. If you upgrade the engine, the stock HPI rims will not handle the torque and you will end up replacing them when the wheel hexes destroy the socket they rest in on the rim. There are numerous other upgrades you can make. I'll let others give you some ideas, but believe me the truck is great and the upgrades are only limited by your wallet size.

Enjoy and Welcome to RCNT.
Click to expand...


Some good info on the Savage SS Kit.

Very informative version:
https://www.rcnitrotalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5786

Front Page announcement:
https://www.rcnitrotalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5774
 
Wow, thanks for all the helpful information guys. Dosent sound very settleing hearing about all these flaws with the savage rtr. I hear the ss is comeing out late aug early sept. I'm really excited to get back into the hobby again though, does anybody else make anything on par with the savage now with less problems out of the box? Maybe this isnt the correct forum but maybe the tmaxx? I'm just throwing stuff out, like I said I've been out of the loop for many years I have no idea whos makeing the quality stuff now-a-days.
 
LOL..These problems are minor by comparison. If you want the better truck, get the Savage. The list I have on the T-Maxx out of the box is like ten pages long.

Just have patience and spend wisely. Get the Savage RTR if you can't wait, but the SS will be out really soon...or so they promise.
 
thanks skymaxx, is there anything you would add to the rtr out of the box to increase stability,durability, and performance. i'm looking to keep the price tag under $600.
 
Hell, if you want to get your feet wet and get a basher, I might let my old savage go for 250. I know that this post should be in the For Sale section, but I'm just thinking about selling it. Here's what it's got.

Savage .21 RTR, pretty much stock except for:
New Hot Bodies .21 engine (same as the HPI 21BB), never run (pulled from a HB Lightning)
All 4 Dogbones are HPI heavy duty silver bones.
New tank
Stock shell (nearly new)
Basher shell (prety beat up)
New tranny gears (no reverse)
Stock HPI radio, servos, Rx, and batt holder.
Documentation on truck and engine.

This truck has been run, and there is a bit of wear on the center drive cups, but it still scoots. I can post updated pix if you want. Skymaxx has seen this truck run, but with another engine, and like I said, the engine that's in it has never been fired up. I'll part with it for 250 not including shipping if you're interested. If not, it's all good, nothing like having spare parts.

You'd still have to get a glow ignitor, fuel and all the perephrial stuff, but it'd get ya bashing.

Whitt...
 
I would dump the reverse module (and save that money towards some better parts). I would get a better set of dogbones/cvds (Hot Bodies makes some decent ones). I would spend some money on a decent set of rims by RPM or the stock TRAXXAS T-Maxx rims. The stock Savage rims are weak at the hub, and the stock tires fit any T-Maxx rim. Get the MotorSaver air filter or HPI's version of the same. Get an in-line fuel filter (Dynamite makes the one I use, but there are a variety of flavors out there). If you can swing it, get a better engine...but that might be pushing it.

If you wait for the SS to come out, you can get much more for $600 as most of the improved parts listed above are included. Just food for thought.
 
The money's just burning a hole in your pocket...isn't it? =devil

Were I in your shoes, I'd wait. In fact, I have a RTR Savage and a RTR T-Maxx already, and I am waiting on the new SS to hit the stores...then I'm buying another one.
 
Originally posted by SkyMaxx
The money's just burning a hole in your pocket...isn't it? =devil

Were I in your shoes, I'd wait. In fact, I have a RTR Savage and a RTR T-Maxx already, and I am waiting on the new SS to hit the stores...then I'm buying another one.
Click to expand...

LOL, yea it sure is. I've been spending too much money as of lately on my never ending quest upgradeing my computer. I'm excited to come back to the r/c world. I just may wait for the SS, sounds pretty promising.

edit:
I'm going to ebay off some "old" pc components i have to offset the cost of my new toy. So actually its not that much out of pocket.
 
Last edited:
Yo exploit, I bet you've been waiting for the pix. Sorry for the delay but I posted a page on my site that'll explain everything in a bit more detail than hoggin woodies bandwidth. Anyway, here's the link.

http://www.error401.com/savage/forsale/forsale.htm

If any of the pix don't load, let me know, I think my host is running a bit slow lately. But all the pix are about 70Kb max.

Whitt..
 
expl0it, that name is l33t mang. i wonder what you do. :whistle:

anyway, i too want a Savage. I'm waiting for the SS. It's got a bigger engine and a lot of fixes in it. it's also a kit which is the macho way to get in the hobby. in the RTR, you're going to want a better engine, a better steering servo and better dog bones. you don't need any of that stuff with the SS.

you can make the RTR as good as the SS, but you'll spend more money doing it.
 
Amen on that Rob, I just picked up an outlaw .26 today. But that's half the fun.
 
Well all for those that remember. I was having my dogbone custom made. They are better then any of the ones you can buy on the market at present time(except for maybe titanium). They are made from a class #8 bolts with hardened pins. I have been running them with my Hyper 8port without any problems for over a gallon now. If the pins wear out they can be replaced. I know the guy is willing to make more for anyone that wants them. They would cost you $12(Canadian) each + shipping and to have pins replaced in a complete set of worn dogbone he is charging $5 Canadian. I am now getting him to make the center drive line along with the couplers done for all the input and ouput shafts. They will be made of a slightly harder steel then the stock one. That way I can have them last longer.
 

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