Brushless for n00bs

[gubby]

Well, i have an RC10B4 i bought when it came out, and i got disinterested in the hobby about a year ago. I raced it 4 times or so, but back then it was hard to find a ride to the track, so that kinda stopped happening. I think i just got my last RC Car Action issue in the mail too (from previous subsripctions).

So, i want to get a Brushless system. I just ran my B4 out front with the stock motor, and if i wanna get back into the hbby, i need more speed. I have a really nice 14 turn Reedy Kr, but i dont own a comm lathe and that makes it hard to keep it properly maintained. I was wondering what a good brushless system is for my needs. I would prefer it to be Novak (but it doesnt have to be) and maybe give as much speed as a 15 turn motor (IMO, thats plenty for bashing).

So, what are my options and about how much should i expect to spend?

thanks a lot, im a little too "out of the loop" to know this stuff ;)

[SS Pede]

The Novak has been a great bashing motor for my Stampede. It is also about as cheap as they come, and is very easy to setup. The motor and ESC are already wired together. It works great with regular 6 cell packs, so all your current batteries should be fine.

It is not an insanely fast system, but it is certainly NOT slow and is really user-friendly.

[delphidude]

i had the ss in my cat-3000 and iw as very impressed with the easy set up and driving modes

[bob2300NX]

The SS should be as fast or faster then your 14T.

[gubby]

cool, i'll look into it

thanks

[Craps]

For around $450 you can buy the best (my opinion) 1/10th 2wd off road system that will work at most racetracks. That is the Schulze U-Force 75 ESC with a Plettenberg Extreme Brushless motor. The motor is a 4 pole motor and is really smooth. The ESC has 6 dip switches to set up with different motor timings, frequencies and has a reverse mode with a 2 second delay. It also can run brushed motors and has an optional PC link to computer program it.

Jamie Baker with www.starluckrc.com has this system and others for less money that he can recommend if you are on a budget.

Even if you need more motor than the Plettenberg Extreme with a 2wd off road, you can always go to the Plettenberg Shadow motor, but you better have a 4wd to hook it up.

Good Luck!

The future is here with Li-Pos and Brushless systems!

[bob2300NX]

Craps: Remember he said faster than 15T I think the SS fits that perscription. It should be faster than is "nice" 14T motor (he said nice so that means he likes the speed of that motor).

[Craps]

The Novak 5800SS I have seen around here have trouble keeping up with a good 19 turn brushed motor. Maybe I have not seen a good one yet!

[bob2300NX]

I dont know where you get that?

Read this: http://monster.traxxas.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=234071

I have never seen a 19T brushed motor run that fast. Maybe 25mph tops (overgeared) for 19T.

[nicholcgn]

If you have some people who tune a 19T then they will be on par with the SS from what we have seen at our track. But they must be able to tune motors. Very few people tune. Most just maintain. Still the short stint in the hobby I would recommend the SS. IF you see that you are racing and getting beat because of motor then upgrade. Most people get beat by driving. I was just at a track and the guy who won modified had a 19. The faster setups did not help anyone. I was actually running my ss in stock mode. Still managed 4th in the main. It was a tight and rutted track. My driving skills were not up to the task. If I had not been on the lid 2 times I would have taken 2nd. I have the ss and it is down in the 14 turn range.
If you must have faster I would listen to craps. He and starluck can probably hook you up with something that will rip it pretty good.

[glassdoctor]

Is there a 19T that can run 38-40mph? These 19T must be really fast. They must run more like a 13-14T.

I don't run 19T... I know they can be a nice easy to drive motor in mod class, but that's because the don't quite have the oomph off the lower turn mods.

Is the timing fixed on the 19T? Maybe if the timing is cranked to +30 degrees they can run with lower mods... like an "outlaw" 36 degree stock motor. Those are fast, but they burn out fast too.

[joostin421]

been extremely happy with the Novak ss5800 in my stampede with 22tooth pinion and 7cells. i can still break the rear end loose on dirt and sand very easily. it is very fast, you will get 38mph+ out of it easily.

justin

[Wizardman_1]

Maybe the Novak you saw was in limited throttle/brake mode.

[SpEEdyBL]

Some 19t motors have 24* fixed timing, like trinity's Chameleon 2. Others have adjustable timing.

The ss5800 will be a great motor. I found it almost identical to the power of my p94 12t motor. Rc Car Action did a head to head test with an ss5800 and a reedy kr 10 turn motor, each on 6 cells. They geared to novak until speeds were identical (41.66 mph to be exact) to the reedy. The acceleration curves were almost congruent to each other. I don't know how they did that. And the ss5800 ran cooler than the brushed. So what I'm saying is that you will not have any trouble if you want it faster than a 14 turn motor.

$450 for a faster smooth system is still ridiculous imo.

[Craps]

Sorry guys I don't measure motors by mph. Just base all my information by on track performance where there are alot of other varibles to consider from driving skills to chassis set up and how smooth the power band is to drive and hook up. What good is a 10 turn mod motor if you can't hook it up and you spend all your time sideways where the guys has the 19 turn motor hooked up and looses a little down the straight and maybe can't double the big double jumps, but he is so smooth and consistant he beats you by a lap in 5 minutes.

[Craps]

$450 for a faster smooth system is still ridiculous imo.

I hate to tell you that you get what you pay for and the Novak has given alot of people problems even if they have 120 day warranty.

Good Luck!

[SS Pede]

I am fairly sure that Novak has ironed out all the kinks with the SS5800. Early systems had problems, but those problems are supposedly fixed. My system that I bought in October 2003 has had no such issues. I know Charlie S. has visited this forum and informed us of the history of the Novak BL. I think it's safe to buy one now, if thats your choice. :)

[ducati777]

@Craps,

reminds me of what my friend likes to say "The cheapest isn't always the best..."

[ElectricThunder]

I am fairly sure that Novak has ironed out all the kinks with the SS5800. Early systems had problems, but those problems are supposedly fixed. My system that I bought in October 2003 has had no such issues. I know Charlie S. has visited this forum and informed us of the history of the Novak BL. I think it's safe to buy one now, if thats your choice. :)
My novak from the factory never had a problem, and recently I just shimmed the rotor so it's an absolute beast...:D

[glassdoctor]

Sorry guys I don't measure motors by mph. Just base all my information by on track performance where there are alot of other varibles to consider from driving skills to chassis set up and how smooth the power band is to drive and hook up. What good is a 10 turn mod motor if you can't hook it up and you spend all your time sideways where the guys has the 19 turn motor hooked up and looses a little down the straight and maybe can't double the big double jumps, but he is so smooth and consistant he beats you by a lap in 5 minutes.

Absolutely true. Often, a 19T or even a stock motor will get faster lap times if the driver or track conditions are not up to par. And I'm sure a good 19T is fast enough to run in mod without looking like it doesn't belong.

BUT we are talking about raw performance... which is faster, etc. Not about which is better for a certain track or driver skill level.

Heck, I have seen a Roar Regional where the same guy was TQ in both stock and mod classes and his qualifying times were within a couple seconds. But that doesn't mean a 10T is no faster than a stock motor. It just means the track was small and he had a flawless run in stock.

In offroad, sometimes it's difficult to tell which cars are stock and mod by watching... only on the longest straight or big triple etc. And a good 19T

Assume it's two top factory drivers like Kinwald and Pavidis... and the track demands a strong motor. I don't think a Chameleon will look as fast as a 5800 then. ;)