Review – Traxxas X-Maxx 2085X Servo Upgrade

To upgrade the steering in your X-Maxx, the crew at Traxxas have released the 2085X. The 2085X servo has more torque than the stock unit, but perhaps more importantly, it comes with full metal gears to improve durability. The BSRC Bash Crew has been thrashing the daylights out of a 2085X in one of our X-Maxx test trucks for several weeks now. Does it improve steering? Can it take the daily beatings that a basher puts out? Is it worth your money? Read on to find out what we think of the Traxxas 2085X X-Maxx servo…

From: Traxxas
Direct Link: 2085X Servo

Review By: Cubby
Pics By: T-Money

Quick Specs-

* Waterproof
* Digital design
* 450 oz-in of torque
* Drop in fit for the Traxxas X-Maxx
* Full metal gears
* Ball bearings
* Aluminum heatsink
* Comes with heavier servo saver spring & adjustable steering link rod
* Street Price- around $100

Set-Up And Install Notes- Of course we installed the 2085X in an X-Maxx, specifically our original 6S based truck. When you first look at replacing the servo in an X-Maxx, you might think it is going to be a Herculean task because the servo is buried inside the chassis. However, because of the modular design of the X-Maxx, it proved to be relatively easy. The front clip has to be removed, which is about 9 screws, then the bottom tunnel cover, which is around another 6. Once you can get to the servo it is held in by 3 more screws. Overall it took us about an hour to remove the stocker and install the 2085X. And no, we didn’t run into any issues during the install.

Our X-Maxx was running the Traxxas 8S upgrade kit on 8S worth of Traxxas LiPo batteries and we controlled the truck with a Futaba 4PX and Futaba receiver.

How It Drives- While the 2085X doesn’t feel faster for transit speed than the stock unit, it did a much better job for power. The additional torque of the 2085X, combined with the stiffer servo saver, made a large and immediate difference in how our truck drove. The stock servo and servo saver had a tough time keeping the wheels pointed at speed and also lacked power in big rock sections, the 2085X did a much improved job of keep the front wheels pointed where we wanted them. During high speed runs we found our truck easier to keep going in a straight line with the upgrade servo. We also noticed a big difference when scrubbing jumps. Overall, we found the steering on our X-Maxx significantly improved by using the upgrade servo.

By the way, the 2085X had more than enough torque to slam the wheels side to side with the truck sitting on carpet, something that the stock set-up could not do.

The new Traxxas servo isn’t fast. We felt like it was about the same speed as the stock unit, and if you are a big fan of uber-fast servos, this one is not for you. Most of our test drivers aren’t big speed freaks so they got along with the servo’s speed just fine.

Durability- Yes, our wrecking crew are experts at blowing the guts out of servos. No, we didn’t blow up the Traxxas. After several weeks or normal “hardcore” bashing our test 2085X still lives. We destroyed 2 stock servos in the truck that we installed the 2085X into, so we are pretty stoked that the truck now has a servo that can take what we dish out on a daily basis.

Misc Notes-

Before you bolt the front clip back onto your X-Maxx after installing the 2085X, here are a couple tips to potentially save you some time. Because the servo uses metal gears, don’t forget to add a drop of Loctite to the servo horn bolt to keep it from coming loose. Another thing to remember is to set your transmitter’s trim to zero, hook up power to the truck, then make sure the servo arm is properly centered before the front clip goes back on. Lastly, if you removed the center driveshaft while doing the install, don’t forget to replace it. The last one was mentioned because our own Iron Mikeee made that mistake first hand. LOL

It is very cool that the servo comes with a heavy duty servo saver spring. The spring is significantly heavier than the stock unit and we found it worked well with the servo. Installing the heavier servo saver spring is essential to better steering, plus it gives you the chance to clean the mating surfaces on the servo saver for better operation.

The 2085X uses mounting tabs that are specifically made for the X-Maxx. This allows for a proper fit, but also limits its use in different trucks/installs.

Final Verdict- The Traxxas 2085X proved to work extremely well for us. We found it much more durable than the stock unit, with more power to boot. Also of note, we’ve seen them priced from $89 to $105 on the web, which for a servo of its size and features, is actually quite affordable. Yes, the BigSquidRC Bash Crew thinks the 2085X should be considered a “must have” if you are looking for improved steering performance on your X-Maxx.