New to RC / Savage XS - what parts / maintenance do I need??

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Fiend

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I wanted an R/C car when I was 10 years old, and throughout my teens. My parents wouldn't let me have one as they were all built-it-yourself, and I had a foul temper, and they I assumed I would break it trying to build it :angry:.

30 years later THEY CAN'T STOP ME NOW MWAHAHAHA :bored:. I decided a mid-life crisis would be better undertaken with a small RC car rather than on, say, a real motorbike or even worse lycra-drenched road-cycling (bluuurugghhh :wtf:).

So I got a Savage XS for racing around industrial wastelands, bashing in derelict quarries etc etc.

I've only had one run but I'm very impressed. It's fast as f**k and handles all sorts of things well apart from driving headfirst into high curbs. Unfortunately I'd only just started tree-climbing with it (now that seemed proper fun :woot:) when I landed badly and broke an axle (spare on order). I also pinged out the steering rod a couple of times and nearly lost it.

So....

What other parts am I going to break? What should I buy in advance? What parts is it worth going for heavy duty versions for?

Any general maintenance tips? I am living in Glasgow, Scotland, so it's save to assume the car will spend most the time as us people do here - submerged under rain and mud :hungover:. I rinsed it off with a hand shower today, what's the best way to let it dry?

Also any recommended tyres for wet grass?

Ta!
 
Trying the main forum as the XS one seems dead....

Hi. I'm new to RC, and have started with an Savage XS Flux Raptor. It's a blast albeit a steep learning curve controlling it. So I have a few questions about maintenance and upgrades, but general advice is welcome. I'm doing a mixture of bashing and general driving I guess, on wet tarmac with a bit of grass and dirt too.


1. What is the best way to dry the model out and prevent rusting around pins etc?
(I'm rinsing with a shower, shaking, partly drying with a hair dryer, then spraying on Nitro Cleaner a couple of times)

2. What "outer" (i.e. non-gears) areas should I keep lubricated and with what?
(A local model shop recommended 20 silicone shock oil around the bearings and axle cups so I've been dropping that on)

3. If I'm upgrading the axles and dogbones, which ones should be upgraded just to HD axles, and which ones should be upgraded to full CVDs?

4. Is there any way to make the controller trigger "stiffer" i.e. require a bit more force to pull it?
(I'm thinking of taking apart the controller and replacing the forward throttle spring with a stiffer one. I found changing the trottle trim wasn't helpful)

5. Is there any way to paint / spraypaint new wheel RIMS? Do they take polycarbonate sprays?

6. Is it worth upgrading the suspension?? If so should it be softer or stiffer than stock?


7. If I'm upgrading parts in general, which parts is it best to get aluminium for, and which not?
(On the basis that the forces involved in bashing have to go somewhere, and some parts need to flex or inexpensively break to save more crucial areas breaking)

8. I've got better tyres and a stronger steering servo on order - are there any tutorials on replacing and setting up the servo?
(Pro-Line Big Joe II 2.2 and HPI Ss-40wp Servo - I think this will be useful as I'm doing a LOT of wet running and a bit of grass)

9. Are there any recommended bumpers (or other parts) to cushion landings?

Cheers :)
 
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1. Dry with compressed air if available, spray with WD40 or other light lubricant.
5. Most people use fabric dye, paint chips off when the wheels flex.
7. Stay with plastic A-arms to absorb the shock, break first.
That's all I've got.
 
1. Dry with compressed air if available, spray with WD40 or other light lubricant.
5. Most people use fabric dye, paint chips off when the wheels flex.
7. Stay with plastic A-arms to absorb the shock, break first.
That's all I've got.
...but it's a useful start, cheers.

Local store owner said to avoid WD 40 as it can pick up dirt and grit??

Sorry I meant wheel rims not the tyres.

I already broke an A-arm and bend the 60mm pin having, errr, a minor disagreement with a lamppost. I guess I can see how more parts could have gone if the A-arm hadn't////
 
...but it's a useful start, cheers.

Local store owner said to avoid WD 40 as it can pick up dirt and grit??

Sorry I meant wheel rims not the tyres.

I already broke an A-arm and bend the 60mm pin having, errr, a minor disagreement with a lamppost. I guess I can see how more parts could have gone if the A-arm hadn't////

sorry to say your local store owner is not correct, WD40 does NOT attract dirt and grit, and actually helps remove water from components. thats what the WD stands for "water displacing".... I have used it for years with zero problems...

as for that lampost it will win every time against your RC truck.... so try not to hit solid non-moveable objects with the truck.....

If running in wet conditions it is always a good idea to tear down things and make sure they don't rust, relube bearings and check all parts for seizing and rust...

to setup your new servo plug it into the receiver and set the center point by turning it all on before installing the linkage horn then install as your instructions say to.....
 
3. Be careful in this area. I've upgraded the ball cups and upgraded to axle CVDs and now I'm tearing up slipper clutches. YRMV.
6. You may want to put lighter oil in the shocks. I've found the 80wt they put in there from the factory is too stiff for proper handling
 
Stock up on slipper clutches if you can. They seem to be a weak point, especially as you add bigger tires and upgrade the driveline.

As for tires I really like my Big Joe IIs from Proline. They've worked very well on any surface that I've tried them on.
 
Cheers guys!

sorry to say your local store owner is not correct, WD40 does NOT attract dirt and grit, and actually helps remove water from components. thats what the WD stands for "water displacing".... I have used it for years with zero problems...
Okay cool. I was intending to use WD40 initially before getting that advice. His concern was dust and grit collecting on the WD40 residue and building up a scum. I guess that wouldn't be a problem with regular cleaning.

....so try not to hit solid non-moveable objects with the truck.....
Now that's a real pro-tip :cool: I am trying honestly o_O

to setup your new servo plug it into the receiver and set the center point by turning it all on before installing the linkage horn then install as your instructions say to.....
Cheers.

3. Be careful in this area. I've upgraded the ball cups and upgraded to axle CVDs and now I'm tearing up slipper clutches. YRMV.
How does that work then?? Is that just forces that would normally break or displace the axles / dogbones transferring to the clutch instead?
Also, say I was to upgrade, which should be HD and which should be CVD?

6. You may want to put lighter oil in the shocks. I've found the 80wt they put in there from the factory is too stiff for proper handling
Cheers. So softer is better?? Cushions the impacts more?
 
I got moved to the quiet forum :confused: Hopefully someone can help me with the other questions not yet answered :shy:
 
I got moved to the quiet forum :confused: Hopefully someone can help me with the other questions not yet answered :shy:


this forum is like all the rest, posts get noticed by going to "new posts" there are just not that many XS owners here but for the sake of organizing and keeping info where it belongs this one was moved to the correct forum.....
 
HD drive cups and cvd's. Try to shim all plastic parts that wiggle too much. T-Bone bumpers! (I'm ordering tbr bumpers immediately) they have lots of protection, worth every penny
 
Cheers guys!


Okay cool. I was intending to use WD40 initially before getting that advice. His concern was dust and grit collecting on the WD40 residue and building up a scum. I guess that wouldn't be a problem with regular cleaning.


Now that's a real pro-tip :cool: I am trying honestly o_O


Cheers.


How does that work then?? Is that just forces that would normally break or displace the axles / dogbones transferring to the clutch instead?
Also, say I was to upgrade, which should be HD and which should be CVD?


Cheers. So softer is better?? Cushions the impacts more?

The stiffness is all personal preference. I switched to lighter fluid because mine wouldn't absorb bumps very well. It would hit a small bump and lose traction. The lighter fluid plus very thick fluid in the diffs make it handle very well for me on rough terrain. I'm running 50k in the front diff and 100k in the rear.
 
this forum is like all the rest, posts get noticed by going to "new posts" there are just not that many XS owners here but for the sake of organizing and keeping info where it belongs this one was moved to the correct forum.....
Of course :cyclops: Feel free to delete my duplicate thread already in this section.

Stock up on slipper clutches if you can. They seem to be a weak point, especially as you add bigger tires and upgrade the driveline.
Cheers...I'm looking forward to changing the slipper clutch as much as my winterly dose of man flu :eek: . Are there any useful driving methods to avoid slipper clutch damage?

HD drive cups and cvd's.
Yup, on the list. But which parts should be CVDs and which parts should just be HD drive cups?

Try to shim all plastic parts that wiggle too much. T-Bone bumpers! (I'm ordering tbr bumpers immediately) they have lots of protection, worth every penny
Those are on the list too. Pity they look like ass fitting over the existing bumpers. Out of interest, would these be of any use: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Integy-T50...5&sr=8-16&keywords=hpi+savage+xs+parts+integy ?? I'm going for orange pimping... But I can't work out how they attach??

The stiffness is all personal preference. I switched to lighter fluid because mine wouldn't absorb bumps very well. It would hit a small bump and lose traction. The lighter fluid plus very thick fluid in the diffs make it handle very well for me on rough terrain. I'm running 50k in the front diff and 100k in the rear.
Okay I think I get that. Stiffer shocks = more likely to bounce and have the wheels lift, softer shocks = more likely to just sag down?

Where does the fluid in the diffs go? I took the bottom plate off and could see some diff gears but the lube was thick grease in there...
 
The servo arrived. It's easy, they said, just make sure you centre the servo, other than that just slide the old one out and the new one in. Just follow the instructions they said. What instructions?? Two hours later I got it working.

Sliding them in and out was somewhat hampered by this:
servo.jpg
Having to get out of the seal around the receiver box.

Centring the servo was somewhat hampered by not having the faintest clue what I was doing (I worked it out in the end, putting the servo in, lining the wheels, estimating where the servo arm went, and refitting the arm at that angle), and also the optimum spot for the servo being exactly in between two "cog" fittings (unlike the old one). But it all seems to be working with a bit of trim, and the servo definitely has a mighty roar compared to the old one.

Now where's my bloody shock ends??:mad:
 
Okay I think I get that. Stiffer shocks = more likely to bounce and have the wheels lift, softer shocks = more likely to just sag down?

Where does the fluid in the diffs go? I took the bottom plate off and could see some diff gears but the lube was thick grease in there...
Look in the manual. There's a section about disassembling the diffs for maintenance.
 
I did already check the manual, it indicates using the same grease all over the diff unit (and the dogbone ends etc etc) - as I said when I took off the bottom plate there was a small amount of thick grease inside, not what I'd call oil - is that what you mean by "very thick fluid"??

P.S. Sorry if I seem ignorant about this....might be due to approx 10 days RC experience total! I am trying to understand....
 
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I did already check the manual, it indicates using the same grease all over the diff unit (and the dogbone ends etc etc) - as I said when I took off the bottom plate there was a small amount of thick grease inside, not what I'd call oil - is that what you mean by "very thick fluid"??

P.S. Sorry if I seem ignorant about this....might be due to approx 10 days RC experience total! I am trying to understand....
You have to take the diff unit completely out and disassemble it. There are smaller gears inside the diff that let the wheels spin at different speeds. That's where you put the diff fluid.
 
Diff fluid still seems weird to me. I'm not new to RC but I am new to modern RCs I guess. In my day diffs just got silicon grease and you didn't worry about it again. And there were no center diffs, hehe.
 
It seems weird to me too, because the manual shows putting the same damn grease everywhere, and what is under the bottom plate around the main diff cog is definitely grease rather than fluid.

Maybe I'll just wing it.
 
Diff fluid goes INSIDE the differential to slow the action of the diff gears thus helping it to put power to all the wheels the same.. that grease you see is more for the ring gear and pinion gears.... personally I pack the inside of my diffs with heavy grease to attain mostly the same results with no leakage...



those are the differential cases removed from the bulkhead....


these are what is inside the differential so one wheel can turn independent of the other and where the diff oil goes for those who want to use it......
 
Of course :cyclops: Feel free to delete my duplicate thread already in this section.


Cheers...I'm looking forward to changing the slipper clutch as much as my winterly dose of man flu :eek: . Are there any useful driving methods to avoid slipper clutch damage?


Yup, on the list. But which parts should be CVDs and which parts should just be HD drive cups?


Those are on the list too. Pity they look like ass fitting over the existing bumpers. Out of interest, would these be of any use: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Integy-T50...5&sr=8-16&keywords=hpi+savage+xs+parts+integy ?? I'm going for orange pimping... But I can't work out how they attach??


Okay I think I get that. Stiffer shocks = more likely to bounce and have the wheels lift, softer shocks = more likely to just sag down?

Where does the fluid in the diffs go? I took the bottom plate off and could see some diff gears but the lube was thick grease in there...

I ordered hd cups for the center driveline shaft (2 separate part #s), into the diffs front & rear (1 part#), and coming out of the diffs front & rear (1 part# x2). I use cvd's (1 part# x2) to connect the drive cups coming out of the diffs to the wheels (basically) that may sound confusing. I can probably get you the part #s (just not right now)
 
No that makes sense to me, cheers. 8 HD cups in total, 2 out of gearbox, 2 into diffs, 4 out of diffs, and 4 CVDs into wheels. I will keep that in mind....depending on what I break next o_O
 
I've managed 4 full batteries worth of bashing and only broke a bent dogbone and worn axle cup from the same dogbone :angel:

I've got quite a bit of wear of the plastic inside the front....thing that the front axles sit in, the left hand component in this pic (on the other side of it of course):

105292_01.jpg

Is that worth replacing sooner rather than later??

Also the whole bumper is gradually being pushed back to so many, errr, impacts with non-moveable objects (some of them even accidentally). Is it worth replacing any bumper parts with alu / alloy, or will that transfer too much force elsewhere??

Finally.....shock fluid recommendations??

Cheers o_O
 
I've managed 4 full batteries worth of bashing and only broke a bent dogbone and worn axle cup from the same dogbone :angel:

I've got quite a bit of wear of the plastic inside the front....thing that the front axles sit in, the left hand component in this pic (on the other side of it of course):

105292_01.jpg

Is that worth replacing sooner rather than later??

Also the whole bumper is gradually being pushed back to so many, errr, impacts with non-moveable objects (some of them even accidentally). Is it worth replacing any bumper parts with alu / alloy, or will that transfer too much force elsewhere??

Finally.....shock fluid recommendations??

Cheers o_O

If the part is still doing it's job, I wouldn't bother with replacement.

I use 40wt in mine with my diff mods and it handles like it's on rails.
 
Whereabouts in Glasgow are you? I stay in Rothesay on the Isle of Bute. I have a Savage X nitro but looking to get an XS soon. What battery are you using? Can it go straight on to 3s without any modification?
 
LOL you're asking a n00b here!

I'm in Southside. Been scouring google maps for local quarries / abandoned sites / industrial wastelands. Most of them seem to be still working / turned into housing estates / heavily fortified etc. Still I'll find some more fun places no doubt. Eastlands Park near you might be an option??

I'm using 2S, the XS ran fine out of the box, but I've upgraded it to Pro-Line Big Joe II 2.2 tyres and HPI Ss-40wp Servo, both of which help a lot. Apparently you should change the gearing for 3S, instructions are in the manual what gears to use. TBH I am really not finding I need more speed :woot:
 
Aye, Eastlands Park is just along the road from my In-Law's farm but it has houses on it now. I usually just take my Nitro down to the Meadows.

Cheers for the info. As I say I'm used to Nitro but want to get something that can go immediately without too much faffing and also for my Son to mess about with.
 

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