Review of Leopard 4065 2700 KV motor

[MeanTT]

So here it is, my review of the Leopard 4065 4 pole brushless motor in the Yeti.

Well, I saw a good deal on ebay for the Leopard 4065 2700 KV motor for 45 bucks and free shipping. I bit. I have had experience with Leopard motors in the past, as I have the stock "Ripper" in my MT4G3 and it is great. For 45 dollars, I thought that it was a steal. Bear in mind that this motor is rated from 3-5S and can dish out 2000W of power; the same as the TenShock 411 and we believe the same as the Tekin Pro4HD (although Tekin doesn't reveal the motor's specs). As a price point comparison, the TehShock retails for 90 bucks, and we all know the extremely high price of the Pro4HD. The Leopard will also run up to 5S whereas the Pro4 and TenShock are more limited.

Since the stock motor is 3150 KV and the point of the motor swap was to get more speed and torque for new Method wheels I have coming wrapped in the 2.2 Swamper XLs, I needed to up the pinion a little bit. I chose a 22T which just barely fits with the stock spur. My napkin math indicates that I am getting 15 percent more speed with this setup as well.

The motor has a ton of power, even on 3S. The brakes are as you may imagine; as strong as ever given the lower KV of the motor. The torque I would say is probably 30 percent more than stock, even with the elevated gearing. The top speed increase is nice as well, but I think that I am approaching the limits of this chassis with this set up. I toiled on my Twin Hammers to get it set up for high speed and although I improved its handling quite a bit, you really can never fully compensate for the inconsistent high speed handling which comes from the rear of the vehicle.

The surfaces I used for my initial test were grass, concrete and asphalt. I am using the stock wheels and tires. Outside temps were around 50 and there was light rain at the time of the test.

The temperatures after 1/2 a pack on 3S were 103 degrees. That was pretty amazing as far as I was concerned. Stock temps with the 16 tooth pinion on the stock motor were between 120 and 130. The most interesting thing that I saw with this motor was that I experienced moderate torque twist which I didn't see with the stock set up. While it is not nearly as bad as the Yeti XL, it will 3 wheel for about 20 feet if you gun it on a hard surface. On average I would say that the front wheel comes up maybe an inch from the ground with hard acceleration.

Update 1/22/15 at 9:00 CST I took her outside tonight to see how much heat I could put in the motor with severe abuse. The conditions were 45 degrees outside, but the motor was inside at 74 degrees before I began my run. I have a small fan on the motor as well, and I ran without the body so I could more easily check temps. I should mention that the 22T pinion is a little tight as I can't set any gear lash. I added a few drops of shock oil to the gears to reduce friction, but it is clearly an inefficiency.

I tried to beat the crap out of this thing and got a max motor temp of 118 near the pinion side of the motor, while the rear (where the fan is located and usually the side that has the most heat) clocked in at 108 degrees. I spend the first 3 minutes running full speed and jamming on the brakes. I ran several hundred feet Bach and forth without any rest. The motor got up to 90 degrees. I then spend the next 10 minutes gunning it and jamming on brakes to a full stop. I would let it go 30-40 feet and stop, rinse and repeat. There was no rest or cool down time. Motor temps after 10 solid minutes of this crap were 103. Next I ran it in reverse and jumped on full power forward trying to apply as much of a load as I could on the motor. It was painful to watch and a completely ridiculous way to drive. Because it now has torque twist it also veer off to the side when I would do this. Clearly I need to fill the front diff with some 100,000 fluid. I also ran through short grass, but was concerned that moisture from the grass would lower the motor temps. Still, at the end of a 4500 mah pack I got the motor up to 118 in the front and 108 in. The rear. This motor is a beast and has far more power than you could use or need. It runs extremely cool and I couldn't imagine how you could overheat it with the stock tires and plastic wheels.

Notably, with all of this abuse the stock esc was at 148 degrees. I should also add that I have not adjusted the esc settings yet and timing punch and brakes remain at the stock levels. The ESC temp does concern me because there was no body on the rig and it was getting constant airflow. At the end of the day, I am thinking I could gear up even more and I still have no cogging at low speed, although the slowest speed I can get out of the rig with this elevated gearing is about the speed of a fast walk. The real test will be when I put on heavier wheels and tires. With the 2.2 swamper XL it will be even faster and likely less controllable.

Everyone should take a second (or first) look at this motor for the Yeti. The seller had a lot of them for 45 bucks, although they are often priced around 70. They fit perfectly, run cool and have loads of power. If you want to spend 3 times more for the Tekin Pro4KD that can deliver the same wattage but has a sensor port, go for it. For the rest of us looking for a quality motor upgrade at a reasonable price, you can't go wrong with this choice. Check out Ebay as I did to find this motor. I believe that Leopard makes a 4068 as well that can deliver 2400W of power, but I couldn't find a good price on them and the KV was low enough that it made sense that they are primarily 4S motors.

Link where I purchased the motor. I received it in about 7 days. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Leopard-Moto...item5d4dffe57a


More to come...

[wrightcs77]

Main issue is that it is sensorless. Many people upgrade to the Tekin for better low speed control.

[Sh0rtBus]

I need to come run with you sometime, man. Hopefully my STRC carriers will in shortly so I can get my Yeti back up and running. My UCFab trailing arms and DLux TI upper links are sitting in the package waiting to be installed. Figured I'd hammer everything out at once when my knuckle carriers arrive.

Looking forward to comparing between your new mill and the stock 3150kv first hand.

[DickyT]

Seems like a nice power plant, like wrightcs77 said though, it is sensorless. So it will lack that low end, butter smooth control that a sensored system offers. For those that just want brutal power and don't require 'crawlability' from a motor\esc combo it seems a good bargain though!

[MeanTT]

Originally Posted by DickyT

Seems like a nice power plant, like wrightcs77 said though, it is sensorless. So it will lack that low end, butter smooth control that a sensored system offers. For those that just want brutal power and don't require 'crawlability' from a motor\esc combo it seems a good bargain though!

I agree 100%. It is really what you want to do. For me, the power and speed are more important, but I fully recognize that other people have different goals. Still, for 45 bucks, it's a freaking steal. Leopard has sensored motors for a decent price as well, but I didn't want to change out the ESC just yet.

[MeanTT]

Originally Posted by Sh0rtBus

I need to come run with you sometime, man. Hopefully my STRC carriers will in shortly so I can get my Yeti back up and running. My UCFab trailing arms and DLux TI upper links are sitting in the package waiting to be installed. Figured I'd hammer everything out at once when my knuckle carriers arrive.

Looking forward to comparing between your new mill and the stock 3150kv first hand.

Sounds good. I am awaiting delivery of a few sets of wheels and some wider hubs. I need something to mount up these monster 2.2 swamper XLs!

[Sh0rtBus]

Originally Posted by MeanTT

Sounds good. I am awaiting delivery of a few sets of wheels and some wider hubs. I need something to mount up these monster 2.2 swamper XLs!

I'll end up with probably a set of Gearhead wheels (maybe non-beadlock) and some Voodoo U4 Silvers w/ CI DD foams.

[MeanTT]

Originally Posted by Sh0rtBus

I'll end up with probably a set of Gearhead wheels (maybe non-beadlock) and some Voodoo U4 Silvers w/ CI DD foams.

I have the closed cell foams in my high speed rigs and bought the taller version for the swampers. Once I have them mounted I will see how they do. I am sure it will be just fine.

Maybe we need 2 weeks to get our parts in before we go smash things around. I have a twin hammers, savage with the castle 1515, MT4 and a bunch of others. Anytime man...

[Sh0rtBus]

Originally Posted by MeanTT

I have the closed cell foams in my high speed rigs and bought the taller version for the swampers. Once I have them mounted I will see how they do. I am sure it will be just fine.

Maybe we need 2 weeks to get our parts in before we go smash things around. I have a twin hammers, savage with the castle 1515, MT4 and a bunch of others. Anytime man...

I just ponied up and bought a HH Trailmaster servo for mine....stings a little!

/threadjack

[ribaja]

60$ for a 3550 4 pole sensored just my have to give these motors a try

Originally Posted by MeanTT

I agree 100%. It is really what you want to do. For me, the power and speed are more important, but I fully recognize that other people have different goals. Still, for 45 bucks, it's a freaking steal. Leopard has sensored motors for a decent price as well, but I didn't want to change out the ESC just yet.

[MeanTT]

Originally Posted by ribaja

60$ for a 3550 4 pole sensored just my have to give these motors a try

Actually there is a 2900KV 3858 which is a little more oomph for 60 bucks, sensored and 4 pole.

The link for these motors is right here:

Products-LEOPARD POWER MODEL Co.,LTD

1700 watts is pretty good.

Strangely enough, the listing on Ebay is for a 3658 not a 3858. Either way, still 60 bucks.

Leopard Motor Brushless Sensored Inrunner 2900KV 4 Pole for RC 1 10 SC Truck | eBay

I note that the sensored motor is a Delta configuration instead of a Wye, so I can't speak to its performance or temperature. I believe that Wye (or Y) motors are ever so slightly more efficient, and Delta motors do not like to run timing.

[MeanTT]

Updated the first post with tonight's results. I can't beat on this motor any harder and I still had low temps. Heavier wheels and tires may make the difference and actually tax the hardware, but the rims haven't shown up yet...

[crawl-o-matic]

Originally Posted by Sh0rtBus

I'll end up with probably a set of Gearhead wheels (maybe non-beadlock) and some Voodoo U4 Silvers w/ CI DD foams.

DW Standard for high speed work

[imthatguy]

Originally Posted by MeanTT

Actually there is a 2900KV 3858 which is a little more oomph for 60 bucks, sensored and 4 pole.

The link for these motors is right here:

Products-LEOPARD POWER MODEL Co.,LTD

1700 watts is pretty good.

Strangely enough, the listing on Ebay is for a 3658 not a 3858. Either way, still 60 bucks.

Leopard Motor Brushless Sensored Inrunner 2900KV 4 Pole for RC 1 10 SC Truck | eBay

I note that the sensored motor is a Delta configuration instead of a Wye, so I can't speak to its performance or temperature. I believe that Wye (or Y) motors are ever so slightly more efficient, and Delta motors do not like to run timing.

And this is the motor I chose, specifically because it is sensored and will lower my top speed on an 11T pinion dramatically for crawling.

Excellent review, I'm glad someone sees the value in these motors!

[Meatwad]

You can see in the drawing what denotes the 36 vs 38. The 3658 probably lacked the heatsink of the 3858. Most 1/10 scale brushless motors have a 36mm od.


They're decent motors, the shortcourse guys have been into them for awhile. Wasn't aware they made 4pole sensored now, good find.

[MeanTT]

I just found out that my Methods are at least a 2 week wait, so I picked up a 19T and 20T pinion that I will use with the 56T spur. I figure if the Pro4HD folks are using the 56T spur with the 18T pinion, then I could go 20T since my motor is 10% slower. 19T may be the answer though once I get the heavier wheels and tires on the rig. I know heavier rims and larger wheels make about a 10-15 degree difference on my Twin Hammers, and if I wind up with a motor temp at or about 150 after a 4500 mah pack I think I am probably just about right on the money.

@Sh0rtBus, If we find some time to do a few runs, you may have to deal with my artificially narrowed rig and the unfortunate width of the rear axle. Stability will come down the road. I also need to up the front shock oil, 30 weight Team Associate is not thick enough.

[wrightcs77]

Wanted to try one of these, but cheapest I could find them now is $77.

[OkinawaCrawler]

Originally Posted by wrightcs77

Wanted to try one of these, but cheapest I could find them now is $77.

They are $70 on Amazon, free shipping if you are a prime member.