mister_T

hi, just got myself a new s-maxx 2 days ago. didnt really having anything fun to play with at xmas so i decided to treat myself instead, didnt have a clue what make/model rc car i wanted but it had to be nitro, off road and rtr. popped down to hobbytown USA and told them what i was after and my budget and he hooked me up with the s-maxx.
only had a chance to take it out once so far so i tryed my hardest to run it in. couldnt get it started at first as when i used the ez start it would spin the motor up but the piston kept on getting caught at TDC and it wouldnt budge from there with the power of the ez start. after taking the glow plug out and spinning it up several times with zero compression i stuck the plug back in and got it fired up. seems to be running very rich though which i guess ill adjust once its run in.
never had a nitro car before only many tamiya electric cars which werent exactly fast so was amazed at the pace of it. run through 2 tanks getting it run in trying to stick to the recommended break in procedure but the kid in me took over several times which seen the car belting down the road. was well happy untill i gave my brother in law a go. think he managed to get it 20 feet before running out of control under an suv and straight into a curb knocking the exhaust of the rubber. needless to say thats the last time he gets a go lol.
anyways had a few questions for you guys ive been wondering??

whats the difference between the E/S/T-maxx?? the guy in the shop said the s-maxx shared a lot of the parts with the t-maxx, is that correct??

what parts would you recommend me getting to improve it?? i definetly want the 4wd system for it and a selection of tyres, i dont want to race it just have a lot of fun with it on all kinds of surfaces.

nitrorc89

well congratulations on the new buy...would also like so say howdy neighbor since you are only about 30 minutes away from me..lol.... yes the s maxx is basically a 2wd tmaxx....and smaxx doesnt have reverse...reverse is hardly ever needed tho....dont really know what to tell you on upgrades....because my maxx is still pretty much stock..


lol i know it is hard but i would follow the berak in as close as possible....i done the same thing with my tmaxx that you are doing now...and 5 gallons later my motor is shot..lol just some friendly advice..

RC 01 KID

My understanding is that the S-maxx is basically a 2wd T-maxx, with forward only (correct me if im wrong) and im pretty sure most parts are interchangeable. If your going to be doing some hard bashing i would suggest getting rpm A arms, and a bunch of extra glow plugs. But really the easiest way to know what to get is to just wati until something breaks, and since it sounds like you have a LHS you shouldnt have a problem waiting on parts.

Oh and an E-maxx is an eletric version of the T-maxx, and the T-maxx is a 4wd with reverse sportmaxx. I'm sure theres some other differences but i think those are the main ones (again correct me if im wrong).

Hope that helps a little!

mister_T

thanks guys, nitrorc what happened to your motor?? ive owned a couple of 2 stoke bikes so im used to tempremental engines lol. gonna try and stick with the program for the next 3 tanks though.

rc kid ye theres no reverse, not really much of a problem i must admit although if it does start to annoy me im sure ill end up adding it on. im liking the idea of replacing things as they get broke. seems a sturdy little thing but im sure ill manage to break something on it.

nitrorc89

oh yea you will manage to break things....bearings went out...then got to looking anf my piston and rod were just about to go....but i didnt really do breakin that well and didnt keep it tuned perfect....as long as you do after run and leep it tuned well...and break in right....then it should be fine....hobby town of turkey creek the one you go to??? if so they will do you right...got all my trucks from there...they havent done me wrong yet..only time anything have ever had prob with hobby town is....just recently got a losi after shock....there is something wrong with it...it wont take tune or nuttin...so i gotta call them tomorrow...more than likely will be taking my new truck to em....

Edfltchr

I love my S-Maxx.You can buy an upgrade kit to make it 4 wd for 50 bucks I think it was best upgrade I did to it still running 2.5 but soon to drop a 3.3 in.And if anyone has a link to a stock S-Maxx body would you mind posting it poor truck is almost naked now

revo-nation

why did you go for the s-maxx instead of t-maxx or revo just wondering? the break in procedure is VITAL and in no way should you be going wide open throttle untill the 4th ot fifth tank. heating the head with a blow dryer also helps the head slide easier for starting when new. you might have trouble finding alot of info for your s-maxx because everyone is on the t-maxx or revo. good to see another nitro driver on the road. good luck

Edfltchr

The only difference between an S-Maxx and a T-Maxx is a T-Maxx has 4 wd reverse and chevron tires.To be honest I loved the sporttraxx tires that came on my S-Maxx great all around tire and lasted forever

tmanbu

If your looking for a new stock body, check out ebay. Just type Smaxx in the search and you should find some. Also you could goto proline.com they have tons of bodies that will work and they are thicker than stock so they hold up alot better. heres mine.

tmanbu

sorry for the HUGE picture. I didn't realize it would post that big.

mister_T

rc kid looks like ive already put your advice to good use. went out this morning and got 2 tanks worth out of it in a shool. was riding it off the asphalt onto the grass where there was a small lip for jumps and after several succesful attempts the front end got caught sending the s-maxx into a quadrouple flip coming down on the rear end upside down and snapping both sides of the bulk head.

went to jakes hobby shop and picked up some heavy duty anodised alluminium bulk heads. just got round to fitting them but they didnt come with the bolts to reattach the suspension arms to the bulk head so gotta go back down tomorow and pick some up. such an easy component to fit but also wat a pain in the ass. dont know if theres an easier method but i had to have the engine and tank off to get the 4 screws on the body pan in. ill get some pics up tomorow once its all back together.

nitro rc i got the s-maxx from hobbytown california. long story cut short i live in the uk, my fiancee lives in tennessee and im currently visiting her mum in california, yes it is as complicated as it sounds lol.

revo-nation now that ive read up on the trucks i would have got the t-maxx, but im the worst impulse buyer ever. i just get an idea in my head and go with it. seen the t-maxx rtr today for $350 which is only $50 more than i payed for the s-maxx so im a bit gutted although more than happy with the s-maxx.

has anybody taken there trucks to the beach yet?? thinking of going down tomorow but im unsure weather it can cope with the sand or will the tyres just dig in and get stuck??

Edfltchr

I use to run my truck on the beach all the time just make sure to have spare air filters and change them often.

mister_T

well i think karma is taking its revenge on me since ive bought this car, have had nothing but bad luck with it since ive bought it. went down to the big park in san fransisco today so the other half could read a book and i could finish fitting the bulk heads.
before leaving the house i knew it was gonna be hit or miss because the charger i bought for the ez start battery packed in after 1 charge and there wasnt much juice in the battery.
being optimistic about it i got the car back together and put it down ready to start it and thought to myself i should just check the servo is working correctly as i had to remove 1 of the screws to shift the engine across a bit... but at that point i just wante dto play with the thing so i stuck the ez start on and it started first time, gace it a bit of throttle and realised the throttle was jamming so shut it down. checked what i should have checked in the first place and the screw was a touch to tight so i loosened a touch so throttle returned easily. stuck the ez start back on only to find id used the last bit of power starting it up the first time. was so ****ed off you wouldnt believe. gotta go back to the hobby shop tomorow, exchange the charger, charge up the battery and then finally can i play with my car[X(]

took a few pics, gonna go grab a few more alluminium parts tomorow. fronk bulk heads, chassis brace and exhaust header probably:

BigD2.5

Hey man congrats on the new truck. I too am an S-maxx owner, or that is what it started as. Yall have been talking about the difference in the S and T maxx, they are almost the same the difference is of course the 4x4, no reverse, single gear kit which is an asset in my own opinion, and the s-maxx is geared just a bit higher, and that’s it. As far as upgrades you have found out the bulkheads, and I strongly suggest the RPM A-arms they are bad to the bone. The ladder bars are a weak point too I suggest going aluminum there too. I am trying to go all aluminum except for the A-arms,RPM all the way on those. If you are not a fan of the aluminum stuff anything made by RPM is real durable stuff you can’t go wrong there... If you are going to make yours 4x4 don’t buy the kit just go on e-bay and buy it piece by piece and you can do it for about half the price. I even put the revo shafts in mine and they are a lot stronger. With the t-maxx differential, and all revo shafts in the front of mine I have less than 30 bucks in the front wheel drive.. Well good luck and keep us informed on your progress

RC 01 KID

Oh by the way Mister-T if your going to be buying more aluminum parts i would strongly suggest NOT to buy ANYTHING else thats made by integy. A lot of people on here will tell you that their stuff is junk. I hope i didnt give you this info to late.

Have fun with your truck. Things will get a lot better as you get used to running it and figuring out how everything works, you just gotta stay optimistic and remember to HAVE FUN!!!!

Hope this helps

zjwhitrock

+1

mister_T

hey bigD thanks for the advice, im definetly anting the 4wd system so if i can save myself some money i guess ill do it that way. was having a chat with the guy in the hobbyshop yesterday and he said that if you break the rpm suspension arms you can get them sent off and have a free replacement, cant really say no to that.

thanks for the heads up on integy parts rc kid. just been having a read round the forum and seems theres a mixed opinion on them with more so disliking there products. personally i was impressed with the fit of the bulk heads but was sceptical of the quality of the alluminium. i guess ill find out if its up to the job or not althought the majority of complaints seems to be about the piggyback shocks so i still have a little bit of faith left.