Savage x or ss

[bbayton88]

Hey all I'm in the process of buying a savage right not and I'm trying to make sure I am making the right decision on which one. Right now I'm leaning towards getting the new savage x 2013 version over the ss since it is coming with the 4 big bore shocks compared to the 8 the ss kit has. I plan to bash mostly but I wanted to try my luck at racing at the local track. I'm just looking on opinions on which truck I should go for and why. Also this is not my first nitro I have had many others.

 

[Childresshunt]

I would by the kit but i like the build. if i was gonna buy a rtr savage i would buy the xl sell the 5.9 with no fuel thru it and put the money towards a lrp motor just my .02 cents

---------- Post added at 5:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 5:57 PM ----------

If your new to the hobby i would get the kit bc then you will know how to completely tear down and reassemble the truck and have a intruction manual from start to finish

 

[DreamMachine]

The new X comes with the big bore shocks which you will down the road upgrade to if you go SS. The X also comes with BP diffs which you will also upgrade to. It comes with the f4.6 which is a stronger and easier to tune motor than the K4.6. The only things you need to upgrade on the X is the steering servo and throttle servo. That truck comes ready to bash out of the box. Thru my years of building some insane savages, I have found the toughest savage is the one lightly modifed not full blown. I say grab the X, but if you have the money XL for sure and ditch the motor.

 

[bbayton88]

I plan on racing every so often. How will the xl do with this? If I get the X I could always upgrade the TVP's and then it would be the same right?

 

[DreamMachine]

The XL comes with a thicker motor plate, 3spd, beefed up axles, cups, and machined BP diffs. Essentially its a stronger truck right out of the box than the new X. If I was you id grab the XL and if you wanted to go X length then you can pick up a set of X tvps on ebay for under $10.

 

[bbayton88]

I thought the SS kit comes with bullet proof diffs along with the heavy duty drive axles. Just comparing it on the hpi website it seems the only thing that changed is the 4 big bores different brakes and exhaust. As far as the XL is concerned thats out of my budget right now, my 2 options are the x and ss

---------- Post added at 9:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 9:22 PM ----------

I'm considering getting the X and trying to sell the engine new and then get a picco .28 or lrp 32. That is dependent on if I can sell the F4.6. Like I said earlier since I plan on racing I figure the X would be a better choice along with swapping engines.

 

[DreamMachine]

Id Go with the X then and replace the servo trust me on this one. The x has everything needed right out of the box to get you started.

 

[bbayton88]

Sounds like a good idea to me. I'm going to go with the X. Any idea how long the stock BP diffs will last or if many people have problems with them? I plan on selling the engine right away and upgrading to a savox steering servo right away.

 

[DreamMachine]

The f4.6 is a great motor and makes decent power. Pair it with an ERCM endbleed and it will wake that motor up.

If you run savox servos you will need a glitch buster so your rx doesn't reset when the servos draw to much current.

The BP diffs in the x will last you a long time if shimmed properly.

 

[srusinek]

With the x if you upgrade the tuned pipe and add your own servos you basically have the ss.

 

[bbayton88]

Yea thats what I'm hearing. I feel it will be alot easier now to sell the stock engine and upgrade it right away since I could use that money towards picco or lrp

 

[Greywolf74]

From everything that I know the RTR is probably the better of the 2 options but its kind of a coin toss. The RTR comes with BP diffs and the big bore shocks the SS doesn't. The SS however comes with the K4.6 engine, which contrary to what DreamMachine believes its been my experience that it is generally held to be the better of the 2 Engines. There is a lot of disagreement on that point across the internet though so its hard to say for certain. What I can tell you for certain is that I contacted HPI once to get their opinion on which one was the better engine and the person I spoke to (after consulting with someone else for several minutes) told me that the K 4.6 is what they consider the better of the 2 engines. That being said if you talk to a nitro engine expert like Robin from ERCM I believe he'd tell ya that theyre both junk so take that for whatever its worth lol. Either engine is probably fine if you're on a budget. The SS kit does have the better tires IMO. I like the dirt bonez way better than the stock RTR tires. i believe the SS kit also has the better tuned pipe although there again if you want a good quality pipe I'd junk both the RTR version and the SS version and get an ERCM pipe.

So like I said either way you go you're gonna want to upgrade the parts that the other kit has that the kit you bought doesn't and you're gonna want to replace the stock servos on the RTR so the fact that the kit doesn't have any doesn't mean anything there. Given the two choices Id rather start off with the BP diffs and the big bore shocks. Id run the F4.6 into the ground (or sell it off brand new) and then when it was time to replace it Id get a Picco .28 and have it modded by ERCM. Then somewhere a long the line Id buy new wheels and tires and ditch the stock ones from the RTR. Thats my take on it.

 

[bbayton88]

It seems everyones opinion on the engine is different as to which is better. The only thing I think might be better on the ss is that it comes with a vented clutch bell, and better tires. Aside from that there doesn't seem to be anything better. I realized in the end I would be paying about $550 if not more to get the savage RTR. Between buying a decent radio and good quality servos the price will add up quickly. Therefore I'm going to get the X. Since its already new I should easily be able to sell the parts off it I dont like and then upgrade. I can't help to wonder if I'm making the right decision on trucks. As I was doing more research I saw HPI is bankrupt. Just kind of wondering if that will have any affect on parts.

 

[DreamMachine]

Lol yep everyone has a different opinion on the rtr motors. Now a picco 28, hehe thats my go to engine.

If your going to spend that much money, the consider grabbing a used savage off ebay for half that and use the left over money to buy a motor, ercm pipe, or whatever else you want. This to me is the best option as in many cases you can get a hooked up savage for a decent price and it already has bp diffs and servos and all the other things your looking for.

IMO a good price to pay for a Savage X is between $200-300 depending on the amount of parts, hopups, motor and such. XL savage between $275-350. I've bought and sold many savages online and i can tell you this, everyones will tell you the motor has a quart to a gallon of fuel thru it. When in reality its been beat to death, thats why i say buy a used one, make it yours and buy a new motor with the left over money. but thats just me.

 

[bbayton88]

I meant to say it will be about $550 to get the savage ss to RTR. I'm looking on ebay now for a savage and I've found a few. I'm still considering new since I've been screwed buying a truck off ebay. The engine could be bad and the gears in the tranny could all be mess up also. With me just getting back into hobby I think buying bew is a overall better platform to start with

 

[DreamMachine]

That makes sense if go new too then unless you found a killer deal.

 

[bbayton88]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HPI-Racing-...adio_Control_Control_Line&hash=item3f239dea16 That is what I've found so far and it seems to be a pretty good deal. Not sure why it has a traxxas radio and he said its a savage X although it seems to have ss parts

 

[DreamMachine]

Did you buy that?

 

[bbayton88]

Nope I was going to but it seemed like it was a thrown together with traxxas radios and all. I wasn't sure if it was a x or ss

 

[DreamMachine]

You will find quite a few used savages with traxxas radios. I've bought some trucks and they come with it. Idk why but they do lol. I wouldnt worry about the radio, you can grab a FlySky for $40 and enjoy. Also that truck in the link honestly looked haggard man. The FLM TVPs were cut up and it just looked ruff. I would look for something a little newer, you will be able to tell. I picked up a savage X that litterally had 4 scratches on it for $254 shipped and it came with a bunch of stuff. Got another savage that litterally had $1000 worth of spare parts, hopups, you name it for $157 shipped. I made my money back just buy selling 3 things lol. Keep watching eBay and Craigslist something always pops up.