Best way to stop overheating on Stampede 4x4 VXL?

[Greywolf74]

I would still add fans though if you dont already have them

 

[LikeTheSandwich]

PC fan in and of itself isnt going to fix the issue. Fans are nice but they put in most of their work when the kit stops moving. Id trying gearing down first, then going to 2S if you can't gear down low enough. Going 2S you may even be able to gear back up a bit afterward if motor is running cool.

Gearing down is certainly going to be cheap. Although I can return my 3S batteries still (bought them from Amazon), so going to 2S might be a cheaper start.

 

[Greywolf74]

Gearing down is certainly going to be cheap. Although I can return my 3S batteries still (bought them from Amazon), so going to 2S might be a cheaper start.

2S lipos are pretty cheap also. Id just keep the 3S and get a couple of 2S and then you can go back and forth depending on what surface you're running on? Just a thought

 

[LikeTheSandwich]

I would still add fans though if you dont already have them

It has 3 very tiny ones, maybe an inch square each or so, two on the motor (with a small additional heatsink), and one on the ESC. But I think I'll add the PC fan to start. It's pretty lightweight, but I'll probably have to use steel to mount it because that's all I have access to right now. The mounting will probably be heavier than the fan itself, lol.

 

[Greywolf74]

It has 3 very tiny ones, maybe an inch square each or so, two on the motor (with a small additional heatsink), and one on the ESC. But I think I'll add the PC fan to start. It's pretty lightweight, but I'll probably have to use steel to mount it because that's all I have access to right now. The mounting will probably be heavier than the fan itself, lol.

Do you have a 5V PC fan? If I remember correctly generally 80mm PC fans run off of 12V so unless you gonna run them straight from the 3S battery then your plan may not work

 

[LikeTheSandwich]

Do you have a 5V PC fan? If I remember correctly generally 80mm PC fans run off of 12V so unless you gonna run them straight from the 3S battery then your plan may not work

Why wouldn't I run it straight from the battery? That's what I was planning on.

 

[Greywolf74]

Well if you're running a 3S Lipo you could, it would just be harder to hook up than wiring it to the RX but if you're running 2S lipos you wont have enough power to ran the fan properly, if at all.

 

[LikeTheSandwich]

Well if you're running a 3S Lipo you could, it would just be harder to hook up than wiring it to the RX but if you're running 2S lipos you wont have enough power to ran the fan properly, if at all.

If I'm running a 2S, I shouldn't need it (so I may make it easy to remove), and with a 3S I'll just plug into the balance leads. And a 2S will still run a computer fan OK, just much lower RPM than otherwise.

 

[tntpoof]

put a fail safe on go cart.. you start with 1 fix to see what its gonna do then move to 2nd. I put holes in 90 % of my off-road rc to prevent ballooning of bodies or the parachute effect..

 

[tntpoof]

not all pc fans are c friendly and yes you can runn if straight off battery no harm...

 

[LikeTheSandwich]

Well I just remembered that the ESC has a "training mode" which uses 50% max throttle. I just did some testing, and a 3S at 50% throttle is only a *little* slower than a 2S at full power, and it would probably give me the longest runtime overall. Also, I tried the PC fan, doesn't do enough. It buys me more time and it does cool down faster once thermal shut down initiates, but it's just not enough. I'm willing to bet that a 2S, or 3S in training mode, would not overheat the motor/ESC unless I'm running in 100F (38C) degree heat.

 

[Greywolf74]

Well I just remembered that the ESC has a "training mode" which uses 50% max throttle. I just did some testing, and a 3S at 50% throttle is only a *little* slower than a 2S at full power, and it would probably give me the longest runtime overall. Also, I tried the PC fan, doesn't do enough. It buys me more time and it does cool down faster once thermal shut down initiates, but it's just not enough. I'm willing to bet that a 2S, or 3S in training mode, would not overheat the motor/ESC unless I'm running in 100F (38C) degree heat.

As I said, fans are mostly there just to cool the motors when there is no airflow going through the body. You can trying the training mode trick and see if that works otherwise just gear it down and/or switch to 2S lipo.

 

[LikeTheSandwich]

In doing a little more research, it looks like the Stampede, although having 3S-capable electronics, is really designed for 2S (hence my issues, most likely). So I'll go with the 2S lipos for a while and see how it performs. That's my cheapest option as I can return the 3S lipos since I got them from Amazon, and 2S lipos are much cheaper than 3S.

 

[LikeTheSandwich]

Wow, I guess it really is made for 2S. It already has only a 12T pinion gear, and the axle gear looks to be the biggest that will physically fit. I'd have to add a jack shaft to get a lower gear reduction, or smaller wheels.

 

[Greywolf74]

Yeah most of the smaller kits that say 2 or 3S are really more for 2S theyre just technically capable of 3S. Hows it doing now on 2S?

 

[LikeTheSandwich]

Yeah most of the smaller kits that say 2 or 3S are really more for 2S theyre just technically capable of 3S. Hows it doing now on 2S?

What do you mean "smaller?" It's a Stampede 4x4 VXL, a high-end 1/10th.

 

[Heisenburg]

I have a Stampede 4x4 VXL, with several metal upgrades. I got it in a trade. Mip axles, aluminum hubs, metal swing arms. When I run it on road with 3S it seems to do fine, but when I'm running in dirt/grass for a few minutes I hit thermal shut down very fast. I know I could get a smaller pinion gear, or I could switch to 2S when I'm in grass, but are there better ways? It already has ESC and motor fans. Should I stick a 120mm PC fan in there too? Lol. I don't really want to spend the money to upgrade the ESC and/or motor. I talked to the guy I got the RC from and he recommended lowering the gearing and using 2S, and only doing 3S for occasional fun runs. What do you all think?

Mine had a defective motor, brand new. Didn't smoke until I plugged in a 3s. Got a warranty motor, changed it out, good as new, because it was.

 

[LikeTheSandwich]

Mine had a defective motor, brand new. Didn't smoke until I plugged in a 3s. Got a warranty motor, changed it out, good as new, because it was.

Mine is old, before 2.4Ghz TQ. but still does really well for its age, and at least its thermal shut down works still. I think it's the ESC and not the motor but I'm not sure.

 

[Greywolf74]

What do you mean "smaller?" It's a Stampede 4x4 VXL, a high-end 1/10th.

By smaller I just meant the kits that only run the smaller 2S or 3S lipos. I wasn't referring to the physical size.

 

[LikeTheSandwich]

Gotcha. Well, it could also be largely due to age, seeing as it's a several-years-old set.