john2364

Right now I am in between buying a 1/5th scale baja clone or converting my savage x ss to brushless. The brushless conversion will cost me about 240 with batteries where the baja clone will cost me about 450 with servos. the baja seems like it would be a lot of fun but I have never owned one. Nonetheless, the brushless conversion is $200 cheaper and can be run indoors (I am moving to tampa soon but do not know if the tracks are indoors or outdoors.) Ultimately it is my preference but I am really undecided about it. I could afford either but the $ factor does put me on the fence. I have never owned a 1/5th scale and I do not know if the size really limits where I can run it. but then, I will only start with 1 set of batteries for the savage so I will be restricted 1 hour in between runs.

cenracer1

I own a Baja.. (real one) but the clones are close enough.. They are the most fun you can have with R/C, but....... You need the place to run them. Unlike the Savage or other MT, they need a large and I mean large area to run them.. With the supplied exhaust they aren't too loud, but you will soon grow tired of slower speeds and will want a tuned exhaust.. These are a major improvement in performance at a price.. They are LOUD!!!!! Do you have a place to run that won't annoy anyone.. Trust me it much louder than nitro... If you do then go for it.. If not, the Electric conversion for the Savage is a sweet option and you can run it anywhere and at any time.. I forgot how cheap the clones were.. My Baja was more than twice that...

john2364

Thanks Cen. I think you made my decision for me. I think that the baja would be more fun but the space requirement would mean that I would not be able to run it as often and I would just end up loosing interest. Looks like I will do the brushless conversion.

Foxy

The Savage is a pretty expensive conversion from nitro, if you go ahead with it, make sure you get a good conversion, the Savage has a few inherent weaknesses, you don't want to add to them.

By the way, I moved your other thread to the HPI MT forum.

john2364

Foxy,


I am doing hobby king for the electronics its pretty cheap, maybe 240 with 30c batteries and some extra stuff that I want. I have used them on many occasions and found that the product reviews are pretty accurate. for me, It is not necessary to spend 300-400 on a motor/esc unless you really want that particular set. I know that HPI sells a conversion kit for a lot of $ but that is also not necessary for me. The motor mount and batter holders are costing me $1. I am making them out of 6061 angle stock. I am mixing my throttle/break servo so I do not need the idler gear. Finally, I will be replacing the drive gear or other gears with HD still once they strip. The whole conversion should not top $241 for me with extra toys that are not necessary for the conversion. Of course some gears will strip and will be replaced as needed. My diff's should hold up for awhile but my drive gear will go pretty quick.

Foxy

I remember now, we talked about this in your first thread on the subject, I wished you luck, I still do. If you can do it economically, it'll be great. HAve you seen the vid on how to bashproof a Savage Flux? Definitely worth a watch for maybe ways you can strengthen certain areas while you do the conversion. The Savage as a design doesn't hold up very well to brushless power...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pynm-2MAmc4[/youtube]

john2364

Thanks for the video and the good luck wishes. I think that it will work out but there is only one way to find out.

SyCo_VeNoM

I've done a savage conversion to BL before let me tell you just sell it and buy a flux...

Trust me I had it figured you like you did
Heres added cost 5mm TVP's. battery boxes, motor plate, motor mount, the dog bones, and cups. that will easily add up to over $130 extra on top of your plan (if you are lucky I won most the pieces for $10-15 where normal prices were $30 a pop)
Throw in the savage flux Bullet proof diffs another $100 if you are lucky, as the stocks won't last long under BL power
cheapest BL setup is $200
batteries are an additional $40

The conversion I had estimated at $250 cost me well over $450 in the end, and a ton of work (you have to grind the HPI mount like mad to get a motor to fit). And it still has a few crappier parts on it where for $50 more then I spent in total I could have got the flux.

cenracer1

I wish I could help you with some of this but the last Savage I owned, I quickly sold. Not a bad truck, just not what I was looking for. Too bad you can't find a space for 1/5th scale.. But an electric MT with over the top power is a close 2nd.. by the way, my Baja sits for months on end. I used to run it more often, but just don't feel like driving to the bashing spot all the time, can't run during the day there.. (quarry).. And its just so much easier to toss in a couple of lipo's and beat the heck out of my other toys. I won't sell the baja however.. LOL

nitrosportsandrunner

only buy a 1/5 if you will have large open areas in which to run it.

and sell the savvy and use the money to buy a flux or ofna MT. turning the savvy into a BL monster just isnt worth the hassle.

phmaximus

I think i must be the only guy that runs my 1/5 anywhere... seriously there has been no bash spot ive seen thats not big enough for a 1/5 scale... ive even run it in the back yard... ive stoped doing that because it started killing the grass.... ive bashed onroad, 1/8 track, local park, local school.... skate park....

Just wondering what kind of places can u run a Savage where u cant run a baja????

SyCo_VeNoM

well where I live everywhere
you don't sound like you live in an over built city that has more people packed in a small city than some countries have in them entirely
Like where I live if I go into the street with a savage it can just BARELY turn around without hitting anything. same thing at the BMX park I've gone to it was so tiny it wasn't funny barely had enough room to turn a savage. Due to its extra length I'm only assuming a Baja has about a 3 foot wider turn radius (at minimal).

For the record my yard can barely let a Tamiya DF-02 turn around let alone even a savage

The_Shark

i'm selling my 1/5 after a gallon, its fast, its fun, its durable why sell it??? its LOUD!! so loud I don't want to run it in the neighborhood or at any park, its BIG, I own a two seater and it takes up the entire passenger seat and it makes a huge mess after running in a moist field, when you tote it around its a pain because it's so heavy, its also SCARY, a runaway could cause major property damage or injury, think about it, a 30lb sledgehammer traveling 40mph and may not stop after the first collision.

I will have another one, but first I would need a big chunk of land or a good place to run it.

so i vote for neither

nitrosportsandrunner

I take my brushless SC10, mirage and B3 to any of the local kid's parks. I drive around and the kids chase the rigs around for a full lipo pack. Parents dont care, as it helps wear out the kids! They are not loud, and handle well enough that I dont accidently hit anywone. And if I should, it wont hurt anyone that much.
Cant do that with a very loud, 30 pound RC that frankly doesnt handle well (baja anyway, havent owned a 4wd 1/5 yet)

I wouldnt drive my 1/5 on my road either, some would complain of the noise.
Too big to drive in my backyard as well. (and again, noise)

When I had my 1/5, I would drive to a sand pit, construction site, open field ect. Larger areas...typically a reasonable distance from people's homes.
But my brushless stuff I will run pretty much anywhere!

cenracer1

I have a quarry near my home that I can run the Baja at. Only on sundays when they are closed and only if I don't have other things planned for the day.. The biggest problem is the noise. If you've never heard one run, they are much louder than a nitro engine. The noise goes right thru you. That eliminates running in the neighborhood for any length of time before someone complains. Its not like a leaf blower or lawn mower, its much louder and a different pitch. The size doesn't help either, but in my case, it does eliminate running on public land. It will easily tear up grass and damage anything it hits. I've had one car hit already and thankfully didn't do too much visible damage to the car.. LOL Like I said, I still have mine and don't plan on selling it, but it doesn't get used too much anymore.

john2364

So you guys talked me out of both options. I orderd a redcat eathquake 8e. I was super close to getting the 1/6 scale shredder clone that is on hobby king but 1/6 scale just seems to be out of place. I know it is a downgrade from my savage but I just want a brushless basher that will do well in grass and that I can occasionaly take to the track for practice time (I do not race). I read a lot of reviews and it seems like the earthquake 8e is actually pretty durable as long as it is set up right. I also looked at the avalanche but it has the same set up as all the other xte models and there were a million posts about people have reliability issues. My savage is now listed on ebay. I am sure that I will get 150-250. If you subtract that from the price I paid for the 8e, I will only be paying $179 to $79 I am sure that it will not be as durable as the savage but I think it will be good enough for what I want. I am pretty excited about my new toy on the way.

nitrosportsandrunner

the 8e (ive owned one)
-shim the diffs (youtube vids showing how to do it)
-have a servo on hand to replace stock one.
-GET the wheely bar upgrade. Trust me. Otherwise you will spend half your time walking to flip the truck back onto its wheels.
-Grab a hobbwying program card. I turned up the punch control and turned down the braking force on mine. stock brake setting was so strong that it would do a reverse wheely if the front tires had enough traction.
-Tape the inside of the body with gorilla tape...or use shoe goo and drywall tape.
-check all hardware before running it. make sure nothing is loose or too tight.

Do those things, and you will have alot of fun with the truck. Its a beast, the power is insane. I miss mine.

Eman77

Eh, just by a TXT-2 and go BL with that bad boy.

john2364

Thanks Nitro. I plan to do all of your suggestions. I plan to shim the diffs before I run it the firs time. What kind of shims do I need?