ASK Cub Reporter- 05.25.2011- The Questions/Comments Pour In, I Dodge Around The Issues
Hello I noticed this system won your approval and was wondering if you are aware of the massive rip-off of people around the world this system and There Spartan Boat have caused. Every person who bought the boat needed 300.00 dollars worth of new electronics to run it. Some the first day some made it a month or more, Sorry but seeing that company get rewarded makes the world a sick joke.
Traxxas Vileneon Brushless System
PS: F*%& TRAXXAS
Eric
Cubby– Holy smokes, a hate-mail that isn’t a 500 word rant about me. Thanks!
Where to start, hummm…
I don’t like rc boats. I don’t own one, I don’t even want one, heck I’m baffled why anyone would want one. I have a meltdown every time Brian or Jeff posts boat news on the front page. To me, if I can’t huck it off the roof of my house or make the quad at RJD with it, it simply isn’t worth having. But different strokes for different folks I guess…
Wrench on the other hand, he loves boats, they are perhaps the only major flaw he possesses. I remember him being all torqued off that some uber brushless Traxxas boat he had on pre-order was going to show up like 6 months late so he canceled it. I also remember being ticked off when he kept blabbering about how late that H2O machine was going to be and it was keeping him from fixing our broken trucks.
Anyways… I might be wrong, but I take it the brushless system in your Traxxas boat blew up? Sounds like the BSRC bash crew will be hang’n with the TRX guys this weekend at Red Bud so I’m making a note to ask them if every single brushless system they put in a boat has died or not.
Now, to fix your problem. The answer is quite simple. Instead of spending 300 bucks for a replacement system, sell the boat and use that money on a new truck. The Traxxas Velineon systems work well in products intended for terra-firma. Plus, with a truck you can hit doubles, explode berms and all sorts of other nice dry activities.
I know you guys are not fans of nitro, but i still must ask this question because you have far more experience than me. i have a bandit, that is all aluminum with a mamba max pro set up. i just burnt out the mamba motor, and i can’t decide. should i get a jato 3.3 (yes its nitro, but it is also traxxas) or should i get a new motor. Its a jato or a Novak ballistic motor. i am leaning towards the motor because i can’t drive a full scale car yet, so $400 is hard to get. if i get the motor, what turn would be the best acceleration, but still get around 70 mph? sorry for all the questions.
thanks in advance,
<~Joe~>
Cubby– I know, I know, we might come across as nitro haters, but the truth is we want to like nitro. We love the smell, love the sound, and love the realism, but… unfortunately nobody makes a nitro engine that runs reliably enough for us. We refuse to spend more time starting and trying to keep a nitro engine tuned than actually driving it on the track. Hence the reason we drive 99% electric around here and why we’ll keep driving the flashlights till somebody puts out an ultra easy to use nitro engine.
To get to your question…
So Novak Ballistic or a Jato, hummm…
The Jato is a crazy fast truck, and if you have never owned a nitro it’s a good unit to get your feet wet with. The platform as a whole is solid and certainly a good one for blasting up and down the street. Who knows, the nitro fumes might make you actually enjoy the endless hours of engine tuning. So by all means, if you are feeling a bit randy go for the Jato.
You mention you burnt up your last electric motor, what makes you think you won’t burn up a new one? While the Bandit is a great bashing machine, it’s not light, nor does it have an ultra efficient drive-train. Combine these two factors and you’ve got one tough load on any motor you are going to install (not to mention you are wanting to go 70 with it).
So… to finally get to a recommendation. I’m gonna recommend that if you stay electric to stay away from 540 motors if at all possible. I have no doubt a good 540 would do the job in a normal Bandit, but I’m going to take you as an extreme user. I’d recommend one of the Novak Ballistic 550 motors, but they are considerably longer than a 540 (by 20 mm), and they only come with a 5mm shaft (larger than what your current pinions will accommodate). So… I’m going to recommend a Neu/Castle 1410 1Y 3800kv. The 1410 has a slightly longer rotor than a typical 540 but will fit easily in your Bandit. It also has a relatively low kv, is 4 pole, comes with a normal 1/8″ shaft, and is known for putting out good power on tough loads. All these virtues will help you from blowing it up while pushing your Bandit to respectable speeds. Oh, and it won’t break your bank.
One last thing- buy a temp gauge when you buy your new motor. Use it. When first driving your new motor measure its temp every couple minutes to see what’s up. Do not drive for 15 minutes then temp your motor because it might be wayyy too hot by then. Anything 140F or lower is great, and you never want to see your temp gauge hit 160. Throw on smaller pinions if need be. The first run with your new motor isn’t about blowing the tires off the rims, it’s about making sure you are geared correctly.
You have once again suffered through another ASK Cubby, congrats!. Send me your questions, comments, and movie reviews to Cubby at BigSquidRC dot com!
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