exceed rc maxstone 16 upgrades and tuning?

[fla_cracker]

I would say ....fast walking speed. Easily twice as fast as stock.

This is also with the ESC settings low. No timing advance and lowest punch setting. I did this to avoid cogging, which I think it does pretty well.

[Jcplante]

Ahh ok thats a lot slower then i had it going. Mine was way to fast lol

[BarelyCrawlin]

Just ordered an EMS 16. Will be doing the "easy" mods and lowering the COG for now. Am wondering if the current stock ESC can handle a Lipo? Thanks.

[Jcplante]

Yes it will be fine on 2s. I dont believe it has a cutoff tho. Its not a big deal just get a $2 lipo alarm if you are worried about it. I dont even bother with them anymore cause i can feel when the power starts to drop. If the lipo drops below 3 volts per cell it is junk most of the time tho. I have lost a few because i left a fan on once and some how left an esc on once too. If i had alarms on those 2 i would still have them lol. Hobby king lipos that fit the maxstone 16 are like $7 anyway

[BarelyCrawlin]

Originally Posted by Jcplante

Yes it will be fine on 2s. I dont believe it has a cutoff tho. Its not a big deal just get a $2 lipo alarm if you are worried about it. I dont even bother with them anymore cause i can feel when the power starts to drop. If the lipo drops below 3 volts per cell it is junk most of the time tho. I have lost a few because i left a fan on once and some how left an esc on once too. If i had alarms on those 2 i would still have them lol. Hobby king lipos that fit the maxstone 16 are like $7 anyway

Thanks. I've got several 2s lipos (Turnigy and Hyperion) I use in the quads I fly, and a couple LVC alarms. Quads w/o power don't glide I found! All I need is to make an adapter. Let the mods begin......

[Jcplante]

Sweet! I just got my first quad a few weeks ago. Its a helimax 1sq. Much harder to control then i had hoped lol.

[BarelyCrawlin]

Originally Posted by Jcplante

Sweet! I just got my first quad a few weeks ago. Its a helimax 1sq. Much harder to control then i had hoped lol.

All in good time - control will come. I've had several palm-sized quads, all modified. Also have a 250 size that's a rocket. These after about six choppers. Now I'm back to playing on the ground more. The EMS will be a mate for the 1/10 buggy!

[Jcplante]

Yeah i will get the hang of it. I started with small helis and planes. Then i moved by the water and its always to windy. So started the rc truck addiction lol.

[BarelyCrawlin]

Originally Posted by Jcplante

Yeah i will get the hang of it. I started with small helis and planes. Then i moved by the water and its always to windy. So started the rc truck addiction lol.

Used to live in Hawaii. Lots of wind there too. Found the micro quads like WL and Hubsan did well in the wind, and are cheap if you lose one.
Back to the EMS. First, I've seen a couple of motor upgrades noted here, but Losi seems rather expensive for a entry level crawler. I've seen good and bad comments about the Atomik venom 370. In the experience of you folks, what reasonably priced motor has provided good service? (I'm assuming about a 50T is best).
Second, assuming the ESC will produce majic smoke one of these days, what's a reasonably priced replacement? I've noted brushed ESCs with reverse and brake for around $20. Lastly, what's the desired amp rating for the ESC? Thanks.

Just checked on the Losi mini rock crawler motor. Appears to be in reality about a 280 size with around 40 T. Someone said it was a direct fit. Anyone have experience with it?

[Jcplante]

A 370 is hard to get in there. The stock motor is a 280. I had a losi frenzy 370 in mine and it was a lot faster then stock and still could crawl just fine. I had to drill new holes for the motor screws. I never had any problems with the stock esc in mine. If you wanted an upgrade you could get an ae2 from a rtr scx10. It will be a little overkill but at least you wont have to worry about it burning up. Plus they come up in the classifieds a lot for cheap money.

[BarelyCrawlin]

Originally Posted by Jcplante

A 370 is hard to get in there. The stock motor is a 280. I had a losi frenzy 370 in mine and it was a lot faster then stock and still could crawl just fine. I had to drill new holes for the motor screws. I never had any problems with the stock esc in mine. If you wanted an upgrade you could get an ae2 from a rtr scx10. It will be a little overkill but at least you wont have to worry about it burning up. Plus they come up in the classifieds a lot for cheap money.

How about going with the losi mini t motor? Looking back, I think you mentioned it as a possibility. Size is good. But drilling a couple of holes is fine too. Not looking for speed, but rather a good replacement that has some torque.

[fla_cracker]

For everyones viewing pleasure.....


Redneck Dream pt1 - YouTube

[Jcplante]

I have tried multiple different mini t motors. I didnt like any of them. Its really hard to find a high turn 280 motor. Im thinking maybe a brushless outrunner could work pretty well. I have one on my micro crawler that has tons of torque

[fla_cracker]

the 3000kv tacon is working very well. just enough wheel speed to get you through the situation but not enough to be damaging or uncontrollable.

[BarelyCrawlin]

Seeing that the Losi Insane has an insane price now, maybe I'll try the Losi Frenzy. Does a 12T pinion seem to work best with a lipo battery? Is the Frenzy shaft 2mm? Also found that Traxxas has a 7575 370 motor, 28T. About the same specs as the Fireball, but maybe better quality? Thanks for your input.

[Jcplante]

I sold the rig i was running it on but i have 2 more maxstone 16s now. I will see what i can figure out for ya. As far as the pinion goes, the 370 is such a tight fit in there you really dont have a choice but to use what ever size will mesh correctly with the spur. Honestly i would say if you dont have parts laying around and you are gonna buy stuff, i would go with the brushless. Cheap stuff from hobby king or something. I never really found a motor that i was 100% satisfied with in this truck. If fl_cracker says that 3000 kv is working good its prob the way to go. You can get a trackstar esc for like $20 shipped that will run this truck. I use the $15 trackstar mini 18 amp esc in my mini ts and its great! Might be a little under powered for this truck but the next size up will be more then enough. Then just find a 3000kv or less motor that fits and ur good to go

[BarelyCrawlin]

Originally Posted by Jcplante

I sold the rig i was running it on but i have 2 more maxstone 16s now. I will see what i can figure out for ya. As far as the pinion goes, the 370 is such a tight fit in there you really dont have a choice but to use what ever size will mesh correctly with the spur. Honestly i would say if you dont have parts laying around and you are gonna buy stuff, i would go with the brushless. Cheap stuff from hobby king or something. I never really found a motor that i was 100% satisfied with in this truck. If fl_cracker says that 3000 kv is working good its prob the way to go. You can get a trackstar esc for like $20 shipped that will run this truck. I use the $15 trackstar mini 18 amp esc in my mini ts and its great! Might be a little under powered for this truck but the next size up will be more then enough. Then just find a 3000kv or less motor that fits and ur good to go

Thanks so much. If the brushless and the ESC will will work well (including good braking), then I'll just wear out the stock motor while I order a brushless setup. Can't be worse than changing a chopper from brushed to brushless. That was a real pain matching two motors.
Fl_cracker, can you share some details on your brushless setup? BTW, a hundred years ago I grew up in Daytona Beach/DeLand. (I'm old).

[BarelyCrawlin]

Fl_cracker, I missed the details in your 3/11 post. My bad, as they say. I'm gonna poke around for parts.

[fla_cracker]

Originally Posted by BarelyCrawlin

Fl_cracker, I missed the details in your 3/11 post. My bad, as they say. I'm gonna poke around for parts.

Here are the parts I ordered.....

Tacon 2030-30T Brushless Motor 3000KV for 1/16 1/18 Car Trucks


EzRun-18A-SL Brushless ESC for 1/18 Car (Version 2)



The only problem is the motor has a lip around the shaft that won't fit the stock motor plate. You can see it in the pic on the link. I had to find rubber washers and longer screws to shim it up. I also opened up the screw holes on the plate but am not sure if I needed to or not. This motor is a bit smaller than the stock one but WAY better...

I have yet to run a full 5000 mah pack through it, but have run it for over an hour with no heat issues. I am running the factory pinion in the video I posted.

Hope this helps,

[BarelyCrawlin]

That's great, fl_cracker. Appreciate the info. Just one question - is the stock pinion press on or grub screw? I hate removing and installing press on pinions! I think the stock is a 14T, correct? If so, I'll just buy a grub screw 14T to avoid the press on. The package, even with a programming card, is just over $40 - great for a brushless combo.