Unusual Problem
 

Need some advice here. I recently picked up a Savage XL, so I could give Nitro a try. I'm a computer geek who got into RCs on a whim to learn about mechanical stuff, and it's been great fun with the Electrics (mostly an E-Revo I've converted to brushless). Nitro seemed an obvious next step.

Got my Savage two weeks ago. Broke it in, ran it twice now, and I've discovered I'm allergic to Nitro fuel. :oh:

I don't want to sink the money into the XL to convert it to brushless, so I think the only choice I have is to sell it and take a loss. I can probably find a local buyer, so we'll see how that goes.

So, the question is, what to replace it? I expect to have a budget around $500. I have three young kids who like to play with them, too. I mostly run in short grass & dirt, limited amounts of pavement.

I was thinking of maybe picking up a pair of slashes, rustlers, or other 2wd trucks so I could race with the kids. Any other ideas?

Thanks,

- Tony

I think you are on extactly the right track...

yeah, it sounds like you have it figured out with the slashes/rustlers. Already have a truck for yourself so get something for the kids, i know when i was young i loved playing with rc's with my dad.

a couple slashes and batteries would be the ticket

Yep, something traxxas 2wd electric will be a great place to start. A stcok slash is very fun to play with, and definitely a good starter vehicle.

I have 4 2s 5000 mah Lipos I use in my E-Revo, I was figuring I could just drop those into the Slash as well?

those will work great you might want to change the esc to a sidewinder in each so that you can have a LVC to prevent the kids from taking the packs too low

Kids are for mowing lawns

Buy ME

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/j...ay283/Flux.jpg

So true... They can also dig holes and will fit in most chimneys too.

Kraegar, do you give your kids an allowance? They're going to need money for parts, you know! And the inevitable BL conversion! :yes:

They don't really get an allowance yet. Probably should switch to that, though.

:yes:

How would the Losi Desert truck be compared to the slash?

A little off topic here, but what makes you think you are allergic to nitro (or was that a tongue-in-cheek statement)? Because if it's the noxious headache-inducing smell, mess of oil/dirt mud coating everything resulting from running in any kind of dirt, annoying mosquito-like drone, or just the frustration and headache from continually tuning for weather conditions (not to mention trying to get it started and keep running), then I think we are all qualified to say we are allergic to nitro too! :smile:

Anyway, I agree with the Slash, Rustler, Stampede ideas; they are tough, lightweight, easy to fix, run great, parts availability is usually common, and require less battery (a single 2s or 3s pack is perfect).

Gives me a rash on my hands, feels like a bad case of poison ivy for about 4 days.

Eventually I'll start swelling up, it's not much fun.

I spilled a couple other brands on my hands today, to see if it was the type I'm using.

It really ticks me off, I love this truck!

- Tony

A pair of slashes with SW 4600 systems on 2s and a 32p gear conversion gets my vote.

Someone at the LHS is interested in a trade -

1 Rustler w/ vxl ESC, a castle brushless motor in it (not sure which yet), and lots of upgrades (shocks, a-arms, wheels, tires, toe links)
1 Rustler (stock)
1 Bandit roller (needs electronics, basically new).

It's a pretty tempting offer.

- Tony

IDK, rustlers go for maybe $100 (unless BL, & rollers less.) Is the stock Rustler a VXL or and XL-5 or even older. Hell I'll pay you $300 for an almost new XL. God knows on used stuff too.

BTW, what brands of Nitro are you using? Really all thats in it is methanol, and oil. Sometimes castor oil, sometimes synthetic. Do you have nut allergies or anything? Perhaps if you got a brand w/ no castor oil in it, and just synth oil, that may do it for you.

Tried 3 different brands, no luck on it. I thought maybe it was the dye (the stuff I had was purple), but traxxas (blue) and a clear one did the same thing.

No peanut allergies or anything, but Tide soap & lots of perfumes do it to me.

Thanks for the tips on the trades.

The stock rustler isn't Brushless. I believe it's an XL-5, but I haven't seen it.

I may put it up on commission at the LHS, though he said I'll be lucky to get $450 for it.

- Tony

Since it appears it's not a matter of fumes, can you maybe be careful not to spill it on yourself? And when it's time to clean up, use some latex gloves? I dunno, just trying to find a way for you to keep something you seem to want...

Slashes! That's the best car for you and your kids, I think! But it will be costs a lot if you have 3+ kids :lol: Maybe you could also buy 1 slash extra for spares only... (That will be cheaper than every time buy a single part new)

I've thought about it, but I've dealt with this before, and it just gets worse. I'm worried if I accidentally get some near my face (wipe my hand on my face, or some splashes, whatever) it could be really bad. Hard to explain at work that my eye is swollen shut from an RC car, lol!

Thanks for all the ideas, it's helpful.

The LHS sold the XL for me (didn't even take a commission), so I picked up a pair of slashes from them. Just got them today and took em out to the park with the kids.

Stock they're definitely... slow. But still fun! My 4 & 6 year olds love em.

Only thing I ran into was finding out the Novak 2S lipo cutoff was incompatible.

Looking forward to when I save up some cash to put some brushless systems in them. (Man having to do everything in pairs sucks!)

Thanks again for the tips - and if there are any good tips for the stock slash you can think of, I'd be interested to hear them.

- Tony