First Hop Ups for my XXX-T RTR II
 

Okay. I know this might be kind of silly but wanted some more speed for this vehicle so it looks like we're doing something like the following:

Team Orion Revolution Blue Endbell 12T Modified Motor
Novak GTX ESC
16 and 17 tooth pinion gears

Any feedback? Thanks.

Tarkus

RE: First Hop Ups for my XXX-T RTRII
 

GTX is very expensive, since this isnt a touring car you can get an equal esc that is a little bigger for half the price

RE: First Hop Ups for my XXX-T RTRII
 

For the Esc, go for something reversible, and probably not a GTX at the price and size its just not what you need. Look at the other novak ones, and Check out LRP's line of esc's. For a motor a 12T may be overdoing it a bit, the stock motor that comes with that claims to be a 19T but it is really junky quality, and most stock motors will perform better than it. Try sticking a good 17T motor, maybe a 14T, the Trinity Speed Gems are a nice line of cheap(er) mod motors

RE: First Hop Ups for my XXX-T RTRII
 

ive gotta speed gems 12T motor- runs great...havnt had to maintain it much- good motor for the price. i got mine for 30- and it makes my bandit/rusty fly :D

RE: First Hop Ups for my XXX-T RTRII
 

Well I bit the bullet and bought the following:

Team Orion Revolution Blue Endbell 12T Modified Motor
Novak GTX ESC
Team Losi 17 tooth pinion gear
Team Orion GP3300SP2 V-MaxPlus

The car really flies now. At some point I'll move on to the chassis and upgrade that a bit. And probably going to pick up some new tires. But as for now, this car is a blast.

Tarkus

RE: First Hop Ups for my XXX-T RTR II
 

i have the old XXX-T, and need a new motor. my esc maxes out at 17T, so im not sure if i could get much speed with it, should i get a new one? im pretty new to rc cars, so i'm not into spending more than $150 with a new esc.....unless its REALLY going to be worth it. for just the motor, i say $70-80, but like i said, you guys know much more than me, so i'll let you guide me toword the right path.

RE: First Hop Ups for my XXX-T RTR II
 

Not sure how much you want to spend overall and I'm not real familiar with the old XXX-T so others can tell you if this is worth it. What you might want to do is get what I got above but substitute the Novak Dually for the GTX. The Dually is about $70 less. You could then get a 12T or 13T motor (I like the Orion Revoluation, but there are other very good ones that may be less expensive), change the pinion gear and get away for under $200 (not counting the batteries). Again, I think others can tell you if that's a good investment. I do however believe it would make your car a lot faster.

Tarkus

RE: First Hop Ups for my XXX-T RTR II
 

for around $200, would it be smarter to go brushless? i see most systems are close to $200, give or take $20

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...p?&C=CKE&V=NOV

RE: First Hop Ups for my XXX-T RTR II
 

Going brushless is going to be a much bigger investment. I don't believe you can do it for anything near $200. Unless I'm mistaken you will need a new motor, new ESC, and new radio at a minimum. You're talking about a considerable investment there. Again, I'm still pretty much a newb like yourself but I do believe most of that is accurate.

Tarkus

RE: First Hop Ups for my XXX-T RTR II
 

sounds good to me! hows the maintenence of that motor? would you recommend the one your using, or a different orion rev.?

RE: First Hop Ups for my XXX-T RTR II
 

tarkus, you are wrong. you can get a ss5800 system which includes an esc and the motor. it will need virtually no maintenance at all, and will be very fast. now granted, for you to work this, it is best to buy a FM radio. i'd suggest also picking up a 7 cell gp3300 battery from boomboombatteries.com

RE: First Hop Ups for my XXX-T RTR II
 

So exactly where am I wrong? I said he should get a new motor, esc, and radio if he's going brushless. You think you can get anything even semi-decent for under $200? or even $300? It cost me about $400 (including two batteries) to upgrade to a 12T and that didn't include a new radio.

Tarkus

RE: First Hop Ups for my XXX-T RTR II
 

i know that an FM signal is stronger and better than an AM, but are there other reasons for a new radio?

RE: First Hop Ups for my XXX-T RTR II
 

You don't need a fm radio. Your just adding allot more cost for something that he can pick up later if he decides. However the only thing that I agree with is picking up a few good batteries. Anythng smaller then a 3000 are garbage on brushless systems. Or atleast on Hacker and novaks.

Onlybatterypacks on ebay is a great place to check out and also hes a great guy to deal with.

RE: First Hop Ups for my XXX-T RTR II
 

I agree you don't need a good FM radio, but the one that came with the original XXX-T (the car he has) is not as good as the one that comes with the XXX-T II. So yes, you could get away with just the brushless motor and a new ESC. But batteries and a good radio would also be a huge plus. With that being said, most of the people with whom I've spoken have a wait and see attitude with brushless, still preferring to stick with more traditional motors. This is the reason I personally did not go brushless. Unlike with airplanes, many people seem to feel the potential with brushless engines in RC cars has yet to be reached. Again, there are varying opinions on this, so find someone you trust and go with their advise.

Tarkus

RE: First Hop Ups for my XXX-T RTR II
 

sorry to butt in here but i also just bought the xxx t rtr II and i was looking at some batterys and a charger. now i also bought the reedy flashpoint 15x2. you said that you would need a new pinion gear?? what do you suggest that i would buy and what are some good battery chargers. also i am looking at these batteries. Epic Dreadnaught 3000 NiMH Battery Packs. they say that they are flat battery packs. will this work in this car? I newb too :)

RE: First Hop Ups for my XXX-T RTR II
 

doesnt the XXX-T2 come with the JR XR2i? thats what i have, i really dont want to get rid of this since ive only had it for one car and it is a nice computer radio (IMO) and i like the fact it has the D/R, exp, epa, etc. now, can someone guide me to a website and tell me the maintence needed on traditional motors? i know the basics, but will definetly need to know more if im going down to 12/13T since they require much more maitnence than a 17T motor.

now, as for the battery, im using epic 3300's, are these considered good batteries? http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/256590.asp

P-rat, im no expert on cars, but i do know a decent amount about batteries and chargers. now, when looking for a charger, dont go cheap if your planning to stick to the hobby. look for something that'll last. maybe a charger that can charge nicd/nimh and maybe even li-po's, a charger that can discharge and cycle batteries is a HUGE plus. also one that can charge at a fast rate is also helpful, maybe anything more than 3-4amps will be ok, although a higher rate may help you in the future if you use bigger battery packs.

RE: First Hop Ups for my XXX-T RTR II
 

hey flyin you got any suggestions on what kinda charger? Brand and where i can find one. i have read on some of these and there are so many and i have noooooooo clue at all if they will even work for this thing. first car owned lol. plus flyin i am in Iraq.

RE: First Hop Ups for my XXX-T RTR II
 

almost any charger will work that can charge nimh packs, some may take longer than others and some may do better jobs than others. i dont know any specific chargers, but im sure the guys here or on rcuniverse will help you out. like you said, there are SO many chargers out there, i wouldn't strain it too much. most chargers do their job, just look for soemthing that can charge at least 3amps, can cycle batteries, and charge nimh batteries. about the 3 amps, i say that because anything lowe than that will take a long time to charge-at 3amps it will charge a discharged pack in about an hour. so if you plan to drive your car every other day, than you can go with soemthing that charges slower, but i like to charge-drive-charge-drive-charge so i like to having to wait only 30min-hr for a pack to recharge.

RE: First Hop Ups for my XXX-T RTR II
 

Get the Team Losi 19-tooth pinion gear for the Reedy 15x2. It might just be my experience but I see a huge different between my GP3300 and the 3000 made by the same company. The 3300 seems to last longer and have more punch. But 3000 is probably fine if you don't want to invest the extra money for the GP3300s. I believe the particular batteries you mention are designed for cars that require dual packs. They'd probably work with the XXX-T but I'm not 100% certain as to what, if any, drawbacks, they might have. There are lots of good battery chargers. I'd recommend getting a peak charger though.

RE: First Hop Ups for my XXX-T RTR II
 

Yeah, sorry, my mistake there. The original also came with the JR XR2i, which is a very nice radio. I mistakenly thought that was one of the upgrades for the II.

As far as the batteries go that link you have is for 3000s. Are those the one's you are using now? This is what I've learned about batteries. Almost all battery packs are made using Sanyo, Panasonic, or GP batteries. Over the years they've tended to alternate as to who is making the best. The consensus at this point is that currently GP makes the best batteries. I initially was using Peak Racers Power Maxx Pro 3000 mAh Ni-MH batteries. I have since upgraded to GP3300s. I do see a difference.

Some more tips on batteries. Don't recharge them immediately after use. They won't last as long. You should let batteries cool down prior to recharging them. Also, it's best not to cycle batteries too often. A couple of times in a 24 hour period is probably enough.

I actually bought a relatively inexpensive peak charger that I was thinking of upgrading. It can charge at 1, 2, or 4 amp rates. It does not discharge or cycle. However, given what I've learned (good Ni-MH batteries don't have to be discharged fully before recharging) I'll probably hold on to what I have for a while.

Tarkus

RE: First Hop Ups for my XXX-T RTR II
 

yep, sorry it is a 3000mah battery. ill see if i can get some GP's when i get a new motor/esc. i'll likely get just one to start and maybe get more if i have the urge;)