SAVAGE XL, Camber & Caster adjustment

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A

anders

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Hi there
Can I adjust camber and caster on my XL?
I can't find out how to do it.
The car turn over to easy.

Thanks
Anders
 
You can adjust camber and toe but not castor on a savage using the tie rods for toe and the adjustable upper arms for camber.

The hpi suspension conversion will give you castor.

and welcome to the forum i see you are fairly new.
 
Yep RSC wll give you more castor (still not adjustable though).

Give yourself a little toe-in in the rear.

Not sure what radio you are using (doubt the stock one can do this but), but if you can, adjust your steering servo rate, so at higher speeds small inputs will not make as much difference.

Or just slow down a little before you turn 🙂

Take some of your preload clips off of your shocks too, so it will sit down lower.

Camber is a no go on your STOCK xl, try a set of these:
adjustable upper arms
 
If you get the suspension conversion you have to do a little modding to it because HPI changed it from the origanal version of it do to people popping dogbones. It isn't hard and only takes a min with a dremel
 
btw the RSC includes adjustable uppers and a mod that changes your roll center. If you are looking for something to improve drivability, the RSC is the mod to get.

DF
 
What is RSC, something Suspension Conversion.
So you recommend the Kit LXEKJ9 from Tower Hobbies?
Is the front and rear end the same?

Anders/Per
 
RSC is Race Suspension Conversion, HPI part number 87245, Tower part number LXMJH4.

It is an expensive kit, but will *completely* change the handling of your truck for the better.

It will eliminate the tie rods from the rear, adding a fixed amount of toe in of about 2degs, and change the roll center by repositioning the upper arm mount locations. Some bulkhead trimming with a hobby knife and file will be needed here.

Do note that some other things about the RSC need optimization post installation, like grinding down the bump stops to increase steering throw, and replacing the 4mm C-hub screws with something longer to prevent loss of the screw and subsequent damage.

If you do get the RSC, you do NOT need LXEKJ9. It will no longer be compatible. If you need replacement upper arms from that point, you will want to look for HPI Hellfire uppers.

DF
 
If you do get the RSC, you do NOT need LXEKJ9. It will no longer be compatible.
Click to expand...

I am pretty sure the RSC comes with the HPI adjustable arms previously mentioned as tower hobbies #LXEKJ9 or HPI #85066.

So it is not that they won't be compatable, but rather you will allready have them from the RSC kit.

The castor is fixed and changed by rotating the front knuckle or axle carrier "back"... basically the screw on the top and bottom line up, but are no longer perfectly vertical right?

Also, I saw you mentioned hellfire upper arms... do people use hell fire parts for tie rod end links? If so, what part numbers?

Thanks!
 
Here is the castor I was talking about.
Black Circle= RSC upper screw location.
Green Circle= RSC possible lower screw location (just a guess though).
Red Circle= Stock upright screw location upper and lower, non RSC, completely vertical or really close, no castor.

Thats all they did to get the castor right?

RSC.png
 
CTDpower said:
I am pretty sure the RSC comes with the HPI adjustable arms previously mentioned as tower hobbies #LXEKJ9 or HPI #85066.

Also, I saw you mentioned hellfire upper arms... do people use hell fire parts for tie rod end links? If so, what part numbers?
Click to expand...

Well the RSC upper arms are completely different from the stock ones, mainly because of the roll center mod that extends the upper arm mount points on the bulkhead about a centimeter out each side.

The Hellfire rod end part number is HPI 85230. It is a plastic tree containing a bunch of rod ends; You only need the big 7x45 pieces.

I never got around to finding out the part numbers for the Hellfire turnbuckles. They are 5mm x 35mm thick steel. If you manage to bend them, I think they will be the least of your worries 🙂

DF
 
I really want to see the upper arm mod you are talking about, is there a picture any where you know of?

Can I use the hellfire rod ends with stock length savage turnbuckles (actually lunsford ones, but same length), and have the entire package come out being the right length?
 
Here you go. Your should be free to adjust the length of the upper arm to suit your camber requirements.

I chose 5x38 for the extra 3mm of screw threads. I figured I was already saving 40% over the weight of steel. What's an extra 3mm for that bit more peace of mind?

20100113-savageflux-suspension.jpg


DF
 
Oh wait. You mean the stock length lunsford turnbuckles for the tie rods? Those are way too long, and 1 mm too thin. The tie rod turnbuckles are M4/4mm thickness and are 60+mm long. I got my 5x38mm lunsfords through a webshop that happened to have them in stock.

DF
 
Nice! I see, it is the out side link of the adjustable upper arms set, but on both ends, haha. From the front on veiw you can really see how it would change the roll center... not sure if it changes it for the better or not, but it definitely will change.

I'd like to know if you can tell the difference between using the setup you are showing with the RSC vs everything exactly the same but using the regular adjustable arms so the inside upper arm is using the stock pin for the mounting point. So you can have everything the same castor camber toe, but stock roll center. It may just be better, haha, doubt it though, I guess ya never know.
 
This is what I always wanted to know...

All the rear hub carriers that eliminate the tie rods are never wide enough and require some type of spacer or bushing... even the HPI brand name one require a spacer. Why not just make them the full width, then instead of bending a hinge pin it would actually need to shear off.

With the spacers it would allow you to change the wheel base but you'd never notice... maybe on a pan car or something. Maybe you could move it forward or backward to help the upper arm clear some of the larger single shock setups? (won't help the front clear though)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
OH man I was just re reading everything... My post about using lunsford and hellfire, I meant for the steering tierod, not the upper arm, D'oh. Sorry for the confusion.
 
OMG I'm turning into a post whore on this site now too... I think I have like 4000 on the cummins forum ;-)
 
CTDpower said:
This is what I always wanted to know...

All the rear hub carriers that eliminate the tie rods are never wide enough and require some type of spacer or bushing... even the HPI brand name one require a spacer. Why not just make them the full width, then instead of bending a hinge pin it would actually need to shear off.

With the spacers it would allow you to change the wheel base but you'd never notice... maybe on a pan car or something. Maybe you could move it forward or backward to help the upper arm clear some of the larger single shock setups? (won't help the front clear though)
Click to expand...

Regarding roll center - I used to flip over executing high speed turns without the RSC in place. Powersliding is the norm post RSC. My driving skills are still sorely lacking though.

As for the tierods, there is no change to the mount points. The lunsford turnbuckles and rod ends will drop in without modification.

DF
 
I will get the conversion kit.
I have been reading that I can't use the double set-up shocks if I change.
What shocks will fit after conversion? Do I have to change shocks at the rear as well?

Anders
 
Looks like you can use doublein the rear but not up front. Just grab a set of the bigbores 🙂
 
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