New Savage Flux XL v2 - it's wrenchin' time!

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r3v3nant

r3v3nant

Active Member
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Hello all.. I recently got a new savage flux xl v2 and after testing it for a few mins decided it needed a servo upgrade right out of the gate... which lead me down the road I am on now, tearing it apart and putting aluminum in some spots and working on the drivetrain (bullet proof the diffs) ... here's some photos of things right now... going to list off all the stuff I am doing in a new post soon...

IMG_7727.webpIMG_7725.webpIMG_7724.webpIMG_7719.webp
 
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I debadged the body and working on putting some carbon fiber decals on the window areas... just something different..

parts list so far ...
alum c-bubs all around
alum knuckles all around
alum adjustable upper A-arms all around
alum threaded big bore shocks 170mm (w/5mm shaft) one set for now
Pinion and ring gear: 102692 (29/9) bullet proof machined front and rear
45kg water proof HobbyPark servo @ 6v 0.11sec/60deg 524oz
alum steering bell crank assembly
extra outdrive cups
extra diff
extra upper A-arm screws
extra plastic A-arms and hinge pins full set
wheelie bar for the V2 (HPI160398)
3.8 monster truck tires premounted..
5300mah 3s gens ace batteries

also diff oils, some tools... diff locker to have blue and red...

I want to get an extra set of the 17mm hubs etc... just have some spares... keeping the stock esc and motor for now... need to think about beefing up the center diff too..
 
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one part I can't find is the longer link for the XL which goes between the servo arm and the bellcrank ... it's longer than the one for the X and has a step down in the middle... I guess I an just measure it and find something that length in alum...

IMG_7730.webp
 
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for the diffs... I have this one recommendation

Front: 20k
Centre: 100k
Rear: 10k

I was thinking about this though

Front 60k
Center 500k
Rear 30k

I know the heavier is harder on the drive train but with the bullet proof diffs should be ok.. I feel like I get stuck in situations with the thinner oils... idk..

https://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/w444/Deafty/Forum pics/Differentials/DiffOilguide.png

interesting guide... might need to play with it a bit.
 
guinnessdublin said:
@r3v3nant
What part number do you refer to please?
View attachment 12350
Click to expand...
Hey it's the link by 85058, the little bar.. but that's not the right part.. this looks like the diag for the X or non v2?? the XL has a longer link, please see the photo I attached to my post about this... Thanks!!

edit: it's the arm in

Savage X FLUX V2 STEERING SET (BELL CRANK) XL servo saver & Posts HPI 160101​


https://jennysrc.com/products/savag...et-bell-crank-xl-servo-saver-posts-hpi-160101
 
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guinnessdublin said:
@r3v3nant
I would just save your money & wait to see if it breaks then decide to perhaps then look for upgrade & in mean time you got your monies worth out of the part, as they say if it ain’t broke then don’t fix! 👍🏻
Click to expand...
yeah probably should do that... it's the last part in the steering system that's plastic though.. my goal was to make that as sturdy a possible... and the cheapest way to get a spare is to order the whole steering bell crank from jenny's ... I guess just keep one extra around though..
 
Got some work done.…
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EDIT: noticed my upper arms connection at the hub needs to be flipped to stop shock spring rub..

the rears are coming tomorrow... my c-hub orders got split into two... tomorrow for the steering stuff too so should be fun!

some of the e-clips were kind of a pain but got a method down now... I used some blue loctite to get the play out of the steering knuckle ... and I had to shim the 5mm outdrive at the bearing on the outside to get all the play out of that.. it was pretty sloppy until I shimmed it.. luckily I had two shims for those perfect size.. I ordered some more so I can do the rears the same way.

it'll be a while before I get my alum turnbuckles for the front and back.. lucky those are easy to swap out once all the other stuff is done ...

I took all the decals off the body except for the ones on the tail end... going to put some carbon fiber on the windows I think and maybe the hood scoop.. or something.. just something to make it different.. I like the body a lot now with all of the decals off it!
 
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r3v3nant said:
for the diffs... I have this one recommendation

Front: 20k
Centre: 100k
Rear: 10k

I was thinking about this though

Front 60k
Center 500k
Rear 30k

I know the heavier is harder on the drive train but with the bullet proof diffs should be ok.. I feel like I get stuck in situations with the thinner oils... idk..

https://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/w444/Deafty/Forum pics/Differentials/DiffOilguide.png

interesting guide... might need to play with it a bit.
Click to expand...
If you want good traction on loose dirt, don't run less than 100k front and rear... 500k in the center will give enough give on the gears and also good traction, and some wheelies 😀. I run 200k front and rear,500k center. My XL is a bit heavier than yours, i believe, I'm using CNHL 9500 mAh LiPo's, with a 1650 KV motor. One month ago, made 2 years since i built my XL, bullet proof machined diffs and all the good stuff... last week was the first time in two years that I had to do some maintenance on it, in this case the center diff (ARA311118) , one of the screws got loose, I ended up changing the oil and the bearings, the gears looked like new inside, also checked the other rear and front diffs, and everything looked like new, so don't worry about the thicker oils.
 
Thanks for the info! good to hear those bullet proof diff mods hold up. my next focus point is the center diff ... Oh and are the lower RPM A-arms something that folks use? I know they have a tendency to be too flexy sometimes... dog bones pop out? my plan was to keep stock plastic lower arms and replace as necessary...
 
r3v3nant said:
Thanks for the info! good to hear those bullet proof diff mods hold up. my next focus point is the center diff ... Oh and are the lower RPM A-arms something that folks use? I know they have a tendency to be too flexy sometimes... dog bones pop out? my plan was to keep stock plastic lower arms and replace as necessary...
Click to expand...
I don't think there are better arms than the original ones.
 
Mvtepixels said:
If you want good traction on loose dirt, don't run less than 100k front and rear... 500k in the center will give enough give on the gears and also good traction, and some wheelies 😀. I run 200k front and rear,500k center. My XL is a bit heavier than yours, i believe, I'm using CNHL 9500 mAh LiPo's, with a 1650 KV motor. One month ago, made 2 years since i built my XL, bullet proof machined diffs and all the good stuff... last week was the first time in two years that I had to do some maintenance on it, in this case the center diff (ARA311118) , one of the screws got loose, I ended up changing the oil and the bearings, the gears looked like new inside, also checked the other rear and front diffs, and everything looked like new, so don't worry about the thicker oils.
Click to expand...
So you use the arrma center diff in this and it's a match?? I'm all over that if it works. Thanks
 
r3v3nant said:
So you use the arrma center diff in this and it's a match?? I'm all over that if it works. Thanks
Click to expand...
It won't fit on your XL V2 gearbox, to use the Arrma diff you would need to buy the Alza kit. I have the previous version, the GTXL-1, it didn't come with a center diff, so I had to install this alza kit:
1000010315.webp
1000010316.webp
 
PS: I wouldn't mind getting rid of that slipper and going direct to the center diff.... alza kit looks nice.

also.. I am trying to see what the stock diffs in this XL v2 are and I keep coming back to forged bullet proof ones.. https://www.hpiracing.com/en/part/160090

from jenny's who plucks them out of new trucks: https://jennysrc.com/products/savag...248-29t-xl-flux-front-or-rear-diff-hpi-160101

So I ordered these https://www.hpiracing.com/en/part/102692 from go nitro hobbies (wow they have been around forever! I had a chat with them about my rc18s back in the 2000s lol)

So I guess part 102692 is stronger than the stock ones as machined, not forged. but they all say bullet proof..

I bought one extra 83017 XL FLUX RC Monster Rovan Torland diff to have one ready to swap if needed.

this truck has been an very interesting journey of finding parts lol.
 
HPI sells three types of diffs: Sintered, Forged and Machined, Sintered being the worst ones, Machined being the best ones. Although the sintered ones come with the machined input gear... Calling all diff's "BULLETPROOF " is just a form of marketing. The XL V2 comes with the forged diffs if I'm not mistaken. My GTXL-1 came with the forged ones, and they didn't last long, but at the time I didn't have the center diff, so with your V2 they might last longer... It all depends on your driving style...
Anyway, this is how I have been driving my Flux for two years and countless battery packs without any diff issues :
 
Thanks makes sense.

Awesome!! those are the tires I am planning on getting... going to try the stockers for a bit first.

edit: nice spot! that's how I drive too, full throttle on a big dirt area ... some jumps but I don't full send it much, sometimes just to see ... I like watching how the truck traverses the terrain more at wide open throttle than watching it flip in the air constantly... that's fun and all though.. I just don't jump a lot.
 
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It’s AAAALIVE!


IMG_7766.webpIMG_7771.webpIMG_7774.webpIMG_7776.webpIMG_7779.webpIMG_7781.webpIMG_7783.webpIMG_7767.webp
^^ want a beerier version of this ^^

my 5300mah gens ace batteries fit perfectly.. finally was able to center the servo, install the steering stuff and finish other things up... it's coming along... and WOW this thing wants to go fast... WAY too powerful for my back yard lol... but it drives well. whew. still waiting on GPM turnbuckles and upper A-arm for rear... then the drivetrain stuff... that'll be a whole new project lol!

gonna work on capturing those tie rod ends.
 
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FYI I might be getting scoffed at for replacing things that didn't need to be replaced.... maybe so.. but the front end is a LOT better... the steering has a lot less play.. out of the box the truck as struggling to steer unless moving and the play in the front was crazy... and I have had a lot of trucks.. this was pretty bad.. not trying to diss hpi or anything but .. anyways.. I guess is all that counts is it didn't feel right by me so I made changes.

Anyways.. I wanted something to work on.. I got something to work on.. blah!
 
I went a little nuts.. but I am having fun! Got my wheelie bar and diff housing gaskets today.. I can rebuild my spare diff now and load it up with 100k wt! I think I need to tighten my servo saver spring on the steering assembly.. it's pretty good, but could be a little tighter. That fine line between murdering the servo and dialed in steering. 😉


Oh, and the two steel poles that the bell crank is installed onto, one of the stock ones was like frozen onto the truck.. had to drill the screw out to remove it.. first carnage!
 
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