looking to buy first nitro monster truck
07-13-2015, 08:24 AM
#2
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You can get 50 replies and 50 different answers. I have personally had literally almost every MT out there, T-Maxx's, Revos (nitro and electric), Savages (nitro and electric and every variation of), MT4G3, Savage XS, LST's, AE MGT's, converted D8T's... I'm sure I'm missing some. Honestly they all have their strong and weak points, there is no such thing as an indestructible truck unless you can find a way to defy the laws of physics. When you crash something that weighs several pounds, at some point something has to break. I've had a lot of Traxxas cars and while sometimes they get a bad rap, one of the best parts about them is that you can walk into any hobby shop anywhere in the country and they will likely have parts for you. If you have questions, you can do a search online and find a ton of info about most likely your exact question. If you are new to the hobby, a Traxxas car is a great way to go. If you are savvy at using classifieds and/or Ebay I would highly recommend buying a used car that comes with a lot of the accessories you'll need all in one lot to save yourself some money. One of my hobbies is buying cars that come with lots of stuff and re-selling all the individual things and I honestly cannot believe how little these things go for when sold as a package. This is the reason I've had so many trucks, I buy dozens a year and often try them out before re-selling them. I am actually in the process of building a ridiculous big-block Revo project I needed LST diffs for it so I found a nice LST on Ebay and bought the whole thing to steal the diffs out of and part out the rest of the truck since it's full of aluminum upgrades (great sellers on Ebay).
07-13-2015, 08:56 PM
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Very true, everybody has their opinions on what is the best. For a first time nitro truck I'd definitely go new. The two trucks I usually recommend are the Traxxas T Maxx 3.3, and the HPI Savage X 4.6. Of the two, I prefer the Savage in stock form over the T Maxx, but only slightly. I have owned TMaxx's since 2002 and enjoy building them up into completely custom trucks. My buddy owns a Savage X which I have driven before and really enjoyed it. Of the two the main difference is tuning. The Savage tunes much easier than the 3.3 does and holds a tune better. it is also more powerful, has more suspension travel, and is more durable in stock form. But, as John said Traxxas parts are much much easier to come by. Traxxas also has very good customer support and their trucks are more customizable than anything else out there. My T Maxx for example has only 4 stock parts on it, the shocks, the diffs (E Maxx), tranny, and the radio box. The rest of it is put together with aftermarket parts.
So basically it comes down to two things. If you want the option to customize the truck in the future, the T Maxx is your best bet. It is a very seasoned design, changing very little in it's 13 year history, and is well known around the RC world. The down side is that you will break parts if you push the truck too hard and could have trouble tuning the stock engine. I had issues with my TRX 2.5R back when I had it in my T Maxx as I kept getting leaking carbs and I could never tune the thing well. Others have had good luck with the TRX engines, though and if you feel it's defective Traxxas is really good about replacing stuff. Of course as things break you can get aftermarket parts to replace them with which are available everywhere, and the engine can always be swapped out later for a better one down the road.
If you don't care to customize the truck too much, the Savage is your truck. Don't get me wrong, there are a fair amount of aftermarket parts and mods for the Savage as well, just not as much as the T Maxx. HPI has a good parts stock at local hobby stores, but more often than not you will likely be ordering parts with the Savage where as the T Maxx you can usually walk right in and get whatever you need. Even with that, the Savage is a better truck in stock form than the T Maxx is as far as durability goes. I have witnessed my buddie's Savage take 8 foot jumps in stride, something that made me cringe even with my heavily modified Maxx and something that would likely break parts on a stocker. You also have the advantage of being able to use any big block (.21 or larger) engine and a wide variety of tuned pipes in a Savage where with a T Maxx you are stuck with compatible drop in engines Like the O.S. .21 Max and the like, giving you less options beyond stock engines in the future if you're looking for more power. The only way to install a true big block engine in a T Maxx is with a custom chassis, which are rare and very expensive these days.
So in short, the T Maxx offers superior parts availability and customization options along with killer customer support and warranty coverage. Chop shop parts for the T MAxx can be had on Ebay for chump change and they are everywhere. The Savage offers a more durable truck that is less customizable and lacks the support that Traxxas offers, but has better engine replacement and pipe options down the road.
For another option, I'll throw in the Team Associated Monster GT, which comes in a 4.6 and an 8.0. The 4.6 is cheaper than either the Savage or the T Maxx and is an all around good truck. I'd say it's on par with the Savage for durability, but it's built more similarly to the T Maxx. It uses true big block engines like the Savage, but it is more open in the chassis allowing you to access parts easier. Of the 3, the MGT is the easiest to work on. The 4.6 is the more tame version, the 8.0 is insanely powerful and pretty much unmatched as far as power goes. Both engines aare easy to tune and will run for a good long time. It is upgraded from the 4.6 version with stronger tranny and differential gears for the increased power. The MGT has a fair amount of aftermarket upgrades and decent parts support, but again you would likely be ordering parts for it more often than not. Still, I think it's a strong option and doesn't get mentioned enough as an option. The best part about it is it costs $350 shipped from Tower Hobbies with one of their coupon codes. The T Maxx would be around $370, and the Savage would be about $415. I always order from Tower whenever I can for their coupon codes and free shipping.
So basically it comes down to two things. If you want the option to customize the truck in the future, the T Maxx is your best bet. It is a very seasoned design, changing very little in it's 13 year history, and is well known around the RC world. The down side is that you will break parts if you push the truck too hard and could have trouble tuning the stock engine. I had issues with my TRX 2.5R back when I had it in my T Maxx as I kept getting leaking carbs and I could never tune the thing well. Others have had good luck with the TRX engines, though and if you feel it's defective Traxxas is really good about replacing stuff. Of course as things break you can get aftermarket parts to replace them with which are available everywhere, and the engine can always be swapped out later for a better one down the road.
If you don't care to customize the truck too much, the Savage is your truck. Don't get me wrong, there are a fair amount of aftermarket parts and mods for the Savage as well, just not as much as the T Maxx. HPI has a good parts stock at local hobby stores, but more often than not you will likely be ordering parts with the Savage where as the T Maxx you can usually walk right in and get whatever you need. Even with that, the Savage is a better truck in stock form than the T Maxx is as far as durability goes. I have witnessed my buddie's Savage take 8 foot jumps in stride, something that made me cringe even with my heavily modified Maxx and something that would likely break parts on a stocker. You also have the advantage of being able to use any big block (.21 or larger) engine and a wide variety of tuned pipes in a Savage where with a T Maxx you are stuck with compatible drop in engines Like the O.S. .21 Max and the like, giving you less options beyond stock engines in the future if you're looking for more power. The only way to install a true big block engine in a T Maxx is with a custom chassis, which are rare and very expensive these days.
So in short, the T Maxx offers superior parts availability and customization options along with killer customer support and warranty coverage. Chop shop parts for the T MAxx can be had on Ebay for chump change and they are everywhere. The Savage offers a more durable truck that is less customizable and lacks the support that Traxxas offers, but has better engine replacement and pipe options down the road.
For another option, I'll throw in the Team Associated Monster GT, which comes in a 4.6 and an 8.0. The 4.6 is cheaper than either the Savage or the T Maxx and is an all around good truck. I'd say it's on par with the Savage for durability, but it's built more similarly to the T Maxx. It uses true big block engines like the Savage, but it is more open in the chassis allowing you to access parts easier. Of the 3, the MGT is the easiest to work on. The 4.6 is the more tame version, the 8.0 is insanely powerful and pretty much unmatched as far as power goes. Both engines aare easy to tune and will run for a good long time. It is upgraded from the 4.6 version with stronger tranny and differential gears for the increased power. The MGT has a fair amount of aftermarket upgrades and decent parts support, but again you would likely be ordering parts for it more often than not. Still, I think it's a strong option and doesn't get mentioned enough as an option. The best part about it is it costs $350 shipped from Tower Hobbies with one of their coupon codes. The T Maxx would be around $370, and the Savage would be about $415. I always order from Tower whenever I can for their coupon codes and free shipping.
08-27-2015, 06:39 PM
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Very new to the rc scene and my first post on rc universe. I have recently purchased a uswd redcat volcano s30 and me and the kids have really enjoyed it. Now I am looking at buying a used hpi savage 4.6 with plenty of upgrades as follows
HPI Savage 4.6 Monster Truck*
Comes with*
-Spectrum DX3.0 digital remote*
-Prophet sport dual power battery charger*
-Duratrax Flashpoint temp gun*
-Brand new engine with billet aluminium racing head*
-Upgraded Hi-torque servos*
-Three speed tranny*
-3/4 jug of nitro fuel with fuel bottle*
-3 sets of tires*
-Lots of spare parts*
It also has the old motor and a huge box of parts and equipment and oil and so on. Do yous think this is a good buy for 220. Also I have read some great reviews of these trucks. What do yous think?
HPI Savage 4.6 Monster Truck*
Comes with*
-Spectrum DX3.0 digital remote*
-Prophet sport dual power battery charger*
-Duratrax Flashpoint temp gun*
-Brand new engine with billet aluminium racing head*
-Upgraded Hi-torque servos*
-Three speed tranny*
-3/4 jug of nitro fuel with fuel bottle*
-3 sets of tires*
-Lots of spare parts*
It also has the old motor and a huge box of parts and equipment and oil and so on. Do yous think this is a good buy for 220. Also I have read some great reviews of these trucks. What do yous think?
