Who makes the best Monster?

[mudbeast2]

Hey guys, I am looking for a nitro monster truck. This will be my first nitro but not my first rc. I need advise on the T-Maxx 3.3, Savage & MGT 8.0. It seems the traxxas has the most bang for the buck , but I want to hear from you guys . I can only buy one so it has to be the right one. I am going to run her hard, jump her , off road her & i know she will crash. So I need one that will hold up. Thaks for the help.

 

[samrsnow]

HPI Savage is far superior to any other truck for bashing. Not to mention HPI has excellent customer service.

 

[wacmartin]

Don't forget About Losi!

 

[olds97_lss]

That is a question that will elicit a forum spamming war almost every time it's asked.

Pretty much every truck has some weak spots out of the box.

The top ones I'd say are:
1 - HPI savage x/xl
2 - Traxxas revo
3 - Losi LST XL
4 - Associated MGT

I've had 3 of the 4, the first 3. Out of the box, the savage was the toughest for me. All 3 required some aftermarket support to make them last a weekend with me, but all of them can be made tough pretty easily and parts are everywhere for them.

 

[Phins Fan]

1- Savage X
2-Revo
3 - Tmaxx
4 - MGT 4.6

The MGT would be farther up my list if it wasn't just so darn heavy.

 

[Greywolf74]

My personal favorite is the XXL followed closely by the savage although the Savage is a lil tougher out of the box the Losi handles a lil better.

 

[MudSlinger33]

^^+1. For durability, I would pick the savage first, then the LST XXL.

 

[srusinek]

I've never owned a Losi or a revo so I'm going to say the savage xl, mgt 8.0, tmaxx. I own all three and so far the xl is the platform that's in my garage.

 

[joesch1999]

Well the 8.0 is the toughest by far bar none although not by any means the best truck but if you want a truck to beat that's the one to go with losi handles best and savage ss wheelies the best but you have to put it together which I loved doing

 

[mudbeast2]

Well guys I pulled the trigger on a savage X 4.6. I had a $50 off coupon from tower. I got the truck & 20% fuel for $426 with free shipping. Can wait to see it in action. So the next question is what's the first upgrade that should be done?

 

[MudSlinger33]

You may want to consider buying your self a couple extra servos. You will be lucky if you make it through break in w/o frying a stock servo.

 

[mudbeast2]

Steering servo I have covered, futaba high torque metal gear servo ready to go when the factory one fails.

 

[olds97_lss]

1) Hump pack to replace the AA's.
2) Diff shims and 50K diff oil, then pull the diffs apart, clean them, shim them properly and fill them with 50K before running it.
3) new pipe

Then fix it/change it as you see fit.

 

[hamz9561]

Seal the engine before running it. Use the heat cycle break in method.

 

[mudbeast2]

Seal the engine? This is my first nitro , please explain sealing & heat cycle break in please.

 

[hamz9561]

Here are some good articles to read since this is your first nitro:

https://www.rcnitrotalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=68224

https://www.rcnitrotalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42716

These have the info you need.

 

[mudbeast2]

Ok, now what about the shimming of the diffs? I looked online & can find any shims. Can someone point me in the right direction for shims & the right tolerances?

Thanks for all the info so far. This is a big difference from my electric cars.

 

[joesch1999]

Don't worry about shimming the diffs most diffs come from the factory with grease you just need to put diff fluid in both diffs

 

[SchrodeMode]

Don't worry about shimming the diffs most diffs come from the factory with grease you just need to put diff fluid in both diffs

It's always a good idea to tear any RTR rig apart before running it, this will allow you to check the truck out and you'll be a little more familiar with it. Most members on here will recommend this, many have had their diffs come out of the box either not shimmed enough, low on fluid, or both. It's easier to do your first tear down on a clean unbroken rig than it is to when it's covered in dirt and oil with pieces hanging off.

 

[Riz23]

It's always a good idea to tear any RTR rig apart before running it, this will allow you to check the truck out and you'll be a little more familiar with it. Most members on here will recommend this, many have had their diffs come out of the box either not shimmed enough, low on fluid, or both. It's easier to do your first tear down on a clean unbroken rig than it is to when it's covered in dirt and oil with pieces hanging off.

^^^ +1 to this. I always tear apart any RTR and find the mistakes the factory made, from low diff oil to loose screws. Great advise.