Sixtysixdeuce
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- RC Driving Style
So after burning up a couple of stock ESCs running this truck hard on 3S, I decided to find a hoss ESC to handle the load. Well, I stubled upon a really good deal on a Beeman X8 sensored 150A ESC & 2150KV 1/8 scale combo, so I picked it up, initially planning only to use the ESC.
Once it arrived, my hot rodder instincts got the best of me, and out came the stock 550 can to begin fitting the 720 sized motor. It actually went pretty smoothly, needing only minor clearancing on the chassis and clocking the front plate on the motor to use the original mount. Did have to relocate the receiver and hack out the side of the receiver enclosure to make room for the ESC, in addition to removing one of the top brace bosses.
The original 550 can was 3500 KV and equipped with a 14T pinion, so to compensate for the lower KV and to deal with the larger motor diameter, I used a 20T pinion on the new motor. The math puts top speed 14% lower for the same voltage, but the truck will still be plenty fast for any typical 1/10 course. Besides, if I want to turn it up, this combo is 6S rated, which would make the truck run over 80 MPH in the real world.
The real purpose behind this (aside from my liking to overpower everything) was not to make it faster, but to make the truck more durable in terms of strain on motor/ESC, and the resulting temperatures. To that end, it is definitely mission accomplished! Where the stock ESC was too hot to touch and the SL550 can literally able to fry an egg after 10 or 15 minutes hard running, this Beeman ESC never saw over 95*F, and the motor can only hit 111*F after 15 minutes of non-stop use. It is also a far more controllable vehicle now, owed to the better tuneability of the Beeman ESC; where the SC900BL and SC1200BL ESCs made mid-air corrections very touchy, this truck is now as graceful as my OFNA Ultra LX Comp buggy.
Truck only gained about 4 ounces with this swap.
All-in-all, this combo and the requisite pinion gear was $120 very well spent! I may not be legal in any sanctioned race, but I sure like it this way!
And comparing the 550 motor to the new can:
Once it arrived, my hot rodder instincts got the best of me, and out came the stock 550 can to begin fitting the 720 sized motor. It actually went pretty smoothly, needing only minor clearancing on the chassis and clocking the front plate on the motor to use the original mount. Did have to relocate the receiver and hack out the side of the receiver enclosure to make room for the ESC, in addition to removing one of the top brace bosses.
The original 550 can was 3500 KV and equipped with a 14T pinion, so to compensate for the lower KV and to deal with the larger motor diameter, I used a 20T pinion on the new motor. The math puts top speed 14% lower for the same voltage, but the truck will still be plenty fast for any typical 1/10 course. Besides, if I want to turn it up, this combo is 6S rated, which would make the truck run over 80 MPH in the real world.
The real purpose behind this (aside from my liking to overpower everything) was not to make it faster, but to make the truck more durable in terms of strain on motor/ESC, and the resulting temperatures. To that end, it is definitely mission accomplished! Where the stock ESC was too hot to touch and the SL550 can literally able to fry an egg after 10 or 15 minutes hard running, this Beeman ESC never saw over 95*F, and the motor can only hit 111*F after 15 minutes of non-stop use. It is also a far more controllable vehicle now, owed to the better tuneability of the Beeman ESC; where the SC900BL and SC1200BL ESCs made mid-air corrections very touchy, this truck is now as graceful as my OFNA Ultra LX Comp buggy.
Truck only gained about 4 ounces with this swap.
All-in-all, this combo and the requisite pinion gear was $120 very well spent! I may not be legal in any sanctioned race, but I sure like it this way!
And comparing the 550 motor to the new can:
