Ducman69

Hi guys, trying to finally make a decision before towerhobbies sale ends!

I've been doing a LOT of reading on the forums and net in general about electric vs nitro etc... IN GENERAL.

Now my question is about specific Traxxas models. It seems to me that there are two brand new hot Traxxas models with the latest and greatest current technology.... in nitro only! The Jato and the MT (which I prefer from everything I've read) Revo. I wish there were electric versions, as I'm into electric flight for the convenience and noise benefit, but it seems that to go electric I'd want to go with the Traxxas E-Maxx.

But the E-Maxx is old now. 3-years+ old design from what I've been reading (new to RC cars so I could be wrong)? The Jato and Revo appear to be BRAND spanking new and improved designs. How much of a performance hit would an older E-Maxx model take compared to say a Jato (yeah I know different class) or Revo for regular bashing use (90% offroad in grass and dirt and jumps)??? I've read T-Maxx vs E-Maxx reviews, but nothing comparing the truely new Revo type vs older E-Maxx.

An E-Maxx with the batteries I want (three pairs of 7-cell GP3700s from Maxamps) + charger actually comes out close to Revo price. Any help would be much appreciated, as I'll try to order by the end of Friday!!! I'd love the convenience of electric if at all possible, but I only want to invest in one or the other and I sure would be disappointed if there were a huge performance difference. Thanks for any/all input and set me straight!!!

petrolpixie

go nitro

Ducman69

Well I know with battery power I'm going to get less runtime and lower top speed (guessing 15mins on 3700s and 7-cell 30mph).

Advantage is I can screw around in my yard, at work on lunch break (construction field nearby), and its quiet and clean. Heck could even clean it and run it in the House up the stairs.

My concern is that other than just the nitro vs electric part, that the E-Maxx may just be too old of a design, and may even be redesigned soon, whereas the others are brand-spankin' new. Everyone seems to love the Revo in magazines, although here on the forum they are saying the engine can be a pain to tune (runs hot) and it dives on jumps... but if its overall a much better vehicle (sure does look fancy), I'd rather go with the latest and greatest (or the Jato if it could do alright for bashing duty). Almost considered the Savage as everyone says its a tank, but they also say its LOUD, and that is a huge turnoff considering I'll be operating it around lots of people. Man I wish there were an electric Revo/Jato to make this decision easier hehehe!

ScMc

The difference between a t-maxx and an emaxx (or any nitro truck vs electric truck for that matter) Is night and day. When my electrics break, I feel no need to fix them. Even with strong batteries they just lose their appeal after a while. Nitro keeps your adrenaline pumping and is a new experience every time you run. Just hearing that engine start up first or second pull is enough to keep me coming back. Go nitro![8D]

Ducman69

Cool! Thats what I need to know.

The E-Maxx as far as I know is pretty similar setup to the T-Maxx with regards to durability and what not... but the new Revo (and if you can use non-MTs for bashing Jato) should blow it away right?

Just for clarification, since the noise/smell of the nitro is the big detraction due to the places I'll be using it, is it THAT that makes it night and day (cuz I prefer stealth operation), or the fact that it just has such improved handling and the Revo and Jato are just so much newer and better trucks? If its the former, I'd stay electric just because of my specific circumstances (obviously an empty field it'd be cool to hear it roar), but if its the latter then screw 'lectric and I'm going Revo big time.

tndiverdown

Brushless is the only way to go for me. It's clean, quiet, and fast. If noise is an issue, get an e-maxx and put a HV-Maxx in it. That's a good brushless starter system for the newb and it will keep you satisfied for quite a while. Or, if your willing to spend some bucks and have the equipment and know how, just buy whatever you want in nitro and convert it to brushless. Most of the nitro guys you will hear from have not had any experience with brushless whatsovever. All they can compare to is old brushed technology most of the time, and it is slower.

Nitronutt

My Feedback: (2)

Here is a video of an electric Monster GT with brushless technology. Note that the noise is definately not silent...quieter than nitro by a little bit, though.

http://photos.imageevent.com/onelast.../EMGTmovie.wmv

Top speeds of the brushless HV-Maxx ($300 + the price of the E-Maxx) above is under 30 where my modified Savage will clock 45mph (With awesome acceleration) and I'm at $200 plus a Savage RTR.

Now, I have an RC10T also, and after driving my Savage, the RC10T seems like a childs toy (At under 20mph).

Ducman69

Hmmm... I hear the Savage is great for bashing but hard to work on and loud as far as Nitros go. I'm new to cars and nitro, so the hard to work on part was an issue as well as noise concerns. Too bad can't hear them side-by-side. I assume the Revo is a bit quieter, and perhaps there are aftermarket pipes with little extra muffler chambers after the expansion chamber...

So concensus is that a stock brushed E-Maxx will get pwned by the Revo or Jato? And regarding something like the Jato, do you guys think it would stand a chance at general bashing duty, or would I definitely need to get the Revo?

tndiverdown

LOL, I see you have your nitro blinders on again..... You haven't seen acceleration until youve seen a real brushless setup accelerate. FWIW, that's probably the slowest brushless monster truck I have ever seen, especially for two motors, and probably the reason you chose that vid. It barely even pulls a wheelie. I think my stock e-maxx might give that a run. LOL. Like I said, the HV is a good newbie system, there are other much more powerful solutions out there just like there are many power levels available in nitro engines. A HV system sells for $289 - $30 with this coupon code 010A7 at tower hobbies, not $300. As far as noise, your on crack if you think that truck is almost as loud as a nitro. All I hear with mine is a little gear noise and the sound of the tires clawling for traction.

tndiverdown

Yes, a stock E-maxx is no match for a jato or even a revo. You have to get into brushless to run with nitro.

Nitronutt

My Feedback: (2)

The savage is not hard to work on at all. Some things can be time consuming, but nothing is difficult. Plus, as solid as they are, you won't be working on it much.

The JATO is too new to have a whole lot of aftermarket following. Plus it is 2wd and has very little ground clearance. This equates to a poor basher even if it is fast.

The primary reason for a T-maxx/Revo being more quiet is the smaller .15ci (2.5cc) engine. The noise levels are not as different as you might think. The savage with the .25ci or .28ci motor sounds like a nitro truck (High pitched dirt bike), where as the revo and the T-maxx sound like an old fashioned siren (even higher pitched, kind of like a pack of bees or a siren).

The Savage can be just as quiet as the others, just change the exhaust. There are 15+ pipes available for the Savage and each is a little different. The ribbed pipe for the savage is the equivalent of an open race pipe. Others, like the 25RTR plastic pipe are relatively quiet.

To make your decision even harder, be sure to check out the LST.

Nitronutt

My Feedback: (2)

I don't own a good set of nitro blinders, can you recommend some? As far as the video, I'm waiting for you to post yours. That is the only one that I have come across. I am not against electrics (I do own an RC10T - hush, I know it is a classic), or brushless (I saw a kick a_ _ brushless Mini T do 61mph!!!!!)...as I told you before, just waiting for something worthwile.

Nitro is the way to go...for now.

tndiverdown

If you consider the stock plastic Sav 25 RTR pipe quiet, I would hate to hear what you consider to be loud. I hated that thing.

tndiverdown

RCPics has a bunch of good brushless vids. As for my vids, soon my friend, soon.... Maybe I will either get my 1/8th buggy or my savage running next week if I can manage to find the time to work on them.

Ducman69

Alright, well it looks like the Jato is plain out due to lack of suspension travel. I'd like to keep these stock, and so it looks like the Revo is the winnar for me. I just hope its not too LOUD around the office / house / park!

Thanks for the help guys.

cfetter79

Ducman, I run nitro, but wouldn't mind getting an EMAXX sometime also. If you would like, check out RC Action of a couple of months ago. They compare the T-MAXX to the Revo. While this isn't a direct comparison to what you're looking for, they do compare handling, bashing, etc. The T-MAXX and E-MAXX should be very similar in handling. Check that out before you make your decision. I don't own either of them, and like I said, I run nitro.. I just read your post and thought you might like that info. For the reasons of staying quiet, maybe a brushless-EMAXX may be the way for you to go.

My $.02.

camra88

brushless is very quiet, very powerful, and very fast. On my emaxx, my 9918 +9l brushless system, will make my emaxx do just about a 360 flip if I tap the throttle a little to hard. when topped out in first gear, and switch to second and give it WOT, the thing will flip over. Its going like 25+ mph in 1st, too... monster trucks where meant to have power... and brushless has just that. this thing offroad is insane. alot of power. I just think the emaxx is a bit fragile, tho.

My 02 cents

Salty0790

this is only my humble opinion, nothing more.

i dont think electrics (regular or brushless, it doesnt matter) can compete with a nitro when it comes to fun. think about it. is it cool the hear the tires burn out over the sound of the motor? i dont think so. is it cool the hear a real engine scream as you accelerate? i think so. if you're driving your electric and wonder whats going on inside the motor, you get bored. a little magnet contracting energy. but when you drive your nitro, its more interesting. a little peice of metal flying up and down hundreds of times a second causing an explosion of nitromethane. to me, the second one is more interesting. just hearing the engine working is fun too. when you hear it struggle climbing over rocks you get excited. you cant hear much of that with electric. you have longer run times with nitro. fill the tank up, and let it rip. its not cool having to recharge the battery every 15 minutes, is it? you can work on your truck more with nitro. most gear-heads (like myself) like to find things to work on. nitro guys can go outside and fine tune their engines. you cant do that with electric. nitros attract crowds because of the noise, smell, and smoke. it turns heads, and you can educate others on the hobby. dont forget about the girls a chick isnt gonna be impressed with a silent little thing rolling around at 20 mph. i think all chicks would prefer an ear-throbbing scream at 35 mph blow past them more. personally, i cant be proud of an electric. its just me probably. but i walk right past my older electrics and straight to my nitro. its more interesting and works like a real truck.

please dont flame. this isnt to offend anyone, just my personal opinion.

cardriverx

very nice salty, JUST WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY! to me having a real gas motor that I am able to work on and diagnose when there is a problem is one of the best parts of the hobby. to me half the fun is working on your car and learning about it! electrics just get alittle boring because all you do is charge the batts...run it...charge the batts...run it...and with a brushless, there is basically no work you have to do to it! unlike some people, I like it when something goes wrong with a nitro motor, its very cool when you find out all the inner workings of the motor! and you just can't beat the sound and smell of a nitro! now I'm not bashing electrics, I'm gonna actually be getting a rc18t soon to play around with inside but i just think nitro is the way to go[8D]

raykessler

if you have your heart set on a revo or Jato but still want electric, you could always convert a stock revo or Jato, it would take a lot of work and money but it can be done.... i remember seeing a picture of an electric revo that was very well done

Nitronutt

My Feedback: (2)

Before you settle for a Revo, go to your LHS and ask if he can show you one and hear it/see it run. If you aren't happy with the noise, it is not worth spending the $$ and then trying to turn around and sell it for 30-40% less than you paid. Most LHS employees have trucks of their own and one should have a REVO to demonstrate.

tndiverdown

Funny how all these nitro guys form an opinion based on no first hand experience with a real electric (brushless). I bet it's the fumes......

infernalstone

I must be doing something incredibly, horribly wrong. Cause I have never...ever...impressed a chick while I was out playing with a toy.

allen0622

well, I have an E-Maxx but it's not brushless, I race indoors with brushless E-MAxxes though and I've seen firsthand how amazing they are. One guy even raced with the Nitro guys on the outdoor track and he was leading the race keeping and up with the leaders, but his battery didn't last nearly as long as a tank of fuel, and there was no way he was going to change the packs faster than a "splash n go" nitro pitstop. On a long stretch the Maxx would get beat but the guys control on the jumps and shorter areas was near perfect(plus he knows his stuff and his setup was right-on for that days conditions). Also going brushless with an E-Maxx can get very expensive with all the upgrades you're gonna need, mainly beefing up the drivetrain not to mention buy the truck and brushless system, it will probably cost over $600, unless you go used. But when it's all set and done nothing will come close in the torque department.

My fleet consists of my T-maxx, Revo, and E-maxx, of all of them and since I got the Emaxx, it sits and sits, I rarely use it anymore(probably gonna sell it eventually). Just got the Revo a couple weeks ago and so far it's my hands down favorite, both performance and durability have been great so far and it's my choice when I go out bashing. I was racing electric off and on for about 10 years and I have no desire to mess with electric anymore, nitro just seems so much easier for me and the fun factor is so much higher, I mean just gas and go all day long, no need to worry about cooling things off, carrying around extra battery packs, or waiting around for a charge. Nitro in general gives me alot less problems than electric has in the past. But, if noise is really that big of an issue I don't know what to tell you because nitro is loud enough to annoy people that don't want to hear it. Not louder than a lawnmower, but louder than a weedwacker. If I were plunking down a decent amount of my hard earned cash I would have to go with what was going to give me the most enjoyment. Noone has ever complained about the noise but I am also respectful in my neighborhood and only run a tank or 2 at a time, I try and find construction sites to bash at anyhow. It's only really loud when you're WOT(wide open throttle) trying to hit top speed anyways, idling and lower speeds it's not nearly as loud.

johan_123

My thoughts on the matter of electric vs. nitro. I do prefer nitro. But, if you are looking for performance, no nitro will ever beat a real serious bl electric. Anyone who has seen for instance a hacker brushless in action would agree. The speed and power is insane.

But it really looks stupid going 60mph when the only thing you hear is the tires and the sound of an electric motor.

Go for nitro, you won't regret it.