orngwhp71

Hey fellow modelers out there......
I have been into r/c for 1 1/2 years and so far I started out with nitro airplanes and a little experience with nitro helicopters...very technical there....and now I have got the urge to try r/c nitro monster trucks.
I have always been the racing type of person.....I'm just giving you a rundown of what my interests are ....I like a wide variety of toys other wise I get bored..LOL.
Anyways getting down to it....I was at my LHS and wanted to know which MT would be the best for the $....hints the Traxxas revo3.3 or the HPI savage X 4.6. He told me to stay away from HPI,...that there motors are "CRAP" so to speak and that traxxas had a more reliable motor.

I have been reading alot of threads on rcuniverse and I respect everybody's opinion on there experiences with both cars. However ,. can anybody tell me if the guy at my LHS is full of ......you know what. I know everybody has there preference on what they like and what kind of cars and truck there into.... but I am a little sceptical with his answer.
You know how you can go to a hobby shop and right away you can tell if someone has expert knowledge of what they are talking about....you guys know.....well this guy did'nt strike me as that tpye....LOL.

I just want you guys to let me know if he is full of C***.

Personally from what I have seen from both trucks they are both a good engine.
I just would like a second opinion.....Thanks Guys........Long Live R/C

J4K3SHNEG

I have never owned a monster truck but Ive read that the savage is usually the preference as it is very tough and HPI engines are not crap. Ive read the Revo is better for racing but the savage is tougher. So i guess its what you want it for. Both makes are great so saying that the HPI engines are crap is NOT right. Don't fully base your decision on my advice though as ive never owned either its just what i know

orngwhp71

Yeah....i hear you.... Just to clairify to people...... I am not saying the hpi engine is crap....the guy at the hobby shop said it was.
I just like to get as many opinions as I can ....you know it does'nt hurt . Thanks for your feedback ,...I appreciate it greatly to all .
Who knows......maybe the guy at my LHS really don't know how to tune a motor....I mean it all comes down to the low and hi set just right..... the weather ..cold or hot outside....altitude....you name it. but I think if you break it in properly and take it easy for the fisrt few tanks of fuel...4 to 6 hints... that once you get all that worked out , the only thing you should have to adjust on here and there is the high speed needle valve. .........I THINK i'm right....LOL

benzy2

He is part right. The kit form of the 4.6 has the K4.6 engine which is mediocre power wise. The RTR version gets the F4.6 engine which is an amazing RTR engine. I would take the F4.6 over a traxxas for bashing. If you plan on racing the Revo is a better setup racing truck and would head that way. If you are bashing around not much beats the Savage. The K4.6 and the motor in their XL model both have their own issues and aren't what I would call ideal. The F4.6 in the RTR X 4.6 is the HPI motor to get.

orngwhp71

Thanks for the info BENZY2..... one thing I have noticed....getting off the engine topic for a sec..is that on the HPI bodies that come on the 4.6 X you can get direct replacements on the RTR bodies. On the Traxxas Rtr bodies from Prographix ....you can't get the replacement bodies that come with the RTR brands like you can the HPI. Some people like buying the ready to go already painted bodies.....but the only ones I have seen for the new RTR traxxas bodies ...you have to go to ebay and you will see ads on sellars that have pulled these bodies from other RTR trucks. I think that Prographics needs to make available to to public the original RTR bodies that HPI has for their new line of trucks.......just my opinion.

olkleaf

well they are rtr engines ... most rtr engines are not very good... the guy at the hobby store probly had a bad experice with an hpi engine.

i have heard from many people that after a gallon its all down hill for traxxas engines

orngwhp71

Yeah well ......he said that the HPI 5.9 X truck was awsome.....but the 4.6 engine was crap. I mean.......HPI technolgy is HPI technolgy is'nt it. I mean.......every single O.S. motor I have ever used is awsome....never ever a problem.
I would think that HPI would be the same way wether it is a RTR or not. In my opinion,...just because it is a ready to run motor that it is not as good ......what ...do they build that particular motor with different materials .....setups cheaper carbs or pistons.....what i mean I would really like to know.

benzy2

No they dont use the same 4.6 motor in the kit and the rtr. They outsource all their motors. What is good in one model may not be good in another. Just because you buy a Chevy doesn't mean you get a Corvette engine.

orngwhp71

O.k .....coool thanks alot......their is a big diff in engines when I t comes to cars/ trucks/ and airplanes.
The o.s. line is very strong when it comes to any of them......and when the motorgoes out on which ever one I choose...probably both...LOL I will replace it with a whatever in interchance that I can put in it. Thanks for all your input fellas.

Chris_RC

If you are going to race, I dont suggest you get a MT. The closest track to Yucaipa, CA is Thunder Alley in beaumont, and they do not race MTs. Either does any of the other tracks in socal.

MadManAndrew

I can't believe nobody over here doesn't know anything. HPI engines are good. They put down a ton of torque and good horsepower. The only problem you would ever experience with HPI engines is that on the K series engines, they use different bearing than the other engines and the bearing will implode at high speeds. The f series such as whats nin the Savage X 4.6 is a great motor. Just, if you get an XL or X SS, you should probably replace the bearings with better ones not to long after purchase.

orngwhp71

Thanks MADMANANDREW I will have to do that.
As for ChrisRC I am not going to race I just want to thrash around a little....flat track stuff ....parastyle jumps ....that kind of stuff.
Maybe later on in the future I might look into races here and there.
As for no tracks out here in Ca. that you can't race MT's ......that a load of crap. I don't care what anybody says....LOL

Chris_RC

Say what you want. There are NO tracks in socal that race monster trucks. Look into revrace.com, thunderalleyrcraceway.com, green flag raceway which is on the rcu regional racers and bashers section, and Hemet RC in Hemet. Monster trucks were made to bas, not race. Everyone races 1/8 buggy and truggy down here.

orngwhp71

NO..... really dude....what are you trying to get at here.....I know that MT's are not really for racing , what I said was that I would look in to getting a MT for now and maybe in the future get a car I could race........geez dude.

SAVAGEJIM

I too will have to say the F4.6 is probably the best stock HPI engine out there, more noticable power than the K4.6, and unfortunately, the K5.9 is not an RPM performer, it is a low RPM torque monster, like the OS .30ci VG, (actually, it feels like it pulls harder tahn the VG). But at high RPMs, the K5.9 seems to lydown and die as compared to the F4.6.

I dont own any F4.6 engines of my own, only driven some of my friend's Savages with F4,6, and they go. I do have several of my own K4.6 engines, and they are okay for bashing, and they do make plenty of torque too, but also not high RPM guys, maybe 35000RPM is the basolute most I have ever made any of my K4.6s go? They are really reliable, and I rebuilt each one at least once. They do last once broken in properly and cared for, and can even take some abuse.

But hands down, aftermarket engines do outperform the stock HPI engines by leaps and bounds. Even the cheapest poor quiality STS engines (like a D28/30M) will spank a K4.6 like there is no tomorrow (of course, the K4.6 is much more reliable and free of materials and factory defects that STS engins have). Another chinese engine that is MUCH better than STS are SH engines. LRP, Mach, Sporteswerks, Dynamite, and a myriad of many other resellers sell these powerful SH engines. Probably the best known SH engine resold for Savages is the LRP Z28 Spec series (Spec3 is the most current I think). And for the price to performance factor, this SH engine is really hard to beat! It definitely will turn Savage plastic spurs into butter soft black goo as the massive torque simply melts its teeth off!

orngwhp71

Thanks for your info SAVAGEJIM I will take notes...

orngwhp71

What online r/c shop carries the better bearings for the Savage 4.6

kgreenwalt98

hpi is way betterrr. louder too

SAVAGEJIM

Im not certain, but I have heard of some guys even putting ceramics into the engine (like Bocas). But I do not know if those last or how they perform once in the the engine, and I have never done that myself. If anyone has done this, I definitely want to know if they work out great or if that idea is a bust.

Sugafree

There both crappy RTR Engines........

I'd Never Spend the money on Ceramic Bearing on a HPI Engine....Save your cash and buy a better Engine