Savage HP Bashing Upgrades?

[autographic]

I have recently purchased a lightly used Savage Flux HP (already have 2x Flux XS) and wanted some recommendations to make it a really strong basher. It is totally standard at the moment with the exception of the 17mm hub conversion and an RPM centre skid plate.

 

[Jam Racing 1]

with the 2 mods you listed you should be good to go, don't go crazy with hopups that are not needed, bash it break it fix it and repeat.....

Only other mod I would consider is a steel spur... otherwise it is more than capable...

 

[X]

with the 2 mods you listed you should be good to go, don't go crazy with hopups that are not needed, bash it break it fix it and repeat.....

Only other mod I would consider is a steel spur... otherwise it is more than capable...

Pretty sure all Savage Flux trucks come with a steel spur.

 

[Jam Racing 1]

Pretty sure all Savage Flux trucks come with a steel spur.

wasn't positive, but i know the RRP hard steel spur is a fine upgrade to the platform, my son got an HPI steel spur for his savage, it is like a saw blade, narrow and already showing wear after a few runs, my RRP wide spur looks like new with the same amount of time on it......

 

[autographic]

I've just noticed the the Drive Gear is heavily worn so I ordered the Machined version rather than the original Cast version.

Are the bulletproof diffs a good idea? How about the XL chassis?

 

[Jam Racing 1]

Flux should already have BP diffs, as for the XL chassis is up to you and your pocketbook, be aware using xl chassis will also require a new rear driveshaft if is not included with the chassis kit.....

 

[autographic]

Good to know, thanks.

 

[Sparky]

I'm just after converting to xl width and length with the hpi xl flux kit Hpi 102404

It Does come with everything to make a flux Hp to xl size including rear driveshaft.

 

[Alibang]

I've just noticed the the Drive Gear is heavily worn so I ordered the Machined version rather than the original Cast version.

Are the bulletproof diffs a good idea? How about the XL chassis?

There are some gears on eBay that are second too none...made solid like the drive gear u mentioned above and yup, I’d go xl for sure????

 

[rc4me.US]

Bullet proof diffs are a must. Check our site.

 

[olds97_lss]

Keep an eye on the diff bearings. The ones on the cup side of the diff are 10x16 and tend to fail on a regular basis. The bearing on the other side is 8x16 and it holds up longer.

Aside from that, a spare set of arms, some shock ends, shock caps and maybe lower hinge pin braces should keep you running.

 

[OnThatPipe]

Bullet proof diffs are a must. Check our site.

I'm really not trying to be argumentative here, but help me out how this is a "must". Note that I have one Savage (with 20+ gallons through it) and I've got two sets of stock diffs (simply so I can switch out quickly) and in all this time have yet to have a single issue with my stocks.

I have run incredibly strong engines. The strongest probably being my modded OS 28XZ, followed closely by my modded Roma and 28-7 augmented with pipes (2013, 2058, 2090, 2104) and clutches (Werks, M2C, Buku, Mugen) etc.

In other words, I've really allowed my Savage to clamp down, dig its heals in, and scream its tits off by generating RPMs throughout an engines entire power-band. Once again, I have yet to have a single issue with my diffs.

I've run everything from stock grease to ~10k (typically a lighter oil as I don't throttle through turns). I went my first 3-4 gallons with stock grease, running the truck on-road, at our local track (with hella jumps), in mud/grass, jumped it off a custom ramp I built for it, virtually everything you can do with it.

Have I just been lucky? Note: I used to race both TLR and Mugen, and I find the Savage diffs heavier and stronger than those brands (as well as other vehicles I own: X-Ray, Tekno, Kyosho, HB, and Serpent). In fact, I was hoping to get a lighter diff case/ring gear such as those to put in the Savage but none of those will of course fit.,

So...how is it I've managed not to destroy my diffs? I do maintain them regularly, and I am astute with how to properly rebuild them. Are folks perhaps rebuilding them incorrectly, or what in your experience do you feel is causing the need for a "bullet proof" diff?

NOTE: I just realized this is in the "Flux" forum (forgive me I did not realize) as I only run nitro and cannot speak to the electric version.. I've seen, however, many times it being referenced as a "must have" on the nitro truck, so assuming you or anyone feels it is a "must have" on a nitro Savage help me better understand why.

 

[Jam Racing 1]

Bullet proof diffs are a must. Check our site.

I'm really not trying to be argumentative here, but help me out how this is a "must". Note that I have one Savage (with 20+ gallons through it) and I've got two sets of stock diffs (simply so I can switch out quickly) and in all this time have yet to have a single issue with my stocks.

I have run incredibly strong engines. The strongest probably being my modded OS 28XZ, followed closely by my modded Roma and 28-7 augmented with pipes (2013, 2058, 2090, 2104) and clutches (Werks, M2C, Buku, Mugen) etc.

In other words, I've really allowed my Savage to clamp down, dig its heals in, and scream its tits off by generating RPMs throughout an engines entire power-band. Once again, I have yet to have a single issue with my diffs.

I've run everything from stock grease to ~10k (typically a lighter oil as I don't throttle through turns). I went my first 3-4 gallons with stock grease, running the truck on-road, at our local track (with hella jumps), in mud/grass, jumped it off a custom ramp I built for it, virtually everything you can do with it.

Have I just been lucky? Note: I used to race both TLR and Mugen, and I find the Savage diffs heavier and stronger than those brands (as well as other vehicles I own: X-Ray, Tekno, Kyosho, HB, and Serpent). In fact, I was hoping to get a lighter diff case/ring gear such as those to put in the Savage but none of those will of course fit.,

So...how is it I've managed not to destroy my diffs? I do maintain them regularly, and I am astute with how to properly rebuild them. Are folks perhaps rebuilding them incorrectly, or what in your experience do you feel is causing the need for a "bullet proof" diff?

NOTE: I just realized this is in the "Flux" forum (forgive me I did not realize) as I only run nitro and cannot speak to the electric version.. I've seen, however, many times it being referenced as a "must have" on the nitro truck, so assuming you or anyone feels it is a "must have" on a nitro Savage help me better understand why.

I think that first comment is from a retailers point of view, and of course there is nothing wrong with recommending those gears but as I stated I do believe the Flux did come with one or the other version of the "bp" diffs..

I have a .32 Axial in my Savage X and am using the stock 43/13 sintered diffs also and with 3 years or more in they are still running strong, (knock on wood), I did use the alloy diff cups and shimmed the gears and packed them with grease instead of oil as I do not plan on racing just bash with friends....

 

[OnThatPipe]

I think that first comment is from a retailers point of view, and of course there is nothing wrong with recommending those gears but as I stated I do believe the Flux did come with one or the other version of the "bp" diffs..

I have a .32 Axial in my Savage X and am using the stock 43/13 sintered diffs also and with 3 years or more in they are still running strong, (knock on wood), I did use the alloy diff cups and shimmed the gears and packed them with grease instead of oil as I do not plan on racing just bash with friends....

Got it. Thanks. I hear a lot about "BP diffs" and while there are many areas on the Savage that require attention, I've never had diffs (or the bulkhead) be one of them, and I assure you I am intimate with this truck...so simply confused as to what others might be doing causing their issue. To that end, I see a difference between recommending something vs stating they are a "must have" when there is money involved...so simply want to give another side to the equation and open it up for dialogue so consumers can make a wise decision. As noted, I know little about electric so they very well could be a "must have" for the Flux.

Axial 32 eh? I bet that thing is fu*** animal, dude!

 

[olds97_lss]

As noted, I know little about electric so they very well could be a "must have" for the Flux.

They aren't really a "must have" on a nitro savage. Since this thread is named "Savage HP", and the OP clearly states he's asking about a flux hp, so rc4me.us isn't wrong.

I've been running nitro savage's in one form or another for 14 years. Got my first one as a .21 roller off a member at rcnitrotalk.com back in 2004. Up until the BP diffs came out, diffs were a constant problem for me and many others. Especially in the 2-spider gear years... I wasn't even running a hot/high power engine, just a tame OS21RG, which by today's standards is a total weakling of an engine. When the machined non-BP diffs came out, that was a big help and the alloy cup helped even more. But many still got both of those and went one step further with alloy diff case halves (me included) so there was enough free room to shim properly. Still, with that, diffs were a chore to maintain since you had to take the entire front/rear off the truck and break it down completely to get at them. Even then, I went through my fair share of machined ring gears/pinions. Probably partly due to the old plastic diff cups and ring gears used 10x16 bearings on both sides. Those just didn't hold up well.

When I got my X which had the new style diff case and alloy cup back in 2012, I had been without a savage for a year or so. After my first few bash sessions after throwing in a trusty LRP28S3, I shelled the rear diff, which was machined but not BP. I got the truck used and it looked shiny new, so I don't know how much time was on the diffs. When I replaced them, I did so with BP sintered ring gear diffs and alloy cups. I have yet to damage either the ring or pinions in the X and it's had an LRP30 in it half the time I owned it. I have changed the diff bearings a couple times, which then I tear the diff clear down, check the shims, clean out the 50K oil, reshim, put new bearings on and re-oil/re-grease, then run it until I see the bearings getting wobbly again. It at least had one 8x16 on the ring gear, but still had the 10x16 on the cup side.

I'm really glad they redesigned the diff case. That helped a lot with keeping good mesh as it's more stout than the old 21/25 style case halves and they don't need replaced with alloy. Also, since you can pull the diffs out pretty quickly/easily, it makes maintenance not as much of a chore when the stupid 10x16 bearing goes out.

With my flux HP, I've shattered 3 or 4 pinions in the first 10 months I've had it. It has the machined BP ring gear/alloy cups/super HD outdrives/bones. I've replaced diff bearings twice as well. My latest big change with it was putting in a super 5SC transmission from rc4me.us that has a center diff inside and I put 750K oil in it. I put that in about 5 months ago and so far, haven't busted a pinion again. However, I got an outcast a month after that upgrade, so I haven't taken the flux out nearly as much. But, in the month or so I did, I took it out every weekend and ran it for probably 3 hours each weekend and ran very hard. Lots of hard landings that should have blown a diff.

If you ran 20 gallons through that thing with stock sintered or machined non-BP diffs with those high power engines without frying a single diff, my hat is off to you and you are a much better driver than me with a far better maintenance schedule. Before I started using BP's, I'd be lucky if I could get 2-3 gallons through a savage before shelling out one of the diffs. Especially if I didn't catch the wobbly 10x16 bearing in time.

As for the diffs holding up on the other trucks you have, it's probably a combination of things that makes them last so long. Having a center diff really helps and having less weight overall helps a bunch too. That center diff though does so much better than any slipper since it will tend to transfer the initial bad landing force to the diff with least grip. I'm amazed at how well the outcast diffs hold up considering the torque and weight of the thing. The diff gears are so small compared to the savage. The pinion is a tiny little thing. I did fry one diff though in 5 months, but I'm 99% sure that was due to the diff cover that holds the diff in place and 3 screws with stripped threads.

 

[OnThatPipe]

If you ran 20 gallons through that thing with stock sintered or machined non-BP diffs with those high power engines without frying a single diff, my hat is off to you and you are a much better driver than me with a far better maintenance schedule. Before I started using BP's, I'd be lucky if I could get 2-3 gallons through a savage before shelling out one of the diffs. Especially if I didn't catch the wobbly 10x16 bearing in time.
.

Yes, i definitely have a pretty strict maintenance schedule. Especially on the Savage (while I feel I have the kinks worked out) it's still apt for issue by the very nature of its TVP design and transmission, due to the multiple points of failure as you alluded to. I have changed up some of the shimming, I use Hobao o-rings, and TLR gaskets as I feel I get a better mesh all the way around). I assume folks are putting lots of grease on the diffs cup/ring/pinion? I use bearing grease and it stinks to holy hell when running, it's worked well.

When I started putting powerful engines in it, I was more worried about the drive/idle/transmission, etc. gears. In fact when I first worked with Dave at Buku he was worried about the transmission when I used his hard komposites, but I just wanted to see for myself and everything held up.

Oh, and while I'm sure maintenance plays a role, I don't think drive does. Ha ha. Trust me I can build/setup but if driving were a factor I would need bomb proof diffs lol