E Maxx vs E Savage??
 

Anyone here got any --positive-- selling points for the Maxx over the savage??

Yes,

There are problems with the e-savage diffs...the bevel output gears are horrible. They snap like crazy. Also, the driveshafts break easily. I never had a problem in these areas with my maxx.

-Chris

plus the maxx upgrade parts are available all over the world in all different prices.

IMHO; you can slowly upgrade a maxx to super maxx, or gorilla maxx.
with savage, you have not much you can change.
so if it breaks, you repair with stock part and it will keep breaking.
with the maxx it lowers drasticly i suppose, the breakage that is.
so go with an e-maxx, or even better e-revo.

I suspect E-Revo is way more $ than I wanna spend. :002:
How much extra $ does it take to get the Maxx strong & reliable for a basher, w/o getting into bling-only territory?

What do you recommend Serum??

Well, that depends on the setup you want to use?

the amount of power/weight/speed you want to hit.

a stock maxx is rather tough, though the drivetrain might need some attention;

steel idlers for the gearbox, FLM aluminum cups for the diffs,
3.3 driveshafts/knuckles/turnbuckles (the new e-maxxes come with the new type of arms that work with the 3.3 shafts) some new shocks (traxxas big-bores) and for bashing a FLM frame would be nice.

these upgrades can be done when you brake the stock parts.

Good batteries are the key to succes with electric cars.

Before buying my Maxx, I test drove both. The savage seemed cheaper in construction, definatly not the solid beast that the nitro savage is. Also the availability of hopups for the maxx made it a no brainer for me. E-Maxx!!! and as Serum said above, good batteries are key!

I bought Venom 3000's with the truck (a mistake). Then picked up some radio shack gp3300's which I liked alot better, but they left me longing for more. I ordered some 7 cell Matched cell IB4200's from SPC and could not be happier with them. Well maybe Lipo, but the wife said no lipo until we have a larger dwelling where I won't have to charge them inside.

batteries: I've got 2- 4200 stick packs for my xxxt (Deans all around) and plan on getting 2-4 more packs of at least the same. (hoping to find some good deals at RCX next weekend ). Not ready to switch to lipo's until they become less 'high maintenance'.

What I'm looking for is a good basher monster truck that will keep me happy for awhile w/o having to dump a bunch of extra money into it right off the bat. I kinda like the look and slightly larger size of the Maxx, but it seems that the savage is 'better out of the box', where as the maxx seems to 'require' a lot of attention right away.
All I've got to go by is what I've read. I haven't got to touch, feel or drive either yet...

*I also don't have the time, money or paitience for nitro, even though the power is alluring...

btw- thanks for the info so far!

Define better....
IMO I think the e-maxx is better because of the fact that it has a lot of hop-up parts for when you want to upgrade it. Some are expensive some are cheap. I'm trying to build mines on a budget.
So far I have spent:
$50 on batteries (Radio shack gp3300s)
$90 on the FLM chassis
$30 on some cheap cvds for the rear(the fronts do not need attention right away)
$50 on a new body and paint
$40 Bluebird Servo
The whole rear has cvds/dogbones. Those don't twist or bend. I'm running stock right now.
Thats $170
Next on the list are steel idlers, wheels,tires, wing mount and wing. Thats another $150 or so.(I hope)
Thats $320 more into the truck. Thats all I feel it needs to be my ideal truck.

I haven't owned a Savage so can't compare directly, but when originally shopping decided on an EMaxx because of huge selection of parts--as an earlier post said, all prices and can upgrade to whatever level you want/can afford.

If working with a budget, in my experience you'd want to upgrade the skids, bulks, and probably the chassis braces and then could "general bash" with little problem thereafter if you don't get too crazy. If you drive aggressively, then the diff cups are going to go sooner or later, and probably the half-shafts, but those shouldn't be an immediate problem under reasonable operating. That's basically the meaningful upgrades my son's EMaxx has, and it's done its share of curb-bashing.

The only thing is getting to the differentials is kind of a pain, so might be preferable to upgrade the diff cups at the same time you're upgrading the bulks. Neither the cups nor bulks need to be expensive, should be able to buy pieces on a small budget and put in when the stock break, or when you've been able to buy all of the pieces you need.

And if you like to "tinker" more than drive like I do, there's tons of upgrades you can do nearly endlessly, some for bling more than anything and some if you reach a point of wanting more power, like brushless.

FWIW....

is this a e-savage or normal nitro savage?

i think the thread title covers your question Mike.. :)

well, I got to stop by the lhs today and look at a maxx next to a savage (once again, electric...)
regardless of all the positive remarks about the e-savage I've read in the 'other' forums, I prefer the look, layout and size of the maxx.
It looks more like what I had in mind for my needs...

I suspect that when my cc cools off in a week or two, I might have a new e-maxx on the workbench! :027:

Thanks guys!

Wise choice!

Sounds like you have your mind made up. But I just wanted to say I feel for you pal. I've owned a few E-Maxx......an currently own a few E-Savs. The E-Savages are pretty dang nice for the money. They're a heck of a lot tougher then out of the box E-Maxx.........but.....yes the BIG BIG but. They just aren't tough enough. E-Sav is oh so close, but no cigar. The sad part is how much more money you're going to have to spend to get set up with a good Emaxx. A brushless E-savage can be had for pretty dang cheap. Emaxx is going to cost big. I know you've already spent lots of time adding up parts for what and Emaxx is going to cost.........but in the end we all know it's going to cost plenty. But hey. Better you get going on your emaxx now rather then spend money one a E-sav....decide it doesn't cut it...then end up spending the money on Emaxx anyways.

Better yet. Go E-Revo. It'll be more up front, but overall it will end up costing less then brushless Emaxx.