Woot..1st Nitro

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
TheFixxer

TheFixxer

100% Addict..There is no hope
Messages
348
Location
Menasha, WI
Hey guys, new to this forum and nitro in general. Just picked up my first nitro truck. Bought it off CL for $160. It's a Savage SS with an XTM 24.7 engine, 3spd transmission, HPI tuned pipe (no clue which one) Spektrum DX3-C radio system, and Proline Ford Bronco shell. This thing rips. It's in really nice shape and runs perfect. Having more fun with it than my electrics.

Opinions?

Hope I can bend your ear from time to time. Being new to nitro I am gonna have some questions for sure.
 
WELCOME to the WILD side. if ya got questions feel free to ask, alot of good info here on the site......
 
Thanks man. Nitro is a whole new animal. Spent most of last night studying the Savage destruction manual. Really liking how it's built vs the revo 3.3 that I also bought. Seems so much simpler in design. The only thing I am little frustrated about was taking off/replacing the radio/bec battery box cover. The cover is not well designed for quick easy access. The 2 front clips are bit of a challenge to get to for chubby fingers. It there some sort of mod someone has done to make that process easier?
 
I use a hemostat for getting clips off in tight areas...I keep a pair of curved ones in my pit box just for doin these pesky clips.....
 
Ran the truck hard last night and burned through a little over 1/2 gallon of fuel so I am doing a total tear down and cleaning today, One to just get the truck cleaned up, and two just to get familiar with the truck as a whole. I am the type of guy that needs hands on and don't fully understand anything unless I can know how it works. Since this is my first nitro tear down/rebuild I am a little intimidated.. Wish me luck. I think I should have gotten up a little earlier this morning to start this project.

Regarding fuel. The fuel I am using is Traxxas 20% and the truck seems to run great on it. But since it's my first nitro truck I really have no clue if I am getting the most out of it. Just wondering if there was a better brand I could check out. The guys at the track are snobs and don't seem to wanna share info with new guys. Even though I have been running my electrics there for 4 years.

Regarding Upgrades. Since I don't have the truck all torn down yet I cannot say for sure what was upgraded by the previous owner. But are there any sick upgrade parts that I should be looking at? Are there problem areas on the SS I should consider addressing?

Attached a couple pics of my new to me toy.20140625_100850[1].jpg 20140625_100920[1].jpg
 
Last edited:
Welcome to the site! Why is the receiver on the outside of the electronics box?

As far as mods, different people like different things. For me though, the ribbed pipe is too loud and you lose performance a little due to no back pressure (the pipe you have). It looks like you have the stock servos and linkage. I'd upgrade to a pair of hitec HS0645MG servos, or something similar. Also look into the ofna linkage mod. We have a good write up here:
https://www.hpisavageforum.com/threads/hirisks-ofna-linkage-set-up-with-pics-and-details.4144/

Do you still have a stock battery pack (4 AA batteries)? If so, look into a 6.3V hump pack. You will get more power to your servos and better run times. Make sure to tighten down your servo saver all the way, or you may get unresponsive steering (the nut under the spring).
upload_2014-6-30_9-19-20.png

The HPI wheelie bar is a must have for these trucks and is made well. Many more things can be done, but I think that is enough to get you going. Let us know how wild you want to go and we can point you in the right direction.
 
Wow, sweet, thanks for the tips.

As far as the receiver box, those pics were taken after only owning the truck for 10 minutes. That's where it was when I bought it. I have since tucked it back into it's home nice and snug.

Special thanks for the steering tip. I have noticed when the truck is sitting still and idling that there is no steering. When you turn the wheel you can hear the steering servo kick and the wheels twitch but don't turn. When the truck is under throttle it will turn pretty snappy, but let off the throttle and it gets sluggish. Being new to nitro I thought it was just par for course...and considering it's using giant stock t-maxx chevrons I figured they are just heavy for the servos to turn. I will check that screw.

Yes, still has the stock 4 AA battery box. I did read about that in the 101 guide at the top of this forum. As far as the pipe goes, I'm good with the noise and it sound pretty sweet to me. Got the old lady next door to come out on her porch and shake her fist at me.

So far I am loving this beast. Takes a pounding that's for sure. I've done things with this I would never even consider trying with my E-trucks. Took on a T-maxx 3.3 the other night and walked all over it. I'm hooked.
 
TheFixxer said:
Special thanks for the steering tip. I have noticed when the truck is sitting still and idling that there is no steering. When you turn the wheel you can hear the steering servo kick and the wheels twitch but don't turn. When the truck is under throttle it will turn pretty snappy, but let off the throttle and it gets sluggish. Being new to nitro I thought it was just par for course...and considering it's using giant stock t-maxx chevrons I figured they are just heavy for the servos to turn. I will check that screw.
Click to expand...

Tighten her down all the way. If you do that and upgrade your servo you should be able to turn bigger wheels/ tires than yours in any terrain while standing still. Mine does :)

TheFixxer said:
Got the old lady next door to come out on her porch and shake her fist at me.

So far I am loving this beast. Takes a pounding that's for sure. I've done things with this I would never even consider trying with my E-trucks. Took on a T-maxx 3.3 the other night and walked all over it. I'm hooked.
Click to expand...

Always amusing to watch people shuffle in to watch when playing with RCs. Just be careful the "old lady" doesn't get overly aggressive and call the cops. lol

Savage > traxxas trucks all day.
 
Also, you say you're not new to RCs. I assume that means you have some electric RCs as well? We like to be entertained by seeing pictures of other people's toys around here. So post up some more pics when you get a chance.
 
X said:
Also, you say you're not new to RCs. I assume that means you have some electric RCs as well? We like to be entertained by seeing pictures of other people's toys around here. So post up some more pics when you get a chance.
Click to expand...

Yep, have a few. Got a Revo 3.3 the same day I got the Savage but can't for the life of me get it to start. I also have 2 completely hopped up 2wd stampedes, an LCG slash that I race, a RedCats RS10 crawler.

 
I've been thinking about adding an RS4 to my collection as well. You'll have to post up if you grab it with the details.
 
Got a question regarding my XTM 24.7. It seems my pull start is not retracting all the way when the engine won't start on the first couple pulls. It will only retract once it is running and only if you give it some throttle. The stupid little brass nut likes to back off where the pull cord goes through too. After some research this looks to be a common problem with that particular stock pull start.

So, the question is this; is there are better more robust pull start that will fit this engine...OR...is there a modification I could do to make this puppy drill start. I like to mod things. Can't ever leave well enough alone..
 
I would do the S704. The S689 looks like the header would interfere.

Saying that, you will still likely have to do a little modding of the shock tower so you can get the bit in with the S704.
 
S704 it is. LHS has it in stock so I will pick it up in the morning on the way to work along with a couple hitec servos you suggested.
 
make sure to make a "build" thread to document your modding!
 
make sure to get a long 7/32 allen wrench, I got a long one from the hardware store and cut it off to make my start wand... prolly get a ball end driver and use that , it works well and makes a cheap start wand to use......
 
^^ thanks guys. I have an extra t-handle hex ball end I can whack the handle off and use. Thanks for all the advice thus far from everyone. It has been invaluable as a nitro noob.
 
Stopped by the LHS as advertised this morning and tech there gave me an idea so save some messing around with installing the tiger drive. It sounded like a good idea but told him I would really like to ask "my guys" before I pulled the trigger on doing it.

So what he suggested is remove the pull start and gut it, basically removing the one-way bearing, the pull cord and spring. Then drilling a hole big enough in the pull start cover to expose the pull start shaft hex. Then I could start it with a cordless drill with a socket on an extension. Thoughts? Pros...Cons?

BTW...got the parts to do the ofna linkage mod, hump cell pack, hitec servos, and the losi 3.4 carb.
 
It's an interesting thought. I suppose it could work, though I can think of a couple things for you to consider.

1. The roto-start/ tigerdrives both use a small gear on the input to turn a big gear on the crank shaft. Perhaps without this gearing down it will not start correctly/ as well.

2. The socket will be much larger than the hex shaft, so you willl need to make a much bigger hole in your shock tower.

4. The socket is not as forgiving to a different angle of insert, as the ball end hex shaft would be.

3. Due to there being a hole with no seal you may get debris inside.

Either way, this is your project. Do what you think is right and report back to us on what happens.
 
I'm glad you got a good start on your modding. Make sure you post updates of your savage as you go along.
 
I agree with X on this .... go with the tiger drive or an hpi roto unit you will be happier
 
I guess it wouldn't hurt to do the pull start mod and if it don't work or i'm not happy with it I could go get the tiger drive. I'm thinking a guy could use some sort of rubber solid grommet to cover the hole. Or even a piece of electrical tape in a pinch.
 
A quick question. I was told this truck was an SS when I bought it. I have read through the life cycle of the different models but really would like concrete evidence that says "yep, that's an SS" Is there something on the SS that's not on any other model? Meant to ask this a few days ago.
 
Here is a link to the SS:
http://www.hpiracing.com/en/kit/845

It very well might be an SS that you have. It would have been easier to identify if the stock engine was in place. Things like your exhaust, TVPs, radio box and shocks match the SS. At the very least it is definitely from that time period.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 302 (members: 3, guests: 299)
Back
Top