Savage XL-E

[spiftacu1ar]

Ya, I'm working with him on it. Hes gonna send me new output shaft, new dogbone, and maybe new skid plate.

[tklemin]

Hi, I just found this post and thought I'd share my project. I'm running on 6s power with a locked 2 speed tranny. I locked it by using my mig welder and tacked a weld on the arm to hold it in place. I'll take a pic next time its apart. This truck was a Savage SS on gas last year, but I caught the electric bug and made an BL XL conversion. I'm still running the manual fiber brakes and also steering from the hump pack. I thought it might save me some power, and I've read that it can keep the motor as much as 30 degrees cooler. So far I have'nt had any tranny problems. I'm running a 47 spur with a 15 pinion and can still do standing backflips. I wont claim it can do 60 with this pinion, but It is a lot faster than my Savage SS on gas so I'd guess Its around 45-50 mph. Id love to run the direct drive, but I dont think my packs will fit with that set up. Thats partly why I changed to an XL chassis. (to hold packs between TVP's)

[Joey]

tklemin: Very nice looking build! Im working on a savx conversion of my own and had considered getting the XL plates. The only thing Im wondering about yours is that if you did mount the batteries on the sides of the TVPs with some kyosho battery trays (very nice looking), you could mount them lower in the chassis (and towards the front a little for better weight distribution) and then mount the motor much lower. Overall improved center of gravity.... But if you arent too worried about that your setup is absolutely perfect. Love the XL look... youre tempting me to sell my new X plates!

[Hardstyle]

Awesome! have to say that those genesis wheels match there prefectly. What's up with that other motor plate or is that a motor plate, cant really see all of it.. Planning to stick another motor there?

And welcome to the forums tklemin!

[tklemin]

Thanks for the props. I was trying to make the baddest truck Ive ever owned. The motor plate is from KD. It just has a double mount for brushed motors I guess. The weight distribution probably could be a little better, But the batts still sit pretty low in the truck, and I still have the hump pack in the box that evens out a little. That was part of the reason I used the XL chassis. I figured the the longer chassis would even out the weight of the more rear weight of the batts. I just like the look of the batts tucked in, and it might ad a little more clearance under the truck and protect the lipos also. It drives great (not to flippy). As with most 6s trucks it takes a more dialed in throttle control than with gas. It took a few charges to learn to drive again. With my gearing It will still do standing back flips, but its not to bad after half speed.

[Janezki]

My project was halted for a while because of my overwhelming work schedule, but now when I've had few days' vacation I've managed to do quite a lot - so here's what has happened so far:

- Kershaw direct drive reversed for the sake of weight balance and to get the lipos between the TVP's
(gearbox needed quite a lot of trial & error shimming before I got it running smoothly)
- stock radio box removed and replaced with Fastlane servo plate
- broken steering servo & front diff fixed (these broke while my last bash session)

I had one KB45-10L 1800kv motor lying around, so I really wanted to give it a try and see how it runs. The kv-rating is a bit high for 6S but hey, just for the heck of it...

Here's a few photos from yesterday - I was in a hurry to get my truck into running condition so I had to use few "temporary" solutions to get all in place (mainly the esc & receiver).
(click for big pic)






The KB45-10L is quite a power plant - even though there was no grip at all on snow I managed to pull over 2000 watts from it with 6S 5000mAh 15C Zippys according to Eagle Tree.

Here's some chart data:

(there's some glitch there with +8600W & +80V peak values :))

Gearing used was 20t pinion, 47t spur.

I measured 60°C (140°F) from the motor endbell and the ambient temperature was -1°C (30°F).
Summer temperatures may be too much for KB45, but I'm planning to use a different motor then.

The car handled pretty well - although my driving was mainly on flat surface with few minor jumps from snow bank, I'm quite pleased with the weight balance.

Only problem I had was with the pinion which wasn't hardened. It was simply ruined just with one set of 5000mAh batteries...



Next step will most likely be upgrading the diffs.

[Savage03]

Looks good! So the direct drive did ok? Might be time for some meatier tires

[Janezki]

Yes, direct drive does perform well. I'm waiting for the snow to melt for some serious traction...

[tklemin]

Nice build Janezki. I like the changes made over the first version. What is the drive shaft set up using the direct drive in reverse? Did you have to use a different length turnbuckle on the steering bellcrank with tha FLM servo plate? I noticed that you were using the left servo slot. I'm thinking of doing a setup like yours with a nice electrics box.

[Unsullied_Spy]

I like the stock tires on my Muggy. They are kinda like a 40 series crimefighter but a harder compound for better life. Not the best traction ever but they do pretty well. You'll need 17mm wheels for it though, the stock Muggy wheels use a 20mm hex. Not bad tires, not sure how they compare to the LST tires.

[Savage03]

I bought a new set of maximizer 17mm beadlocks and new lst meats for them, wont be disappointed been using the lst tires since it came out and use them on my clodbuster.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...e/e6c05d84.jpg

[Janezki]

tklemin: Thanks! Sharp eye you got there - servo placement was determined by the motor, with XL-sized motor I couldn't fit the servo on it's original place. Also had to make longer "turnbuckle" from parts that I had available (....ssshh Traxxas...).
With that KB45 I don't have the problem because the can is a tad shorter, but didn't bother to change servo position back to it's orginal place.
I received two different lenght dogbones with Kershaw, both of them used with reversed setup. Also had to make new flat spot to the "main axle" for output gear because of changed position of transmission.

Unsullied_Spy: Thanks for the suggestion.

Savage03: That looks nice! Aftermarket beadlock rings?

[Savage03]

No their made by maximizer, they give you 2 different designs as well and few colors choices. The rims come in 1/2 offset and 0 offset also.

...Janezki the new Savage 5T will have alloy adaptors that will fit the XL axles AND have a 24mm hex so you can use the Baja rims and tires..Those puppies are TOO heavy IMO though...More damage than giggles i reckon...

...FYI Savage 5T is only slated for release here in Japan...

[Janezki]

Oh, only in Japan!? Well maybe I'll have to order those adapters from there then.
I'd very much like to put these ProLine Badlands on my Savage. Stock XL tires are pretty heavy too, so I think it shouldn't be too big of a problem.