My newest addition!!!!!

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xtremsavage

OG HPISF MEMBER!!!!!
Messages
2,025
Location
Jacksonville, Fl
As some of you already know, I've been eyein the Savage XS Flux and planned on gettin one within the next few months. Well, the next few months came sooner than I thought. I found one on ebay with a no reserve auction listing. So, I kept my eye on it and watched the highest bid price. Waited til the last 45 sec and placed my bid. I won it for $225 shipped. Well, actually, what ever it cost me in gas to go pick it up. The guy who was sellin it lived about 20 miles from my house. I went and picked it up and the guy was real cool and even hooked up a batt to show me that everything turned on and worked. The servo has already been upgraded to a waterproof Traxxas 2056 servo and the turnbuckles have already been upgraded. Most of the tips I've seen online is that people were usin the Traxxas 2443 turnbuckles from the 1/16 Revo, I believe. The reason for the turnbuckle upgrade is that the stock uses a ball stud & cup design and the slightest bump pops them off and they're a pain to get back on. The Traxxas turnbuckles are a captured design like the big brother. Next upgrade is swappin out the ESC for a Castle Mamba Max Pro, which I may pull off the Blitz and put the stock XS ESC in the blitz. Just waitin for an email back from Novak. Now, all I have to do is wait til I get paid next week and hopefully be able to get some batts for it.

Enjoy!!! I'm sure I will once I'm able to run it. I'll post what upgrades I do as I'm able to do them.
 
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]-[0pa]0ng;204978 said:
Nice deal. Good luck with it.

Thanks Brian. I've been wantin one since they came out. The guy I bought it from got it for his 6 yr old daughter. She was scared of his brushless converted LST, but only when she was drivin it towards her cuz of the size. Any other time she was fine. He said she only drove it a couple times in the few months she had it, then didn't want to drive it anymore. I just noticed last night that there is some clicking comin from the trans. I'm gonna pull it apart and check it out in the next week or so. I just need batts now.
 
looks good keep us updated how you like it

Will do Leroy. I can't wait til I can get some batts. I did to some few sec test runs in the garage with the batt that I do have strapped to the front bumper. I can already tell it's gonna be fun. There's a good bit slop/play in the suspension that needs taken care of along with a stiffer steering rack/servo saver. Already lookin for an upgrade for that.
 
I've been workin on the xs the past few days changin, fixin, and moddin a few things. I'll take and post pics later. First thing I did was pull the Mamba Max Pro (MMP) ESC from the blitz and installed it in place of the Vapor Pro ESC. Cut the motor wires from the ESC and the wires on the motor shorter for a cleaner look. Zip-tying 10-12" of wire was gonna make it look sloppy. I then pulled the Spektrum Rx from the blitz and installed it on the xs. I'll get a new ESC & Rx for the blitz later on down the road. Next thing I did was recenter the steering set-up. All I have left to do with that now is adjust the tie-rods. Then, it was onto the batt box. I trimmed the opening bigger that the batt wires come out. Then covered the edges with split fuel tubin CA glued in place to avoid chafing the wires. Then it was onto the suspension. The lower arms had quite a bit of play where they attached to the bulkhead. Luckily, the hinge pins are 3mm dia so I just used 2 3mm washers between the arm and hinge pin brace. That's all for know. I'll get the pics as soon as I can and get them posted.
 
Here are the updates and pics to follow. Finally got some batts for it and ran almost 2 packs through it. First run was fun at first then started smellin somethin burnin so I pulled the body off and seen smoke comin from the trans. So, pulled the trans and found that the slipper pads are shot (from previous 2 owners and the chance you take on buyin used). Already have new pads ordered. So, to remedy the situation and still be able to run it, I decided to go ahead and lock down the slipper. Upon tightning down on the nut, it still wasn't "locked" and felt like it kept popping back (like when you strip the threads in a nut). So I pulled the drive cup off to check the threads on it and the nut. Threads on the cup were still good and the last thread on the nut was stripped. So, I simply flipped the nut over and reused it. I don't know if it's poor design on HPIs part or missing parts from the previous owners (haven't fully checked the manual yet) but the threads on the drive cup really aren't long enough or there was supposed to be a washer/spacer between the nut and spring. Anyways, I added a washer between the two and cranked it down and locked it out. Ran through a full pack and no problems since. To save some down time, I'm gonna wait to replace the pads til I can get a new spring and nut for the slipper clutch along with new drive cups. Hot Racing has a set that are hardened, so hopefully they'll last longer than stock. Mine are already startin to show major signs of wear from the dogbone pins. First upgrade I did was change out the outer hinge pins, where the carriers mount to the lower a-arm. Stock uses an e-clip design hinge pin. I ordered the e-clip eliminator kit from ebay and got that installed. I think that's it for now. Time for some pics.

Here's a pic of the 3s batt I ordered for those times I need some insane amounts of speed. Turnigy 3300mah 20c-30c 3s battery.
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Here's a pick of the 2s batts I ordered. I got 2 of these and I'll also be able to use these in my blitz and my wife can use them in her Losi Strike. Turnigy 4000mah 30c-40c 2s hardcase packs.
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Castle MMP in place of the Vapor Pro. The stock ant mount piece was the perfect spot to mount the on/off switch.
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Wire opening in batt box made bigger to accommodate a larger variety of batts. Edges covered with split fuel tubin CA glued in place. May take a black sharpie marker to cover up the fume marks one day.
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Upgraded turnbuckles. So much better than stock.
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Stock turnbuckles. Ball cup design very easily pops off with the slightest bump. Upgraded to a captured design that's in the above pic.
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E-clip design eliminator kit. No more worring about e-clips poppin off and pins fallin out.
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Pic of the 2 3mm washers I added to eliminate some of the play in the lower a-arm where it's mounted to the bulkhead.

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Pic of the washer I had to add to the slipper assembly. Barely noticable, but you can see it.
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That's it for now. And, as usual, I'll post more as I upgrade or change more parts.
 
Already posted this in my damage thread, but I'm gonna post it here too. Ran the XS one day last week at work while on lunch. Within 5 min of runnin, blew out the front right tire. And, I was only runnin on 2S.

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Got some new replacement parts and a few upgrades ordered. Already got a few of them. Still waitin on the rest to show up.

Pic of the replacement slipper pad set and new slipper adjustment nut & spring.
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These are the upgraded replacements for the drive cups on the trans. These are the Hot Racing Hardened Light Weight cup joints.
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Also got a new motor (Castle SCT 3800kv 4 pole brushless), TBR Thrasher front bumper (T-Bone Racing), Castle cooling fan for the motor. That's all I can think of for now. I'll post pics once I get them with before and after install pics. So stay tuned within the next couple days.
 
And yet, another update. Got the cooling fan in the mail a couple days ago and the motor showed up yest. Just waitin on the TBR Thrasher front bumper and the idler gear I ordered the other day. Those two should be here by Fri. Here are the pics of the motor and fan.

New Castle 1410-1Y SCT 3800kv motor. Got it mounted to the plate already. Just waitin for the new idler gear to get here so I can set the pinion gear.
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Castle motor cooling fan.
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Cooling fan mock-up mounting on motor to show a general idea of what it will look like. I'm probably gonna have to trim the cover box to clear the fan.
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Also swapped out the 28t pinion gear for a 30t. It will give me a bit more top speed and also help tone down the wheel poppin. Also gonna tweak the ESC via Castle link to help with launch control. I'll post all settings once done.
 
lol xtr be ready to blow some parts that motor is crazy I'm running the same in my scale truck and its blowing stuff bad
 
lol xtr be ready to blow some parts that motor is crazy I'm running the same in my scale truck and its blowing stuff bad

I've been researching what motors would be a good swap for the stocked, and that's the one that would always pop up. The stock motor is basically the same motor, but made cheaper. Stock motor is 4000kv 4-pole and my new one is 3800kv 4-pole. I'll recheck later and post what's different about them. I know it has to do with the magnets.
 
Got the rest of the parts in the mail yest and just finished installin them. Also made some ESC program changes via Castle link. Added 40% punch control and left everything else the same.

Hot Racing Machined and Hardened Light Weight Idler gear. Stock gearing which is 56t.
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Different angle.
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Castle motor cooling fan installed.
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Another angle to show how much had to be trimmed of the servo/battery cover.
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TBR (T-Bone Racing)Thrasher front bumper pre-install pics. Top/inside view.
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Another angle. Bottom/underside view.
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TBR installed top view.
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TBR installed front view.
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TBR installed bottom view.
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TBR installed top view with new wheels & tires mounted.
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Front view of TBR installed with new wheels/tires mounted.
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Enjoy the pics. If it doesn't rain any more today, I'm gonna take it for a test run and see how she runs.
 
the xs is looking good. let us know how the upgrades hold up

Will do. It's supposed to storm all weekend, so I probably won't be able to run it again til next week. I'm just waitin for someone to come out with an alum diff cup so I can get rid of the plastic stockers.
 
It's runnin good. Changed some of the settings via castle link. Set punch control at 60% and it still flips on it's lid with 2s and 56/30 gearing. Ran it today for a few and strapped the hand held gps to it. 39.9 mph with a 2s pack. Now I just need to get the problem with my 3s pack sorted out and run on it 3s to see what the top speed is. So, stay tuned.
 
Ran the XS again yest. My buddy came over yest afternoon to run his Cen GST 7.7 since we/I just finished up gettin a BB .28 (Picco P3) custom mounted. After he was done testin out his GST, I ran the XS. Did a few speed runs up and down the street and on the last one, something didn't sounds right. So I brought the truck back to me and the closer it got to me the slower it moved. Me first thought was the slipper some how came loose. While lookin at the trans and bumpin the throttle, I could see the outdrives tryin to turn and heard the motor just free spinnin. Low and behold, completely stripped the pinion gear. Here's the pics.

Pic of inside the trans case of all the metal shavings.
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Side view of pinion gear.
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Front 3/4 angle view.
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I found out what caused the pinion to strip. It stripped cuz I'm usin a hardened idler gear and the pinion wasn't. So, for now, I put the stock idler gear in with a new 30t pinion until I can order the hardened pinion gear set from Hot Racing. Also, when I picked up a new pinion,I got another 3s pack. The pack I got was a Racers Edge 3400mah 30c 3s pack. Ran it for a few min yest but not enough room on my street to do a top speed run with the hand held gps. I'll try and find a spot sometime this week and post the results. I'll also post a pic of the new batt sometime this week.
 
lol looks like a pinion pulley now. its a case of the old steel spur gear and soft stock clutch bell all over again.

The pinion I was usin was a Robinson Racing, which is just a steel pinion that's nickel plated.
 
Hey jr how is your xs holding up mine will be here by next week

So far, so good. Tons of power. I suggest just stickin with 2s, unless you've already got some 3s packs. First thing that definitely needs done is the tie-rod mod. I'm pretty sure I poster what part to use (Traxxas) but, if not, I'll look it up and post it. Or, just search YouTube and you'll find a couple of vids for what upgrades need done first.
 
I had bumpers like those on the baja. I think they are the best going. Take the load off the impact. Light weight easy install can't do wrong using those. For those that did not see the name brand they are from - T-BONE Racing
 
:10: this thread would got 10 from me but it lacks videos lol other than that looks like a little pocket rocket just wish there wasnt plastic tvps ...
 
]-[0pa]0ng;206486 said:
I had bumpers like those on the baja. I think they are the best going. Take the load off the impact. Light weight easy install can't do wrong using those. For those that did not see the name brand they are from - T-BONE Racing

That's why I got it. I seen a vid on YouTube a guy posted runnin his xs with the tbr front bumper. He ran head on into a guard rail doin 51 mph and the bumper saved the truck. The speed was confirmed with a radar gun in the camera view the whole time. And he's runnin the same set-up that I have now.
 
:10: this thread would got 10 from me but it lacks videos lol other than that looks like a little pocket rocket just wish there wasnt plastic tvps ...

Don't knock the plastic TVPs, they are pretty tough, actually the whole truck is. I've already done a cartwheel for about 20-25 ft and the truck drove off like nothin happened. I've probably only got about 2more runs left on the body. It's been rainin here everyday for the past like 2 weeks and the last time I ran it, the camcorder wasn't charged. I need a new pinion gear set before I can run it again. I've already chewed up 3 Robinson racing gears. You can't run those with a hardened steel idler gear. Just waitin til I have a bit more extra money to order the hardened steel pinion gears. Vid is coming, hopefully sooner than later.
 
This has been a long awaited update. Haven't ran it in over a year now. Have changed a few more parts last year since the last update. I'll have to check my purchase history on ebay to see what all I got, when I have a little bit more time. So, stay tuned.
 

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