Savage X SS 4.6 guzzling fuel...

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frostbite91

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Hey there, I'm new to this hobby. Bought a used Savage X SS with a few upgrades, but the truck was never really cared for: busted front dif pinion gear, missing spring mounts on shocks, shocks low on oil, rear drive dogbone has a broken end, owb is bout gone. I get maybe 1 rotation per pull for a while before it actually cranks the motor. It does have upgrades like all the plastic in the drivetrain is now metal, metal pitman arm on steering servo. the body is all hacked up too, but you get the idea of the last owner. they upgraded it, but i guess they couldn't maintain it.

Anyway, I can get it running, had it hitting 2nd gear before the tires saw-bladed, it's stupid fast compared to the new-bright toys I had when I was a kid. The only problem I have is a full tank lasts about 10-15 minutes for me. Is this normal? I know I need to learn more about tuning, but I would like to know about how long you guys get out of a full tank on a 4.6?

http://vid1073.photobucket.com/albums/w386/frostbite91/Savage X SS run_zpsqon9h4se.mp4
 
That is about normal for a tank of nitro in just about any truck.

Sounds like a fun maintenance tutorial project for you. You have a good handle on what you need to repair.

That is about normal for a tank of nitro in just about any truck.

Sounds like a fun maintenance tutorial project for you. You have a good handle on what you need to repair.
 
damn, so it's not burning an unnecessary amount of fuel? This may be a truck I bring out every once in a while then, when you take into the fact a gallon of fuel for this thing costs the same it takes to fill my Jeep up, it kinda hurts lol. Awesome fun truck though. I'm super excited for my new parts and new body to come in! I can definitely see why people are going electric these days. Might get in on that this tax season :D
 
You can also look at gasoline powered fun as well with the Savage Octane. Unleaded gasoline and cycle oil.
 
Woah, thanks for the heads up. A 2 stroke gasoline rc truck would rock. I can't justify spending $800 on one though, has anybody done an engine swap? I would definitely love to swap my 4.6 for this engine
 
Got to remember that the fuel used in nitro engines is basically racing fuel methanol and nitromethane. I race atv dirt flat track and ice race in the winter I have a 2000 Yamaha Banshee 350 2 stroke 60 over ported and polished I used to run 140 octane leaded racing fuel it was 350 dollars for 5 gallons. I switched to methanol also called alcohol. That's 285 for 5 gallons last me 2 heats. So comparing nitro fuel to regular unleaded is like apples to oranges. Guess why I don't worry about price of fuel with nitro fuel. That's just me tho
 
The cost of a gallon of nitro fuel might SEEM expensive, but it's a small part of this hobby. I often wondered how much mileage I got per gallon. I think that would also translate to how many smiles for how many miles.
 
Considering that the first (and last) gallon you bought is still sealed sitting underneath your display case....
 
I run mine a lot and probably don't buy but maybe a gallon every couple months. I buy what's on sale though. Long as it's min 25% with 11% oil I will run it. At my LHS I can get a gallon for $26.00
 
OK, so I get what you guys are saying. I guess a gallon of nitromethane will last longer than I imagined. I'm actually finding less and less time to play with the thing. I just slapped a new carb on and am waiting for all my parts to arrive. the new owb will do wonders. I've been averaging 1-2 engine rotations per pull lol. I also did a little research on the HPI octane and looks like I will wait on that. Few people saying that the engines crap out too quickly, and they dont perform like a nitro, but that's kind of a no brainer. also, Bamafan, does your hobby shop have an address? I would love to score some fuel for that price. The cheapest I found was $36 and I just ended up paying $18 for a qt at my rip-off hobby shop...
 
I think I'd get bored with electrics. Love the nitros. There are a lot of other less expensive machines in the 1/5 scale that run on gasoline. Though the HPI octane and the Losi are bad to the bone for sure. They will be better built than say the Rampage..
 
I get my stuff from tower hobbies my lhs don't carry much in fuels and not real willing to help me out. The owner is all about brushless and lipos. So I really don't have much choice only other place is over 50 miles. You can get 6 gallons of vp 30% for 160 bucks or so. If you sign up for there membership 10 year you don't pay for shipping over a certain amount. If not you have to pay a 20 shipping fee I think
 
I run Torco and its delivered to the front door for $37. They are good to work with. Never had any issues.
 
I might grab an electric model for full waterproofing so i can tear up some mud puddles :)
 
Not sure if he does online orders but the name is Oak Mountain hobby shop Pelham AL.
 
Thanks BamaFan. He's got a website but no ordering online. It's ok. Been so busy working on the truck I haven't used a half tank of the qt I bought lol
 
I think I'd get bored with electrics. Love the nitros. There are a lot of other less expensive machines in the 1/5 scale that run on gasoline. Though the HPI octane and the Losi are bad to the bone for sure. They will be better built than say the Rampage..
I couldn't agree more. I've been running electrics for the past 7 years now and am definitely bored with them. They're fun, no doubt about it, but I want something I can get more hands on tuning wise. If you go electric frostbite, definitely look into the Rustler VXL. Great truggy on and off-road.
 
Yes this is a perfectly normal run time for most nitro RC vehicles. Unfortunately, due to the nature of 2 stroke, the inlet and outlet ports open at the same time, thus meaning that as fresh fuel and air mix enters some goes out the exhaust- that is the reason for the odd looking exhaust, as it goes through conical chambers it speeds up and slows down, when it reaches the end a pulse of gas is sent back forcing what fuel and air mix escaped back in to the engine. Some tuned pipes do this better than others meaning that some pipes can achieve better efficiency per tank., If you want to improve efficiency try a leaner tune or buy a different tuned pipe that is designed for extra efficiency.
 
Yes this is a perfectly normal run time for most nitro RC vehicles. Unfortunately, due to the nature of 2 stroke, the inlet and outlet ports open at the same time, thus meaning that as fresh fuel and air mix enters some goes out the exhaust- that is the reason for the odd looking exhaust, as it goes through conical chambers it speeds up and slows down, when it reaches the end a pulse of gas is sent back forcing what fuel and air mix escaped back in to the engine. Some tuned pipes do this better than others meaning that some pipes can achieve better efficiency per tank., If you want to improve efficiency try a leaner tune or buy a different tuned pipe that is designed for extra efficiency.
Hmmm, I'll have to look into different pipes. As far as I'm concerned this has the OEM style pipe, except its chrome and a 1-piece, instead of a black 2 piece. But in the end, I found out I really dont have time to use it as much as I thought I would lol. It's been over a month and I still have over half a qt of fuel left. It's been mainly torn apart getting stuff fixed/upgraded on it. I just modded rear steer into it, now I have to figure out where to put my new fuel tanks lol.
 
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