Back to Bashing - Need Motor/ESC Recommendations

[glancyguy 14]

Folks, 

Been away from bashing for 3 years. My boys have shown a renewed interest in the hobby. We dusted off the Hotshot, Rising Storm, Mad Bull,  Super Fighter G, TT-01, and M-05 these last few days. It has been very fun. I have a Novafox half built and multiple kits in boxes including a brand new Bigwig.

Many of my esc, motor, and radio combos are dated or dead. I was running combinations of 20T - 25T brushed motors and ESCs from Tamiya, HPI and Duratrax. I even have a few of those analog Tower Hobbies transmitters and receivers. Towards the end, I started buying 2.4 ghz systems from Hobby King and Reedy Radon 17T motors.

If I wanted to start upgrading and standardizing brushless motor/esc combos, what should I choose? I am not looking for speed, but bashing fun easy to control. Something in the 17T - 21T range. As for price, I would like to stay at under $100 per combo. Also sticking with NIMH batteries, no Lipo. It looks like many of you have been going with the HobbyKing ESC/Motor combos.

Excited to be back in this and with middle school boys now interested again!

[Munchbox 100]

Goolrc combos are cheap and cheerful around $40-45 for the motor/ESC combo set with programming card. And they go all the way up to 4370kv (zoom zoom!) 

Brushless is just a great way to go, you'll get better runtimes, less heat and more torque. My Lunchbox was going 30-35 mins on a 3000mah nimh on the silver can and now does 45-50 mins on a 2400kv brushless. 

[ThunderDragonCy 7073]

I have no experience with the Gool kit, but if you just want easy running with minimal setup I really like my Tamiya TBLE-02S ESCs. Less scope for pumping up speed than the programmable controllers but they work nice and are cheap on eBay. Get a sensored motor to go with. I run Speed Passion but hobbywing, goolrc, etc. Loads of great motors out there for good money.

[gary1365 90]

I personally couldn't recommend goolrc my set up only lasted about 10 packs before it stopped working. I'm not sure if it's the esc or the motor that gave up the ghost.

[Wal.d 7]

I have Goolrc and the Tamiya tble02 both very good set ups. I run speed passion 13t motor with the Tamiya . I did have problems setting up the Tamiya esc to brushless but that was all my fault and some help of here soon sorted the problem. If you want speed then  Goolrc for the money is amazing. My Tamiya  esc is slower but a lot more sensible for my kids. Both are cheap on eBay.  I got my speed passion off modelsport

[Prescient 669]

Yep the stock Tamiya TBLE-02S with a speed passion 13.5T or equivalent sensored motor on NiMH is a very straightforward and easy value option.

My money would be on either a castle sidewinder combo (great value and support in the USA) or either the Hobbywing QUICRUN WP-10BL60 BL ESC or  QUICRUN 10BL60 Sensored BL ESC with a 10.5T motor.

I personally would avoid goolrc ESC combos and Hobbyking TrackStar ESCs. Hobbyking motors are good, the ESCs are hit and miss and don't seem to offer much in the way of value against castle or Hobbywing. 

Both castle and Hobbywing can be run happily on NiMH although expect a reduction in performance. 

[glancyguy 14]

Thanks a bunch for the responses! This is what I need to know.  It looks like Tamiya finally got into the brushless game and expanded options. I have a box of those TEU-101BK ESCs and silver can motors still sealed in factory packaging from the last few years.

Again, I may be a bit behind here. Last time I did this, it was not recommended to put anything hotter than 20T or so motor in cars like DF-02 or DT-02. There were also very few options for brushless that wouldn't wreck the gearboxes back then.

I know KV doesn't map completely to turns so a 13.5 brushless is not exactly equal to a 13 turn motor. However, a 13.5T brushless seems hot. What has changed in the last 3 years that would enable me to do this?

[ThunderDragonCy 7073]

Brushless turns aren't equivalent to brushed. Roughly speaking a 13.5t brushless is similar in performance to a 19t brushed. I run a 13.5t in my DT03 no problem and plenty of people have run hotter in that. DF02 would easily take 10.5t. Maybe the point about gearing you were given was about the soft tamiya aluminium pinions? Received wisdom is that the moment you move away from a silver can you need to get a steel pinion.  

[glancyguy 14]

Thanks. This makes sense. Yes, I ordered steel pinions for all these hotter motors and also bought the right smaller tooth size based on some threads I read over the last few days.

[glancyguy 14]

Folks,

I went for the Quicrun 1060 ESC,  Tamiya BZ, and 13T pinon for my re-re Hotshot. Started building this in 2013 and sat on the shelf half built until last week. My gracious artist wife finished the shell for me (less the headlamps). Took it out this afternoon in a massive dirt field and it was pure bliss. Durable, controllable, stable. Didn't end up on its shell once. Just enough speed to scratch the racer itch and enough torque to break free for some fun rooster tails.

 

[Prescient 669]

Good call, 

Probably the perfect no nonsense brushed combo you could put in it. 

That combo will also run happily on 2s and when you want more performance 3s lipo. 

[GregM 1109]

On 3.6.2017 at 4:31 PM, glancyguy said:

Folks, 

Been away from bashing for 3 years. My boys have shown a renewed interest in the hobby. We dusted off the Hotshot, Rising Storm, Mad Bull,  Super Fighter G, TT-01, and M-05 these last few days.

The Mad Bull is a bit problematic due to being overgeared. It will eat through overheated brushed motors and quickly depleted NiMH batteries. It needs a mild brushless combo and a LiPo battery to excel.

This thread should give you some helpful advice if you're in for a long read: