MT2 vs SAVAGE?? Which one is better?

[littlidevil]

I'm new to nitro but not rc's. I want to get a 4x4 nitro...but which one. I want some thing durable with minimal problems (atleast until I get use to nitro rc's). I've narrowed it down to these two. I have read alot of horror stories about the Savage's many problems, but not many about the MT2. If anyone could give me some pro's and con's or your own experience with these trucks, it would be greatly appreciated. :confused:
Hopefully any input will help me make my final decision before the snow flies again. :cool:

[Puffnstuff]

You should go to savage-central.com and read the posts on the savage as you can learn a lot there. I have two savages and hang out there every day.

[littlidevil]

i got all my info off the net ,as it stans now the mt2 rules.......

[MaxxGT23]

Well as you know, they are kinda in different catagories. It is really what you are gonna be doing with it. If you want to race, most places don't really have a 4wd 1/10 class, but they would have a 1/8 mt class. Really either one would be great just for bashing. The Savage is an awesome machine and very durabale. So is the MT2. The Savage will take you more places though, but the MT2 is more nimble. Like I said, it is what you want out of it that will make up your decision.

[kitty]

I agree with MaxxGT. Both are great bashers, though the Savage will run over rough terrain that would high-center the MT2. You probably have heard about such things as the diffs breaking and a few other minor problems about the Savage. Fixing the diffs is pretty cheap by adding another pair of bevel gears to each one and cross pins from Ofna. Throttle/brake problems are fixed with using parts from Traxxas and/or Ofna linkage kits. Steering is fixed for under $20 by utilising the spring servo saver arm from a Ofna Monster Pirate.

The Savage is extremely durable. I love the MT2 also, but I have read of a number of guys breaking the A-arms on them.

Mostly it depends on what you want to do with your truck.

[littlidevil]

You guys are very knowledgable in regards to nitro, it's not a question as to what I want to do with my 4x4. I've found alot of info about the SavageSS / Savage25, but very little info about the MT2. Maybe I wasn't specific enough in my first post, but I was looking for some reviews (likes and dislikes) from anyone out there, on their own experience's with either or both trucks. Sort of like what End Overend (senior member) posted in the MT2 Truck forum. Just want to spend my money wisely.

[MaxxGT23]

You could always run a search for threads about the MT2 or the Savage. Maybe you will find something there. Hope this helps. :)

[doesgo]

There's very little out there as far as hop-up parts for the MT2 as of yet. Whether that's because it's too new, not popular, or simply doesn't need them I'm not sure.

But I don't think you'll find a vehicle that's more durable than a Savage. I've owned two Nitro MTs (not MT2s) and one Savage and the Savage is much tougher and more fun than the NMT. Again, the MT2 is an improvement over the NMT, but...Savages rock!

[Freedom]

The MT2 is $100 cheaper, but if you could afford a $400+ truck I say get a Savage .25.

[Jackyl]

The savage is a killer truck out of the box, and as for jumping and bashing it's the king. but as for racing and being nimble it is not. it's far to top heavy.

Now the nmt2. is basically a nmt with different arms. and shock towers. this is a great truck if you want a 1/10th scale stadium truck to race or just to make a street truck that is insainly fast as the 2 spd assembly is great. and all the nmt2 and nmt parts work hand in hand!

Just stay away from the tmaxx, it's a money pit. compared to the savage. And the other killer thing is the fact that you can hold a savage over your head and drop it and it doesn't bottom out :D that is just sweet. show me another truck that you can do that with! well maybe a mad armor or mad force or a xtm but a independent suspension truck.

And for the price right now 409 at tower for a rtr savage .25 is a killer deal. or you can find one used for a lot less.

[doesgo]

I'm with Jackyl on 99% of this stuff. The only thing I will say is there are more differences between the NMT and NMT2 than meet the eye, so don't assume that since there are hop-up parts out there for the NMT that they'll work on the MT2.

I've had two NMTs and a Savage (among others) and they both have their place and are both fun, but the Savage's durability wins out for me.

[Jackyl]

If you question what parts are compatable between both trucks. download the .pdf's from www.hpiracing.com and compare the part numbers between both trucks. That is what I did for the nmt2 slipper clutch and found that it works with the nmt, and now I have a RRP savage clutchbell and spur on my nmt and it helped out alot. now if only the diffs could take it. But once I get the nmt hybrid done I'll have that problem fixed too :D

[doesgo]

What's the NMT hybrid consist of?

[Jackyl]

Basically it's a NMT but the nmt diffs and suspension are removed and replaced with the savage suspension and diffs and it all sits on a custom chassis that is a bit longer than the nmt chassis but allows you to bolt the savage front and rear ends onto it. Finally a nmt that can handle a .26 :D LOL

[Cotharyus]

Lots of good stuff here. If you want something durable, get the savage. Compared to the savage, the NMT (or NMT2) is a fragile truck. Trust me. I race my NMT in the MT class at my track against savages and T-Maxxes. When a savage lands on it, it breaks. That said, if you do want to race it, and they'll let you at your local track, the NMT (and for the sake of this discussion the NMT2 as well) can be made into something that, if driven properly, no Savage or T-Max can keep up with. It takes a lot of time, care, and money though. Personally, I love my NMT, and wouldn't give it up for anything. But I am kinda looking at either a savage or a BFT.

Hybred NMT's - gottcha. Except I'm still using the stock diffs. I don't have any problems with the diffs, its the drive cups, and the dogbones. So I've been working on some custom made stuff. With a slipper, and metal spur (so it won't melt when the slipper actually slips) you can keep the drive line in one piece racing hard with a strong .15 engine (OS CV-R, Picco XP.15) - but we'll see about the .18 action. If you're *really* going to get an NMT and abuse it, you MUST become good friends with Larry Wu (f4iracing.extremevelocity.net) and pick up the Ti treatment. I've got his removeable top deck, heavy duty chasis, and front and rear shock towers. With a good set of shocks (twin caps) properly set up, and good tires (lugnut T's on all 4), you can really make this thing handle. Let me make this point - it weighs in at 6lbs 0oz with no fuel in it. I can haul up to 6.5oz of fuel on board so as not to have ot pit in long mains. At this point, it's basicly the same weight and wheel base as a 1/8th buggy, with a slightly higher CG. Oh yes. It'll handle. No, I shouldn't be allowed to race it with MT's, it should be illegal. But I do. And I win. I like the idea of the savage diffs though, props on your creativity. I'd like to see some picturesif you get it done.

[Jackyl]

It's still a work in progress and as of right now I lack funds so someone will proably do it before me if it hasn't already been done :D

As for the nmt racing prowess. it's a killer truck. I actually race in the 1/10 stadium trucks. and I have a 2.5 trx engine in mine with a the rrp savage clutchbell/spur with the nmt2 slipper package. And my truck has alot of aluminum but it has the power to move it.

I agree with you on the fact that I will never get rid of this truck!!

http://www.rcsites.net/jackyl/Rs4%20Nitro%20MT/Img_0582.jpg

[e-squared]

As an XTM MAMMOTH owner I am a little biased.I will say I like the Savage a little better, as far as power the stock savage will run away from the assc.truck but assc. has long racing history.I would give the edge to the savage thuck for back yard bashing.

[Jackyl]

The savage is an awesome truck. But it doesn't fly as good as say a tmaxx or a buggy based truck. The savage seems rear end hevy in the air. Really it all comes down to how well you drive.

[e-squared]

Jackyl,the Savage is an 1/8 scale truck,it is much heavier than the T-max you are kind of comparing apples to oranges.

[Jackyl]

Lets not get on the 1/8 1/10th scale thing. the tmaxx is 1/8 scale. as you can compare it to any other 1/10 scale and it is larger and side by side to a savage it is the same size within a tolerance. If you really want to get technically neither the tmaxx nor the savage are 1/8 they are large 1/10 scale as my dom hybrid is larger than a savage and the dominator is 1/8 and the savage is supposidly 1/8.

In my book if it isn't larger than 1/6th scale it isn't worth arguing about the size of it.

[kitty]

True, the Savage can be rear-heavy in the air, but I mount my RX pack up front (made my own 5-cell hump using Sub-C cells), so it evens it out. I honestly don't feel that the Savage is made for racing. Yes, I did say that. It isn't made for racing, but can be set up to race.

A number of guys (and probably a big-name company or two) have been working on lower-CG TVPs. One guy has a number of people doing final testing on his design and hopefully he'll have them up for sale soon. He uses a water jet cutter and the parts look great.

I made my own homebrew sway bars and when I took my truck to a track for the first time, she stayed pretty level on the turns. I was running stock tires and the track is pretty loose, so my truck would slide into the turns, which was okay with me due to the way I drive and the way my diffs are set up. I since had to remove the sway bars because I added a set of Integy chassis bars (the external-mount ones) that are in the way of where I had the sways mounted. That's okay, though. I'll just re-design and do it different. I have to wait for a new engine, so I have time to do it.

<edit>Jackyl, I'm 100% with you on the scale argument. I never could understand why they classified the Maxx as 1/10 when it's larger than my 1/10 E-Pede and a lot closer to my Savage</edit>

[e-squared]

Jackyl, if the T-MAXX is truly an 1/8 scale why is the engine smaller?I think the t-maxx still uses a .18 engine and the savage still uses a .25 and doesnt the savage use larger tires etc.etc.

[Jackyl]

Tmaxx uses a rear exhaust .15. and for the size of these trucks it's up to you how you want to see it. I like to say that they are a mid 1/8th scale becuase a full 1/8th scale truck is larger than both the savage and tmaxx. I'd say it's like 1/9th scale :D As 1/10th scale is smaller than a maxx and savage and 1/8th scalle is larger than a maxx and savage then the maxx and savage would have to be 1/9th scale yeah! As for why did traxxas put a .15 into the tmaxx and the revo. Because they want to show that a high rpm smallblock can hang with a big block truck. But in all actuallity it can to a certiain point. the tmaxx is ligher has more plastic,.once you start to load it up with aluminum then you see why hpi used a .21 and .25 in the savage.

But in the end it's all up to you whatever you want to buy. You will always be better off knowing your truck inside and out and how to strip it down and feild repair it over just knowing that it can do 45mph or whatever.

But a truck that is in your knowledge range or else you will get frustrated with it and it will just sit.

[MaxxGT23]

The whole scale thing is stupid in R/C. It is not true to life scale compared to a 1:1 car. Also, traxxas says that the t-maxx is a 1/10 scale monster. Can't argue with the company. I love the Savage for everything but the motor. It is almost double the size of the maxx motor and still not as racy. No savage owner every brings that point up. But I really like the savage though. One of the best Mt's you can get. Maxx isn't a money pit if you just race it and not do crazy crap with it. I havn't spent over 100 dollars on replacement parts in the 4 gallons that I have ran through it on a track.