El Gecko

"Driving slow cars quickly" is one of my favorite pastimes! But honestly a 17T brushed motor and 6-cell NiMH is plenty fast for any of my old cars. Still running a 380 in the B-Rat so I don't get carried away and ruin it even further. And I do ask myself the question: if I ever get a new chassis, would I go brushless? And I think the answer is: probably not. Maintaining interchangeability between all my chassis has always been one of my key goals, and brushless/lipo doesn't fit into that plan. I'm not one to keep spares, indeed many of my cars are barely running at the moment, so if a motor or ESC or something goes down, it's nice to know that I can pull something out of another car temporarily if necessary. And it's REALLY nice to be able to grab any battery and any car off the shelf and go have fun. Simplicity, familiarity, and nostalgia is what keeps me attached to brushed motors and NiMH batteries. Speaking of familiarity, my slot cars still all run brushed motors too (nobody has made an HO scale brushless motor yet AFAIK). The only brushless motors in my house are the computer fans. The brushed/brushless debate reminds me of the "pancake" vs. "inline motor" debate in slot cars. There are passionate opinions on both sides there as well, and for me it also comes down to interchangeability and familiarity.

Correct, that's the whole reason I even considered them in the first place. Not many options for 2WD/bearing front wheels these days.

Yes, 14mm hex. I didn't read close enough in the product listing... there is a 12mm measurement, but it's the axle pins that are 12mm, not the hex diameter After doing some research, the 14mm hubs may turn out to be a happy mistake, since I'm now considering other options for wheels that I would have never considered before. Pro-Line makes a 14mm hex to 6x30 hub adapter, so in addition to maybe trying out some 6x30 wheels with better tires on one chassis, I have some old pin drive wheels that I think I can drill out to accept the 6x30 arrangement on another... (It's also good to know that the F1 wheels are 14mm hex... I was considering a set for tarmac driving on my Grasshopper, but ended up sticking with offroad for the time being)

Traxxas 4954R Steel Wheel Hubs

Been doing some research on this myself lately and there are a lot of options now. - the standard hex diameters are 12mm and 17mm, although I mistakenly bought some 14mm hexes recently. - the width or thickness varies from a lower bound of 4-5mm all the way up to 25mm or more for wide offset extensions. There are sets that have 5mm, 6mm, 7mm, etc. all in one, and other sets come in multiples of 5mm (10mm, 15mm, etc.). It really just depends if you want the vehicle's track wider than normal or not. As Fabia says, the clamp-on type adapters are better/stronger because they stay in place on the axles when you remove the wheels, which keeps the pins in place so they don't drop out and get lost. If you want even more options, there are 12mm hex to 6x30 adapters which allow you to use scale crawler wheels with 6 lugnuts, among many others.

It's packaged pretty tightly already... not much room for electronics unless I could fit something in place of the third cell. But converting the fixed front axle to steering would be quite the challenge! I know that "Tamiya" mini 4WD has a large following, but I'm not sure what significance a Nikko would have for that crowd? But surely it's at least a little rare in general, so I won't be cutting it up anytime soon

Thought you all might find this interesting. It's a fun little car to mess around with, and it still runs! Pretty detailed with a full interior and driver figure too. We never had a track, so my brother and I would just send it back and forth between us. (we used 2 batteries with a fake/dummy third cell so it was slower/easier to catch!)

Finally found him!

You are not stating facts. You are stating your opinions. You are also STILL insulting with backhanded comments, even now, insinuating that I do not understand how this all works. You have been extremely condescending and passive aggressive (to multiple people in this thread) and you can't seem to fathom that other people have their own opinions and preferences (even if they're "wrong" in your eyes). And just out of spite, just because I know it ticks you off, I'm going to commit to ONLY running brushed motors FOREVER. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it.

Oh you said the magic words... now this thread will surely get shut down

By saying "it's so easy a 10 year old can do it" multiple times in multiple posts, yes you are insulting now. And you also gotta back read. I HAVE tried brushless, in my cousin's Slash, the equivalent of renting a Lambo for a track day. I still don't like it. It's not for me. Kind of like how some people like turbos and some people like all-motor V8s. There is a different "feel" and no one can tell you which one you "like" better. There is no logic when it's simply a difference in feel. Also, re: the program box... freaking DUH. Of course you don't leave it hooked up while you drive. My point was, the program box itself is a (simple) computer, and it's yet ANOTHER piece of equipment that you have to keep track of, ferry around in your pit box, etc. More complexity. More points of potential failure. Even the brushless motor itself, due to the tiny, sensitive electronics inside, is more complex than a simple brushed motor. The engineering principle "K.I.S.S." apparently doesn't seem to apply with brushless motors (and indeed, many electronic devices these days).

I have nothing further to say to you if you continue to insult my intelligence. And you yourself assume that everyone should want a Lamborghini. You know what? I'm perfectly happy roasting the tires off my Mustangs, thanks.

I'm not taking offense, I just felt like there was a lot of brushless evangelism going on here and I wanted to provide a counterpoint: that brushed motors are still just as good and fun as they used to be, and they have some perks that brushless doesn't (waterproof). I know it might be hard to believe, but I still use MSCs in some of my cars. Sometimes I get the itch to see how that car drives with an ESC, so I swap one in for a run or two. I don't want to have to switch motors and/or batteries every time I make that swap, and just the same, I don't want to have to switch ESCs and/or batteries every time I want to try a different motor. To be able to switch brushless ESC and motors you must first have multiples of each The program box is just more gear (and has been recently said, more wires) to add to the mix. More complexity = more chance of a problem. Yes, for my usage, which is general usage. Brushed motors are still good for a wider variety of scenarios than you're giving them credit for. I'll never say never, but it's most likely that I will not take my words back because I have indeed done my research since I got back into the hobby, and I have decided that brushless is still not for me. Sorry to disappoint you.

Another big component of this is interchangeability. Since all 9 of my chassis run brushed motors and speed controllers, all with the same connectors, I can switch motors, speed controls, batteries, etc. between them anytime and in any combination. If I went brushless, that motor/ESC combo would have to stay in one car together as a unit, which wouldn't allow me to change things around as easily, and I would need an adapter to connect the brushless ESC to my batteries. I also don't want to be required to use a computer to set up an ESC or motor just so the car is actually driveable. I'm on the computer too much for my job as it is, and my cars are an escape from that. Brushed motors (and even their ESCs in a way) are simple electric circuits and might be less efficient electrically, but for me and my usage, they are supremely more efficient in every other way.

It would help if you quoted my whole message. The last sentence is the clutch: all of my brushed motors are MUCH OLDER than 5 years and are still running just as good as new. Even the original 35 year old silvercan in my Hornet is just as fast as it should be. Zero maintenance on that motor other than a little lube on the bushings, and I get over an hour of thrashing on a 5000mAh NiMH. As I mentioned, I'm not a racer, I'm not pushing the limits to be the fastest or have the longest runtime, and I'm completely fine with brushed motor maintenance because I'm familiar with it. Lubing the bushings/bearings, cleaning the comm, and replacing brushes when they get worn out is literally the extent of it. I have never owned a comm lathe because I haven't needed one. FYI - armatures can be replaced just like rotors so that's a moot point. The only pieces of any of my motors that have ended up in a landfill in the last 25 years are the used up brushes (with the shunt wires cut off to be reused, of course).

Well the whole reason I started getting back into RC was for nostalgia, and I wasn't paying attention when brushless got popular, so brushed motors still seem like a no-brainer. I'm no racer, just a casual runner, and I had a blast driving my cousin's brushless Slash, but I don't need that kind of speed where I typically run, and my vintage chassis can't handle it anyway. Both my old Frog and Mud Blaster will do nearly 30mph on a 6-cell NiMH with 17T brushed motors, which is plenty fast for me. I don't need stupid wheelies whenever I punch it too hard, I just want good solid power to have some fun with. I think the only way I would go brushless is if I ever happen to pony up for a brand new kit, sort of a "spared no expense, let's go uber fast" build. Probably the same thing that would happen if I won the lottery and bought a Lamborghini I suppose Also, I run old brushed motors because I can't bear to throw them away. I don't want to create more waste. And brushless seems like just another non-rebuildable, throwaway thing that ends up in a landfill when it inevitably dies. I'm still using all the same brushed motors I started with 25 years ago, and they were old back then!

I guess that means I'm lucky too... all of my FlySky gear works flawlessly

Wow, that's an incredibly generous offer! You have a PM

Huh? You can set a max time easily. When you're in the main screen, tap and hold on the timer/clock icon and it will ask you to "set max time". Just tap on the number digits until they increase to 5:00 and then hit the clock icon again to save. Then you're good to go. My old phone has a wonky audio system, so I'm not sure, but I think it's supposed to beep or something when the timer runs out.

Do you have an old smartphone that you can put Laptrax on? Then just get a cheapo tripod from the gas station for ten bucks (or lean the phone up against something for free) and you're good to go

Hmm, it does sound like your motor is just about done then. One last question: did you lube the motor bushings/armature shaft? If so, and it's still slow, it's probably cooked (pretty common with silvercans). Since the rest of the drivetrain seems to be in good shape, you should be able to use either 23T or 21T motors with any of the gearings. I'm planning to run a 17T Trinity motor in my Frog with standard gearing, which is probably overkill. My Mud Blaster with a 27T motor will do 25mph on a wheezy old 6 cell NiMH with the torque gears installed (larger tires, though).

Well the motor could indeed be tired and/or dirty, but most likely it was overgeared, or the gearbox or driveshafts aren't as smooth as they could be. I think the "speed gear" on the Frog is a 19T? Try the standard 18T setup, or even the "torque" gearing (is that the same as Blackfoot gearing--16T pinion?). That old silvercan probably doesn't have enough power for the speed gear, so you've gotta gear down or at least match the Hornet's gearing if you want similar acceleration, because the Frog is a heavier car. And speaking of the Hornet, they really made that gearbox perfect... it's one of the most friction-free drivetrains on the planet with bearings installed, while the Frog/ORV is the opposite and seems to always have more friction than it should (maybe the rubber driveshaft boots have something to do with it?) As for hotter motors, if the ORV gearbox is any little bit loose or crunchy already, more power will only make it worse. I have an old 27T stock motor in my Mud Blaster, and the diff sounds like popcorn because everything's so worn out. Do all the cars have ball bearings everywhere possible?

The two halves were just ever so slightly misaligned, and when you tightened the screw down to attach the head to the torso, it twisted a bit.

How about a 5-cell, 6V battery instead of the typical 6-cell 7.2V stick (or, shudder to think, a LiPo)? Then there's no need to change motors, and Dad can still bomb around with the fast battery once Junior has had his fun with the slow one

I've only ever run 6-cell stick packs, but I got bit by the speed bug and built a Y harness with a 2-cell boost pack (the velcro is offset so it fits in the Grasshopper) For occasional speedruns, but mostly for bashing what's left of the Mud Blaster against my cousin and his 3s/brushless Slash 4x4. I'll accept the weight penalty if it means I get 9.6V of MORE POWER!!! (insert Tim Allen meme)