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Want to get a monster truck need help

Want to get a monster truck need help

Old 05-13-2013, 07:19 PM
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Cool Want to get a monster truck need help

i have no idea on what would be a good nitro monster truck and wondering if some of the monster truck lovers out there could help me make an informed decision nitro rocks
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Old 05-13-2013, 07:39 PM
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I had a t maxx 3.3. Fun but I drove my buddies revo 3.3 and it was alot better. I heard good things about the savages but never owned one
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Old 05-13-2013, 07:41 PM
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Savages ?
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Old 05-13-2013, 07:45 PM
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Are you looking at new or used, 1/8 scale or 1/10th, bashing or racing, any experience with nitro, what brand parts does your LHS carry or are all upgrades, maintainence, and upgrades being purchased on line? I own several monster trucks (associated, hpi, duratrax) and there are many things to consider, but I love them all, just never get to run them with the racing rc's taking priority.
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Old 05-13-2013, 07:53 PM
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Get a Savage X 4.6

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-HPI-Raci...item4d09c4996b
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Old 05-13-2013, 07:58 PM
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Originally Posted by hunternaf
Are you looking at new or used, 1/8 scale or 1/10th, bashing or racing, any experience with nitro, what brand parts does your LHS carry or are all upgrades, maintainence, and upgrades being purchased on line? I own several monster trucks (associated, hpi, duratrax) and there are many things to consider, but I love them all, just never get to run them with the racing rc's taking priority.
I have a gv cage so i have a little knoledge of nitro, most likely a 1/8 because i like the size and go to the local hobby shop for parts and advice

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Old 05-13-2013, 08:28 PM
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You'll get all sorts of opinions asking that loaded question. But I'll throw in some of my experience and I think most will agree. First listed is best in each category.

Toughness: LST, Savage, Revo
Handling: Revo, LST (close 2nd), Savage (more distant third)
Aftermarket parts: Savage + Revo about tied, LST (getting hard to find)
Coolness factor: LST + Revo about tied, Savage

In my opinion, if you can drop the coin the LST is about the best all around MT. Big shocks, big tires, big block, tough, handles good for a MT when raised up, even better when lowered a bit. It really doesn't need much in the way of aftermarket parts to be durable or handle better, etc. Must have upgrades are Bad Ass Creactions (BAC) Link for steering and Dynaminte (or anything other than Losi) engine brace, that's it.

Revo is one of the few Traxxas I actually like. Lightest MT and handles a bit better than an LST, but to get the most out of it there's a bunch of tweaking to do. Lots of aftermarket available, some more necessary than others depending on intended use. My biggest gripes are that it's hard to put a big block in it, squats too much, diff access is a pain and I don't like plastic driveshafts even though they hold up pretty well. I also don't particularly like Traxxas engines, I find they're fine being tuned for about 80% power. Try getting more than that and tuning becomes too tedious chasing needles.

Savage. TVP's are not my cup of tea, but it's a solid truck. Lots of aftermarket to upgrade and customize, pretty stout out of the box though. Handling isnt as good as Revo + LST, but with different TVP's, lowered suspension with tuning and then it's comparable to Revo + LST.

Idk much about Associated MGT's or had any personal experience. But I'd rate it about even with a Savage on all accounts except aftermarket parts support which like the LST is dwindling. There's also the CEN GST, drove one once. Big, heavy mother of a truck, very tough and handles surprisingly well considering. Virtually no aftermarket parts and I'd imagine it's big engine is rather thirsty. Then there's those pesky TVP's.

Tmaxx deserves its own special paragraph. I've owned about a dozen of them, my first was the only new one and it got me back into Rc. So I love them, but each time one finds me I swear it will be my last. They're a fun truck, but need serious money spent in upgrades to be durable. By the time your done your closing in on a LST in terms of cost and it's not as capable of a truck. If you want a blinged out shelf queen for the least amount of cash they're the truck to build though, loads of stuff available. Working on the truck isn't too bad, but some things like bulkheads and diffs are so time consuming it gets really frustrating. Tuning is also more of an issue due to the design of the gas tank which makes it go lean at half tank or less. Bottom line, it can be a fun truck, but its a definite money pit.

Last edited by Overdriven; 05-13-2013 at 08:41 PM.
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Old 05-13-2013, 08:35 PM
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Savage is FAR more durable than any traxxas revo or tmaxx. I can't say more durable than an lst because I've never had one.
However I can say I own Three savages....and theres a reason for that.
They are VERY durable. And the stock 4.6 engine that comes in the newer ones is great. It has lots of power and tunes very easily.
The new 2013 Savage should be pretty much bulletproof out of the box....only thing you might need to upgrade is the shocks and steering servo. And needed upgrades out of box is pretty much typical for any rtr vehicle, especially monster trucks.
I have owned revos tmaxx and savages...Savage would own them any day.
And you CAN make a savage handle pretty good, if you're good with shock tuning.

Overdriven: What do you not like about tvp's? They are really durable and don't make it any harder to work on really
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Old 05-13-2013, 09:19 PM
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TVP's, idk I never like the idea of taking a whole side of a truck off. It's just me, although the screw counts are probably the same for a lot of the same operations on a different truck. I knew there would be at least one person who would disagree with me on durability of Revo. Personally I've never broken a stock Revo arm, never popped a knuckle (no rings either), blew a diff or anything. And one of mine was Novarossi .28 powered with reverse! Worst I ever did was break a skid and a body post. But I did place the Savage higher in durability and said with tuning it can handle so give me a little credit! Lol

My post was already pretty long, I didn't want to make it more detailed and even longer. A savage can handle nicely with some tuning. But assuming you can't buy parts for either truck, just do tuning, a Savage still can't handle as well as a Revo. For some that matters. So whether raised up or dropped down I still stand by my experiences in the handling dept. The K4.6 is a great engine, one of my favorites and the one I'd use when handing the transmitter over to someone for the day. The Mach engines and the 454 in LST's are good too, but the K4.6 is so easy it's childs play. I put the LST ahead of the Savage on durability because I've never had a trans issue and the slipper is better than the Savage. Arms seem to be slightly tougher too and I've never bent a shock shaft on an LST. Front knuckles might be a little weaker than Savage, or might just be the weak point on LST2 + XXL. LST2 + XXL also have beefy cvd's and full buggy style 8mm stub axles that'll never break off at the threads or drive pin.

Last edited by Overdriven; 05-13-2013 at 09:33 PM.
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Old 05-13-2013, 09:24 PM
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thanks overdriven i was looking for loots of opinions and yours has been most helpful just want to know is lst short for somthing

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Old 05-13-2013, 09:43 PM
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LST is short for Losi Super Truck I think. Losi just refers to it as LST and the current (and only) model availible new is the LST XXL. If the LST is too expensive for you, a HPI Savage is probably you next best bet unless you have to have the best handling MT which is the Revo. I should've mentioned before, all MT's have similar handling traits though whether lowered or raised up. So if handling And race track time is really that much of a concern get a Truggy. The Revo will also always look lower, while the others will have more of that classic MT look to them.
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Old 05-13-2013, 09:57 PM
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awesome man i really like your help
and its great to be able to start a thread like this without haveing people fight over their opinion
Congrats to you my friend

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Old 05-13-2013, 10:01 PM
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As a new owner of a savage last month, I LOVE mine! would buy another in a heart beat. With that said the new 2013 models have a new starting system in replacement of the rotostart... i will post a link below of my older thread because it is quite long, but needless to say I had one the first of these new systems in my province (alberta) and to be honest besides the fact that it has a new one way bearing (OWB) design the new system is garbage... BEFORE you try to start a new savage once... BEFORE the first start, pull the back plate off and theres two set screws that grip a shaft which leads to the new OW design and crankshaft... pull those setscrews out and loctite them really good and make sure to line up the screws to the notches in the shaft or you will have a HUGE mess

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Savage-x-4-6...item56561c7050

^^^ the black piece in the center front slides onto the shaft behind it and the sets hold the "sleeve" in the two notches you see on the shaft, if those sets arnt lined up right you strip that whole shaft out!

Heres the thread where all this was discovered: http://www.rctech.net/forum/nitro-of...bb-issues.html

Good luck, although these trucks are fun no matter which one you get but ive seen the best luck out of the savages in the long run, im just either way to hard on my trucks or i got a lemon and i think more so the former rather then the latter.
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Old 05-13-2013, 10:11 PM
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Originally Posted by Overdriven
Coolness factor: LST + Revo about tied, Savage
More like: Savage, revo, LST distant 3rd.
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Old 05-13-2013, 10:35 PM
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Overdriven knows what he's talking about.

First choice would be a Losi XXL, as IMVHO it really is the best nitro MT available. By far the best engine available in an RTR. Even the pipe and clutch are good and if they ever need to be replaced, just get stock ones cheap on ebay. The XXL is pricey up front, but in my experience ebay chop shops make them very cheap to maintain. The tires last forever(OK, the XXL rims are ugly IMO..) The radio is perceived by many to be good for an RTR(not a big Spektrum fan, but hey.. I'd sell the radio if it were me and recoup some dough..) The XXL is VERY fast for an MT, and handles great. Losis are very tough too. As stated, all you really need is an off-brand engine brace. After that there are a few other things that can be upgraded over time. I tend to disagree that the BAC link is "necessary", but people seem to like them. I've never had problems with the stock link, and my first LST2 (same as XXL basically, just shorter chassis) is six years old, my second four.

A New Era rollbar is very nice - if you can find one. And after that, you can get things like a wing kit, different shock springs, etc.

If you don't go with the Losi, I would have the Savage X4.6 next on the list. I personally don't think HPI quality is what it used to be, but basically the Savage should be an alright first nitro basher truck.

I would never buy another thing from Traxxas. IMO the Traxxas business philosophy is to sell shiny, appealing looking and overpriced RTR's with fantasy-land speed claims, which in reality need lots of upgrades to be made durable. I can well imagine a Revo with the "necessary" mods will cost more than a Losi XXL. And the XXL would run over it. But hey, some people like Traxxas, and insist on believing the phallacy that you have to rely on your local Hobby King chain shop that pushes Traxxas (and all the necessary mods for them)

Anyway, XXL, and failing that, Savage X4.6.
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