<<<FIRST OFF I AM A NEWBIE........BUT DOING PLENTY OF INVESTIGATING. I HEAR THE TMAXX REVERSE MECHANISM CREATES SOME PERFORMANCE PROBLEMS......IF SO SHOULD I JUST BUY THE SPORTMAXX WITH THE 4WD AND 2SPEED UPGRADE?

You should stay away from the T-maxx right now because of a lot of engine troubles. Maybe a Ofna or Savage would be better at this point?? I have 2 of the older Maxx's and that engine (TRX Pro .15) worked great but, I have since upgraded them to .21's. But, it's up to you. Both truck's are good to start out with but, with the trouble that a lot of people are having with the engine I would think about it first!

Ledgendary is correct the newer TMAXX's are having lots of engine trouble, a few friends are super pissed at Traxxas right now, however, my older TMAXX with an OS engine in it...would not replace it at all..the truck minus the stock Traxass engine is so tuff and parts are readily available at all LHS everywhere!!

A fix to the tranny issue is to remove the reverse gear and replace with forward only keeping the 2 speed forward is awesome, I am going to convert mine soon, a friend has already done it and big difference..also Grampi a regular on this forum just recently removed his revers and was singing the praises right here on RC UNIVERSE..My $0.02...good luck and go Nitro or go home!!!

Cant u take the reverse off i might get one soon and im putting a os.40 on there with a .40 conversion kit form new era models and i want this to be the best one so can i tek off the reverse thing?
And is it reall hard or just a couple of nuts and bolts

Unless you plan on using reverse A LOT, I highly recommend getting rid of it. It smooths out the power delivery tremendously. The reverse unit causes a jerkiness in the driveline under partial throttle application. Without it, the jerkiness is gone.

There have been quite a few people having engine problems with the Maxx, myself included, but I wouldn't recommend staying away from the T-Maxx or Sportmaxx all together just because of it. The Maxx is an excellent MT even with the engine problems. Mine ran perfectly today for the first time since I've had it. I'm just wondering if it takes this engine longer to break-in in order to start running properly. Even if you are never able to get the 2.5 to run properly, there are several good replacement engines available, and the list of aftermarket stuff available for these trucks is literally endless. I've heard the Sirio .18 is an awesome engine, and Fantom is about to release their new .18 for the Maxx which will probably be equally as awesome.

The foward only conversion is only about $10.
Do it.It did wonders for my Maxx

hey grampi i got a question 4 u............i see alot of people get the tmaxx and drop another engine in there........is it cuz the new 2.5 bites or iz it for racing reasons?......cuz a nice engine iz bout another buck fifty and better

I suppose some are replacing the engine because they're sick of trying to deal with the 2.5, and some just want more power. When running properly, I think the 2.5 provides adequate power for the Maxx. However, I'm a power and speed junky. I'm really looking forward to the release of Fantom's new .18. Just like the Sirio .18, it's a direct drop-in replacement engine, but it should be quite a bit less expensive than the Sirio.

im ready 2 jump off a bridge right now........for weeks ive been investigating the tmaxx, savage ,and one of the ofna's (but its not 4 me) so i narrowed it down to the 2.hpi and traxxas...but now ive been hearing bad things bout the maxx..after weeks of praise ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Don't rule out the Maxx because of what you've been reading about the engine problems. The Maxx and Savage are BOTH very good trucks. Which one is right for you depends on which performance aspects are most important to you. If you want a larger truck with unmatched durability, good handling, and excellent ground clearance, go with the Savage. If you want a slightly smaller truck with blazing acceleration and top speed, decent handling, and an endless supply of aftermarket parts, go with the Maxx. Chances of you getting a Maxx with a finicky engine are about 50/50. Some folks have been able to get rid of the problem, some haven't.

okok...if u get a crap engine whos liable???????????? well i dont care bout speed yet.....but im sure i will.......remember im a newjack. i really want durability........but the hopups for the maxxx are off the hook az for 50/50 thats ok....buts thats a $500 shake of the dice

one more question...i see alot of amazing trucks,very clean all kinds of sick colors.......do people run em and clean em GOOD? or are these like um showcase cars?

If you get the Maxx the thing you should do to eliminate the 50/50 gamble is sell the engine before you even run it and get a sirio of something else.

ha thats enlightening.............but who would want it?.....and what could i get for it?

Here's something else to consider. If you say you're more interested in durability than speed, you've got your answer. However, if you desire something faster later on after you've purchased a Savage, you're going to have to buy a more powerful engine. If you end up having to buy another engine for the Maxx, you're basically in the same boat with a somewhat less durable truck.

confucious say...........grampis a good man.....think its time for a savage.........how much faster out of the box iz the tmaxx?

10-15mph faster, but don't quote me on that

wow but screw speed id rather learn on something a little slower,and more durable......i guess 25 mph iz still cool.........az long az i can jump stuff

Then Savage is the one for you. Great shocks and suspension for jumps and stuff.

well hitler(nice name).....tomorrow if all goez well ill own a savage.
but eventually if i put a few buxx into it,it would be raceable right?

Erso.

I'm a newbie also, I was in your shoes about a week ago, and decided to go with the Savage. and I'm very happy. My truck is hitting about 25 mph and i haven't even got it into second gear yet. If you go with the savage, when you buy it you might as well buy a high torque steering servo and servo saver, because my stock didn't even last the break in period.

how much were those thingz?

I got a hitech 645MG servo for 45.00 and a Kimbrough servo saver for like 6.00 at my LHS. tower has them for a couple of bucks cheaper but by the time you add shipping, and i needed it now it was worth the couple of bucks.

But everyone that has a savage upgrades the steering servo, then puts the stock steering servo in place of the stck throttle servo. Then you will upgrade to heavy duty dogbones, about 14.00 bucks a pair. Had my truck since last thursay and broke 2 stock dog bones already

so ur saying first day im lookin at bout 65 buxx? o lord i have just enuff for the truck......someone save me

i Learned quickly its an expensive hobby. you don't have to do the dogbones right away HPI does include 4 extra dogbones with the truck.

also don't forget fuel, glow plugs, and ignitor and fuel bottle.