Faster and better than a S9404??

[Drayken D]

Does anyone know of any good servos that are faster, and still as high quality as the Futaba S9404 Hi Speed/Torque Car Servo ($80) for about the same price or a little more$. I will be using it in a XXX-T stadium truck, so I am looking for more speed, not really any more torque.

SPECS:
Length: 1.54"
Width: 0.79"
Height: 1.47"
Weight: 1.94 oz
Speed : 0.11 sec/60 @ 6v
Torque: 79.2 oz-in @ 6v

[jeepinator]

Those specs are rather wimpy when compared to many of the high end servos from most servo makers. ... and for 10 bucks more you can get a Hitech "digital" servo with way better specs.
Quality issues though .... Futaba is definately repuatble. I have had good experiences with all brands, though. I do not think there is a pervasive quality problem in the servo industry, so I would just go with specs and price in my decision.

Here are some links for you:
http://www.airtronics.net/Servo_specs.htm
http://www.hitecrcd.com/Catalog/Servos/Servo.htm
http://www.kopropo.co.uk/servos.htm
http://www.futaba-rc.com/servos/futm0029.html

[ 09-15-2001: Message edited by: jeepinator ]

[Drayken D]

Thanks Jeep. I know they are not GREAT stats, but good for $80. I am leaning towards that Hitec, 925? Only thing is, I saw two new Hitec 625 go bad, strip out(all metal and BB) this season. I had a talk with my LHS and they told me the Futaba 9404 was WAY better, even though the stats were similar to the Hitec 625. hmmm. The MAIN thing I saw, was the 9404 is coreless, and the 625 is NOT(if I remember right).

SOOOO, is coreless ALOT better? Is that why the 9404 is prolly better than the 625? Both have metal gears and BB. I have a 945 in my Maxx, but it is coreless, and no problems.

Also, what benefit does digital have?? I will be running it from a Futaba 3PDF.

Lastly, is there a cheaper 2channel FM receiver that I could buy to use on my 3PDF, instead of buying another 3channel receiver, would that even work??

[cabbynate]

The 900 series is much better than the 600 series.

[Bodido]

I've had 925's since they were first available, and love them. I'm scared to buy something else, except for maybe top-end airtronics servos. They are more expensive, though.

[Bodido]

Drayken D:

You should be able to get a XXL from Novak for $55-$60. I have one I use with my 3pdf. Works great, and it's tiny!!

[StephenB]

In my experiences, when it comes to servos (like most other things) you get what you pay for. The HiTec 9-series are good, as are the KO Digitals, but I have yet to find a better servo than the Airtronics 94258. It works well in everything, and it's all I'll run in my race cars (nitro touring, 1/8 on-road, 1/8 offroad especially). Specs are .09sec & 145oz of torque. Aluminum gears, coreless motor. If you look hard, you can find some on clearance--the new 94358's (.10sec/200oz) are taking over. Yes, they're more expensive...but buying ONCE instead of twice will end up being cheaper.

[Losidude_44857]

9450 hs .09 sec and a lot of torque it is a little more than 80 dollars its 120

[Drayken D]

Don't really want to spend more $ for just torque, since I don't really need it for a XXX-T. Can anyone explain the digital aspect and the benefits? Thank you. the 925 is on the top so far.

[StephenB]

Digital servos vs "regular" servos can be thought of this way...a digital servo basically has a high-frequency speed controller controlling its drive motor. Regular servos have a much lower frequency controller. Just like electric cars w/high freq. controllers, you'll notice a smoother action with digital servos. Holding power is increased, and some are programmable (HiTec) for fail-safe presets, etc. Check out HiTec's 5625MG digital; it has .13sec/98oz torque and streets for approx. $60! It's a great servo.

[Jason_R]

I would get a JR 4750. Thats what i use in my XXXT. I really like this servo. It can be a little noisy sometimes but never had any problems. Its stats are .07/94oz of torque(i think?) Price i think is $90. Later

[gubbs3]

You won't really notice much of a difference if you change servo's. .11 seconds is a very good speed for racing. If you do get a servo that goes .07 you will notice a little, but it will more likely make you more twitchy than faster. I raced three consecutive races with three different servo's one time. The first week was with a hitec 605 that goes .13, the second went .20 and the third, .08. The hitec servo was great. When I used the .20 servo (futaba 201) All I noticed was that the truck was going a little more smoothly through switchback turns but was not too slow. Then the .08 came and I turned times almost exactly the same as the previous two weeks. I don't think it's worth your money to go out and spend $100 on a servo with performance barely better than what you already have. Its one thing to replace a standard but I would wait untill your servo starts to get fatigued before you spend more money. I would invest in a good matched pack before another servo.

[Drayken D]

Gubbs, I agree to a point. I won't spend $40 more for another 0.02, but I can notice the difference between a .20 and .11

My track is very tight, with many short turns, very few are sweeping. So the speed of the servo plays a bigger role at my track than maybe some others. I think I will be going with the digital 925 Hitec. Thx for the advice guys.

[StephenB]

Don't miss the point though guys---you DO get what you pay for, in most cases. You're not just paying $40 more for "an extra .2 seconds transit speed." The faster servos mentioned will most likely center better, hold better, and last longer than a cheaper one. Some are better than others, and although not all of the more expensive servos are "better," you can be sure that it goes beyond just the speed you're paying for.

[Drayken D]

oh, I agree. But I just don't have a budget to have a $150 servo. I can afford about $80-$100 max, so I want the best for that price. I go with the name brands, and believe in the "get what you pay for" almost to a fault, frequently passing low cost, good products, mistakenly.