Truggy conversion
 

well, at first I was convinced that I wanted a buggy... i picked out the hyper 7 TQ black. it's only $300 RTR, minus nitro stuff. And supposidly very tough. I would like to take a deeper look into truggies. I really like how my Savage can do almost anything...and I'm afraid the buggy will limit that. I am looking for something similar or maybe a little more pricey then the Hyper. I don't really want to go used... unless there is a screaming deal. :sleep::surprised: What are some good truggies? Losi 8ight-t 1.0? CEN Matrix (idea from ben), Ofna Multilator? Just to name a few. Only requirements are that it is durable, Mike sells a mount, batteries are easy to mount, decent RTR equipment, and preferably cheap.

Another question---->If i run a Mamba 2200kv setup, will I need to go 2.4ghz?

Looking to run the MMM 2200kv setup, AM radio, 5s zippy, RCM mount, and some tray (TBD).
EDIT: and a bulletproof driveline would be nice! Also, what are your thoughts on the rc8t? I have heard good and bad..

Muggy all the way! I have owned a few truggies, and out of them I liked the hyper st the best. If I had to choose between my hyper8 and a hyper st I would go with the buggy. I have monster trucks, and other than the muggy I did not really like the truggies... Thats just me. Keep in mind the power system will have to be more powerful for the truggy, and you really need a decent radio system. If you plan to stay into rc for a while a good 2.4ghz radio is a must...

Thanks linc. you were a lot of help in the buggy thread, and this one is no different! I have been in the hobby for a while, and i'm here to stay. I actually bought a 3pm 2.4ghz when i had my MM. But then I went back to a vxl, and sold the 2.4... Want to elaborate on your thoughts of buggy vs truggy vs MT? I am assuming a truggy will do all the stuff my Savage will, just handle 10x better. Anything I am missing?

I have also heard that the Muggy is pretty tough and makes a great basher...Linc is the expert on the Muggy so he is the one to ask if more detail is required

Personally I have never even seen a savage in person much less driven one so I don't know exactly how great they are. I have always been a MT guy, grew up watching BigFoot and Gravedigger go at it. Started with a T-Maxx, has the cool factor cause it looks like a MT, handled like crap though. Moved up to a Revo 3.3 and it's handling was 10x better and that's what I have stuck with until 2 weeks ago. I built a RC-Monster converted RC8T truggy.....Awesome truck. Very capable of everything I have thrown at it so far except it handles at least 10x better than a Revo, the entire driveline is way smoother, and as soon as I seen it I was amazed at the stout construction. I think that when it comes down to truggy vs MT it is a matter of preference and what you plan to do with it. I built the RC8T to race, I don't know if my E-Revo will ever see a racetrack again, it is a great basher though!

That's what i was thinking. i live in OC, so there isn't too many huge climbs. But it is always nice to know that you can climb anything you can find. I am hoping will have just enough ground clearance to get the job done. We will see...

Thanks.

Monster trucks just bash better IMO. Something about the higher ground clearance and the higher cg just makes them more fun to me. I am sure a truggy is alot more fun on a track when you are tying to go fast consistently.

The muggy bridges the gap between a true MT and a truggy. It has the lst suspension that just seems to handle bashing better and you can run large wheels and tires on it to get some ground clearance. It has the center diff that makes it turn better, but that limits the braking a bit and also limits the stunt factor. It jumps great, better than even an 1/8 buggy. It hides its weight well.

I do not really consider maxx and revo trucks true MTs... Too small and they just cannot handle the beating as well as a savvy or a lst... Not stock anyways. That being said I have a bit of a soft spot for the emaxx. The newer 3905 is a great truck if you leave it stock and put a decent bl system in it. Not as strong as an 1/8 MT though.

The lst has the edge on a savage for drivetrain strength and design. The chassis is a bit easier to get everything on for a conversion (unless you consider the flux, but it is already electric). The savage skinny shocks are a bit weak, the newer big bores are better. And you can convert over to lst shocks too... I am sure the flux tranny and machined diffs go along way to beefing up the savage drivetrain.

Most truggies have pretty much bullet proof drivetrains, but they are about as strong as an 1/8 buggy drivetrain. I honestly do not think there is anything made that is as strong as an 1/8 buggy. Small wheels and tires do not put much stress on the drivetrain, the arms are short and thick, and the chassis are well braced on most models. I have never broken anything on a buggy save for the ofna ultra series crappy K series diffs...

If you have a MT and are a basher I really do not see a place for a truggy. I can definitely see a bash have fun with an 1/8 buggy. It is super agile and will handle most terrain well.

Plus the power system for a buggy can be smaller and cheaper, and you can run 4s on a buggy, not really much point trying to get 4s to work on anything heavier.


I am no where near the expert on a Muggy. I maybe have 1 hr on mine... I did take it fully apart, and it is very similar with a lst, and I plenty of experience with them... Others here have run the crap out of their muggies, and the only real issue I have heard off is the chassis tends to bend behind the center diff... I am in the process of making a brace for that ...

Thanks linc... i think I have decided once again on the hyper 7 black... less voltage, tougher, and IMO i agree and can relate with everything you said... then there is always the possability of a savage conversion, but IMO, that truck handles like crap as it is. more power is just wasted in that truck. today my savage brakes blew apart... don't know how, don't know why, just know i have to buy new disks. My spur also stripped, no clue on that either.. screws are all tight, mesh is great. The truck ran great the entire day except for the last 10 minutes as i was running the fuel out and packing up to go home.

Buggy it is. thanks all for the replies. Don't think i can afford a muggy, but I'd love one.

If you look very carefully you can get used ones around 150, but then you run the risk of a basket case... They are pretty stong and mine had some wear on the chassis but the diff and shafts looked new... I like to completely go thru a vehicle when I get it, so used does not bother me. I have heard that I can find some smoking deals, paid 130 shipped for my muggy and it cam with 2 sets of good wheels/tires and some spares...

The hyper is a great buggy and the price is good too. I paid 189 new for my first hyper7 and it was a roller. You can get some money back selling the nitro stuff new, and at least you can easily go thru the diffs and make sure that they are shimmed right.

The savage is a much better truck with the flux chassis and tranny setup. I hate nitro crap and mech brakes, always seems under-engineered to me. Plus clutches suck. And nitro fuel is nasty. I had to strip and soak my first savage 21 for a day to get it clean...

mbx5t also seem to be durable and go for 175 all the time

If it's possible to find a nice truggy for $200, that is what I'm going for. Mbx5t, first gen 8ight-t's, and maybe a hyper st, even though i don't see much parts support for it.

good luck with your search.....when I was looking for a losi 8T I was envolved in quite a few auctions on ebay and I knew I could get a new ver1 model for $329 so I didnt want to pay more than $250 for a used one, well every auction finally sold for more than $300 each it was very fustrating (people on Ebay can be really stupid). Your best bet would be maybe Craigslist in your area or one of the other RC forums