ASK Cub Reporter, 11.14.2013, Version- You Have More Questions, I Have More Cowbell

“Hey Cubby,

I just picked up a 2013 Savage x 4.6! What would be the best upgrade you recommend for a routine basher? Most bang per buck vs. Best Bang if money were no object?

Thanks in advance!
Jose C. Jr.

p.s. I’m also bumming it for a free decal :-)”

Cubby- Yo yo yo Jose, BigSquidRC Raps! Actually we don’t, we just dig phrases from the early ’90s.

Word up on the stickers, shoot Brian your snail mail and we’ll not only hook ya up with stickers, but Brian just might stick a “surpise” in there too.

Now to your question. What is the best hop-up for a Savage 4.6? IMO that would be a hammer to smash it to bits, then go out and buy the Flux version. Ya, you probably already know I am not a fan of nitro, so there is my “money is no object” upgrade.

Ok, but what if smashing it into a pile of rubble was not an option? I consider there to be two key hop-ups to any vehicle, regardless of scale or what powerplant it uses.

1. Gearing
2. Tires

In the case of your Savage it comes properly geared right out of the box, so you can scratch that one. So now you’ll be looking at some new kicks. The type you buy depends strictly on you and your driving habits. If you drive on pavement stay away from small pins, if you only drive in loam look for the biggest lugs you can find, if you do a little bit of everything buy Pro-Line Trenchers because they work well on just about any surface shy of snot covered ice (sorry for the ugly mental image… actually, no I’m not).

Have fun with your BSRC stickers and shoot us pics if you pick up some new tires for your truck.

“Greetings,

I saw that you did a review on the DXR8-E last year sometime, and you gave it pretty good marks. Did you run this machine any more after your test? I see some kind of crazy low bids on ebay these units and I am wondering if somebody knows something that I don’t know. . . . or is it that Duratrax just has a not great rep but this one is really a good ride?

My big concern is the composite motor mount, and secondly the plastic chassis. I have found one guy on the web that says he has had trouble with the motor mount, but everybody else says they do OK.

My driving is more of the bashing style, but not really a “fly it 25 feet in the air” bashing style.

Think I would be better served to save up for an 835E??

Thanks

Patrick C.”

Cubby- And greetings to you too Pat C, thanks for your questions.

Ok, so… is the Duratrax DXR8-E any good, or should you save up some cash and buy the 835E?

Brian, Wrench, and Adam put our review DXR8-E through a legit beating and didn’t have many issues with it. They were doing all the stupid stuff you shouldn’t do and it proved to be a very capable bash machine for us. I also need to mention that most of the testing was done in cold weather for that buggy, making it even more difficult for it to survive. If you are on the fence for getting one, get off it and cut the check.

However… the DXR8-E comes as a roller with no electronics. Electronics to get it up and cranking will run at least a couple hundred bucks (and a lot more than that for the “good” stuff). The 835E comes RTR completely ready to jam. If you don’t have a bunch of 8th scale electronics sitting around, the 835E might actually prove to be cheaper.

Also… I’m a big fan of the 835E. It handles well, takes a legit beating, and basically does everything you want a good bash machine to do. In years past DTX would use OEMs that maybe weren’t quite up to par, but the OEM they have build the 835E is who I’d use if it was my job to whip out an 8th scaler. The 835E has quality plastic, quality metal parts, and is put together by people who know what they are doing with 8th scalers.

Btw… we’ve been seriously tossing around an “affordable buggy shootout” for quite some time now. DTX vs ECX vs RedCat vs Ofna, we really should get off our butts and knock that one out.

That’s it for now ya bunch of lunatics, shoot me your questions, epic meltdowns, verbose rants, and anything else to Cubby at BigSquidRC.com. If your letter hits the bigtime you get a sticker pack, if I proclaim yours as “letter of the month” you’ll win a BSRC t-shirt.

YOUR Cub Reporter