T-maxx 2.5 vs. Monster Blazer.

[Suade907]

Hey guys I just thought that you guys might find this interesting. I just bought a t-maxx 2.5. And while I'm a long time owner of a Ofna Monster blazer. It was the monster truck Ofna made before the Monster Pirate. I have been quite happy with it for many years. But given all the new trucks comng out and the new technology I decided to give the t-maxx a shot. Well Since I've owned my new T-maxx I'm pretty impressed with the little truck with the little motor. The truck runs pretty good for a .15. and the suspension is sweet. But the reason for this post is to quiet some of the hype over the speed of the T-maxx. Sure it's pretty fast but I don't think you can compare it to a .21 motored car. Unless it's a cruising tank like the Savage. My Monster Blazer has a Ofna ,21 Force 4 port motor claimed 1.7 hp. Not very impressive to say the least. This truck in a drag race will beat my t-maxx and at top speed they are pretty close. I think my Monster blazer has the edge though. But it's pretty far ahead by then so it's hard to tell. But not to belittle my mighty t-maxx it puts up a good race. It doesn't get killed but it doesn't win either. My biggest gripe though is a drag race in grass. While I have discovered that in tuning a t-maxx it requires a completely different tune if you run in thicker grass vs. dirt or asphault. Otherwise the motor will heat to high temps given the extra drag on the Truck. In the grass in a drag race between these 2 trucks there is no competition. THe 1/8th scale truck just all out destroys the t-maxx. No comparison. The t-maxx struggles slightly in the grass and has a hard time acheiveing a high speed. Where the Monster blazer has zero prob's. I haven't raced them together on a dirt track yet but I'm pretty sure my T-maxx will destroy my monster blazer there due to the sad fact that the monster blazer jumps for crap. I'm sure with some suspension mods I could make it close on a track but It would cost some bucks and that doesn't matter to me right now. I bought my T-maxx to race in the local t-maxx class so that is what I'm gonna do.

I posted this just to let you guys know the difference.

[dan7532]

Wow, thanks for the very nice review. I hope that with your experience, you can help me. You said that the t-maxx 2.5 requires a different tune in the grass; don't you just have to richen it? Anyway, if you are good at tuning engines, you say the maxx has some trouble in the grass? My situation is I can't decide between the t-maxx and the savage. I have an electric stampede now, but the main reason I want a maxx or savage is so I can run it in the grass. So if the t-maxx is slow or has trouble in the grass, do you think the savage would be better? I know the stock engine is not very powerful, but it is about what your monster blazer has, except it has to push 15.5 pounds of weight. I know that with a different engine, the Savage would rule, but do you think the savage would be the better choice? Thanks and I want to compliment you again on the great review. It had lots of good information and was written well. I hope more people can post reviews or comparisons like this.

[barnettgs]

Interesting read.

I have NMT and I would like to point out that if I am running it on short grass, I would have leaned it out a bit instead of riching it.

By riching the engine, it would have caused engine to work harder due to less power provided by richer setting and getting overheated easily by struggling even more in the grass. I know leaning it a bit for the grass is quite a opposite but it seemed to work for me.

[rusty89]

How do you do a drag race in the grass????

the t-maxx flips over on it's lid if you get into the throttle too much. But if you don't get in enough of course it's going to loose.

the main part is that it's a fun and relayable truck to run.

[QUAKE&SHAKE]

The thing about the grass comes down to a torque issue. A cheap .21 (like a P4) is still going to have like twice the amount of torque the 2.5 has and its this extra torque that lets the .21 work easier in the grass.

I too liked your review Suade907. I came very close to getting a MB. My lhs stopped selling Ofna stuff so I got a Quake instead. In thick 3 1/2" grass I get 250-255 temps and can wheelie still.

[Suade907]

Thanks Guys. As far as Dan goes It's really hard to say. After owning 1/8th scale monster trucks and the T-maxx. I would definitely stick with the 1/8th scale. The T-maxx is a fun little truck but it seems to me like you really have to work at it to get it running properly while constantly watching the temps. It seems every day is a new tuning day with the T-maxx. As where with a .21 motor it's not quite as critical. I've never seen a Savage run so It's hard to talk about the power issues but I can say that my buddies brother in law has one and he said m T-maxx looked faster accelerating on the asphault. But if I had to do it all over again I think I would get the Dominator. I know it's more cash but in the end I think that I would have been happier.
People talk all the time about all the hop up parts for the T-maxx but what they don't say is that most of them are a fortune. To convert your T-maxx to a .21 and be reliable is as much as it costs for an entire new truck, just about. The T-maxx is definitely nice and easy to use but a properly dialed in 1/8th scale truck with a .21 motor will not give you problems either.

Oh I just reread your post. I would say that the T-maxx is as finicky a motor as I have ever used. Where the slightest 1/16 turn will make a huge difference in the tune. Personally I think the stock carb is crap. But that's me. Anyways my t-maxx run's sluggish in the tall grass. I usually just fatten it up a bit to keep the temps down. But in my opinion I shouldn't have too. With my MB I don't have these issues and I think if you get a savage you probably wouldn't either. I know that taller grass puts an extra load on any motor and that causes for it to work harder but you'll notice on little motors with less torque they build higher temps faster. If I was going to be doing a lot of grass driving I would go for the Savage. I'm not familiar with the savage though. So I can't recommend it on experience, but if worse came to worse you could always sell your motor and get a ofna hyper 8 port cheap.
T-maxx is a fun light truck with a bunch of gimmicks. It's a great truck don't get me wrong but I think that anybody with experience with nitro would recommend something bigger. Why do they make so many .21 conversion kits anyways. Obviously somebody thinks the t-maxx needs more power.

[robc]

I have the 2.5 Maxx and a Hyper .21 8-port powered Monster Pirate and while I haven't run a Blazer I would say that if your P4 is beating the Maxx in a drag then you don't have the 2.5 completely dialed in. Grass doesn't seem to faze my Maxx at all unless it's long. Maxx should be beating the Blazer off the line and certainly top end if it's tuned right. The P4 is a reliable .21 but one of the weakest available so I kind of doubt that it has double the torque because the 2.5 has loads for a .15. Not doubting your results, I just wonder if the 2.5 couldn't be tweaked a little.

[Suade907]

It's ironic that you post this. Because you are correct. Just last night I had made a discovery. For 2 weeks now I have been playing with the tune on my T-maxx. It has never really been able to do a wheelie at will. But would do so on occasion. Very, very rare occasion. I contacted traxxas the day after I posted this about my receiver pack having a glitchy 3rd channel. While I was on the phone with him I talked about my motor and told him some of the problems I had had. Weak performance, Binding of the carb at half throttle, Difficulty to tune, Extreme rich half throttle performance, Heat creeping issues at optimal tune. He then told me he thought that my engine may have a bad piston sleeve fit from the factory. He told me to send it in and the worst thing that could happen would be for them to tell me what is wrong with it. I always thought that my T-maxx was making all the power that it could and that there was no more. I am not new to this and had tuned it to the best the truck had. But last night I went to my local nitro track and saw a guy having troubles with a T-maxx. He was new to nitro and didn't really have a good idea of how to tune it. He asked for my help and using my temp gun and my knowledge we had a pretty good tune in about 5 minutes. Regardless to say this truck had tons more power than mine. It would wheelie at will in the grass. Something mine could never do. And it would even wheelie on Concrete occasionally. I was happy to see that my motor should have a ton more power but unhappy at the same time to find out I got a lemon. Hopefully traxxas will replace it and then I'll be happy again.

About my monster Blazer drag racing. The tires on the MB are a little bit smaller than your MP. I know my P4 is kind of weak but My buddy also has a Monster Pirate with a hyper .21 motor not the 8 port though. When we race he jumps me a little of the line and then a little in the midrange. Not much just a little, but on the top end my MB will pass him. My MB is geared to do about low 40's from the factory. His Monster pirate will only do mid 30's. I just put some buggy tires on it and it still does low 30's.
I'm not bragging because his monster pirate does have more power and it faster in a short race. But my MB does ok for what it is.

I'm sorry to all if any info above is a little off. I did not know my T-maxx wasn't running at full power and there is something awry with the motor. I'd say I was running at about 75% power. I could have never known this until I heped that other guy with the new T-maxx tune his and then watched it run. I'll post a follow up after I get my stuff back from Traxxas. We'll see just how good their warrenty coverage is. As far as my reccomendations for Dan I would still stick to it. It's still pretty much what I believe. I actually saw a tricked out Savage running at my loacal track last night too. You can tell the truck is massive. It looks like a moving tank but jumps flawlessly. The guy I saw had the hot setup for the track beating out even some buggies. Unfortunately there wasn't any fast T-maxx's to watch. Hopefully next time I will have the fast T-maxx. This time though I took my Monster Blazer with the buggy tires on it and was all over the place. I am in need of some new tires. But it was fun and that little truck worked well.

THanks for the tip though. If I hadn't seen that guys truck last night your post would have boosted my confidance that there is something wrong with this motor.

[dan7532]

I can't wait for your follow-up. Thanks for the advice. I am still totally stuck on which monster truck to buy. I think that my local hobby shop only carries the Mad Force (I think that the suspension is too unstable), the Savage (heavy, durable, but is slow stock), and T-Maxx 2.5 (I've heard that it is fast, but I also hear that it's not very durable). I was/am also looking at the OFNA Dominator (worried about the low ground clearance) and Titan (a little more expensive, but is good out of the box). However, I don't want a truck that my local hobby shop doesn't carry stuff for.

To better let you know what type of truck I am looking for, I will tell you what I want in a truck. I want something that has the torque to easily clear jumps at the track and pull through grass and up hills. Wheelies are fun, but not a necessity. I am also looking for reliability and durability. I want something that will do decent at the racetrack (not be too hard to drive and won’t break), but I don’t need to win races with it. This is my first nitro and I don’t want too many problems. I have rc experience and am willing to work on my truck, but I don’t want too much hassle. I am not rich; I am 15 and have no job presently (although I will probably have one over the summer when I turn 16) so I need a truck that will not break the bank. I know that none of these trucks are cheap, but I don't want something that is going to cost too much. Most of these trucks cost near the same to start out, but I don’t want a truck that will cost a lot to make it good (to make up for its weaknesses). I hope that information can help you to help me and I thank you for all the advice.

[Suade907]

Hey Dan I think I might have an idea for you that would basically answer all your needs, almost. If you really want something that will be reliable fast fun and easy to work on. I'd reccomend the OFNA Ultra LX Pro. It's not a truck but think of it this way. Look at the Monster pirate, the only difference between that and one of these hot buggies are the big tires and the different gearing. You could always add those if you need a monster truck. This buggy is cheap at 299 RTR and has a powerful force .25 motor making a claimed 2.3 hp. Which is awesome. THis buggy would be fast as heck and do everything you want. Except it's not a truck. You could always put offset wheels and tmaxx tires and maybe change the clutch bell a few teeth smaller and you'd be set. It probably wouldn't handle as good as a savage on the track. But in buggy form it should woop up on one. Something to think about. If you really want to read about peoples experiences with the T-maxx go to the Traxxas web site they have their own forum and you'll see alot of people complaining. But then you'll also see alot of happy people too. Just something to look at. I would really take notice to any specific problems people keep complaining about. I'll tell you what though a tricked out savage is a site to see. The one I saw last night at my local track was on the pipe. This thing jumped awesome. He had an aftermarket motor and it really looked quick. Not as fast as some of the buggies but he was in so much more control, that in itself made it so he could run right with them. Good luck in your decision I'll post a follow up when I get my stuff back.

Her is the link to that buggy http://www.acehardwarehobbies.com/2.2/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=18_33&products_id=3867&osCsid=ce23b4b5a9d8d4ff1aa439e722dab70d

[dan7532]

Do you think it would be wise to get a buggy? I am not even sure if my lhs even carries OFNA, but even so do you think a buggy would work? Would it have the ground clearance to bust through grass, tree roots, and gravel? I should change that last part about having a budget. I have enough money to buy a truck and I am not looking for the cheapest way out. I want something high-quality that is good and will last me a long time. That's why for my second rc, I bought an Associated T3 Team kit. The Factory team is expensive with features I don't need, but I did not cheap out and get the basic kit or something like a Rustler or kyosho ultima something. This is the kind of truck that I am looking for: a middle to high-middle class truck. Not a cheapie like a tenth-scale (Nitro Stampede, Maxximum MT), but not something like the Dominator Extreme. I hope that clarifies a bit.

Do you really think an eighth-scale buggy would really suit my needs (perhaps with some dominator/maxx sized tires and gearing to suit them)? Would it have the ground clearance and suspension to tackle the rigors of backyard bashing? I want to run in grass, up steep hills, hit jumps, blast trough gravel, climb dirt and gravel mounds, and pretty much go everywhere except for boulder-sized rock crawling. I am not looking for something to tear up the track (I just go there for fun occasionally, but I might race sometime), I want something to tear up the back yard. What do you think?

[Suade907]

Well in that case the buggy might not be the best bet. I know though for a fact that the Monster pirate is a buggy with monster truck tires. I also just converted my Monster Blazer to a Blazer SST which is essentially the exact same vehicle as the old HODR. Which was a buggy. I'm trying to go for that truck look but the performance of a buggy. I really want to race it at my local track and have been trying to dial in the suspension. I think that it will do quite well there. We'll see. It does fly thorough the grass though like nobodies business and also shoots rooster tails in the loose dirt. I think though in gravel you'd tear up more stuff in a buggy than with a monster truck. Buggies are fast, real fast but for the backyard romp they are not quite as much fun as a monster truck. The new nitro mag just did a shootout on some 1/8 scale monster trucks. They said they really like the Kyosho new one the best. Personally I don't like Kyosho but that's just me. But it does have a 3 speed trans a very reliable motor and a true to real life suspension. Might be worth a look.

All right lets put together a few scenarios.

1. Money is no object.
A. I'd either get the dominator extreme. I have never actually seen one of these so I can't really recommend this with experience, but from what I have read and know of Ofna trucks. It sounds really good.
B. I'd get the Savage and pull the motor sell it on eBay and get an ofna hyper .21 8port and a few suspension modds. I have seen one of these at my local track and it really was tearing it up. It looked awesome. It jumped so damn smooth. If I had to do it again this would be what I would get instead of my T-maxx 2.5

2. Money is no object but you’re just looking for an all round fun truck, not necessarily for racing but for fun in the backyard.
A. This is tough. I think I'd say a MP, T-maxx, Savage but leave it stock. If you don't really care about any particular ability the Monster pirate is a great monster truck and cheaper than the other 2 by 50.00 bucks at least.

I'd still consider the buggy but only if your heart is not set on a Monster truck. There are lots of people that have buggies and convert them to monster trucks. They work every bit as good as any monster pirate. With some hefty mods they could be like the dominator.

[dan7532]

I think my heart is set on a monster truck (just not a specific one yet!). You were talking about the Monster Pirate ... did you see RCCA's old T-Maxx vs. Monster Pirate? The maxx jumped way better, climbed way better, was more durable, the new t-maxx is probably at least as fast and is more stable with the wide-maxx suspension (especially if you lower it). I am not looking at buggies or truggies (buggies with truck tires).

My lhs carries the Mad Force, Savage, T-Maxx, and Sport Maxx. You mentioned the Mad Force - I was considering that, but if you have seen RCCA's video on it, the suspension looks horrible. The truck is very unstable. Instead of absorbing stuff, it bounces off of it. It hit a tree root and bounded off of it rather than absorb it. They jumped it and it did not look very much in-control. You gas it, you flip backwards; you hit the brakes, you flip forwards; you turn, you roll over sideways; you jump it and you will bounce and roll and any given direction. All it seems good for is wheelies. I am not interested.

I do have a budget and some practical sense (NO WAY will I get a dominator extreme ... pointless and expensive). I definitely have enough money to get what truck I want (I have my own money plus my b-day is coming up). I just don't waste money on stuff like a dominator extreme or converting a t-maxx to .21 (cheaper to get a new truck designed for a .21) and I don't buy pointless aluminum hop-ups (I hardly buy any hop-ups). I guess I am mainly looking at the Savage, T-Maxx, and Sport Maxx. The Savage seems underpowered stock, has a poor air filter, poor clutch (slips a lot) and I hear the stock pipe is not the best. It is durable and you can easily drop in more power and it has building instructions (more easy during rebuild time). The T-Maxx is fast out of the box, has a great tuning guide and video (but no building instructions), but I hear it doesn't jump quite as smoothly as the Savage (buy very well compared to any other truck) and I hear it is not very durable (I am a good driver and don't hit stuff, but I still jump my truck). The Sport Maxx is the T-Maxx with out 4WD, reverse, 2 speeds, and an $80 premium. The rear-wheel-drive might be more fun for stunts and 4WD may not be necessary unless I am climbing up loose surfaces. Most people take reverse out of the Maxx anyway and it is cheaper to get the Sport Maxx without it. The Sport is 1 to 1.5 pounds lighter than the maxx, which means it accelerates quicker (and can be geared up to slow the wheelies, increase top speed, and still have the same acceleration as the T-Maxx) and is more durable. Even if I buy 4WD ($40) and 2 speeds ($30), that totals to $70 and the Sport is $80 less than the T, so you still save money as long as you don't want reverse. I also hear the Sport jumps better (better acceleration, lighter means more air, and when it lands the less weight is easier on the truck). Compared to the Savage, the Sport has the same top speed (about 30 mph) but accelerates WAY quicker and pulls wheelies.

This is from what I have heard and read. What do you think?

[Suade907]

Well as far as backyard bashing. I really doubt you'll be worrying exactly how well a truck jumps. It's rare that somebody has a dirt track set up in their backyard. Sure you'd like the truck to jump the best but why I suggested the MP was for the fact that I have experience with both the T-maxx and the MP. The MP is a great all round truck. It has a powerful motor, Very reliable chassis and while not in the same suspension league as the T-maxx or Savage it does jump moderately well. It performs much better if you change the wheels and tires to a lower profile. I only recommended that because of what you said you were looking for. Sounds to me that you have your heart set on a t-maxx or a Savage. That said, in your particular case I'd get the Savage. The reason for my recommendation is based on the fact that I have a t-maxx and I have had many problems with it. It's still a great truck, but with my experience with .21 motors. It just is too hard for me to recommend a .15 over a .21 even if it has electric start and reverse. I also have seen a sweet savage in action as I have posted before. Just by seeing it run almost made me want to sell mine on ebay and go out and get it. Of course I would sell the stock motor on eBay and get a hyper .21 8 port. That's about it for now; it seems you almost have your mind made up. I too asked people on this forum for advice for a new truck between the savage and the t-maxx less than 3 weeks ago. Many recommended the savage and others raved about the t-maxx. I wasn't swayed by the opinions of other people but by the extras the t-maxx had like the reverse and electric start. Now I wished I hadn't made that decision.


Good luck on your quest. Just remember a properly tuned .15 runs great but a .15 a little out of tune runs crappy. A properly tuned .21 runs excellent but one off a little still runs pretty darn good.

[dan7532]

Thanks for the info. You have been really helpful. As far as the MP, I don't even think my lhs carries OFNA, so that's probably a "no" anyway. As far as T-Maxx vs. Savage ... I still can't decide. About that Savage you saw at the track, did it have an 8-port in it? I am wondering why you say you would put a hyper 8-port in it; is it because that is what he has or because you like that engine?

"Just remember a properly tuned .15 runs great but a .15 a little out of tune runs crappy. A properly tuned .21 runs excellent but one off a little still runs pretty darn good." That seems to be the thing I have heard on the boards, too. I still want to visit my lhs and race track to see what people there have to say. Thanks for the advice.

EDIT: I wanted to add that you said you had problems with your maxx, particularly the 2.5 engine. I have heard of plenty of people having problems with OFNA engines, too. That is something to consider. This is the first example that I could think of off the top of my head from Trilordy's review of the OFNA Pirate 10 (http://trilordy.com/p10.html): "At this point I would like to discuss the piss-poor performance of the Hyper .21 engine in two different Pirate 10's. For two cases that we experienced first hand the Hyper .21 has failed miserably. Of the two Hyper .21's we could only get one through the break-in process, then the plastic spur gear lost some teeth, rendering the truck inoperable. Have'nt spoken with the owner of that truck since then, hope he got it running. (OK, that part of the story was a little irreverent, but this next part I have heard before) The other Hyper .21 wouldn't even start. The engine was unbelievably hard to turn over. Even after sending the engine to OFNA ( they supposedly replaced the piston and sleeve) we still could not get the engine to run. We gave up on the Hyper .21 and replaced it with an engine made by a manufacturer know for their reliability and perfor- mance. We installed an O.S. RG. A much better engine in many respects." If you read on MaxxTraxx under the Savage forum, I have heard of a few people having problems with OFNA engines. I have not even read any of the engine-specific threads, which may contain more problem stories.

[Suade907]

As far as the Ofna engines go. I have had first hand good luck. One of the things particular to the ofna .21 motors is that the piston sleeve fit from the factory is EXTREMELY TIGHT. Sometimes you can't even get it to turn over even by hand. But rest assured if you use the proper break in procedure and heat cycle the motor. You shouldn't have any problems. This is no traxxas break in procedure so beware. Most people heat the engine with a hair dryer and then fire it up. Usually that does the trick. But remember the first few times you fire the motor up . Let it run until it gets a little hot and then shut it off put the piston in the lower part of the cylinder and then let it cool. I think Ofna says to do this a few times and then procede with a normal break in procedure. I have had many ofna motors. I've had pretty good luck with them. I have also used O.S. motors and highly recommend them also even more so than ofna. It's just that they cost so damn much. With the Ofna motors you get more bang for the buck. I guess if your not familiar with Ofna's break in procedure then you might have a bunch of trouble. I have even heard of people Having their engines lock up in the first few minutes because they didn't heat cycle the motor. But that is their fault for not following the break in procedure properly.

As far as that Savage I saw. I don't know what motor he had. But it seems a lot of people have been praising the Hyper .21 8 port. You get the performance of a italian motor for half the price. THat makes it hard to pass up. I have been using Force 4 ports in my Monster blazer and hodr for years now. While they are not the most powerful motors. I've been very happy with the power and performance. It always starts easy runs good and never dies. Idles well also. I'd say if you had the money get a O.S. because I think their quality is second to none. But they cost it too. I'll ask that guy what motor he was running if I see him this week. I'm going back to the track on Wednsday, I've been tweaking my MB for the last week I'll see if I can run with him. I doubt it though I need new tires. We'll see.

One thing about that review,I noticed that it said on one of the trucks they got the motor through the brake in and lost some teeth on the spur gear. I've seen this happen from people breaking in their motors and either having a high idle or just letting the car sit and idle for a few tanks of gas. What happens is the clutch bell gets so darn hot it will melt a plastic spur gear. That is why most people let the truck drive around real slow. Could be what happenedbut who knows. I actually had a Pirate 10 monster and sold it on ebay a few weeks ago before I bought my T-maxx. THat truck was fast as hell and out of control. If the damn tires didn't baloon so bad it would have been much more fun.

[dan7532]

"I actually had a Pirate 10 monster and sold it on ebay a few weeks ago before I bought my T-maxx. THat truck was fast as hell and out of control. If the damn tires didn't baloon so bad it would have been much more fun." lol :p

Any updates? Did you get your 2.5 engine back yet?

As far as my truck decision: I visited my local hobby shop yesterday and found out what they carry, but didn't get much information. They carry the T-Maxx, SportMaxx, Savage, Mad Force, and just got the Dirt Demon. They have a couple buggies, but I have ruled out buggies from my list. I think a monster truck would be better for tearing up the whole neighborhood. I think they might have some smaller tenth-scale monster trucks, but I am only looking at the big ones as I don't think something like a nitro stampede will be able to run though grass and everything in the neighborhood (if you think something like a stampede would fit me, let me know). I think the Mad Force's suspension is too unstable and have ruled that out. The Dirt Demon is new. I don't know too much about it, but the hobby shop does not know if they plan to support it in the long run, so I think I will rule that out.

I am left with the Savage, T-Maxx, and SportMaxx. I looked at the RC Nitro shootout between the Savage and Maxx and read all the forums and am leaning towards the Maxx. Everybody says the maxx is not durable, but those are the ones who don't own one. I have still heard of people who have not had any durability problems with the maxx. Also, everyone says the Savage is so much better if you just do a few things to it (new engine, new steering servo, better foams for the tires, etc), but I don't plan on buying any hop-ups for it. I will probably run it box-stock unless there is a big problem with something. I also think that I will probably be satisfied with the performance of a Maxx and won't need something like a picco .26. I don't go for the "bigger is better" thing. I don't need the biggest engine or the biggest truck or the biggest tires. I just want what works best, not what looks best. The Maxx supposedly runs 40 mph out of the box (I hear that is pretty darn fast, and is more than enough top speed) and also has the power to do wheelies. So if it has enough top speed and it does wheelies, why would you need more power and how could you actually make the truck faster (already has the top speed and if it wheelies under acceleration, can it accelerate any faster?)? The maxx also comes with reverse and electric start at no charge. The Maxx has a little better parts support at the lhs and good customer service (but I hear HPI has that too). What does the Savage have on the Maxx?

I am also considering the SportMaxx. I won't ramble on anymore as I have explained before why I am considering the SportMaxx. I want to get my truck soon and I think I will probably just get the T-Maxx. However, the T seems to be out of stock, so I might just buy the Sport. I would really like to get to the race track and ask some people there what they think of the trucks.

[dan7532]

EDIT: sorry, I tried to edit and update my last post, but I was too late and it wouldn't let me. Here is the updated parts (I will spare you from reading the whole post again to find them):

"As far as my truck decision: I visited my local hobby shop yesterday and found out what they carry, but didn't get much information ... the dude says, "I'm not in to RC, but if I was, I'd get a T-Maxx." A few things I can conclude from that: 1) if you are not into rc, then why are you behind the counter of the rc section giving advice to all the others that are "in to" rc? 2) Why should I take your advice if your are not in to RC and thus probably don't care about the trucks and have not done the homework to see which one is better. 3) He carries 5 nitro monster trucks, yet constantly told me to get the T-Maxx. Why? Is it because he can make more money off of me by selling me all the aftermarket parts? But then you'd think he would try to sell me the SportMaxx so he could also sell me the T-Maxx upgrades (2-speed, 4WD, and Reverse). I don't know about this guy."

"I am left with the Savage, T-Maxx, and SportMaxx. I looked at the RC Nitro shootout between the Savage and Maxx and read all the forums and (not being influenced by the hobby shop employee) am leaning towards the Maxx. "

[dan7532]

My main question is: What truck (that my lhs carries) is the best backyard basher? What truck will run though grass, up hills, and jump the best? I will also run at the track occasionally and want something that doesn't do too horribly. I don't need to win any races, but I don't want something that drives like a pig or breaks all the time.

[Suade907]

Hey Dan it's been a while. I still haven't received my parts yet but Traxxas told me they were at about a 9 day turn around. We'll see. I've been spending every Wednesday at my local track since I bought my t-maxx. Unfortunately my t-maxx was supposed to be my track truck. Instead I had my problems and I had to get my old monster blazer out of moth balls. Since then I had tweaked the suspension and put a new force .25 in that old truck. I also put blazer sst rims and tires on the truck. The truck is as fast as the buggies at the track but it really doesn't handle quite as good. I need new tires.

As far as your dilema goes. The time that I have been spending at the track has taught me a few things. Nobody has been using a t-maxx there. Why? I have no idea. There was one guy with a modified older t-maxx and about 10 savages since I've been going there. I've talked to a bunch of guys about their savages and they all seem to really like the truck. Of the few stock trucks that I have seen they all seem to run smooth and idle well. The truck is so heavy that the power doesn't appear to be the strongest but it handles so good on the track that any lack of power is hard to notice because it flies around the track just because it handles so well. Now mind you this truck looks really wimpy when compared to buggies. But then again most do. I did see a stock savage racing a older t-maxx with a ton of aluminum parts. I don't know if the motor was stock but it didn't look it. THe t-maxx had much more speed in the straights but the guy sucked at driving so the savage guy put the whack on him every lap.

Since I bought my t-maxx and after seeing so many tweaked Savages and stock ones I wish I would have not bought it. I'm actually thinking of selling it on ebay when I get my parts back. If it does not perform any better. Believe me it will be sold right away.

To sum it up what would I recommend for you. That's a good question. If I had to do it again I'd buy the savage. But I'm not afraid to hop it up later on with a better motor. Since you don't plan on modifying it at all or really race it I'd say for you get the t-maxx. But if you race it at all get the savage. It will be much easier to drive.

[dan7532]

Yeah, I'm going to my track on tuesday. I hope somebody there will have either a Savage or a Maxx and can give me advice. There are guys like you that wish they got a Savage and guys like this that wish they got a maxx: Originally posted by ZZ3Astro
As a fairly new Savage owner, I find this post to be quite interesting.. A fellow heli pilot recently ordered a TMaxx and I wanted to be different and go with the Savage. Now there is no denying the Savage will take a pretty good beating from the things I've done to it so far.. but how do they compare side by side?

Acceleration is very close, possibly a slight edge to the Savage in the mid range of first gear.

My Savage at top speed in second gear is only slightly faster than his T-Maxx at the top of first. Once he is in second gear, there is no more race. The highest speed I've recorded my Savage at was 26 mph by GPS.

In turning, the T-Maxx seems to have a much tighter turning radius than the Savage. I would say the T-Maxx can make a 180 degree turn in 1/2 the time of my Savage... and I spent a good bit of time today trying to figure a faster way to get the 180 and accelerate out.. the T-maxx always won in the turns.

So far in a week of driving the Savage, I have broken one axle, several bent another, broken one stock at the mounting point and broke the starting spring once. I've upgraded to the heavy duty dog-bones in the rear and super travels up front.

Hmm Reverse.. what a concept.

All in all, the Savage seems to hold up better to crashes, but it (the T-Maxx) is lighter, faster, smoother and a better deal (reverse, starting system) and I feel like I made a mistake going with the Savage so far.

Steve

Then again, that could be just one in a million. At MaxxTraxx and here also, I hear of many t-maxxers that switched over to the Savage and love it. Then again, those people spent a lot on thier maxxes and like the fact that the Savage doesn't need as much money (but they still put a lot of money into it!). I think that I might be kidding myself if I tell myself that I won't ever hop it up. I might. If I could get $100 for the stock engine unused then it would be great to sell it and get a better engine right away. The Savage might be the better truck in the long run with the ease of hopping up (simply drop in a new engine, clutch, pipe or something and there you go ... not like put a .21 in the maxx then rebuild the whole truck to support it). I'm torn between the two and can't decide! And it's driving me nuts; I want to get a truck already! I got out of school today (YAY!!!) and I want to get my truck soon. I just hope somebody is there at the track that can help me.

[r/c maddness]

dan i have a t-maxx and i love it. i havent seen a savage being run before though but from my experience i love the t-maxx. i bought the old one back in 02 and upgraded it with a megatech m16 engine big raven springs and a cevec t-maxx manifold and duel exaust. in total i would say the truck cost me around $600 and can hit about 40mph. so far, knock on wood, i havent broke anything on the maxx. also for a great mt and durable although not a good racer look at the ofna titan. that thing is sweet!!! the dominator is also a great truck for the money. let me know what you get though im curious.:D

[r/c maddness]

they wouldent let me edit my old message but what i wanted to say was the $600 was including old t-maxx (same price as the new one) and the engine, springs (by the way the truck is untippable on the asphalt compared to the stock springs) cevec manifold and duel exaust.

[dan7532]

You haven't broken a single thing? That is surprising. I hear the Stampede is a durable truck, but I have managed to break a few things on it. My t3 is durable as heck, but I have not abused it as hard as I have the stampede.

My lhs does not carry OFNA trucks, so they are out of the equation (no parts support). Also, I don't like their trucks (or shall I say truggies?).

I still can't decide if I want the Savage or the Maxx. It's killing me and I want to just get one so I can have fun but I don't want to make a wrong decision because I rushed it.

[Suade907]

From all the posting we have done here, I'm getting the impression that you'll be happy with a t-maxx. Hopefully you'll get a good one though and not be like me sending my motor in for warranty work. I think if you get a savage you might be a little bummed until you get a new motor.

[dan7532]

I think I'll be happy with either one, I am just looking for the one that will make me happier. :) I shall decide soon.

[dan7532]

I have reached my decision. I will buy a Savage. I could not decide so I told my dad about both trucks and he convinced me to get the Savage since it is more durable and has more engine choices (and possibility of more power). I will order it this weekend and when I get it I will let you know how it is. I can't wait.

[r/c maddness]

good luck!!! hope it turns out to what you expected, i have herd good things about it:D

[Suade907]

Good luck, sounds great, let us know how it turns out. Just to let you know you might want to pick up the latest issue of RC/ car they actually have an article on how to modify your savage and not break the bank. THe biggest differance they got I think was off of a super heavy duty clucth set up. They said it really boosted the bottom end power. It's worth a look.

[ZeroMax]

if you read the 2003 edition of RCCA monster trucks, the traxxas seems to be the best handler and most durable out of the 8 best monster trucks in the year including the savage, sorry to tell you now that you've brought one :o but heres somthing good the only top score in the whole test was scored on jumping by the savage ;) tell us if it is really that good soon

[dan7532]

Thanks for all the support guys! I'll check out that issue, Suade907. If you do have it, could you please outline/summarize what they say? That would be great. ZeroMax - I don't totally trust the magazines. They don't bash the trucks hard like the owners do. Also, the magazine editors only run the trucks for a couple of hours and form a conclusion. I have heard from many owners who have had plenty of hard bashing and time to conclude that the Savage is more durable and is the better choice. As far as handling, I have heard both sides. However, my main concerns are durability and reliability. My goal is to be able to bash all day long, not to be the fastest (however with a .26 in there, the Savage might be both!). I'll let you guys know about the truck as soon as I get it.

[ZeroMax]

Originally posted by dan7532
ZeroMax - I don't totally trust the magazines. They don't bash the trucks hard like the owners do. Also, the magazine editors only run the trucks for a couple of hours and form a conclusion

What? its Radio Controled Car Action! are you dissing the mag :mad: they are the creators of this site how can you not trust them, but thats true i wonder where they get all the trucks to test from

[dan7532]

I'm not totally ripping on RCCA (or any magazine for that matter). I am just saying that they don't have the time to know how an rc vehicle holds up in the long run. They can't hold on to a car for a year and run multiple gallons through it to find out how it really is. Within their time limit with these cars, they can determine how it performs and such, but they can't discover the long-term durability.

They also don't take into account user modifications. They might rate the T-Maxx well because it performs well out of the box (example: T-Maxx vs. Savage in RC Nitro), but they don't give credit to the savage for having the metal drive train that can handle a .26 or more. Also, durability is not a concern for their short-term tests. In their shootouts, do they often have durability as a category? No. In the Maxx vs. Savage, they had all kinds of performance categories, but nothing about durability. Even so, they don't have the trucks long enough to test their true durability. It's not the editors' fault. It's just because they have a limited time to test the vehicles.

[dan7532]

Also, ZeroMax, could you please quote or summarize the part where they say the Maxx is more durable? What did they say about it and the Savage? Thanks.

[ZeroMax]

erm, its abit long but ok

T-maxx - Handling 9

at the track, the t-maxx seemed right at home. the wide suspension arms with their extra shock mounting options let you tune the truck to various track conditions, any dips and bumps in the track seemed non-existent as the maxx blazed over them while maintaing its course. the brake quickly slows th truck for tight turns and a full clamp on the throttle as it exits the turn will life the inside front wheel

[ZeroMax]

heres for the savage, not so good

HPI savge - Handling 7

here's where the savage's ooey-gooey suspension works against it. Lots of travel equals lots of body roll, and that makes this truck less quick on a race-course. but it is suprizingly sure-footed and tough to roll: if you value staying on all fours more than being able to carve a tight turn, feel free to bump up the score

thank you Kevin, paul. steve and the whole RC monster truck team for this review.

[Suade907]

Got my T-maxx parts back last night. It looks like they sent me a brand new receiver and just rebuilt my 2.5 motor. I'll be putting it in and re braking it in this weekend. As far as the t-maxx vs. the savage on the track and handling. I'll give the nod to the savage just because it's easier to drive. The t-maxx may be faster and it also will jump well but it is much easier to get out of control. It's all preference though.

[dan7532]

ZeroMax- what did they say about durability???:confused:

As far as jumping, in the T-Maxx vs. Savage in RC Nitro they said that the Savage jumped very well, was easy to adjust in the air, and landed as if "hanging from a parachute". The maxx did well, but didn't have the "bucket of cool whip" that the Savage had, was harder to control in the air, and had some rebound on landing. The Savage won the jumping category.

In handling, the T-Maxx rode a little stiffer, which helped it corner more aggressively, but it wasn't as stable in the bumpy sections. The savage was soft, cruised through the bumps and jumps, but was a little soft and vague in the turns. They said that the Maxx shines where the savage is weak and vice versa and called it a tie. I have also heard from many people that the Savage is much less likely to flip than the maxx when turning at high speeds.

Suade907- I hope it goes well for you and I look forward to hearing the results.

[Suade907]

I've seen modified savages guys, first hand. And I can say with confidance that the savage can turn on power through a corner with the best of them. It has serious body roll but it doesn't effect the turning at all..

[Suade907]

Got my T-maxx parts in tonight and I started to put the tune on the motor. I redid the whole break in deal. Unfortunately the settings Traxxas had on my carb from the factory were not very good for the break in. I now have about 7 tanks in this motor and so far I'm very dissapointed. I'm gonna put the final tune on this motor tomarrow, it started to rain on me right when i was getting in to the power part of the tune. Unfortunately from what I can tell thus far the truck looks weaker than before I sent it in for warranty work. Also my receiver ended up not being the defective part in my radio setup. It actually was my 3rd channel button on my controller. It seems like it's not making good contact on the inside when you flick it into reverse. If you push on it really hard it will work smooth but if you push it normal it will glitch.

But so far I hate this truck. I've had it for about a month and a half and it has never performed well. The rebuilt motor looks like it's gonna suck too. I'll give you guys the heads up tomarrow after I get the final tune on it. I vowed never to ever buy a traxxas product in the past and I really whished I would have listened to myself. If this motor performs weak this truck is gone. I also started to break in my Ofna Ultra MBX pro kit today and while I was cursing a storm over the T-maxx I love my MBX kit. That sucker is sweet.

Well tomarrow is another day and we'll see if a final tune helps this motor. I'm not far off but it looks weak right now when the last time that I broke in my motor and it was at this point it looked strong. Alos I have to calll Traxxas Monday anyways to get them to fix my controller. Because of them being so damn slow I'm out of my one month deal now so they better warranty this controller.