KyoshoFTW

Yeah I will soon find out... in your opinion is the sidewinder the best deal out there for brushless or will i have regrets? thanks for the reply

redfisher1974

Cant help you with the sidewinder.....I run the Novak Havoc and love it...not as fast as the sidewinder but much smoother.....

KyoshoFTW

i can order the sidewinder set up from tower for like 145.00, im thinking about going to my lhs, they have some guys that really know their stuff, so we shall see what they say first. On a side note, looking through multiple sites haven't turned up any real hop up's, HPI has a bunch of over priced stuff, but has anyone had any luck with an online store with hop ups for the firestorm?

redfisher1974

No they just dont have many hop ups for this rc yet......As for a brushless system dont let them talk you into more speed the better you just dont need 60 mph in your rc....Mine runs around 35 to 40 mph and for offroad and a bit of onroad thats plenty fast any faster and its hard to hold onto.....Let us know what you end up with.

SuKeZ

Try this [link=http://www.wheelspinmodels.co.uk/category/HPI-Firestorm-10T-Hop-Ups__194/]UK shop[/link]...not so much but better then nuthin'...everything else = ebay

KyoshoFTW

Ya i agree with you about speed, im gonna focus on handling, make sure i get enough torque but bot care to much about top end. My RS4 is TOO fast and isnt even fun anymore because of it, even with pro compound temp tires i cant catch traction. Faster crashes harder

DARKWAV

Wow those gears must have been defective from the factory. It should still be under warranty so HPI customer shopport should send you some replacement gears to drop into the diff. I would just swap-in all the new stuff HPI sends out to you. While you have that diff open in would be a good time to pack in some heavyweight gear diff oil. If you are just bashing might as well go for heavy stuff which will won't seep out so fast, like AE 30K or 60K weight.

********************

The 2.4GHz system just gives me good range and worry-free reception. I actuall didn't experience any troubles with my stock AM setup and brushless, but for whatever reason my friend's E-Firestorm would glitch at the track, even with different freq crystals. The new radio gear felt smoother and more responsive but it is one of those thinks that just feel like an improvement but it is kinda hard to really quantify or prove is better. FYI I picked-up my 3PKS-2.4G with receiver on E-Bay for $220 in excellent condition. Nearly the same price as a brand new 3PM-2.4. I've seen them go for less or maybe a little more but with extras. 3PKS is a great radio but I couldn't bring myself to spend the big bucks on a new one.

eaterofdog

My Feedback: (1)

When I decided to get an RC car, I said to myself, I'm just going to get a decent 1/10 and drive it when it's too windy to fly the helis. I'm not going to spend money on it or work on it a lot.

I had really good intentions.

I have had my Firestorm 10T a little over a month, and the mods so far:
Spektrum DX3 and SR3000 ($120 craigslist, I couldn't pass that up.)
Telebee gyro for drift control (from my parts shelf)
EZRun 10T brushless system (Raidentech)
GForce 2250mah 20C lipos (I use these for my helicopters, have 4)

It's really fast and it tracks great on speed runs with the gyro. No veering off the road. I like to take it out and drift on the limerock roads near my house. With the gyro, all you have to do is hit the corner fast and kick the throttle a little to slide sideways all the way around the corner. It's crazy looking.

I need to order an external BEC because I had to tap the ESC fan into the internal BEC, and now it's overloaded. That's cheap though.

CustomTamiyas4Life

My Feedback: (34)

Well I am officially trading my firestorm for a crt .5 mini truggy. I loved the firestorm but I'm wanting a 4wd stadium truck.

KyoshoFTW

i love 4wd, but the way i see it....the more parts you have the more you have that can break or fail... just my .02

CustomTamiyas4Life

My Feedback: (34)

True, but I very rarely broke parts on my firestorm because I was very careful so I'm not too worried.

KyoshoFTW

Ya thats true...if your cautious you should be fine. I like watchin the idiots on youtube take their truck off a 6 foot ramp full throttle[:-], never touching the brake while in air and either snapping the a-arms or flipping the truck then complaining about durability. good times good times...let us know how you like it!

mercerbeef

robertbell- go with the mamba, the sidewinder cant handle a 3s lipo.
redfisher- if you want hopups check out hobbyetc.com they carry firestorm upgrades from hotracing. you just gotta look under the nitro firestorms listing
anyone looking for studded tires check this out, a friend and i made these a few years ago for his t4, it took an hour each tire and a 6 each

redfisher1974

why do you need to run 3s? once you get over 40 mph its just not useable power on a track...
oh and thanks i will check out that site...

KyoshoFTW

Hey red, after talking to my lhs, the guy swore by the novak havoc, now my questions it should i go with the Spec (10.5T)? or or the Sport (8.5 T) let me know what you have and what you think...gonna order it today

redfisher1974

i have the sport 8.5 and like it alot.....but i just bash around the house.if your going to race at the track at all you would be better off with the spec 10.5 as it is made for racing etc.Now that being said the 8.5 sport is a nice unit. Its easy to program and runs real smooth even at low speeds..Sure its not as fast as the sidewinders but mine will wheelie for twenty feet and runs around 35 mph on stock pinion....So I vote for the 8.5 sport cant go wrong.....on a side note i live up north and i put this thing in during the winter so the only time i get out is during a thaw......Cant wait for spring to give it a good workout.I have been using a 7 cell tenergy pack for now and i put a fan and heatsink on it...Just waiting for the wife to give me the nod to buy a lipo pack 2s 5000mah

CustomTamiyas4Life

My Feedback: (34)

The sidewinder handles 3s fine. My friend is running one is a stampede with mashers. With the timing low the temps stay within a safe range too.

KyoshoFTW

the guy at my lhs also advised that the novak is ALL plug and play, no risk with low heat soldering definately what made me smile

CustomTamiyas4Life

My Feedback: (34)

Direct soldering has a noticeable increase in power though.

DARKWAV

4WD is a world of difference when bashing off-road especially in rough terrain. Even with adequate ground clearance and a very plush suspension, these light 2WD STs start gettin bounced around alot at higher speeds. With one of both of your drive wheels in the air acceleration is hampered and it gets squirrely and prone to spinning out. With 4 WD...plus the extra weight that brings, youre getting more of that power to the ground and the thing hooks up like your 2WD on pavement. Also going up hills with loose or rocky ground can be a reall challenge to a 2WD.

I like the simplicity of a 2WD and concentration it takes to run it around a track quickly, so I'll always have one in my stable. Still really hard to beat a 4WD for ultimate off-road destructor-bashing fun.

CustomTamiyas4Life

My Feedback: (34)

I still own the 2wd truck I built, so I will still have that to mess around with. Like you said, 4wd accelerates awesome and I'm going to be drag racing alot of 2wd's so I should get a nice jump at the start. I don't know how long I will enjoy paying for nitro so I still have the novak ss5800 sitting around. I will probably run a quart through it as a nitro and see how I like it. The cost of nitro is unbelievable though, I could get zippy lipos for the same price as one gallon of fuel pretty much.

KyoshoFTW

Has anyone had issues with the diff and/or shocks leaking? Also outta the box i get mixxed opinions, how does she handle compared to that of a xxx-t or ae?

KyoshoFTW

Good info! I'm gonna order the sidewinder 5700 combo then...a part of me regrets not getting the flux oh well

CustomTamiyas4Life

My Feedback: (34)

These trucks are a blast once you upgrade to brushless.

KyoshoFTW

One last question...should i order the brushless set up through tower? or does anyone have a better idea?