Sidewinder ESC with Brushless motor?

[Metla]

what's the general opinion of these?

I don't follow the "scene" as such so was surprised as all hell to see a brushless motor/ESC combo for a measly $130.

I was just about to impulse buy the sucker when it occurs to me, Its too good to be true...or is it?

Anything I should know before I buy one?

[GSMnow]

There are a few threads about it on here, including a review. Basically it is a Mamba Max with a few less FET's. It is ONLY rated at 70 amps instead of the 100 amps of the Mamba Max, but if you really look into it, you will find 70 amps is plenty for many setups. The one thing that may be either good or bad is that it does not have the USB port on it like the Mamba Max, but you can get a Castle Link cable and still use the PC setup just like the Mambas. In many setups, the USB port is not accessible, and the Castle Link uses the RX plug, just pull it out of the RX and plug in the USB adapter. The negative, if you only have one castle product, the cable costs $20. As for performance, there are very few 1/10 setup where you will even notice a difference from the full Mamba Max. It is very rare to exceeed 70 amps, and even when you do, the Sidewinder will put out more current for a while until it gets too hot, then it will cut off to protect itself. I race a XXX-T with a 5700 motor on a fairly tight course with alot of acceleration areas. I still only average 18-20 amps for a 12 minute run on just a 3000 LiPo pack.

If you are running a regular 1/10 buggy or stadium truck, the Sidewinder should be plenty of power. I would recomend the 4600 motor. My 5700 is actually on the edge of being too fast with almost the lowest gearing I can fit in my truck. With the 4600, I would be much closer to the middle so I could gear up or down to suit the track better. And if you really want to go fast, the 4600 works great on a 3S LiPo for silly high speed, like 60+ mph. You can do 40 or so on 2S. Don't get roped into the highest KV syndrome. The Traxxas setup is only a 3500 KV and wll top 65 mph, the 4600 is very close to that on raw power, it turns a little more rpm, but has a little less torque.

[Dagger Thrasher]

The SidwWinder ESC and motor combo is *excellent* value and quality for the money. Buy one. They're smooth, powerful (though don't have the higher current handling of the full-flavour Mamba Max, hence the price)...they're just brilliant ESCs. Castle make the best brushless kit on the planet, so rest-assured, they'll be there to help you out should anything go wrong (not that it will!).

What do you plan to run it in? The two different motors are good for different types of use...but both will amaze you power-wise. The 4600 is the slower, and will give you around 30-35mph on a 6-cell NiMH or 2S LiPo pack (sorry GSMNow, 40 is a bit much for a 4600 on 2S IMO), and the 5700 will give you about 40-45mph on the same voltage...this depends on your gearing of course.

Anyhoo, I won't give you a lecture...go for it! You won't be disappointed. Only thing is, make sure you run good quality batteries; a brushless motor is only as powerful as the pack that's powering it. :-)

[Metla]

Thanks you Gents, that is some excellent info.

I did a search of the forum and read the review before making this thread, needless to say I was seeking more information.

Currently I run 1/10 buggies, Usually have three or 4 kicking around, My best motor/ESC combo is a Novak XBR 8.5, and it suits my needs perfectly, I was just about to buy another when I noticed the Sidewinder.

I will be looking at the slower of the two sidewinder combo's, does anyone have an idea how it would compare to my current Novak?

Personally I like speed, But not so powerful a setup that the car is out of control all the time, Even with my 8.5 I can break traction at any time just by yanking on the trigger, I did buy an LRP 6.5 system but sold it without even fitting it in a car.

[GSMnow]

The MM4600 motor compares with a Novak 7.5 on a power basis, but will be at a little lower rpm so would run a bigger pinion. On purely rpm, it is between a 10.5 (4200 KV) and an 8.5 (5000 KV). What the motor lacks in rpm, it more than makes up for in torque. You can limit the torque a bit if you are running NiMh batteries, by setting a low voltage cutoff around 5 volts on a 6 cell. I used that trick a few times on my 5700. On the LiPo's, it does not work because the voltage does not dip under load like it does on the NiXx cells. And if you are not doing big jumps the "punch control" in the Sidewinder (Mamba Max) can limit rate of motor acceleration. With a few tests, you can adjust it to only pull as hard as the tires can hold grip. You may need to set it a little more aggressive for off road though because it limits the spool up of the tires, even in the air, so you can't pull the nose up off of the jumps if you set the punch control too high. We run huge jumps here, so I only have it set at 10% PC.

[rca]

sidewinder owners, can you guys measure the foot print of the esc? I couldn't find it on castle's site, if it's smaller than MM, i'm gonna get 1 and slap it on my touring car.Thanks