What should I get?

[Plaidfish]

IDLE 5 TANKS?!?!?!?!?
WTF.....NO!!!!!!
that has got to be the laziest crap break-in I've ever heard a shop tell someone.....Seriously they don't know what they are talking about OR are just trying to get you to trash your mill so they'll sell you a new one........If you don't have access to a break in stand just do the Heat cycle method.....you want to start it up and immediately start doing slow 1/4 gradual pulls (like the traxx-ass DVD) it is VERY important you get the temps over 200.....keep under 220 at most.....do 2 tanks like that and then do 2 tanks going 1/2 throttle spurts and 2 tanks doing 3/4 and then start tuning for performance.....AFTER EVERY SHUTDOWN, pull th episton to BDC (Bottom Dead Center) you don't want the sleeve cooling off with the piston head in the pinch......Idling it does nothing but slam a piston head into a cold sleeve......If I can't use a stand, I do that method but stop every half tank and let it cool down as well......getting temps over 200*F is the most important thing......your mill will never hit 200 at idle unless you lean the crap out of it...then it wouldn't be idling...... it would be moving

 

[MaxxMasterS2]

So you are saying you don't even drive it to break it in? You put it on a stand and get the temps going, put the piston to bdc and cool it, then bring it up again? Sounds like a great way to do it. I broke my Tmaxx in in a parkade. The temperature outside was below freezing, but I"m not planning on doing that to my Savage. I will wait till the weather is nice to break it in. Also I am at a pretty high elevation here, so I don't know if that's part of the logic behind the idleing... LHS owner was saying he's seen engines perform through as much as 10 gallons because of how they broke it in. It sounds like this guy might be full of sh*t or something. Anyway, thanks for the suggestion. I will follow your method for breaking it in. I guess I better buy a temp gauge and failsafe. Or would you recommend a throttle return spring?

 

[Revo Rancher]

Get a failsafe. Also, Plaid meant that you do this heat cycle method on the road. Just like the Trraxxas method.

 

[Plaidfish]

Yes break it in on road.....The method I described for you is a pretty basic way of engine break in.....I do most of mine on a stand, and like you said I don't drive it to break it in......the stand isn't one that holds the whole car but more like a chassis w/ a propellor and gas tank...the prop creates the resistance for the mill....I start it up let it warm up to at least 140* and immediately go WOT.....and then richen it up til the temps stable out at 200.......I run 6 tanks and stop it at 1/4 tank intervals for the first 3 tanks and 1/2 tank intervals for the last 3 tanks......this is a more advanced method and I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner......

I don't run a TRS simply because it's not going to do squat against my servos.......they are there if your batts fall out, other than that it's up to your failsafe to save your car.....If you get into it you'll find better radio gear has built in failsafes....I personally didn't like the In-line stuff cause I ended up getting real bad glitches w/ digital servos.....one thing you should also buy is a 6V batt pack and charger....if you don't have one that is.....and possibly a better steering servo...not sure how the stock one is...My Savage had a hitec one already when I got it.....

 

[MaxxMasterS2]

wow, I had no idea, that sounds pretty involved. I will stick to driving it and cooling it down between tanks. You were saying half tank heat cycles are good?

Yeah, I have a failsafe on my T-maxx and I love it. I routinely drive it to the outer limits of its radio range, and have never had a runaway. Well, unless you count just after my first break in when I didnt' have the failsafe.

The savage I bought has a "High torque" steering servo installed on it, I'm not sure if that means "high end crap" or "a good" servo. I like the idea about the battery pack. I wanted one for my T Maxx too. All the servos on the maxx are stock.

 

[Plaidfish]

yeah just do the Half tank cycles and you're golden...most don't even do that but the theory is, you're heat cycling is similar to tempering....it won't fully temper the metal since it's brass anyway so it just hardens it a little more.....the more you can cycle the heat/cooling the better "tempering" you'll have.....