Always Dreamin

Lipos are lighter, and now they're cheaper because those A123 packs are way overpriced, IMO. Just saying, Lipos aren't as dangerous as they seem. They are like a nitro engine, if you take care of it, it will take care of you.

Even with "taking care of it" only takes a couple minutes and is effortless.

The Hedgehog

Completely false. Lipos are lighter, that's it.

You can build A123 from drill packs for cheap as lipo if not cheaper. When lipos can be charged at 4C rate then they have something on A123.

supercharged347

Just put the Traxxas Velineon system(brushless) in my Firestorm. Went from a 19T pinion to a 23T. ALOT more torque off the line then the stock motor (wheelies easy)....and gained at least 5+ mph (maybe 10). Its only a 3500 kv motor. Wondering how high of a gear it would handle ? Theres not alot of room left of adjustment though for the motor to make room for larger pinion. I'm thinking 24T would be it...unless the motor plate gets some modification.

So far I am happy with the Velineon. It can handle 3s lipo, and claims to have no motor limit. Can run brushed, sensorless brushless (motor it comes with is this) or sensored brushless. Got a great deal on ebay, $100 brand new for motor and speed control. May not be the best thing out there, but pretty good and well worth what I paid !

AlphaDOG

broken something on my e-firestorm today ->



this plastic spacers you see on this picture have melted on the spur gears metal plate ..

my motor get so damn hot ...

SN33KY

holy crap you broke something!

what motor, battery and gearing are you running?

AlphaDOG

small broke lol ... I use 4300kv motor , 2s 20c 5000mah 7.4v lipo , and 18t pinion 87t spur ... I tried 5700kv motor and other batteries still overheating ... 17t pinion dont help too ...

supercharged347

Hmmm, does that sound normal ? New to brushless in 1/10 scalers (some experience with them in 1/18th)...but I wouldnt think the 5700 would have a problem with a 17T pinion ? I have the velineom with 23t....and I have a 5800 to try, was thinking of putting stock 19t on for that.

CustomTamiyas4Life

My Feedback: (34)

I run my slipper all the way tightened. If your gear mesh is right and you aren't running on tar there shouldn't be any problems. If you run lipo, brushless, and on tar the added traction may break/wear something(highly doubt it though).

party_wagon

If the motor is too hot then it's geared too high(too slow) if the esc is too hot then it's geared too low(too fast). If they are both over heating then the application is too large.

AlphaDOG

only my motor get damn hot the esc and battery are so cool I tried 17t , 18t , 19t pinion and still the same ...

dafpnp

Have you checked temps.

AlphaDOG

around 185 to 200f + ...

CustomTamiyas4Life

My Feedback: (34)

Not true. Both will heat up if there is incorrect gearing. Why would the esc stay cool of it has higher amp draw? Too high of gearing means it's too fast, and too low means it's too slow actually.

BrokeMillMtn

Scope out my posts on I think page 26 or 26. They're lame camera phone videos but they give you an idea of the abuse they'll take.

BrokeMillMtn

So we got our ESC's back from HPI (thanks HPI) and decided to take it easy on so we bought some new rims and tires (Proline Rodrage II) and hit our local skate park at lunch. Well about 2 min into bashing and 3 or 4 huge jumps later the motors in both trucks moved and ate up the spur gears.

What suspension upgrades do we need because these things seem to bottom out VERY easy.

Here's a pic with new wheels, tires, and body.

electricrcdude

35 wt. shock oil, and maybe the upraded shocks-they look cool

ohgrfreak

35 weight is the only suspension mod i've done, and it seems like it's all I'll need to do.

CustomTamiyas4Life

My Feedback: (34)

I think you will always bottom out an st with large jumps to flat. With such little ground clearance, you can't really stop the suspension from moving a couple inches on larger jumps. Stiffer springs and a little thicker oil will make the smacks a little more gentle at least.

SN33KY

that shell suits the E-firestorm heaps well!
anymore pics?

mercerbeef

i melted the same spacer on my old xxxt, it turned out to be the slipper was too loose, the slipper plate heated and melted the spacer. its a part no one thinks to carry on race day lol

BrokeMill- sounds like you didnt tighten the motor screws tight enough.

BrokeMillMtn

After changing spur gears and filling the shocks with 40wt oil we went back to the skate park. Skate parks > Firestorms. The pools and ramps at the skate park are just too steep and the firestorm bottoms out over anything. We still bashed for about 20 min, here’s a couple of vids of the trucks jumping out of the pool. Enjoy!!

[link]http://www.rcuvideos.com/video/SKATE1-3GP[/link]
[link]http://www.rcuvideos.com/video/SKATE2-3GP[/link]

DARKWAV

Wow you guys take your bashing seriously! You'll need to make sure your ESC and Reciever are secured well to the chassis! Sounds to me like you'll need to continue trying heavier weight shock oils. the springs are already pretty much the stiffest offered by HPI so that will probably be what limits how heavy you can go with the shock oil as the springs need to be strong enough to be able to rebound the suspension. Beyond that you're looking at a trip to a knowledgable hobby shop that doesn't mind taking the time to see if there's some alum shocks for other vehicles that can mount-up and provide more damping than the stock ones. (Granted there are many store clerks that don't know how to do anything beyond checking their computer to see what products are listed for your R/C...totally useless)

BrokeMillMtn

I don't think we're gonna do too much skate park thrashing with these. I think we'll probably get some of the Traxxas Slashes or maybe E-Savages something fast that can handle HUGE air and hard landings. I think these trucks are going to be reserved for just high speed dirt runs.

CustomTamiyas4Life

My Feedback: (34)

Skip on the slash. It has even less suspension and it is very soft from the factory. The savages with upgraded shocks would be good for you. Lots of suspension travel and many available shock options. Plus, mt's are known for major air. If you want 2wd, go for a stampede. It has more ground clearance and can take quite a beating. It doesn't handle well, but you can beat on it. Parts are cheap and easy to find too.

ElectricGuy007

You really beat the tar outa that truck.[X(]
I've done that same thing landing on my lid like that. That's because I was on the thottle too much.
I should have drove it easy on the big jumps instead of gunning it all the time.
My body has taken some decent damage but still nothing is broken on the truck yet.
You dont relize how much torque a brushless motor has until you try it. Or was yours stock?