3.3 Nitro Monster Truck
The nitro monster truck, Traxxas T Maxx is the world’s best-selling car of the same category. It can climb, jump and rip through terrain like no RTR nitro truck!.
The high-performing T Maxx still can be a better truck. How? Upgrading which parts will give the best results? How expensive are the upgrades?
In this article, I will discuss the important parts of the nitro monster truck and the cost behind it.
Upgrades and Costs At A Glance
| Part | Reason of Upgrade | Cost |
| Carburetor | Smooth performance | $50-130 |
| Servo | More power supply | $80-150 |
| Motor & ESC | Faster speed | $100-800 |
| Shocks | Protection and durability | $40-80 |
| Front and Rear Bulk Heads | Protection and durability | $20-70 |
| Dogbones and Axle Shafts | Protection and durability | $30-60 |
How Much Does Its Cost to Upgrade?
The entire upgrade will cost you about $340-1360.
You can upgrade the Carburetor at $50-130, $80-150 on Servo, up to $100-800 on Motor & ESC, $40-80 on Shocks upgrade, $20-70 on the Front and Rear Bulk Heads and $30-60 on Dogbones and Axle Shafts.
you can upgrade other accessories within $20-70 dollars.
5 Traxxas T Maxx 3.3 Nitro Upgrades:
The Shocks and front and rear bulkheads are easy upgrades that make a difference. Moreover, people drive differently and different parts take the load of it. I will be suggesting different parts. But you have to decide on the parts to upgrade.
1. Carburetor
It’s a common question if the .19 carburetor will fit the Traxxas 3.3 or not? The sad news is, it doesn’t. Well a .18 carb may go with it.
However, the Losi 3.4 engine, It’s a direct fit with the 3.3 T-Maxx. It costs around 55 bucks. It is an overall better carb than the stock one.
The Losi carb also has a larger venturi, better needles and overall better quality. It is a composite carburetor.
A more high end option costing more than 100 bucks will be the OS 11K Carburetor.
A bit of a suggestion would be to use good quality fuel with better carbs. You can use for example, Byrons, VP, Bones Brew etc. Between 8-12% and 30% nitro fuel is good. Also use a good quality pipe kit, like the THS pipes.
2. Servo
The stock servo works well. But the servo saver will struggle to give you full power when other mods have been added. The T Maxx generates a lot of power. So the servo needs to match up to that.
From a bit of research, I found that the Savox SA-1230SG Monster Torque (with Coreless Steel Gear, Digital Servo-savsa1230sg) works the best. It is around $88-90. This should be good enough for the truck.
Bear in mind that this servo will require a better receiver pack. If you have AA pack, keep this in check.
3. Motor & ESC
The stock motor that comes with the Traxxas T Max is a TRX 3.3. This is a very powerful engine and higly reliable. But you may still want to change it because of the EZ start system by Traxxas. What you are looking for in a motor is the best top speed and high torque in this case.
The O.S. 21TM is the recommended motor. Although it is very expensive ($300-600) An Picco .21 P-Max costing around 250 bucks is a better option. Both of these engines are drop-in engines. However, with the P-Max, the engine mount is moved forward because of the chassis. It goes as far as near the meshing gears. The end of the crank sometimes hits the transmission housing. This further halts the alignment of the mesh. In this case, you may need to grind the trans housing (back of it) so that clearance for proper mesh is found.
The engine is still worth it because it has a low Centre of Gravity. So much so that the top of the head aligns with the T Maxx/s body. If you know nitros, you know this is desirable. It also keeps the tune well.
4. Shocks
You can notice the miserable condition of the ultra shocks that come with the truck. As the nitro keeps hitting the ground, the best quality shocks are necessary.
I would suggest the Titan Big Bore Shock kit. It comes with necessary spacers, bushings etc as well.
5. Front and Rear Bulk Heads
Before changing bulk plates, you need to know that the health of the bulkheads depends on what it is attached to.
The bulkheads are arranged on top of the skid plate. The stock skid plates are weak. They are made of plastic. A bit of tumbling or stumbling and the skid plates end up broken or damaged.
So the first thing I will suggest before changing the bulkheads is the skid plates. The alloy skid plates are pretty sturdy. They also barely weigh anything. Moreover, the RPM skid plates last more than any other alloy ones.
One problem with alloy skid plates on a T-Maxx is they can hardly stay straight after a major bashing. On other RCs you don’t see this problem.
But the RPM bulkhead braces are more flexible than the stock ones. This is bad support! The front bulkhead brace on the other hand is longer than the stock brace. This allows for dirt and debris to collect between the brace, bulkhead, and diff.
Again if your bulkhead is attached to a plastic chassis, there’s a chance of snapping up the chassis when the bulkheads are bashed. So here too, you should upgrade to a metal chassis.
Most Compatible Option: Tekno TKR9181 Wing and Body Mount
6. Dogbones and Axle Shafts
If your engine is a beast, the dogbone is in trouble. It’s not the chance that, say, a Picco 21 will destroy your shafts. But the stock dogbones and axle shafts are prone to rust. Rusting will destroy half of your CVD shafts.
One option is HPI Racing Heavy Duty Dogbone. But get some Traxxas 5153R Revo Inner Drive Cups for the rear dogbones ($30-40).
Traxxas T Maxx Accessories Upgrades:
All T-Maxx users are well aware of having a failsafe and throttle return spring. The other thing to get is a 50wt shock oil. And the final thing would be to get a Pull starter. Which is also known as a glo ignitor.
Some other upgrades would be getting a durable and powerful pair of servos. Get some ball bearings that will be needed for the steering.
To protect your shaft, loosen a hair on your slipper.
Conclusion
The Traxxas T-Maxx 3.3 does not need quite many upgrades. The ones I suggested will combinedly help you to get a faster speed. It will also make the truck more durable and reliable.
Before ending, the last suggestion would be to have some weight on your truck if it flips too much. Wishing you the best T-Maxx experience with your 3.3!
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