Janezki

I exploded my 3 speed last week too. (I had about 6 lipo packs on it) I also have a Kershaw Design direct drive on order. I'm also going to work on using a Ofna diff out of there dirt oval car (solid spool drive) with the motor driving that, like a truggy setup.

For answers on the Cen Gen diff mod follow this link
http://www.rcbasher.com/savcendiffs.html
I used the four pinion setup with 7000 oil in front and 5000 in the rear diffs.
I need more time to tell if these are the right weight.

I'm running a Neu 1515 1y on 4s 8400 lipo, with MMMv2 and 16 tooth pinion and stock spur/slipper full tight. That was good for 49 mph before the rear end change. The Cen Gen rear end will give you higher top end. Iplan on switching to Flight Power 6s 5000 lipo at some point this up coming summer.
Lights look really cool on your truck, how do you keep your truck body so nice looking, mine is trashed......

Thanks for the link, doo540. Much appreciated!
Those CEN diffs do look mean. :great:

I have no hurry in replacing the diffs yet, I'll wait until ppl have experiences from the Flux diffs and then have to compare which comes cheaper.
Also, the Kershaw tranny raises total gearing ratio, so with CEN diffs it gets even more taller - might be time to get lower kv motor. :neutral:

Which I'm in need anyway atm - went for a little drive with friends on Sunday, but my Savage just didn't want to move - stuttering starts, not possible to give more than half throttle or esc cuts all power. I tried the motor without a load and MGM gave more throttle instead of braking, which had never happened before with this motor. We tried the motor in my friends' truck too and had the same results, so it's not MGM but Feigao which is toasted now... :cry:

Anyway, I ordered two of those KD36-74-15XL 1100kv motors from HobbyCity. They're a bit on the low side on kv, but hopefully I'll get over the wintertime with them. Together with 6S & Kershaw transmission they'll prolly be just fine and motor temps should be atleast tolerable.

Here's few pics with my friends' brushless trucks, eRevo & Hobao Hyper ST:

http://janezki.pp.fi/grfx/savage_xl-e/P1040299_800.jpg

http://janezki.pp.fi/grfx/savage_xl-e/P1040298_800.jpg

Oh, doo540 - You can find the secret for my well survived Savage body when you look at the ground at those pics. :mdr:

Nice trio of brushless power !! Looks like the Savage was out of commission though?

Yup - no fun for me until next weekend (hopefully).

Kershaw said 2 weeks on his tranny, so I also picked up another stock 3 speed to get by with. I took my 3 speed apart tonight, the diff gear was miss about half of its teeth, the gear that rides next to the black plastic gear had exploded, nothing but little pieces left, and the top second gear was missing a chunk too. I'm thinking I can remake all the gears that exploded, out of stronger material and better design, but is anybody planning on running with the 3 speed?

BTW with a 50 tooth center diff and a 14 tooth pinion (truggy setup) I would be right back at the same mph as running the 3 speed with stock savage rearend.

I'm also interested to see what the flux has for a stronger drivetrain, I hope they surprise us with something that can take the punishment of the brushless motors.

well I will tell you what isn't so good on the savage body and thats pavement at 45 mph on its roof. Backflips are to easy. I have the HPI wheelie bar, and that helps a lot, watching it ride a wheelie on the one rear wheel is cool.
I will be working on a new frame too, one that will hold the truggy setup, aluminum and carbon fiber versions.

Is this based on a recent discussion with Dan? I noticed the release date hasn't changed (atleast) yet.

One thing I forgot to ask about the Kershaw tranny when I ordered it was that does the motor fit on it's place with stock radio box? Or have I got it completely wrong as I'm assuming that motor will be located at front side of the transmission?

the discussion on the flux tranny sounds very interesting, larger everything it sounds like.
I must say after Janezki helping me the locked 2 speed seems the the way to go, so far no probs with gears. Like Janezki had said some time back make sure to take the time and shim the center tranny gears cause they have tons of side to side play, I also put some stuff from the bicycle world on my gears called white lightening, its for chains and like a non sticky wax.
Curious to see how these kershaw trannies are gonna work as well.

The spur gear will be facing forward in the truck. Not sure if it will hit the radio box or not. Should move the motor more forward in the chassis which is a good thing.

Oh - spur forward!? Hmmm.. well, I guess it's ok. I had the impression it would be the other way around so there would be even more weight towards the front.

I do think it might be possible to turn the tranny around in the frame so that the spur is fcing the other way, not sure how that will work out for drive shaft lenght. I might try both ways just for fun. (thats what she said)

I was thinking about the same thing - have to check it out when I got my hands on it... :intello:

I also ordered the direct drive gearbox. After about 50 emails back and forth between me and dan, this is where I am at: The gearbox is designed to be a drop in repalcement, with the spur forward, while accommodating the stock electronics box. However, I want the spur to the rear, with the motor in the front, so I can put the batteries in the back (I have an extended FLM chassis). According to dan, in order to put it in backwards, you have to change the output shafts, so if he hasn't shipped it yet, I would shoot him an email if you want to mount the tranny backwards.

http://204.186.93.64/Savage-DirectDrive.htm
Updated pics of the Kershaw gearbox.
Might be able to test drive this coming week.

Yes! I got an e-mail that Dan has shipped me my transmission on friday. :yipi:

http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/r...l/SANY0668.jpg
http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/r...l/SANY0670.jpg
http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/r...l/SANY0673.jpg
Here are some pics of my brushless XL. I purchased another 3 speed so that I could play until Kershaw's direct drive shows up. I'm not sure which way I'm going to mount the direct drive at this moment. I want to keep my lipo inside the frame with plans of going to 6s this spring. The road rash on the body is from backflips at high speed. The wheelie bar helped some but not enough.
I did shim all the play out of this current 3 speed, minus the shifting gears. I'm not sure I could. Seems odd that the shifting gears have so much wobble to them on the clutches.

I too converted a Savage XL to brushless. In fact I kept the 3 speed transmission and installed reverse. I expected the weak link to be the reverse. Using Mechanical brakes I can do a stoppie on the truck. I am running it on 6S with MMM and 1515 1Y. I ordered Dan's Direct Drive gearbox 6 weeks ago and he has informed that he just shipped it to the UK. Not sure if I am going to take the current setup apart until it breaks. I will post a video of the truck and maybe some pictures. I scratched my pristine stock body so many times by flipping the truck over. If you hold the throttle while the truck is accelerating during gear change it will lunge and flip over. I have now learnt to ease the throttle slightly during gear change.

The battery has been temporalily fastened on top of the frames. I intend to mount to battery trays on the side frames.

http://i476.photobucket.com/albums/r...e/IMG_0215.jpg

[IMG]http://i476.photobucket.com/albums/r...e/IMG_0217.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i476.photobucket.com/albums/r...e/IMG_0219.jpg[/IMG]

I dont know if you guys have run the numbers yet, but if you want to keep your gear ratio the same when you go to the direct drive you will have to gear up. The stock savage 3speed when in high gear is about 1.5 to 1, the direct drive internal gear ratio is 2.5 to 1 (45 tooth bottom gear and 18 tooth center gear). I current run the stock 52 spur with a 16 tooth pinion with the 3 speed, when I get the DD I will be upgrading to a 23 tooth pinion to stay at the same overall gear ratio.
Mohanjude, looks like you are using the Kershaw Motor plate, you should pick up the Kershaw battery boxes for your XL, the fancy ones that have the aluminum bottoms and velcro across the top, they look really cool.

Doo540- How long is your battery? What is the max length that can fit in the XL TVPs?

Lipo 8400mah 35C 4S2P 14.8 Battery Pack is my current lipo.
45mm X 138mm X 50mm (?) I'm not sure on the height at the moment. I can check tonight. I think I can get a lipo about 158mm long in there if I move the battery tray closer to the spur gear. BL_RVO if you want I can remove one of the TVP's so that you can look right inside the truck.

...so how do the Kershaw units run? Dying to know...

..Dan is working on a slightly 'different' version for the E-Sav (non-Flux) too...

EDIT: Crap!!! Sorry, my bad...Mistook the kershaw motor mounts for the center drives in the pictures...

http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/r...l/SANY0677.jpg
lipo area minus tvp
http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/r...l/SANY0680.jpg
driveshaft clearance
http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/r...l/SANY0682.jpg
empty battery area
My current lipo maxamp 4s 8400 30c
45 tall 65 wide 140 long

Max length I think you can install if you move the lipo bracket forward is 156mm
Max height current is 51 mm I think I can lower the bracket 3 more mm for 54 total without raising the mmm up in the air.

Thanks for the pics man!
Unfortunately it looks like there is no way I can fit my 168mm neu pack in there...

BL_RVO
Maybe the kershaw drive will offer more room? I will post pics of that too, after I get it.
You could always make the tvp plates 20mm longer. I would guess that Kershaw could find you some drive shafts that would work.

I was gonna get a 12t pinion to go with my direct drive. However, you guys are saying a 23t pinon?!? I (basically) have an XL with big joe tires, 52t spur. Running Mamba monster 2200kv combo (basically neu 1515 1y). What pinion should I go with?

Well the stock rear-end ratio is 3.31
The stock ratio of the 3 speed in high gear is 1.53 to 1

Kershaw Direct drive is 45 diff gear with a 18 tooth center gear=2.50 to 1
If you use all of these numbers, compare your old setup with your new setup, or just pick a speed you want to run, you can then pick your pinion size.
I need to run a 27 tooth (from a previous 16 tooth) to mantain the same speed (48 mph)
I'm also running a Neu 1515 1Y on 4s until my 6s shows up in the mail.

Well, I don't have an old setup to compare it to, lol. I just ordered my brushless setup and the gearbox at the same time. I was running a nitro before, and I don't know what kinds of loads the electrics can handle before overheating, which is why I was asking.

So I just got my mamba combo and my motor mount and you guys are saying that the tranny in my savage XL is going to fail soon? I didnt figure the tranny would handle the mamba combo, guess I'll be ordering a kershaw direct drive too!!

The 2 @ 3 speed hold up ok the 4s power, But if your running 6s then you will need direct drive setup.

Agreed, I have been running a 4s with a 2 and 3 speed with no issues at all, the 6s will tear it up like you se most post pics of their destroyed trannys.

Is there any way to beef up the 3 speed to handle the extra stress? I was really looking forward to seeing my savage shift gears with a 6s powering it but dont want to deal with the hassle of breaking trannys all the time. 4s is out of the question, go big or go home!!!

I'm going to run my Neu 1515 1y on 6s with the 3 speed until it explodes again (it let go on 4s once already) then I will be switch over to the direct drive (which is on order).
Does anyone know how to keep the gears from wobbling on the clutches inside the tranny? Would anyone be intersted in buying a some stronger gears for teh stock 3 speed. The gear that broke in my 3 speed was the "cast" geat that drives the very bottom gear in the tranny. I thought about having that gear made out of steel so that it was stronger. BTW watching the savage shift very cool.

Any pics of the direct drive yet?

Hi all,

Been following this thread with interest as I really want to convert an XL, but I was just wondering, why isn't anyone using the stuff from the Savage Flux to convert the XL's to brushless - doesn't it fit or something?

I see the main problems appear to be the transmission and motor mounts, and I just had a look on ebay - the flux motor mounts and single speed trannys are available from the "chop shops" for pretty good prices.

The flux drive train seems to be happy dealing with the castle neu 2200kv motor and 6s lipos, so I would have though it may be a worthy consideration to covert a XL.

thanks guys
-Sid

cuz theFLux hadn't been released yet when this thread was made. BUt ya, the the flux tranny will hold up. You need to make your own motor mount htouhg, cuz the flux oen requires special TVP's, and won't fit the castle-neu motor anyways. Only fits smooth cans (the flux motor is smooth where the mounts attach).

Thats what I was going to do, just use the flux tranny. I sold my x and xl on ebay and am not gonna bother with the hassle and just get a flux and make it an XL. Does the flux tranny have the mounts to put x or xl brakes on it? I really dont want to use the motor as the brakes. Now that I've abandoned my plans for an xl convertion I have a new in the box mamba 2200 combo if anyones interested.

why don't you wannt use the motor as brakes? ANyhow, you should be able to use the casing from any savage gearbox with the flux internals. That way you could get brakes. I don't own a flux, but I bet they jsut used the X casing, becasue its easier than making a new mold.

I just like the idea of having disc brakes, and it keeps the wear and tear off the motor. I was aswell thinking that it was the same case for the flux and an x. I think the case for the flux has the posts to mount the brakes, theres a bad pics from the wrong angle on the hpi website of the flux tranny.

I really like the look of my Savage XL BL over the FLUX. I'm not a fan of hanging the batteries off the side like an after thought. In all of my driving, your going to have to upgrade the diffs too. I have broken the XL's diff and I have already heard people breaking the new Flux's diff's. I'm running the Cen Gen's currently and will be testing with 6s and Neu 1515 1.5d and Neu 1515 1.5y with both the stock 3 speed and the Kershaw direct drive. I currently have the Kershaw direct drive, but I'm making minor mods to it before I install it in my XL. BTW any one know were to get a wing mount for the Savage XL?

Type "O"!!! should have read 1515 1y not 1515 1.5y, sorry about the confusion.