I’ve purchased a used savage XL 5.9 but have a few questions pls

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Atarioldskool

Active Member
Messages
122
Location
Leicester UK
My understanding and knowledge of RC cars is very minimal, i just know the very basics - but i am pretty good at putting things together and understanding components.

The XL model that i have purchased, i think the previous owner has done some upgrades to it, i wasn't even aware of it until i was stripping it down last night to give it a good clean.
Looks like the Suspension arms / Axle are non HPI parts as it is stamped as Integy.
I did a quick google search on this and it seems they do upgraded parts? if am correct, in theory then it should be better parts ?
See pictures attached.
(I have taken the wheels of)

Basically i think the car needs new suspensions / springs ? as (1) one of the front suspension pushes down very easily and quicker compared to the opposite suspension / spring
(2) when i lift the car of the ground and put it back down (not dropping it) the car goes down - (i would have thought it shouldn't drop down or if it does drop down it should only be very minimal ?)

This leads me onto my question regarding this - will the standard HPI suspension / springs fit this after market suspension arm / Axle ? or would i have to buy integy suspensions / springs ?

The back suspension arm / axle looks different to the front, is this suppose to be like this ?

The car has 3 Servo's fitted to it ? - is this correct ? sf-5 , sf-2 and i think it is sf-10?
i would have thought it would only have 2 servo's at most ? 1 for steering and 1 for acceleration? but like i said i do not know a great deal of RC cars so I'm not sure.
Are these water proof / splash proof by the way ?

The cog in the picture (middle smaller one in the picture) - the teeth seem to be a bit worn out, not sure what that is for ? most likely it needs replacing ?

I require this part but no idea what it is called - it is snapped, it fits on top of the skid plate - (see picture - rectangle black shape plastic i think)

i require if it exist a water proof housing for the components in the car - where the battery / transmitter sits - i have the bottom case where it sits in but no top cover.

Sorry for bombarding you all with so many questions at once
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My understanding and knowledge of RC cars is very minimal, i just know the very basics - but i am pretty good at putting things together and understanding components.

The XL model that i have purchased, i think the previous owner has done some upgrades to it, i wasn't even aware of it until i was stripping it down last night to give it a good clean.
Looks like the Suspension arms / Axle are non HPI parts as it is stamped as Integy.
I did a quick google search on this and it seems they do upgraded parts? if am correct, in theory then it should be better parts ?
See pictures attached.
(I have taken the wheels of)

Basically i think the car needs new suspensions / springs ? as (1) one of the front suspension pushes down very easily and quicker compared to the opposite suspension / spring
(2) when i lift the car of the ground and put it back down (not dropping it) the car goes down - (i would have thought it shouldn't drop down or if it does drop down it should only be very minimal ?)

This leads me onto my question regarding this - will the standard HPI suspension / springs fit this after market suspension arm / Axle ? or would i have to buy integy suspensions / springs ?

The back suspension arm / axle looks different to the front, is this suppose to be like this ?

The car has 3 Servo's fitted to it ? - is this correct ? sf-5 , sf-2 and i think it is sf-10?
i would have thought it would only have 2 servo's at most ? 1 for steering and 1 for acceleration? but like i said i do not know a great deal of RC cars so I'm not sure.
Are these water proof / splash proof by the way ?

The cog in the picture (middle smaller one in the picture) - the teeth seem to be a bit worn out, not sure what that is for ? most likely it needs replacing ?

I require this part but no idea what it is called - it is snapped, it fits on top of the skid plate - (see picture - rectangle black shape plastic i think)

i require if it exist a water proof housing for the components in the car - where the battery / transmitter sits - i have the bottom case where it sits in but no top cover.

Sorry for bombarding you all with so many questions at once
View attachment 5778


Upper arms and rear lower are integy alloy replacements, I would remove those and go back to stock plastic as soon as you can, the main problem with alloy arms is they can and will bend and then they are useless, good for show not so much for go....
The knuckles and outer hub carriers are good to go and they do add needed strength to the suspension and they usually handle bashing stresses well enough, those springs do look a bit soft, Either a set of blue or black springs maybe would be a bit better, but on that note you do want a bit of down as well as up travel in your shocks as well as check the oil inside the shocks, 30 to 40 weight usually works pretty well...
the third servo is for what looks like is a reverse module setup on the transmission but not exactly sure as your pics don't show that very well, all in all that looks like a pretty solid rig, nice alloy trans case and many good parts, as for your servos being waterproof that is a no as well as the receiver box , also not waterproof either....
 
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Upper arms and rear lower are integy alloy replacements, I would remove those and go back to stock plastic as soon as you can, the main problem with alloy arms is they can and will bend and then they are useless, good for show not so much for go....
The knuckles and outer hub carriers are good to go and they do add needed strength to the suspension and they usually handle bashing stresses well enough, those springs do look a bit soft, Either a set of blue or black springs maybe would be a bit better, but on that note you do want a bit of down as well as up travel in your shocks as well as check the oil inside the shocks, 30 to 40 weight usually works pretty well...
the third servo is for what looks like is a reverse module setup on the transmission but not exactly sure as your pics don't show that very well, all in all that looks like a pretty solid rig, nice alloy trans case and many good parts, as for your servos being waterproof that is a no as well as the receiver box , also not waterproof either....

Hi Jam Racing 1,
Thank you for your reply
I have a few questions regarding your reply so i can understand, as i am not very educated on RC cars / parts or terminology...

Upper arms and rear lower are integy alloy = Basically are you suggesting to remove all the alloy bits ? i am not so sure what you are referring to "arms and rear lower"
I guess this would be an expensive repair/modification to find and put back to stock parts! i do not intend to do massive jumps, bash my truck,
the highest jump i tend to do is something like 5-6 inches of the ground, and full sprints around the park - i am no dare devil.

The knuckles and outer hub carriers = Please can you show / describe what part you are referring to ?, i do not know the names of parts, sorry.

Set of blue or black springs maybe would be a bit better = Do different colour springs relate to different hard ride ? i do really need green springs as the truck in based on the grave digger look ( i do like the look)

Check the oil inside the shocks = Did not know the shocks had oil in them, how would i check to see if their is oil in the shocks or the levels?
how would i know if the suspensions need changing ?

30 to 40 weight usually works pretty well = I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about here, sorry, please can you elaborate on this.

The third servo is for what looks like is a reverse module setup on the transmission = I think 1 of the servor is linked to the front right wheel, and the other is linked to the front left wheel ??
If it is like this, then why would the previous owner do this ?

Are you able to tell me what my last picture part is called (the black rectangle block thing) as it is snapped so i need to buy a new one.
also the small cog under neath the air intake as the teeth are all chewed, is this a part that could really need changing ?

thank you
 
Intgey control arms: in the case that you accidentally impact an object the force is transferred to other parts of your Savage, when the stock control arms would bend and dissipate some of that force.
Hubs and knuckles are what connects to the control arms on the wheel side.
Onto the shocks, to check the oil you will have to remove the shock for the savage, compress the spring to remove the spring cap(holds bottom of spring when mounted on savage control arm) then the spring comes off. Then you need to unscrew the shock cap(where shock mounts to shock tower )from the body. This is where the 30-40wt silicone shock oil come in. As far as right amount of oil, I would look up some YouTube vids. Bit hard to explain in words.
Lastly for now the small cog thing under the intake is called the flywheel, it is fine as the only purpose of the grooves is to bump start a nitro motor and the savage cannot be numb started
 
Intgey control arms: in the case that you accidentally impact an object the force is transferred to other parts of your Savage, when the stock control arms would bend and dissipate some of that force.
Hubs and knuckles are what connects to the control arms on the wheel side.
Onto the shocks, to check the oil you will have to remove the shock for the savage, compress the spring to remove the spring cap(holds bottom of spring when mounted on savage control arm) then the spring comes off. Then you need to unscrew the shock cap(where shock mounts to shock tower )from the body. This is where the 30-40wt silicone shock oil come in. As far as right amount of oil, I would look up some YouTube vids. Bit hard to explain in words.
Lastly for now the small cog thing under the intake is called the flywheel, it is fine as the only purpose of the grooves is to bump start a nitro motor and the savage cannot be numb started

Thank you for your explanation it has helped me a lot.

As for the colour of springs = does different colour springs mean different ride hardness ?

Shocks = are the aluminium shocks no good either?
I do like the look of the aluminium shocks but if they are also not recommended then I would stick to the standard ones

As for engine break in = because this is a used XL truck, but it has not been used for a while, would I need to break the engine in ?
Or not the full engine break in process ? 1 tank of fuel to just run the engine, is this more than enough for a used XL truck ?
 
Thank you for your explanation it has helped me a lot.

As for the colour of springs = does different colour springs mean different ride hardness ?

Shocks = are the aluminium shocks no good either?
I do like the look of the aluminium shocks but if they are also not recommended then I would stick to the standard ones

As for engine break in = because this is a used XL truck, but it has not been used for a while, would I need to break the engine in ?
Or not the full engine break in process ? 1 tank of fuel to just run the engine, is this more than enough for a used XL truck ?


The colors of the springs give you the spring rate. This is brand/ model specific though.

Aluminum shock bodies are great, less distortion in the shock body causing worse performance. That being said, if you go aluminum, it may be tougher to seal the shock. But that shouln't be an issue with the right o-rings and green slime .

Since it is used, you have no idea where the engine is. I would start back at factory settings (lean out a little from there) and run a tank or two. If it seems like it is wanting to give you more power, start tuning it.
 
Hi Guys

in the process of stripping my XL down, and while I'm getting familiar with parts, i have noticed my XL has not got any turn buckles on the back wheels ?

My sons savage 25 has, and some stock pictures of XL has them too.
For this reason i am assuming they missing of my truck ? or is there a reason as to why the previous owner has not fitted them on ?

Do i need to go and buy some ?

Thanks
 
Post a picture of your setup. Likely, you have aftermarket hub carriers that eliminate them. Truly, there is no need for them in the back.
 
Post a picture of your setup. Likely, you have aftermarket hub carriers that eliminate them. Truly, there is no need for them in the back.

Not a brilliant picture, but yes aftermarket knuckles - integy. the arms I'm replacing with plastic stock - i have ordered them.
if you don't require them at the back then all good save myself some money hehe,
truly, is there any benefits of having them at the back? why do HPI fit them as standard ?

1540908515627.png
 
They were used to simplify the BOM (bill of materials) and making the front and back sections of the truck uniform thus making it "easier for assembly".

Also lets you adjust toe in/ out. But that's not necessary.
 
They were used to simplify the BOM (bill of materials) and making the front and back sections of the truck uniform thus making it "easier for assembly".

Also lets you adjust toe in/ out. But that's not necessary.

OK thank you for that.
Guess no point buying them,
Thanks for clarifying.
 
Hi guys

As you all know I’m in the process or changing parts / upgrading parts
Was wondering the following parts in the picture (pointed with a screw driver) could I change these to aluminium / steel, or would it be better to leave these as plastic ??

My turnbuckles (rods) are going to be titanium so really I’d like the silver look flowing through.
With the clips / buckles to remain plastic for that slight flexibility .

Also this plastic /rubber purple cover on the carb - can I get this part in different colour ?
What is the name of this part ?

Thank you guys


1BE2DFDA-DE19-4CB7-81DA-F3F75D3CE388.jpeg174B08CC-BA77-449D-A709-40FD9BE30FD3.jpeg3761B104-5609-4A7D-85C2-1A8BB50C02D7.jpeg
 
We have this:
8009.jpg
 
thank you for that and yes something like that.


What i want to know is is it recommended to upgrade this part to aluminium or to leave the standard stock plastic parts ?
 
Hi guys

As you all know I’m in the process or changing parts / upgrading parts
Was wondering the following parts in the picture (pointed with a screw driver) could I change these to aluminium / steel, or would it be better to leave these as plastic ??

My turnbuckles (rods) are going to be titanium so really I’d like the silver look flowing through.
With the clips / buckles to remain plastic for that slight flexibility .

Also this plastic /rubber purple cover on the carb - can I get this part in different colour ?
What is the name of this part ?

Thank you guys


View attachment 5846View attachment 5847View attachment 5848


Upgrading the steering cranks to alloy is a good idea , as for the carburetor bellows I have seen them in different colors but do not remember who made them, Maybe General Silicones, but the question is why bother, all the bellows does is keep dirt and particles from getting into the slide mechanism and causing trouble.....

Back in the early days HPI chose the color purple and anodized and color coordinated all their stuff in that color, now they have switched to orange and done much the same thing....
 
And if you didn't want purple color i have heard of peeps using oven cleaner to remove anodizing. Would suggest doing something as to not leave bare aluminum surface after
 

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