Going faster on a budget

[Pxwraith]

Hi all, For my 42nd birthday I got a Poison Spyder Wraith rtr. I'm running a 5000 mah NiMH battery. I want to go faster on a budget until funds allow for brushless LiPo. As a complete newb i'm looking for the roadmap to cheap speed. What do you suggest for this? Gears, motor, ??? My final goal is a wild replica of a '32 ford panel. Any help is appreciated.


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[svt923]

I will pass along the most famous phrase in the history of this forum: volt up, gear down

There not much you can do while running that NIMH pack; it is big, heavy, and has lower voltage than a lipo pack. Your upgrade path should be planned with that in mind.

What kind of charger do you have? Unless you got the most bottom of the barrel one, it should have the capability to balance charge lipos. There is an abundance of cheap chargers (around $30) on the market that do an admirable job. A capable charger is the first step (if you already have a decent charger move on to the next phase).

Next, you can choose a battery. Fun begins at 3S so I start there with everything. 2200mah 3S packs are cheap and plentiful (easy to find under $15) and will provide about an hour of runtime. You definitely don't need to go with something as large as 5000mah in a Wraith, the largest battery I own is a 4000mah 3S and the time I get on the trail is somewhere past 3 hours.

Then you have to address a small issue with the ESC on your truck. The Poison Spider Wraith comes with the AE-2 ESC which can handle the voltage of a 3S battery but only with the aid of an external BEC (which lowers the battery voltage into an acceptable level for the radio gear). The Castle 10A BEC is the most popular because it is small, powerful, adjustable, and readily available. Hobbywing also makes some decent ones, I would look for something that can provide at least 5 amps at 6v. If you get a Castle BEC, getting the Castle Link programmer is also a good idea, you can adjust your BEC voltage as well as your ESC setting with it. While you are working on the ESC, solder on a better connector as well (Deans, Traxxas, EC3, XT60, or anything that won't melt like the awful Tamiya connectors).

The final step is gear down. This is as easy as getting a smaller pinion. I don't know what is the smallest pinion that will fit but I believe a 16 tooth would be a good starting point (think that is the gearing on my daughter's truck).

In the end, after volting up and gearing down, you have a truck that has more wheel speed, more torque, better low speed control, better braking, and more efficiency for under $100 (or $70 if you don't need a charger). Of course the door is now opened to all of the Wraith's eventually necessary mods, check out Harley's Wraith guide for the full details.

[Thechewmaster]

I would do exactly what is said above, get a 3s battery and charger, you will anways, and enjoy yourself.

[rcmattster1971]

Originally Posted by svt923

Then you have to address a small issue with the ESC on your truck. The Poison Spider Wraith comes with the AE-2 ESC which can handle the voltage of a 3S battery but only with the aid of an external BEC (which lowers the battery voltage into an acceptable level for the radio gear). The Castle 10A BEC is the most popular because it is small, powerful, adjustable, and readily available. Hobbywing also makes some decent ones, I would look for something that can provide at least 5 amps at 6v. If you get a Castle BEC, getting the Castle Link programmer is also a good idea, you can adjust your BEC voltage as well as your ESC setting with it. While you are working on the ESC, solder on a better connector as well (Deans, Traxxas, EC3, XT60, or anything that won't melt like the awful Tamiya connectors).

Where does the BEC connect to the car? is it soldered onto the plug from the ESC?

[svt923]

Originally Posted by rcmattster1971

Where does the BEC connect to the car? is it soldered onto the plug from the ESC?

It is soldered to the battery wires of the ESC.

Castle has a handy diagram:

[crazee horse]

I got a 120amp hobby wing wsc8 waterproof esc and a 9t in mine, does everything I need, fast, torque, and essentially waterproof as mine is a major mudder and always at least axle deep in water. Very reliable budget option. I got my esc and motor for about £65. Good luck !

[black.parallax49]

Originally Posted by crazee horse

I got a 120amp hobby wing wsc8 waterproof esc and a 9t in mine, does everything I need, fast, torque, and essentially waterproof as mine is a major mudder and always at least axle deep in water. Very reliable budget option. I got my esc and motor for about £65. Good luck !

Isn't the 9t motor less in torque and get cogging at slow speed?

[SCREAMER]

Doesn't get any better than this. Cheap, reliable, quality, waterproof, and plenty fast.

Castle Sidewinder SV3 SCT System w/3800kv Waterproof

[gbean]

Originally Posted by SCREAMER

Doesn't get any better than this. Cheap, reliable, quality, waterproof, and plenty fast.

Castle Sidewinder SV3 SCT System w/3800kv Waterproof

It could be better, it could be sensored....

For waterproof systems, I go with a quality Holmes Hobbies waterproofed brushless system.
Or I waterproof a Tekin system myself.

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[SCREAMER]

True but if he's worried about going fast, this system will have more than adequate startup control. He said going fast on a budget, not crawling. A Holmes waterproofed system would run more than twice as much. Tekin isn't factory waterproof and still expensive and can't auto detect lipo cell count.