Savage Flux Fixed . . . Finally
 

Taping definetly helps control the ballooning. Best stuff I've found is Gorilla tape... extremely sticky.

I do agree about the hardened 18/23 gears, and about the Integy rear hub carriers.

Thats a good list! Thanks for posting it. There is a bad side effect of taping the tires, and that is you lose some of the in-air control.

You did not touch on balancing your tires, this is the 1st mod you should do to any rc, period. I did my own testing with balancing and taping with a set of badlands and maximizer beadlocks. The difference was amazing, I picked up speed, the straight line and turning stability was greatly improved, I can imagine bearing wear was greatly diminished, and it just made driving the vehicle so much nicer. Plus temps went down on the motor esc and batteries. All you need is a cheap prop blanancer, some sticky tire weights, and a hot glue gun. Maybe I should do a writeup. I can balance a set in less than 10mins.

Writeups are good.

agreed! ballanceing is a must, tires last so much longer and come unglued much less often when in ballance

Balancing Tires
 

No reason to re-invent the wheel. Click Here

Interesting vid, but he does not cover cleaning the tire bead prior to assembly or cleaning/scuffing the wheel either. The mold release agents used on the wheels and tires can be thick and will compromise the ability of the glue to bond correctly.

Squirrel is not the authority on this stuff, that has been proven before on this forum.

Also, the "putty" he recomends is not the best stuff to use to balance a MT tire, or bigger. You will be using a ton of it, and it comes off easier.

Looks like I really need to make a vid. I can see the "Pimp does RC" video series being a big hit!

Looking forward to your tutorial linc!

There are 2 things that are guanteed to happen when I watch a Sqirrel vid, and thats either I am going to fall asleep or I laugh my ass off.

I use blutac to balance my wheels. I just take a dogbone out, spin the wheel, see which part sits at the bottom and counter balance with blutac until that part of the wheel doesn't sit at the bottom anymore. Very easy to do and I've never had a piece of blutac come loose. Definitely worth doing.

Linc, so what is the best putty money can buy? really interested to try this tire balancing.

Squirrel somehow manages to make every video, no matter how simple the topic, last 10 minutes or more.

And then he makes a part 2 :lol:

+1

Yeah, I find them amusing till he gets something way wrong, or leaves out a vital step that will really throw a noob for a loop... Noobs consider him a pro... That can lead to all kinds of issues.

I have had wheels (MT and larger) that required 1/8 of an ounce to get balanced well, and lead is the smallest way to get that weight on. Plus the lead wheel weights with the sticky back are very easy to use.

I use the lead wheel weights for full size cars. They come in strips, broken up in 1/4oz increments. I usually cut those 1/4 oz segments into 4, and start with one of those across from the heavy side. When I am finished I use some hot glue to really hold the weight on. I have not had any come off. I also clean/degrease the inside of the wheel, and scuffing the plastic will not hurt either.

Yeah, I will setup the flip recorder my wife got for our baby when I balance the next set.

yep... the last time i did any balancing, my weights came off...

Nice write up Jason!

My Ride
 

Decided to mount my new set of stock tires on Rulux Half-Ups. I love this combo! I think I like it even better than the Badlands. Excellent all terrain tire. Not nearly as stable as the Badlands, but better shock absorption and mega traction. :yes:

Here's the tire/wheel combo parts list (Tape and quality inserts are key here):
JConcepts 1/8 Rulux 1/2 Offset Half-Ups (link)
HPI GT2 Tires (link)
Ofna Foam Donuts Medium 38 Series (link)
Gorilla Tape (link)
CA

Here's my ride (it ain't pretty, but it's FAST, TOUGH, and very little fuss)
Castle 1520 (related forum)
Soon to be 6S/6000mAH nanotech
Rulux wheels
Integy Rear Hubs
Futuba 3PMX 2.4GHz
Savage X Plastic 47T Spur (also have 49T and 52T)/ Robinson Racing Xtra Hard 18T Pinion (also have 16T & 20T)
Savage X Roll Bar
High Speed Idler Gear
Vorza Flux Diff Cups
Boca $4 RCTP688C-2YS Bearings (currently diffs only)
Rest is stock

http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/...n/IMG_2890.jpg
http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/...n/IMG_2891.jpg
http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/...n/IMG_2892.jpg
http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/...n/IMG_2893.jpg

I've tried that exact same wheel combo before except for the foams.
http://i1010.photobucket.com/albums/...h_IMG_0315.jpg
Much better lateral stability than stock combo but unfortunately traction is still abysmal compared to badlands or the GT tire.

I'm rolling with Trenchers when bashing with my RC-Monster RC8Te...

What foams did you use dV?

Interesting that you found the traction to be lacking. I know that some love the GT2 and some hate it. I think the tire choice was one of the things HPI got right with the Savage (rims, not so much). I've liked the stock tires since day one, but the half ups, offsets, tape, and decent foam take them to the top of my favorites list. I will definitely keep my badlands around because it's nice to change it up, and I love the predictability they provide on loose terrine. With the badlands and the 1/2" offsets, I can cruise along at 40 MPH, let off the throttle, and immediately crank the wheel without flipping over. I actually have to TRY to get it to flip on level ground. Quite easy to flip the truck with the GT2's because they are taller, wider, and gripyer on densly packed surfaces such as grass and asphalt. Wheelies are also easier to come by for the same reason. They assist the shocks over rough terrine, and give the truck more of a monster feel. The unpredictability is also part of what makes them fun. They really seem to hook up well for me, especially on grass, and I have zero concerns about wearing them down on asphalt (big concern when I'm using the badlands). They are a very good ALL terrine tire choice IMO.

JasonB: Think I ended up going with the stock foams as the HPI firm foams were a little bit too err firm when mounting on the inner bead. My truck is XL length and that tends to highlight traction issues. With standard length it will put the front wheels up easier but you need much more traction with an XL length to do that. The GT2 tires were great for power drifts on flat dirt but once I threw on some old GT tires (mounted again on inner bead) it was a night and day thing. Much quicker off the mark and easier to get the front wheels in the air when i wanted to.

thezero: I would like to try Trenchers one day but I'm guessing i would have to gear really low as the weight somewhere around 400gm with wheel from memory. Also not that keen on putting that kinda stress on the drivetrain.

You would need to regear slightly for the size yes, the weight, not really. Yes they weight a bit more, but we have tons more torque that we need.

Haven't had any issues on the RC8T drivetrain. :) Then again, drivetrain wasn't my issues with running Baja 5B tires, which are heavier still, on a 5th scale Savage either.

I don't like any of the HPI tires for the Savage; they roll way too much because of weak sidewalls. Not that the ProLines are that much better, but I've had good luck with Badlands and I do like these Trenchers. The nitro Savage runs Big Joes, more for looks than anything.

My GT tires are the same diameter (obviously) as my GT2 but around 70gm heavier each. With GT2 and 52\11 center diff gearing motor temps max at about 57c, with GT tires and 52\10 gearing I see temps 70c+. I'm starting to suspect though that the Tekin truggy motors aren't that well suited to something the weight of monster truck with relatively heavy tires.

My next build I'll be trying a 1518, hopefully that will allow for more options in the tire department

The GT tires are great mounted on inner bead of half-ups. Very little side roll and great traction.

I do have a 1518 in my RC8Te on 6S. Was running a 1515 in my Savage 5T conversion on 5S and 6S with Baja 5B tires; was like ~140-150F as I recall.

Tires/Temps
 

I'm currently geared for 50.2 MPH (18/47) and max out at ~150F using the GT2s. Was geared for 51.7 MPH (20/47) and temps maxed out at ~135F using the Badlands. ESC fan is always on with either tire because I'm very heavy on the throttle; generally takes me 15 min or less to drain a set of 3S/5000s.

Just did a bunch of power slides in a big parking lot. The sound of the rubber sliding on asphalt was SWEET. I was quite surprised just how fast I could go into a slide without flipping; those 1/2" offsets really help! One thing I did notice with this set of GT2s was a tendency for the back end to wobble at high speeds while decelerating on the tarmac (I'm guessing sway bars would correct that if it became a concern). Badlands didn't have that issue and neither did the stockers. It probably has to do with how much contact area the tire has with the ground, and a taped tire definitly has more contact area.

Now I've got the urge to mount my Road Rages and give those a go; kinda regret buying those now that I have a decent on/off road tire, but might as well use them if I'm going to be burning rubber. From what I've read, the Road Rages last for a very long time. We shall see. :oops:

Finally got my 3S/6000/25C NanoTech lipos in last week. I'm amazed at the performance. I'm getting 20 to 25 min run times at mostly WOT and the POWA is unreal. These babies have serious punch all the way down to LVC, absolutely no swelling, and around 110 deg F after a hard run. With a 5C charge rate, it would take a 30 AMP charger to fill up 1 of these at full C rate; that's just crazy. My truck is running considerably faster on 16/47 gearing with the Nanos than it was on 18/47 with my 3S/5000/30C Zippys. This is not really a fair comparison because the Zippys had been rode hard and put to bed wet for the last 14 months, but I'm still surprised there is that big of a difference. :oops:

Odd thing about the Nanotechs is that they are not as consistent in run time from lipo to lipo as the Zippys were. Luckily only 2 of the 6 I bought turned out to be quicker burns (20 vs 25 min) than the other 4 so I'll just pair them up. Even the 2 lipos with the shortest run time lasted for 5 min longer than my Zippys did when new, so I'm happy!

Another cool thing about the new batts is that my motor and ESC now run cooler. ESC fan isn't on near as much and the motor is down to around 130 deg max (that's after running hard for 25 min in the sand). I guess the Zippys couldn't keep up with the power demands of this beast.

awesome news! Yep i love my nanos... but i am using the 45c/90c ones... but i didnt notice much difference compared to my 40c turnigys... The only lipos i really noticed the difference was with my 35c/70c hyperions....

if i bash by myself... i am mostly at WOT too and drain my lipos in the same amount of time, maybe a little less and have similar lipo temps too :)

Update
 

Performance Is still amazing on the nano tech lipos but the temps have increased, as expected, during the hotter FL months. I have the LVC set to 3.4 per cell. If I push them hard, which I generally do, they will get up to 125 deg after a 20 min run. Four of the six batts are now showing some slight swelling. The batts still give great run time, but are not quite up to my driving style, which is mostly WOT, except for the occasional slow down to turn. I suspect I'll get a year or so more use out of them and upgrade to whatever the latest tech is . . . 60C perhaps. The C rating is totally bogus, but not much can be done about that, just a reference point I guess.

I've replaced both diff cups once, and one set of spider gears since I switched to the Hot Bodies cups. Still Very impressed with this upgrade!

Since I added the oil to the tranny, the gears continue to look new. Probably the best thing I've changed on this truck so far.

Currently have the 1520 geared for 40 ish MPH, and on a hot day (90 deg), the motor will get up to 150 deg, after 20 min of running hard in thick grass. I am fortunate to have a huge field to run in at a school near by, which is the reason for most of the WOT.

I've been fighting the 5V 25mm ESC fan for the last year, and finally yanked it out and glued a 12V 40mm on top of the ESC and now connect it directly to one of the lipo balance taps . . . Works GREAT, and no decernable V difference between the 2 lipos after a run.

When I first goth this Savage and things were continuously breaking, I wondered if I had made the right purchase. Now that it's been tweaked, I LOVE THIS THING!

What spider gears are you using? Is it the stock HPI ones? Since you are you using the HB cups, might as well use the HB hardened spider gears. From what Ive read, the are much stronger than the the HPI ones..

Just using the stock spiders until I run out of spares. I'm probably getting over 50 runs on a set, so it will be a long time before I run out of the 5 spare sets that I bought last year. I discovered that a combination of using cheap lithium grease instead of diff oil plus proper internal shimming makes the spiders last ridiculously long! I was replacing them every 5 or 6 runs before I made those tweaks. Now they seem to last forever in comparison.

NIce post about the weakenesses of the Savage Flux. Just got a used one, and realy makes alot of noise, so good idea with the plastic spur, the transmission and diff options. It should make it less noisy and probably help on the weak diffs.

Here is a picture of the truck.

http://www.rcgalleri.dk/uploads_xl_w...-2011_18:25:30

There are more pics in the second link in the signature.

Love the beetle body! You will be surprised at how quiet the Flux can be. Most of the noise comes from inside the tranny, and the oil eliminates that! Only downsides are it's very difficult to completely eliminate seepage, and a pain to open up and reseal the tranny if you wish to change from 1st to 2nd gear. Small price to pay for eliminating the gear ware and noise issues.

It's a "Savage" why do you want it to be ultra-quiet?!?!? :) Even straight out of the box, its a heck of a lot quieter than nitros.

Metal on metal grinding is not a pleasant noise. One of the common complaints I have noticed about this truck, even before I decided to buy one, is the noise it makes. I used to be uncomfortable driving the truck in my neighborhood or near other houses due to the irretating noise . . . No longer an issue. If you like the grinding noise, don't make this mod.

it sound like your mesh is all wrong, in my flux the nice sound of the motor is the most noticeable. i dont even have any grease ore oil in the tranny

My spur/pinion mesh is spot on. Regarding the tranny, if you don't have gear issues, then consider yourself lucky and enjoy your ride. Could be your driving style/frequency, could be that you ended up with hardened gears that will grenade in the near future, who knows. The tranny is a known problem area in the Flux; this post is for those that are looking for a proven fix.

My experience with this truck is that the stock gears graneded, and the next 3 sets chewed each other up to sharp points; ref previous post linked in the beginning of this forum for pics. My guess is that HPI changed their tempering process at some point on the problem gears . . . Thus the reason for the sudden verses slow gear death. Two of the gears in the tranny are much higher quality and will last a very long time with or without lubrication.

Well the real fix would be to replace the tranny with a center diff; but that isn't easy or straight forward. Might through be less messy than filling the tranny up with whatever.

Yea, I would be first in line for a drop in center diff; would really open up the truck. It would need to use an off the shelf diff with readily available replacement parts. Not interested in paying for over priced custom bones either. Not something I need though because I have done essentially zero maintenance on this tranny since adding the oil.

Other thing I'd like to do eventually is replace the servo/Rx box with a carbon fiber plate and possibly set up the rear for 4 wheel steering.

But then again, might as well bought a truggy at that point.

I have done zero maintenence to mine either after putting in the HD gears. My tranny case is filled with air.

Well, I do drive it like it owes me money, but that will never change.