I have a Savage x and wanting to upgrade im new to the hobby so this is why this thred is here.

I cant afford to waist moneyz so all ur oppinions are verry helpfull.

I love my Savage was thinking to get a Savage XL but also thinking about a truggy. The truggys I was looking at was HPI trophy 4.6 & the HPI hellfire. Im looking for pro suggestions on what to buy.

What make...... Traxass/Team associated/HPI/LOSI/

Help me manI love my savage but im giving that my kidds i need a new Truggy/Monstertruck.

This question is really all about personal prefference. I have both truggies and monster trucks and I love them all. But truggies will do just about anything and go just about anywhere a monster truck will and will handle better while doing it. I personally like my truggies better but that is just me. being in the situation you are I would get a truggy since you kids will have the MT. you will have access to both types. Of the brands you listed I preffer Losi over the rest but HPI is good as is Associated. I have never been impressed with Traxxas but that is all I will say about that.

My favorite MT has got to be the LST (or LST based models) They are so well built and handle very well. I have never broken anything on my LST besides the spur gear. I had a savage for a while and it was a good truck but I definently broke more parts with and it and it didn't drive as nice as the LST. I also have an Associated MGT 8.0 and that thing is just a beast. I have left it all stock because I have found it to be built like a tank! the only problem I have had with it so far has been that the grub screws tend to fall out but that is easily fixed with some locktite, and it is such a gas hog. but all the torque makes it worth it! I have had tmaxx's and revo's but I like to keep brand bashing to a minimun so I will just say I wasn't impressed with them and parts support was excellent!LOL!

As far as truggies go the only 2 I have had so far are the HPI Hellfire and the Ofna Jammin CRT X1. they are both nice but I love the X1. I spent quite a bit of time working on the Hellfire and I found the Diffs to be a weak spot for it. but it is laid out nicely and is easy to work on. I haven't had to replace anything on the X1 yet but it is easy to work on as well and is laid out well. there are alot of really nice truggies out there I would like to get my hands on but money is lacking the losi 8ight has a good reputation as does the RC8T, MBX5T or 6T. The Thunder Tiger ST-1 is a little bit cheaper but I hear it is a very solid truck.

Sorry for writing a book but here is my 2 cents. Let us know what you get!!

Thanx for that...

I will probabbly get a truggy but i have no idea what to buy. Im leaning towards the HPI trophy 4.6 unless i get told otherwise.</p>

HPI truggies tend to be on the fragile side. Look into Losi, Mugen, Xray, Jammin, Ofna, and Thunder Tiger truggies.

I agree, but add the associated also

Thanx I will do some recerch on the MGT 8.0 and losi xxl

I think im going to get the Losi XXL

my advice is to get a Truggy...its tougher then the XXL , way faster, way better handling and much more capable...like comparing a dump truck to a Corvette.......

What truggy would u suggest who make the best. Is the hpi trophy 4.6 any good becauce that was the orijinal car i was going to get

A Losi XXL will be about as fast as anything you can get, with the ecxeptions of something with some high end modded engines maybe.

Truggies are OK, but they break and wear out too.

The XXL IMO is about as good an RC as you can get.

Yes truggies handle better, but then buggies handle better than truggies. So you have to ask yourself, how often are you going to be running on a track? High end truggies are CRAZY, STUPID expensive. If you really want a truggy I would consider the Losi 8T 2.0 RTR, or maybe an Associated RC8T RTR. Truggies IMO are more for the track though.

MT's are more versatile IMO. Plus they can wheely... (without needing some high end engine or locked center diff to do it..)

And the XXL is the best MT you can get...

If that's out of your league, get a Savage XL, dump the engine, and throw an LRP 30 in it. For bashing that'll do. A step up would be the Losi XXL. For something a bit different that yes, does handle better, try a truggy and get either the Losi or the Associated. And keep in mind the difference in handling from Losi XXL to Savage XL is about as much from MT to truggy. I.e. the XXL will handle MUCH better than a Savage.. IMO those four are what you should be looking at... Good luck..


EDIT - Just reread your posts. You haven't said what kind of terrain you will be running on. That is key to be able to give you the best answers. So, where will you be running it?

The XXL will be in a bag of parts well before the Truggy even breaks a sweat...no way on earth is the XXL more versatile.....

the XXL is dog slow next to a Truggy...dog slow, not contest...my god the thing is 13lbs...its slow, cumbersome and clumsy and it breaks really easily when you take it in the air..

Buy a Truggy ! do yourself a favor and buy a truggy first....they will do things that will turn a XXL to shrapnel....

And yes I have experience with the XXL< a few of my bro's have them..... And they also have Truggies as well and the XXL's are nothing more then a novelty, they are nowhere near as fun as the Truggies.....

I have driven and ran the XXL's and they did not impress me one bit....I am used to a Truggy and the XXL felt horribly slow and cumbersome, it didn't jump well, it didn't brake well, not did it handle well...I honestly can't see why anyone would say a XXL is more versatile then a Truggy.... The XXL is a decent machine and all, but nowhere near what a Truuggy is......

in the 2 XXL's i have run both have dropped their diffs and broken quite a few control arms...it doesn't take anywhere near the abuse a Truggy will...sorry Patrick but the XXL did not impress me overly much..it truly looked comical and stupid trying to keep up to the Truggies.... Also the RTR engine sucks horribly....

I am not a fan of HPI products as a general rule, they break way too much for me to want to use..I like running, not spending my day on the tailgate wrenching...If your on a budget get yourself a HB d8T..HB is owned by HPI but they put way more quality in technology in the D8 lineup then have in any other vehicle they have made, its actually a decent product.....If you have more cake to play with then look for a Mugen, top quality product that is proven to be extremely reliable and durable......

Exaggerated. And you're running truggies that cost twice as much as an XXL, AND more often than not ON TRACKS.. AND have expensive high end modded engines that need a new clutch every gallon.

(Dawgbone at the LST forum hit it on the head when he said that with truggies, it's all about the clutch.. And I was seriously f-ing sick of changing clutches among different engines at my last race.. Seems like all I did the whole weekend. And still never had the right snap. Big put-off for me with truggies.. My buggy doesn't seem to need half the clutch maintenance of my truggies.. But yes, to be honest, if I were just bashing, there are different good long lasting clutches like the Fioroni that will work.. But they lack snap off the line. Either that, or they last a gallon max. Been there done that with stupid expensive clutches....)

For the average Joe running around in his yard, the XXL makes more sense IMO.

And stock out of the box it should hit close to 50mph - top-speed wise up there with an 8T 2.0. With a very good RTR engine - the same in both - too.

Truggies do break, and develop slop - especially in the steering - in ways that MT's don't. They do blow diffs too, and break arms, and shocks(at €100 a set...), and carriers and hubs..

The way you're going on about XXL's makes me think your "bros" don't know how to set them up - or drive... You might say the same thing to me about truggies.. But I've had several and driven them extensively(albeit on really on tracks, not for bashing - but I never would given what they cost, AND that they have that flat pan chassis, which is IMO not meant to be landed on from ten feet up at the skate park..) Yes they're fun, but they're DUMB expensive.. If anything I prefer a buggy..

I also don't think a truggy is any tougher for big air bashing than an MT is.. And there IS a difference in ground clearance. So for running in high-ish grass a big MT like the XXL will go places - and yes FASTER - than a truggy. Just look at the size of the stock XXL tires/wheels. Put those huge wheels on a truggy and bye-bye clutch.. That I have seen for myself.. None of my RC's will scoot through middle-ish grass as fast as my LST2 will... And even if my race truggy would, I don't want to do it because I don't want it to develop slop that will require a bunch of new parts.

Another point I should add is that a lot of my opinions are based partly on the incredibly cheap spare parts prices for Losi MT's from jennysrcparts on e-bay.com.

I take my savage x to local woods what are dirty hilly lots of jumps skate parks and in the street outside my house

Patrick...M2C clutch on the truggy...like I have been saying for a couple of years...... That right there would have solved all your issues.... Why do you think I have such little clutch issue running my modified engines ? If you run some junky clutch your going to have issues ..I have tried em all too..Werk's,Losi,Mugen,OFNA,Fiorini and nothing even comes close to the snap and durability of the M2C...... I can get nearly a full season on a set of shoes with the M2C...the only issue I have had is with snapping flywheel pins when I take huge air from the CB smashing into the chassis....I have had the clutch issue figured out for 2 years now, not my fault you wont take my advice...

Yes the XXL will pull about 40-45(on a good day) MPH.....but its slow getting there, very slow compared to the Truggy... I mean think about it..the Truggy weighs 9 lbs the XXL weighs 13 lbs.....the Truggy has a much lighter drivetrain and rotating mass...Side by side in a drag race the Truggy blows the doors off the XXL, absolutely smokes it.. truthfully the XXL looks and feels like it is in slow motion next to the truggy.. I am am talking about the 8T2.0 RTR same engine....The XXL looks cooler, the 8T 2.0 is way more exhilarating to drive.....

Now for a MT the XXL does handle and perform well, but its heavy and cumbersome..and because of that weight it is more prone to breakage when it crashes.....I am not making this up either, the XXL will not survive the abuse a truggy will , sorry but its not even close....I watched too many of these trucks this summer, the XXL is the best of the MT's, but its a far ways off being a truggy..I do like the XXL, but honestly after driving and working on them they are nothing more then a novelty that I would run when I manage to break on of my Truggies....But I would not buy a MT before a truggy..I like the MT but cover you bases first and get a Truggy

As for wheelies, the XXL is not a wheely machine, its too heavy and too long...you can make it wheely, but be prepared to be fixing diffs as we learned....The amount of force needed to wheely the XXL puts a major amount of strain on the rear diff....honestly we get more exciting wheelies from the Truggies then we do from the XXL...Now if your after wheelies then a Savage X with a raunchy engine is the way to go...The XXL is a big battle cruiser, its huge,heavy and clumsy...it does roll over a little more terrain then a Truggy would if you run the stock XXL tires...but if your planning on jumping those big tires will cause alot of headaches when you crash.... land corner down and say goodbye to the control arm...huge tires look good on the shelf, but they do nothing good other then maybe climbing over big rocks...performance and durability wise the big tires are a liability more then anything...

I spent my entire summer taking air with the machines...MT's ,Truggies and Buggies...... our jump launches us 10 feet high and we travel 45 feet to land on flat ground... The MT's are nowhere near as capable doing that jump..the Truggies do still break, but nowhere near as much as the MT's do....Yes we run on a "Track"..but its more of a bashing playground then a track.......

I am a speed freak and I really find the faster vehicles to me more exciting then the slower vehicles.... the XXL is 13 lbs and has massive tires, because of that its rather slow accelerating...it does have decent top end, but you will fall asleep waiting for it ..... IMO the XXL is geared way too tall for the HP it has..it would be a much snappier funner machine if it had more focus on acceleration instead of top speed.....FYI we radred both XXL's and 2.0 RTR..the XXL was pumping low 40's the 2.0 was pumping mid 40's...however the 2.0 took half the time and distance to reach that speed....

for monster trucks don't get the losi xxl period!!!!!. there are junk (nothing more than left over parts from the aftershock which is leftover parts from the lst1). if you get a losi get the lst2 and no other. the strongest,most powerful,best handling m/t out there. i'm talking out of the box they are the best.
for truggys i'd say yes to the hotbodies d8t.

Don't get the HPI trucks, overpriced for what you get in my opinion. I have my reservations about CEN brand as well. I bought a GST 7.7 a while back just out of curiosity and my thought on it is I could of had something better for that price. Not knocking it because itis fun to bash around with.

If you want a decent truggy I would suggestlooking at the following: Associated RC8T which is available as an RTR if you don't like building kits, or even better, the Mugen MBX6T if money is no object. The mugen comes as a kit and you'll have to buy everything like engine, exhaust, radio, track accessories such as starter, etc. I own both and the Mugen is much better, but it will cost way more. I have an Odonnel truggy (Z01 T) which is damn nice but like the mugen, you'll have to build it and buy everything listed above for the mugen. The Jammin X2 truggy looks alright. I have a couple CRT's and am very happy with them.

I'm not really into MT's that much, but I do love the ones I have. If you want a decent MT for bashing then get the MTG 8.0. It's an excellent basher and will go anywhere. I beat the hell out of mine and it comes back for more. If you want to start going lower in price you could consider traxxas vehicles (strictly bashers IMO) such as T-maxx or revo's. Never had a T-maxx, but I have a Revo and it's a decent basher.

It is true that truggies handle much better than MT's, but if you're just going to be bashing then you'll likely be happy with either one. If you plan on racing it at a club, then you should lean towards a truggy.

If you're giving your savage to your kids, does this mean you are going to be running with them? Are you going to be repairing them all too? If the answer is yes, then I suggest sticking with a Savage variant. Spare parts will be common. Performance will be similar. Upgrades, setups, repairs will be simpler. Impromptu competitions will be more fun if you're running the same vehicles too.

Im fed up of the savage allways breaking but yes we will bash 2getther thats why i think ill get the losi xxl

WRONG.

The XXL is an extended LST2 - same arms, same drivetrain, same hubs, etc.. Just as bulky as an LST2, but a longer chassis/rails/driveshafts, and with different output gears in the tranny.

Quick comment about the LST2/XXL stock tire size: they ARE huge, but that's precisely what makes them good for bashing(who care what it looks like on the shelf...) The size (and weight) of them makes the LST2 anyway much easier to flip.

I personally don't see the need for an LST2 to be longer, because yes it's just harder to wheely and flip in the air. But still, basically the same, so still an awesome RC..

As for the M2C clutch, I am sure it is awesome. But it costs three time what a stock XXL clutch costs from jennys.. And I still think that an MT with a worn out clutch will run better than a truggy with a worn-out clutch. I.e. you have to maintain it more, change bearings more, etc.. I haven't changed ANY bearings on my first LST2 in the nearly three years I've had it(except the clutch - 2-3 times I think..)

no its not the same. the motor is different (and junk in the xxl)and longer chassis/rails/driveshafts, and with different output gears in the tranny.
that right there makes it different.
here in the states the xxl is junk i've seen the problems with them first hand and nothing you say will change my mind. i know 2 local shops that won't even work on them anymore and 1 of them sells the xxl.
might be different where you are but not here.

I agree a Truggy clutch does take more abuse.... It also depends on the surfaces you run on...if you on grass or pavement the clutch takes a beating as there is no tire slip to blow off power.... If your on typical dirt where the tires can slip the clutch does way better...tire choice is also a big deal...heavy tires like badlands kill clutches......... With a M2C 4 shoe and AKA tires I can get pretty much a season out of a set of shoes..providing i dont have some sort of collision and rub out my bell on the chassis.....I dont run my truggy on grass or concrete often, 95% is on the dirt.......A M2C isn't cheap, but $60.00 isn't bad for a complete 4 shoe clutch system with 4 spring weights, 4 shoes, flywheel, installation tool etc..... IMO if your running int he dirt a Truggy is tough to beat..... grass is boring IMO unless its dead and trampled....

Bottom line is that they both have their advantages and disadvantages.

I have a buggy and i seem to like jumping and bashing it about as well as my savage. The savage i mainly use in rougher stuff, and grass where the buggy gets bounced around more, or where the grass slows it down. I like the simplicity of the buggy, the ease of working on it, and the layout of the driveline(which is the same as a truggy). A buggy will take more of a beating than a truggy will though because of the shorter A-Arms and smaller tires.

A buggy will be stronger than a truggy, takes less power to go as fast(and get there quicker), and the clutches will last longer. It just wont handle rough terrain as well, which is why i have my savage, and IMO the savage will handle the rough terrain i run on better than a truggy will, and as it was already mentioned, the clutches last much longer since they have a low 1st gear for hills, and torque down at low speeds. My $12 integy clutch has 3 gallons on it now and is still doing great. A truggy wont be too good at anything under probably 15mph in off road stuff because the clutch wont be "hooked up" yet.

Here is how I would classify the 3:

Monster Truck- Great in medium to tall grass, big jumps, real rough off roading, ruts, and rough hill climbing, along with mud and water if thats your thing
Truggy- Great on medium rough dirt surfaces, not too good for grass, handles jumps well, handles most off road surfaces pretty good as long as it isnt low speed climbing/playing
Buggy- Great on fairly smooth dirt surfaces, not good in grass unless its pretty short, handles jumps well, and any fairly smooth off road surface they are great for. Most durable of the 3

Really, it all depends on where you will be running, and basically which style you prefer. They all have their positives and negatives, so if you can, its best to have a couple of different rides to choose from.

Eric

Nothing lighter clutch springs cant fix.

Who want's to go under 15 MPH anyways !! if i wanted to go that slow I would buy a crawler...... I like the Truggies because they are soo much more stable at high speeds then a MT is....it allows me to drive really fast over things I really shouldn't be..... If a person was to drive their MT and their Truggy back to back and have a datolog of the runs they would find they drive a Truggy much faster over longer periods of time..... The handling and stability allow you to do things that just are not possible with a MT...If your any sort of a speed lover a Truggy is the way to offroad bash...If your more into the 4X4 thing and slow climbing over terrain and plowing thru grass then a MT is better..... Because of the speed a Truggy needs a more open area to have fun, and because they are so stable there is zero challenge to driving them on flat dirt, you can turn them full turn at top speed and they usually wont flip over, they just slide around the corner... So unless you have jumps, lifts or hills a Truggy gets boring very fast..... You will find you will push the envelope more with a Truggy to have fun with it... I can have a blast wheelying a MT in my front yard..I can hardly idle my truggy in the front yard.......... I do agree a Truggy and MT both have their place..... for me the speed of the Truggy wins ! I find speed thrilling and the faster I can go the happier I am .......