What Should i get the RTR Savage25 or Savage SS

[HPICasper]

Still wondering which one i want. I am fairly new to nitro r/c so i dont know all the stuff. So i am lookin towards the experts for some tips and advice. Thanks

[RCRACER2471]

Have you ever built one or had rc experience in the past. Ones a kit and ones built. If you have RC experience and like to build kits then the Savage SS is for you. The Savage RTR is for those people who want to take it out of the box and run it right away. Its all a matter of preference and experience.....

[HPICasper]

i help my bro build his car. I do have some expierence but am still learning. I hear the instruction are good. I was just wanting some input from people who have done this longer which one is better.

[RCRACER2471]

Ive been in R/C for quite awhile now that I cant even remember anymore. If you helped your brother build his car then you could probably build your own Savage. HPI's instruction are pretty good with plenty of pictures so you cant get lost. Get the Savage SS and you'll love it. You'll understand the truck better and know how to take it apart yourself.....

[tadium54]

I'd also say that you'd be ok with building it.When you build it from the ground up, then you know how to fix it and repalce stuff.

[HPICasper]

yeah thats true. I think i will be better of with the savage ss also. thanks alot for your input

[Puffnstuff]

If you've already got your own radio gear then the kit is the better way. I bought the 25 rtr and then ended up replacing everything anyway so I would've been money ahead to do the kit in the beginning.

[HPICasper]

yeah i have a futaba than can run three cars. I am also gettin a good deal from a friend for some high torque/highspeed servos and a reciever for $100. I am gettin a good deal on them; the servos alone are $90 a piece and the reciever $60. So i think the Savage SS is my best bet.

[kitty]

You've had at least some building experience already and you have the radio equipment (including some good servos), so I say go for the SS. The only problem there, is that they are really hard to find right now. I don't think anyone could have anticipated the popularity of the SS kit and even the source I was referring people to is out of stock until mid-February. If you don't mind waiting a few more weeks, check out Ultimate Hobbies (http://www.ultimatehobbies.com). I bought my SS from them a week before x-mess for $349.something (95, 99. I forget.) and they still have the same price, plus free shipping on orders over $50. You can't beat that deal anywhere and they're great folks.

One really nice thing of buying the SS kit over the RTR is that it comes with a good tuned pipe (funny looking, but works great and is made of aluminum, not plastic), aluminum wheel hexes (helps to avoid stripping the wheels out) and the upgraded dog bones. I'm in the final stages of breaking in the engine on mine and I'm having a blast with it. The engine can be a little picky at first and I recommend sealing the engine and carb with Permatex orange stuff (oxygen safe or something like that). I recently sealed the carb on mine and it made a world of difference. Oh yeah, definitely pull the pull-start and make sure the backplate is on tight with loc-tite. For a while, some came from the factory without it. Mine had loc-tite on the screws, but two of them weren't in all the way. I stripped the factory stuff off and used red loc-tite for the backplate and blue for the pull-start screws. Some guys do fine with using the blue stuff on the backplate, but I can be overly cautious and I don't have a problem with removing screws put in with red loc-tite later on (soldering iron for about 10 seconds on the screws and they come out a lot easier). Lastly, be sure to use loc-tite on all screws that go into metal. You'll be thankful later on.

Good luck!
kitty

[HPICasper]

thanks for you input kitty. By the way what is the difference between red locktite and bluelocktite. Is there one? Also what is the silicone everyone is talkin bout for and how do you use it?

[kitty]

It's easier to remove screws put in using blue loc-tite. The red stuff is like using a liquid welder. Personally I use red on the engine-to-mounting plate screws, but I like it to stay on for sure. You can remove screws that have red loc-tite on them by touching them for about 10 seconds with a 60w soldering iron, though to do that on the Savage you'd have to remove the engine mount and engine from the truck first. I'm just overly cautious on some things.

As for silicone sealing, though I answered to that issue in a few other threads, you've been really nice so I'll put it here too. Get a tube of Permatex sealer that comes with a gold label. It's oxygen sensor safe and is orange in colour (the silicone itself). You can use the tip of a medium size zip tie to apply it. Just make a sorta gasket with it on the engine backplate (backplate to engine, not on the pull-start side) and on the carb neck where it steps down (the part that goes inside the block). Just enough to make a seal is needed. I got a little sloppy doing the carby on mine, but it's okay - I just wiped the excess off with a paper towel.

Believe me, sealing the carburetor beforehand will make starting and keeping a good idle SO much easier. When I got mine, I got cocky and figured "yeah, yeah, yeah. it'll work fine and if it needs to, I'll seal it later on." After having fits with a high idle, I sealed mine and it's now so much easier to start (that, and using a blow dryer to pre-heat the engine). I'm now on the on-road part of the engine break-in and having a total blast with it.

Glad to help out! I LOVE my Savage SS!
kitty

[HPICasper]

thanks for all your help kitty:D

[kitty]

You're most welcome, Casper! Plus, it gives me the opportunity to bump this thread in hopes of avoiding yet even more threads asking the same questions ;)

[HPICasper]

yeah i try to look around for answer to things i need answered so i people dont have to repeat themselves all the time. But i guess i didnt see the one bout this. again thanks for your help