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-   -   Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's??? (https://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-monster-trucks-160/1789195-newb-looking-buy-first-mt-lots-qs.html)

DMD 05-05-2004 03:11 PM

Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's???
 
Ok, so I was a big RC fan when I was a kid, but of course on my paper-route budget I was limited to Tyco (please don't laugh too hard) and Radio Shack type cars. Mind you, I had a LOT of them, and drove them all into the ground. Now I'm "all grown up" and thinking about getting back into the hobby. So, I'm starting fresh, and want to get a MT. I've been doing lots of reading through the different forums, and have pretty much decided on the Mammoth. However, I've got a few questions:

1 ) I live in Toronto - Does anyone know who deals in XTM here?
2 ) I was calling a few lhs and one of them explicitly told me to not get a XTM truck as they were "bottom of the barrel" quality - now, I've read a lot of the forums and know about the required bracing and such, but most people seem happy with their trucks. Do I need to be worried?
3 ) I have zero equipment - what am I going to NEED to buy with the RTR, and what SHOULD I be buying?
4 ) As an RTR, it comes with a radio, right? Should I get a better one, and does this mean I'm going to need a new recevier?
5 ) Replace the pullstart with an HPI?
6 ) What rollcage should I get?
7 ) What shock tower & braces should I get (or how can I best manufacture them)?
8 ) What type of fuel should I be getting?
9 ) Batteries and charger suggestions?
10 ) Spare parts I should be purchasing immediately?

I'm sorry that this is so long, but I would really like to be able to make ONE trip to the lhs to get myself off the ground, and prevent as much breakage as possible so I can at least have 1 week with the truck before I have to go back.

Lastly, through my reading, my second choice to the Mammoth is the Savage. Anyone care to make comparisons to the Savage?

Thanks very much in advance!

raykessler 05-05-2004 03:20 PM

RE: Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's???
 



Ok, so I was a big RC fan when I was a kid, but of course on my paper-route budget I was limited to Tyco (please don't laugh too hard) and Radio Shack type cars. Mind you, I had a LOT of them, and drove them all into the ground. Now I'm "all grown up" and thinking about getting back into the hobby. So, I'm starting fresh, and want to get a MT. I've been doing lots of reading through the different forums, and have pretty much decided on the Mammoth. However, I've got a few questions:

1 ) I live in Toronto - Does anyone know who deals in XTM here?
2 ) I was calling a few lhs and one of them explicitly told me to not get a XTM truck as they were "bottom of the barrel" quality - now, I've read a lot of the forums and know about the required bracing and such, but most people seem happy with their trucks. Do I need to be worried?
3 ) I have zero equipment - what am I going to NEED to buy with the RTR, and what SHOULD I be buying?
4 ) As an RTR, it comes with a radio, right? Should I get a better one, and does this mean I'm going to need a new recevier?
5 ) Replace the pullstart with an HPI?
6 ) What rollcage should I get?
7 ) What shock tower & braces should I get (or how can I best manufacture them)?
8 ) What type of fuel should I be getting?
9 ) Batteries and charger suggestions?
10 ) Spare parts I should be purchasing immediately?

I'm sorry that this is so long, but I would really like to be able to make ONE trip to the lhs to get myself off the ground, and prevent as much breakage as possible so I can at least have 1 week with the truck before I have to go back.

Lastly, through my reading, my second choice to the Mammoth is the Savage. Anyone care to make comparisons to the Savage?

Thanks very much in advance!
ok lets get started:D

1) no
2) everyone that has a mammoth loves them, dont listen to ur lhs, their wrong, you do need to replace the front shock towers with stronger ones, but thats about it, u dont need to be worried, their exallent quality
3) glow plug driver, screw driver, after run oil, WD-40 thats all i can think of, u probably need a bit more but that should be about it
4) yes it comes with a radio, people have said they dont like the radio, but u probably wont notice, having only used tyco's, look into getting a JR X3, or X2i
5) wait until it breaks
6) shop around
7) if you can do it your self CNC should be good, i'm not sure who makes replacements so il leave that to mammoth owners
8) what ever your lhs carries
9) im fine with alkaline, but trinity makes good rechargable, if u dont want to spend a lot dynamyte makes a good peak charger
10) spare airfilter (i always lose mine), everything else besides the shock towers are very strong.

Savage is stronger out of the box, but the mammoth is MUCH faster. to break a savage you would have to take a large hammer and bash it for a while:D, but for it to out run a mammoth you would have to get the new RB .28 engine... that MIGHT do the trick... if you dont turn your dirve train into mush

hope this helps

Deandome 05-05-2004 03:34 PM

RE: Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's???
 

ORIGINAL: raykessler


Savage is stronger out of the box, but the mammoth is MUCH faster. to break a savage you would have to take a large hammer and bash it for a while:D, but for it to out run a mammoth you would have to get the new RB .28 engine... that MIGHT do the trick... if you dont turn your dirve train into mush

hope this helps
All this "Mammoth is faster" talk is a bunch of smoke and mirrors!!! There are three factors that ALL trucks must balance when talking speed: power, gearing and weight. You can, within reason, adjust those in any ways you want, on any TRUCK you want to get whatever performance you want!!!

XTM has a good engine, but not markedly more powerful than NUMEROUS other engines that can be strapped on to any trucks (you can put the XTM 2.47 into a Savage!!). The RB will smoke it, and of course, you can strap one of THOSE into your Mammoth if you want.

The Mammoth is super fast, but not super quick, as it's still one of the heavier trucks out there. All they did was GEAR it for speed, something you can do to ANY truck.

I LIKE the Mammoth, but XTM did not rewrite the laws of physics to make it go 52 mph!!! They compromised other performance aspects in order to have a truck that fast, plain & simple.

Dean

DMD 05-05-2004 03:39 PM

RE: Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's???
 

ORIGINAL: Deandome
I LIKE the Mammoth, but XTM did not rewrite the laws of physics to make it go 52 mph!!! They compromised other performance aspects in order to have a truck that fast, plain & simple.
Alright, so can you tell me what performance aspects they compromised on, in comparison to the Savage perhaps? I understand that the wheelbase on the Mammoth is longer, giving it a bigger turning radius, but people still say it's pretty nimble as an MT, and for it's size. I obviously don't know either way, these are just things I've read. I'm just looking for as much feedback to arm myself with before I walk into the lhs and have them try to sell me something that I don't want.

raykessler 05-05-2004 03:46 PM

RE: Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's???
 
the mammoth is nimble because it has a very good steering servo

according to RC action when they test for speed they gear it up, and lean it so that it is just barely within safe running parameteres, they did the same thing with the savage as the mammoth, and the mammoth went about 20 mph faster, u cant argue with facts

DKD 05-05-2004 04:05 PM

RE: Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's???
 
but speed isnt everything in my opinion i think that strength in a mt is better than speed. i have a savage, it's not the fastest but it can take a beating[>:]

raykessler 05-05-2004 04:09 PM

RE: Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's???
 
thats true, but with only minimal effort you can get the mammoth to be just as tough, also since hes a newb, it might be good for him, cause theres lots o room on the chassis for wrenching, in the savage its all cramped

DMD 05-05-2004 04:35 PM

RE: Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's???
 

ORIGINAL: raykessler

thats true, but with only minimal effort you can get the mammoth to be just as tough, also since hes a newb, it might be good for him, cause theres lots o room on the chassis for wrenching, in the savage its all cramped
I'm a computer technician, so I'm used to working on things in confined spaces. However, that being said, I also love to add electronics to things, and the extra space in the mammoth will allow for that. I'm already thinking about a dual-steering servo setup for the mammoth I have yet to buy. :)

Deandome 05-05-2004 05:58 PM

RE: Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's???
 

ORIGINAL: DMD

Alright, so can you tell me what performance aspects they compromised on, in comparison to the Savage perhaps? I understand that the wheelbase on the Mammoth is longer, giving it a bigger turning radius, but people still say it's pretty nimble as an MT, and for it's size. I obviously don't know either way, these are just things I've read. I'm just looking for as much feedback to arm myself with before I walk into the lhs and have them try to sell me something that I don't want.

I wasn't adressing wheelbase/handling, though you're right, the smaller lighter trucks are usually better (but then there's COG, steering radus....). I'm just saying that everyone says the Mammoth is so fast @ 52 mph while ignoring the FACT that all it is is GEARING!!

Mammoth: 11.75 lbs 2.6 hp

Savage .25: 11.22lbs, 2.3 hp

So you got 1/2 lb. vs. .3 hp differences. Sounds like a draw, if not, it's close enough.

Anyway, it's clear that if the XTM is FASTER, than it HAS to be slower off the line. That's what I mean by the laws of physics. Forgetting wind drag & tire contact/area/tread stuff (in MTs all that's about the same), when weight/power ratios are the same & everything else is equal too, your vehicle is either quick & slower or less-quick & faster, in simple, EQUAL proportions determined by your gearing.

You can EASILY gear your Savage to give you the same accelleration & top speed as the Mammoth, and vice versa.

So look for OTHER things when choosing your truck!!

Mammoth: big, open chassis! better steering servo, kinda heavy, not a ton of hopup options

Savage: Strong chassis, power start, more option choices, some engine/fuel quirks (do a search w/ "leaning savage")

Personally, I'd wait for the new Losi & Traxxas trucks (Revo), but you asked about these two.

I'm just getting tired of people talking like the Mammoth is magical: 52mph AND quick AND nimble. :eek::eek:

It can be a fine racer, if you gear it for accelleration & live with the fact you don't have a 50 mph+ truck anymore. But outta the box, the Savage IS quicker and the Mammoth IS faster.

Mxracer45 05-05-2004 06:26 PM

RE: Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's???
 
Strong chassis? alot of pics i have seen from ppl running their savage into the wall sideways always ends up with a pretzel looking chassis.[:'(] The mammoth also handles better than the savage.

DMD 05-05-2004 06:38 PM

RE: Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's???
 

ORIGINAL: Deandome
I'm just getting tired of people talking like the Mammoth is magical: 52mph AND quick AND nimble. :eek::eek:
I'm not sure I ever mentioned that it was magical. I've just been looking for opinnions on the different trucks. I understand that some trucks will have advantages over others. Personally I'm looking for a big truck, and the mammoth answers that. It has shortcomings, but I'm not expecting to race any time soon, this is just going to be for bombing around the neighborhood and wherever I happen to take the truck. The Savage has been toted as the best basher, and that's great, but it's not as big as the Mammoth, and I'm prepared to do the modifications to the Mammoth to make it a good basher. So I guess my priorities are:

1) BIG
2) Bash

I think that puts the mammoth first for what I'm looking for. :)

Deandome 05-05-2004 11:15 PM

RE: Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's???
 
Your a newbie, so I wasn't suggesting you were touting anything. I'm not either, I have a (gasp!!) T-Maxx.

Do I get a gold star for not suggesting my own truck?

My last suggestion is that, IF you can wait a bit (??), I'm guessing that the Losi LST truck is gonna be THE best 1/8 scale (big) truck...period.

RCCA said the footrprint was than any MT they've seen (you said you want BIG!). The chassis is an engineering marvel. The 4 massive shock setup makes a LOT of sense & is way cool. Dual steering servos...power start... A JR XS-3 SYNTHESIZED RADIO [X(][X(] (A $200 upgrade!!), a wild tranny-2 speeds in high & 2 in low (4 gearings), the towers & suspension parts are huge.....

Yeah, it's $100 more, but it is REALLY an amazingly-new yet not-too-freaky truck. Did I mention the RADIO!!!!

Make sure you take a close look (on the web for now, hopefully in your store soon!):

http://www.teamlosi.com/kits/LST/index_main.htm

And Losi is a truly elite, world class, inventive, race-proven & bred, designed in the US company, and that means something to me (though I have equal respect for the top Japanese companies too, like Tamiya & Kyosho...I'm not flag waving!). Not that they're the best products (necessarily), but they have contributed SO much to the hobby for SO long...I respect that & feel safe that there will always be someone in California or Champaign, IL to help me out.

IMHO, Losi, Associated, Tamiya, Kyosho & Mugen are the top BRANDS (not the top vehicles, necessarily!!), in compnies that do offroad stuff (Lexus/Acura). HPI, Traxxas & OFNA kinda group together next (Toyota/Nissan), and XTM...well, I they're HYUNDAI.

WAIT....,

Hyundai just surpassed Toyota and is the #3 company OVERALL in JD Powers (behind Lexus & Mercedes, I think). They've both been around a while, but always seemed to settle for making good products at good prices. Big R&D efforts? HA!!! Industry firsts? HA!! But RECENTLY, they've started to INNOVATE, IMPROVE THEIR QUALITY, add more POWER, get more BUYERS, get more GOOD REVIEWS/CUSTOMER FEEDBACK.

Wow, this IS a good comparison!

XTM is a distribution company setup, like OFNA & some other Asian companies have where they WORK with mfgs. to develop new trucks, those mfgs. actually engineer them (i.e., OFNA has a hong Kong company making one series of buggies, and a Chinese making another). Although Losi, Traxxas, Associated and other "American" companies stuff is often made in the SAME Chinsese factories, they were designed, tested & refined HERE.

But OFNA, XTM and others do have good staff here, and customer service is probably fine, too. But hopup wise, Losi, Traxxas, HPI, Associated, etc. will ALWAYS give you more options, and they tend to have better factory part avialabilties, too.

Maybe I'm a snob, but the company that makes the truck DOES matter. A lot? I dunno, but it matters.

Mxracer45 05-06-2004 12:02 AM

RE: Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's???
 
Ur saying that XTM the company ia not good? Go take a good look at the 4 reviews out on the mammoth and u will see its a great truck. XTM makes fantastic vehicles and if they are not up to the limit they need to be they upgrade them. I have heard so many positive things on the mammoth. As well as all ther other xtm vehicles. The x-cellerator for 1 definetely since i own it and know. DMD, will suit u just right. ;) And people wonder why the mammoth breAks easier than the savage. HMMM That is probably becuz the mammoth is 14mph faster than the savage. The savage would be breaking alot more if its top speed was 52mph instead of 38mph. Im done for tonight gotta get too bed peece;):D[8D][8D][8D][8D][8D]

MAMMOTH TOUGH 05-06-2004 05:46 AM

RE: Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's???
 
hmmm...I think i am the first Mammoth owner to reply to this thread........
I am also going to say that the Mammoth will spank a Savage 25 anyday..Why?..
The XTM .247 is a more powerful engine! And look HP dont mean alot but tourqe and power curves are what make this truck fast and QUICK! so stock for stock my mammoth cleans up any savage that wants to play I am not saying that it is Magic but the 247 is a better motor and the hp to weight ratio is better on the mammoth!


I HAVE A MAMMOTH MY BROTHER HAS A SAVAGE AND I ALWAYS WIN!!!

hansdava 05-06-2004 09:33 AM

RE: Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's???
 
mammoth all the way.....

DMD 05-06-2004 09:39 AM

RE: Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's???
 
Hmmm... the LST looks like a lot of fun, but it's not out yet... maybe I'll just have to get the mammoth now, and an LST when it's available. :)

Frost_ 05-06-2004 12:12 PM

RE: Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's???
 

ORIGINAL: MAMMOTH TOUGH
....my mammoth cleans up any savage that wants to play....
..careful what you say....

speed lives 05-06-2004 01:23 PM

RE: Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's???
 
Looks like mammoth owners are pretty much all stuck up snobs :eek:

I'm not even gonna get into your pathetic argument, who cares whats better, there better in there own ways.. There just little trucks quit taking them to seriusly and have fun with them.

MAMMOTH TOUGH 05-06-2004 08:58 PM

RE: Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's???
 
Ok would it be better if i said "IMO" because i like the savage for its durability but i am a racer and the mammoth is what I like and i find it funny when peopple juge a truck they have never driven!

Frost_ 05-07-2004 09:38 AM

RE: Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's???
 

ORIGINAL: MAMMOTH TOUGH
....my mammoth cleans up any savage that wants to play....

ORIGINAL: MAMMOTH TOUGH

Ok would it be better if i said "IMO" because i like the savage for its durability but i am a racer and the mammoth is what I like and i find it funny when peopple juge a truck they have never driven!
...or others who judge trucks that they haven't raced. Additionally, the people that I know that race Savages run Sirio engines and similar (2 have Fantom .27s on the way). I am not trying to start a flame war but your bit quoted above is "painting with too broad a brush", to say "my mammoth cleans up any savage that wants to play" is more than arrogant, besides being rediculous .

MAMMOTH TOUGH 05-07-2004 10:26 AM

RE: Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's???
 
i was under the impresion that this was a stock for stock kinda thing unless you can get a savage pico .26 RTR now.

Deandome 05-07-2004 11:48 AM

RE: Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's???
 

ORIGINAL: MAMMOTH TOUGH

i was under the impresion that this was a stock for stock kinda thing unless you can get a savage pico .26 RTR now.

Actually, I kinda started the more contentious part of this, and it was in response to this post:


Savage is stronger out of the box, but the mammoth is MUCH faster. to break a savage you would have to take a large hammer and bash it for a while , but for it to out run a mammoth you would have to get the new RB .28 engine... that MIGHT do the trick... if you dont turn your dirve train into mush
It was bull**** then, and it's still bull****.

I said it before in detail, and i'll say it again....THE ONLY REASON THE MAMMOTH IS FASTER OUTTA THE BOX IS GEARING!!!!!

There is NOT any significant power/weight ratio advantage EITHER way. Maybe the XTM 24.7 has a different/better powerband, but not enough to say that it's faster AND quicker, which is what I keep hearing & which is driving me nuts!!

The Mammoth is a fine truck...one of the top 3-4 AVAILABLE trucks out there. But will you Mammoth guys PLEASE just admit that XTM just geared the truck for top speed rather than off-the line oomph?? Then maybe the people who are looking for advice can look at all the other features that are MUCH more important than top speed.

Frost_ 05-07-2004 12:01 PM

RE: Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's???
 

ORIGINAL: MAMMOTH TOUGH

i was under the impresion that this was a stock for stock kinda thing unless you can get a savage pico .26 RTR now.
But you said any Savage, and now you are back-tracking. Whatever. Have fun.

speed lives 05-07-2004 12:04 PM

RE: Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's???
 
Lets see you put savage gearing in a mammoth, i garentee u dont go any faster then a stock savage.

Mxracer45 05-07-2004 12:11 PM

RE: Newb looking to buy first MT - lots of q's???
 

ORIGINAL: Gordon69

Lets see you put savage gearing in a mammoth, i garentee u dont go any faster then a stock savage.
I bet the mammoth would go faster.


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