Traxxas rustler question.

[bishiman]

I just bought a used, but ib great shape, electric Traxxas Rustler xl-5 with Titan 12 turn motor. I wanted to see if anyone new which spur gear and pinion gear combination will get me more speed? Thanks in advance.

 

[bishiman]

Anyone?

 

[Metalhead Matt]

Step up a tooth or 2 on the pinion. Just watch your temps.

 

[syphon68]

a 20 tooth pinion should do fine on that, you will just loose some bottom end with the bigger pinion.

 

[bishiman]

It has a 23 pinion and a 86 spur. What would you suggest? I have seen from 18 to a 36 pinion and anywhere from a 76 to a 90 spur. Thanks

 

[syphon68]

I would stay w/ the 23/86 combo just for reliability but you can try other things, my sons rustler didn't spend much time as an XL5 before it was changed to brushless so I am not sure about the punch of the stock motor.

 

[hamz9561]

What type of battery and how many cells are you running? If you're running a 6-cell pack (7.2 volts) try a 7-cell (8.4 volt). that is usually a quick and easy fix for more speed. Going from 7.2 volt to an 8.4 volt turned a tame truck into a beast. Just watch the temps on the motor and ESC.

 

[bishiman]

What type of battery and how many cells are you running? If you're running a 6-cell pack (7.2 volts) try a 7-cell (8.4 volt). that is usually a quick and easy fix for more speed. Going from 7.2 volt to an 8.4 volt turned a tame truck into a beast. Just watch the temps on the motor and ESC.

I don't know the rating of the battery that came with the rustler, example 2000, 3300 etc, but it is a 6 cell 7.2v. I have noticed that the motor and esc get a little warm but the battery gets hot, very hot. It's been awhile since I have had electric so I can't remember if this is normal. Also, how do you tell if you have a bad cell in a bettey pack? and could this be why it seems slow? Thanks.

 

[surgemaster1970]

If your battery is getting hot then you have alot of draw for the supply available and that usually means the mah's need to be higher or your motor is gonna need a rewinding.If you had a bad cell the pack wouldnt take a charge but you could have weak cells and a load test can be performed to see if the pack is faulty and then it must be disassembled and each cell load tested individually to find the culprit..To get the best performance and runtime you need to stepup to 8.4 volt with the highest mah battery available like 8.4 volt 5000mah to get any use and enjoyment out of it without upgrading to brushless.Theres a way to rejuvenate ni-cad packs...Discharge fully,stick in a freezerbag,,place in freezer for 1-5 days ,,remove,thaw and recharge..Good Luck..

 

[bishiman]

Ok, I just ordered 2 8.4v 5000 batteries. I hope this works. I am going to try to rejuvenate the 7.2v battery for now until I get the new batteries. Thanks everyone for the help.

 

[Metalhead Matt]

I wish I could have told you that the xl5 is good up to 9.6 volts. That's where you see the biggest power gain. You'll be much happier with some new 7 cells rather than an old junk 6 cell, though.

 

[bishiman]

I wish I could have told you that the xl5 is good up to 9.6 volts. That's where you see the biggest power gain. You'll be much happier with some new 7 cells rather than an old junk 6 cell, though.

It's really for my son. My nitros are too fast for him to control so I thought this would be better. It's just a little too slow right now. I really think I have a bad cell in the 7.2v battery that came with the car so the new ones should do better. Thanks

 

[Metalhead Matt]

Oh yeah. You'll see a very noticeable difference. The new batts should run much cooler, too. You don't want them any hotter than 130 f.

 

[bishiman]

I wish I could have told you that the xl5 is good up to 9.6 volts. That's where you see the biggest power gain. You'll be much happier with some new 7 cells rather than an old junk 6 cell, though.

I aso just realized that my charger can only handle up to 7 cell packs. I assume the 9.6v packs are 8 cell so it would not work anyway.

 

[bishiman]

Theres a way to rejuvenate ni-cad packs...Discharge fully,stick in a freezerbag,,place in freezer for 1-5 days ,,remove,thaw and recharge..Good Luck..

Thanks, I did this and it worked. I got about 5-10 more minutes of run time and some more speed.