The HPI E-Firestorm is the first electric 2WD truck to be released by HPI Racing, and is the product of years of research and the collected knowledge that has made HPI nitro trucks so successful! Ready to go right out of the box, the E-Firestorm is factory pre-assembled and pre-painted, built from tough nitro truck parts and designed using the latest computer software and engineering know-how. The E-Firestorm fills the gap that once existed in the HPI kit line-up, becoming the first-ever HPI electric 2WD truck! Being the first in a new line of groundbreaking RC kits is never easy, however HPI designers have taken inspiration from the amazing Firestorm 10T nitro truck as well as top-level racing trucks.

The design of the E-Firestorm is unheard of at the price level it will be offered at – previously, there were only two choices when it came to electric 2WD RTR trucks: very expensive yet fragile watered-down race trucks, or durable low-cost trucks with limited performance. The E-Firestorm is the first truck in this segment to offer tough race-level quality at TRUE Ready-to-Run prices! You get the handling and performance of the top racing trucks as well as the durability and value of other RTR trucks!

The unique chassis of the E-Firestorm is all-new and totally new to the HPI line-up of kits. It is made from a moulded composite plastic for high rigidity, and is modularly designed so the front and rear suspension parts can be removed or added when maintenance is required. To enhance the durability of the chassis, the interior is braced longitudinally and the front and rear ends feature extra bracing to help keep the suspension doing its job. The deeply upturned sides of the chassis allow the ride height to be set very low for an off-road truck, but prevent the sides of the chassis from digging in at extreme suspension angles.

The chassis is designed with a perfectly smooth, countersunk underside and angled side pods for extra cornering performance. The heavily braced, modular front end bolts on with four steel hex screws, providing the optimum amount of kick-up for top off-road performance. The rear suspension and transmission also mount onto a single modular place for quick and easy maintenance.

Battery Holder Featuring prominently in the chassis is the battery which provides all the power to the motor and steering servo. A large battery compartment allows the fitting of any standard stick pack or side-by-side pack design, even the larger 7-cell packs which provide more voltage and power for huge top speeds! In addition to fitting the industry standard nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) battery packs, lithium polymer (LiPo) and other newer battery designs are able to easily fit in the chassis, giving the E-Firestorm a unique ‘future-proof’ design. Because it is the heaviest single component of the E-Firestorm, special consideration was given to the placement of the battery in the chassis. The battery can be fitted all the way forward to enhance steering on low-speed race tracks, or fitted all the way to the rear to give greater traction on larger high-speed tracks. Removing the battery is simple and quick, with specially designed self-centring thumbscrews. Normally an expensive option on race-level 2WD kits, this is a standard feature on the E-Firestorm! Using thumbscrews instead of the normal body clips to hold in the battery allows batteries of different sizes to easily fit in the chassis, regardless of battery thickness.

Battery position all the way to the front

Battery position all the way to the rear

Convenient and safe thumb screws

Motor Mount The rear-mounted motor provides the best balance for the rear suspension, allowing the motor to offset the weight of the battery and giving the rear tyres extra weight for maximum traction on any type of surface. The placement of the motor also allows new types of brushless motors easily fit in the chassis, giving you the best opportunity for insane top speeds!

The sides of the chassis fit the installed HPI RF-1 two channel narrowband AM receiver and the all-new SC-15 electronic speed controller (ESC) and all the wires necessary for power and signal routing. There is plenty of room for adding any optional ESC or receiver, including large brushless ESCs. The aerial mount is located right next to the receiver position, ensuring you won’t have problems getting the wire into the aerial tube. Another great touch is the convenient ESC plug routing under the battery – the recessed area makes sure the battery will not compress or damage the signal wire in any way!

The steering servo gets the same amount of attention, with ‘laydown’ mounting for a low centre of gravity (CG). The standard and reliable HPI SF-1 servo does the steering duties, although it’s extremely easy to replace it with a faster or stronger racing-level servo should you wish. Any standard servo designed for 1/10th scale vehicles will fit and act as a suitable replacement.

The rear shock tower is securely mounted to the chassis with four thick bolts, ensuring it will be as durable as the rest of the chassis. The thick webbing acts as a convenient wire routing system for the motor wires as well as providing plenty of strength for the rear end of the truck.

The entire rear suspension as well as the drivetrain can be removed from the chassis with just four hex head screws. This makes the E-Firestorm very easy to work on and maintain!

Securing everything in place on the E-Firestorm is a selection of high quality steel hex screws and bolts. These are especially tough and rugged, perfect for a fun racing machine like the E-Firestorm! The screws on the underside of the chassis are flat head screws to prevent any excess scraping when the truck slides over jumps or bottoms out, and tough cap head bolts secure in really important parts like the shock towers, shocks and other parts.

Finishing off the chassis details are a set of front and rear adjustable body posts. These may not be as light as non-adjustable pure racing designs, but it does mean you can use option bodyshells from HPI and other companies to fully customize your E-Firestorm!

The E-Firestorm uses the tough suspension design and suspension geometry from the Firestorm 10T truck for extreme ruggedness and durability. Extra-long suspension arms are damped by adjustable shock absorbers, and turnbuckle camber links can be mounted in multiple locations for fine-tuning of the handling. This makes the E-Firestorm nimble and easy to handle in all conditions! The E-Firestorm uses the same front suspension as the nitro Firestorm, so you know it will be tough and long-lasting. The entire front end of the nitro Firestorm can actually be removed and bolted right on the E-Firestorm! This means that not only will spares be easy to find, but the tough front end parts of the Firestorm are the standard parts of the E-Firestorm. The rear end of both trucks share several parts as well, including the hubs, shocks and turnbuckles.

The shock absorbers are factory-fitted, and are precisely filled with oil for exceptional handling in turns and cushioning when landing big jumps. Pure silicone shock oil resists ambient temperature changes, so you know you’ll get consistent shock action no matter the conditions at the track. With big coil-over springs, the shocks are the perfect match to the long suspension arms! The threaded shock bodies allow fine ride height adjustments to suit driving on rough or smooth surfaces.

Threaded shocks for easy and precise ride-height adjustment

Optional mounting points are provided on the suspension arms...

...and on the shock towers for quick and easy suspension tuning

Hubs and Steering Knuckles The front hubs and steering knuckles, plus the rear uprights, are moulded from tough nylon to take any sort of punishment you can dish out. The optional camber link locations on the hubs and uprights also give you extra tuning opportunities at the track. The front hubs feature alloy steel axles that spin on high-quality rubber sealed ball bearings for optimum efficiency. The alloy steel is extremely strong to take the abuse of rough landings and the occasional crash. The way the axle is mounted in the steering knuckle allows the best steering action possible, giving you maximum steering input and direct feedback through the tight and twisty sections of the racetrack! The front and rear wheels use HPI 12mm 'step' type aluminium hex adapters, making them extremely strong and damage- resistant. Because the front wheel bearings fit into the steering knuckle and directly support the axle, the wheels are extremely easy to swap out to suit changing track conditions. You can also use any HPI rear wheels you have in your collection already, so any wheels you have from a Nitro MT or other HPI 4WD truck will fit on the front OR rear!

Adjustable Turnbuckles Steel turnbuckle camber links allow you to make tuning adjustments while the links are on the truck, so tuning is quick and very easy to do. You also have the option of different mounting points for the turnbuckles as well, with two inner and two outer mounting positions for each camber link, giving you the ability to change the suspension geometry to suit track conditions and your own unique driving style. The steering links also use adjustable steel turnbuckles, allowing you to quickly change the front toe setting for lighter or more aggressive steering. Optional Ackerman holes on the steering arms give you further adjustment and the ability to further alter the steering action.

'Captured' Hinge Pins The suspension pins use a ‘captured’ design to isolate the suspension from the chassis, with the added benefit of using no ‘e-clips’, making routine maintenance simple to accomplish. The front hinge pins feature a tough aluminium brace to prevent bending or suspension arm damage. The rear hinge pin mounts are also interchangeable with option mounts, which allow you to alter the rear toe setting to give you more forward traction or more grip in the corners.

Adjustable Wheelbase Providing just a bit more race-level tuning ability is the adjustable wheelbase, which pro racers use to fine-tune the weight balance of their trucks. This affects steering action, acceleration and grip, and can be an important tuning adjustment.

High-Grip Tyres To get maximum performance on and off the track, the E-Firestorm uses the same tyres as the groundbreaking Firestorm 10T: Front Line asymmetric ribbed front tyres and Ground Assault medium pin rear tyres. This combination of precise control and massive traction gives you ultimate control and speed!

Servo Saver Finally, a tough adjustable servo saver protects the steering servo from any accidents, and is perfect for keeping the HPI SF-1 servo out of trouble.

Gear Box A tough plastic 87-tooth spur gear is driven by the motor’s 20-tooth pinion gear, providing a great balance between initial acceleration and top speed. Protecting the spur gear and transmission is an adjustable dual-pad slipper clutch, a feature normally seen on race-prepared racing trucks and buggies!

A tough nylon spur gear cover protects the gears from rocks and dirt, and features a removable rubber plug for adjusting the slipper clutch with a standard size hex wrench, which is supplied. The motor and spur gear cover mount onto a black aluminium plate for increased cooling and secure support.

Getting the power to the rear wheels is a durable low-profile gear transmission that features all-metal gears for extra toughness! The gearbox uses a 2.6 to 1 gear ratio to enhance traction and efficiency in all conditions. Directly driving the driveshafts is a sealed planetary gear differential, giving you exemplary corner grip as well as longevity and minimal maintenance. The low profile transmission enhances the E-Firestorm’s centre of gravity, keeping the handling tight and tidy! Tight like a tiger!

To drive the rear wheels, dogbone driveshafts are used, which are an efficient and simple way to get power to the rear axles.

For extra efficiency, all the components of the drivetrain, from the spur gear to the wheel axles, spin on rubber-sealed ball bearings. With these bearings you get long runtimes and long engine life while the rubber seals keep out dust and grime!

     The reliable and sturdy HPI TF-1 radio controls the E-Firestorm, giving you ultimate control in a realistically designed radio! The steering wheel design makes you feel as if you’re actually driving the truck, and the trigger-style throttle and brake controls provide you with finger-sensitive action when accelerating and stopping!The radio transmitter features interchangeable frequency crystals, servo reverse switches, a retractable aerial with sliding cover, easy access to radio adjustments and simple battery replacement.

Taking the signals from the transmitter, the HPI RF-1 receiver uses standard RC connectors to send your control signals to the SF-1 steering servo, which controls the steering, and the forward/reverse SC-15 speed controller, which handles the throttle, brake and reverse commands to the Firebolt 15-turn motor. You get long-range, reliable connections between your transmitter and car with the RF-1 and dependable control from the SF-1 and SC-15! Because all of the electronics are standard-size RC components with standardized connectors, any or all of the components can be upgraded at any time, or moved into a different RC vehicle in the future. The E-Firestorm will accept any standard 540-size motor, and also any RC battery pack, of either stick pack or side-by-side design.

15-Turn Firebolt Motor Giving the E-Firestorm the ability to get over and around anything is 15-turn motor, the HPI Firebolt! This fixed-endbell motor has the grunt and power to give the E-Firestorm plenty of acceleration and high top speeds! With standard ‘bullet’ connectors, the Firebolt can work with any electronic speed controller or can be replaced by a faster motor to give you even more speed and torque.

Finishing off the E-Firestorm is an all-new DSX-2 sleek racing body! Pre-painted in flashy racing colours, it will definitely look the part at any race track! It is pre-cut and pre-drilled so there is absolutely no preparation time required, just fit it on and go!

With the black Scorch 6-spoke wheels, the E-Firestorm looks like it’s ready to take on anything! These tough, durable nylon wheels can take the punishment of any off-road track and just keep coming back for more! Wrapped with the Front Line and Ground Assault tyres, the E-Firestorm has grip and traction for any type of off-road surface!