As far as upgrades.. I am not sure where the weak points are on the new Maxx 3.3. What I can tell ya that you can rig the Maxx with the big bore shocls from Traxxas or get a set of 4 Ofna rear shocks.
Well the Big Bores are better than stock thats for sure. I have a set of Integy MSR4's(or whatever).. I wish id got the Pro-line power strokes though. I run a RC-Solutions cage..I love it..it holds up well for me..I've never had a problem yet..
one good upgrade would be the bearings.....the bearings that are in moast stock nitros are poor quality but will last bout 3-4 months.......ceramic bearings are the best but are expensive......i put the ceramics on my savage & 2 years later they still like new......about 160$ but was worth it......theyre supposed to last about 6-8 years.......now as far as upgrading chasis, arms, etc.........if you plan to race at a track i would change the plastic to fiberglass......its lighter & takes abuse better.......the botom plate can be replaced with alluminum which will help a little in engine cooling dicipating heat a bit.........titanium driveshafts are another good upgrade.......my shocks i run 40wt oil in them.......handles most track driving conditions for 8th scale.............
I have tried Integy, hotbodies and the Traxxas big bore, the Traxxas bigbores are the more durable of the three. The only thing I didn't like about them is that they are not threaded, other than that they perform very good.
I'm looking to do the same and was wondering if you could run just four Prolines or do you have to run all eight? It's not to bad buying four but eight gets a little pricey.
I went with the Traxxas hop ups & they have worked just fine. The red springs are a little week in the back & I would suggest a liitle heavier in rear.