Put in my order for a Pro Race Roller...

[89redranger]

Ordered this stuff for a setup to start with, will change as it breaks or I find better alternatives.

Products
------------------------------------------------------
1 x Airtronics MX-Sport 2.4GHz R/C FHSS-2 Computer Radio (TX/RX) (751548) =
$84.99
1 x Losb9631 7.4V 600mAh 2S2P LiPo/Charger Combo (losb9631) = $55.99
1 x Losb9831 7.4V 600mAh 2S2P 20C LiPo: MRC (losb9831) = $34.99
1 x Aluminum WIDE wheel hexes for MRC (mrc10w08) = $12.49
1 x Pro-Line 1/18 mini Volkswagen Baja Bug Body (323830) = $15.99
1 x Hitec HS-5245 Mighty Mini 2BB MG Servo U (35245s) = $44.99
1 x Novak Mongoose Micro Pro Brushless System 13.5T (3052) = $89.99
1 x Losi 1/18 Mini Rock Crawler Pro Race Roller (Losa0101) = $209.99
------------------------------------------------------
Sub-Total: $549.42

At this point I think I should have ordered the 18.5T Crawler Specific Setup as opposed to the 13.5T, but if you guys think the wheels speed will be usable and controllable I may keep it. I was in a blurr at 1:30 in the A.M. while ordering...

After reading through countless other posts I'm also reconsidering the HS-5245 as the servo I should've chosen.

From the LHS I've already got the outboard Spacer kit, mini Revo pinion, paint, Dean's plugs, and more Aluminum parts are coming. This is gonna be my play rig mostly, but I wouldn't mind entering a few comps.

Be honest, should I slap that stuff in when it gets here, or should I send it back and go for the 18.5T setup and a 645MG?

Thanks for the help...

 

[TedBull]

Just a suggestion from a guy who built a pro roller. My advice if you are interested:

*The pro plastic wheel hexes work fine and are the same width 8MM.

*The servo you have listed is too small and you should upgrade to a full size with at least 300oz in of tourqe, digital titanium is the shit.

*Forget the brushless system and get a crawler mafia or holmes hobbies brushed motor and a tekin FXR esc or something simaler.

*The stock body on the losi pro is a better fit than the vw baja body.

*The spektrum DX3E is only $100 and is a better radio imo.

*I run maxamps 850 lipo 2s and they fit perfect on the front uppers and have a 100C rating.

Just my 2 cents from comping my rig and running with the 20 other guys in our club that compete in the 1.9 class. You will spend less in the long run if you leave out the unessisary upgrades and go big on the ones that matter ( motor, esc, servo, bec, receiver, transmitter.)

No matter what you do, have fun. It's a great class to compete in."thumbsup"

 

[89redranger]

Well, at this point I'm limited on what I can change as it's already in the mail. I think I may send the motor/esc combo back for something a little more sane, and I'll probably end up going with a 645MG. Problem is, after all the extras I bought at the LHS I'm already about $125 over what I wanted to spend and it's taking about a week too long to even get here...

As it is I have yet to ever touch this thing and I'm already gonna have to send parts back so I can wait another week or two to get the right ones! Not bitchin', just anxious to get it running and a little irked that I didn't do my homework a little better beforehand...

Edit-I ordered the bug body to satisfy my own sick obsessions. What can I say, they look sick??!

 

[89redranger]

So, I'm still curious...what would that 13.5T motor run like? Wouldn't it be similar to a 17T brushed motor as far as wheel speed and torque? The ESC supposedly has a drag brake function, so I can't see why it couldn't be liveable. Most likely it's going back though. Just curiosity...

 

[TedBull]

The brushless setup will be quick for sure and be fun for bashing but will probably be lacking big time in the drag brake department. I am not a fan of brushless in crawlers even though I have one in one of my 2.2 crawlers, they just are not as smooth, do not have the burst effect when you punch it and do not hold on hills as well. good thing about brushless is ease of maintenance. A good hand wound motor with a good esc and 2s lipo is the best setup in my opinion. Good low end tourqe, smooth, and wheel speed when you need it. I dont know anyone who can build a crawler and stay with their original budget. I was lucky to have a bunch of experienced guys in my club and saw what worked and didnt and ask a bunch of questions. If you can send the motor back and drop some more cash for a more comp style setup you will save in the long run.

 

[rock hard]

I think you stll made a good choice with the mongoose

You will be well served my that setup for a while.You can upgrade later if you feel the need,and have a better idea what will work best for you.

 

[rock hard]

So, I'm still curious...what would that 13.5T motor run like? Wouldn't it be similar to a 17T brushed motor as far as wheel speed and torque? The ESC supposedly has a drag brake function, so I can't see why it couldn't be liveable. Most likely it's going back though. Just curiosity...

IMO my 17t motors are as fast,maybe faster than my mongoose was.
The drag brake and low end is way better IMO.That being said,the mongoose is a great system to start with for sure.Yukon 635 was i 1st place at nationals going into the finals,He was running a mongoose.So its deffinatky a worthy system.

 

[rock hard]

I doubt you'll be satisfied with that servo in the long run though.
Guys i our club burn em up fast, a hitek 645 is a great servo,and you wont need a bec to run it,which means less weight.

 

[89redranger]

IMO my 17t motors are as fast,maybe faster than my mongoose was.
The drag brake and low end is way better IMO.That being said,the mongoose is a great system to start with for sure.Yukon 635 was i 1st place at nationals going into the finals,He was running a mongoose.So its deffinatky a worthy system.

So, the 13.5T WILL work alright? I like the idea of having wheel speed, but not so much that it is insane to drive. From what I understand, the 18.5T crawler specific system seems to lack the speed and is merely a step faster than stock...

 

[rock hard]

So, the 13.5T WILL work alright? I like the idea of having wheel speed, but not so much that it is insane to drive. From what I understand, the 18.5T crawler specific system seems to lack the speed and is merely a step faster than stock...

???18.5???

http://www.teamnovak.com/products/brushless/mongoose_micro/index.html



[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Mongoose Micro Brushless System 8.5T: 8.5 turns and 9,000 Kv recommended for drivers looking for the fastest Novak sensor-based Micro Brushless System. (System #3050)[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Mongoose Micro Brushless System 10.5T: 10.5 turns and 7,300 Kv recommended for racers looking for a system that offers a great balance between power and runtime. (System #3051)[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Mongoose Micro Brushless System 13.5T: 13.5 turns and 6,000 Kv recommended for users looking for power with the longest possible runtimes. (System #3052)[/FONT]


13.5 is what I used,and as far as I know is the one best suited for crawling.

 

[89redranger]

http://www.teamnovak.com/products/brushless/mongoose_micro/index.html

13.5 is what I used,and as far as I know is the one best suited for crawling.

Thank you! That's exactly what I was wandering. They make a crawler-specifiic version as well that's 18.5T.

I was worried about ending up with a rig that's outta control. I didn't understand if I had ordered the right motor by going with the 13.5T or if I needed to be running this:

http://www.teamnovak.com/products/brushless/mongoose_crawler/index.html

Sounds like you've had good luck with the 13.5T setup, and at $90 for the motor and ESC combo I can't beat it by buying a brushed setup with a seperate ESC. For example, the Tekin FXR another member referenced costs around $90 by itself, and a motor to suit my intended driving style would run me around $50. I think I'll run the brushless setup for the time being and save a motor swap for another mod later on.

Besides, future upgrades are what have kept me interested in these little guys since the first one I had...

I really appreciate the input. Keep an eye out for a build thread. Lots of billet and carbon parts coming, as well as a few home-brew mods and tweaks! This ones gonna be fun!

 

[rock hard]

I'll try to find an old post and see if mone was really a 13.5 or a 18.5

As I recall the replacment motors was pretty cheap.
so instead of echanging out,you could just buy a motor only.
its all the same esc.

 

[fallin apart]

I run my novak mongoose the 18.5t with the stock pinion on a 2s lipo, it has great low end torque and enough wheel speed for my liking. I really like my mongoose and how i can adjust the drag brake and the other stuff you can set on it
just my .02

 

[bizzyb]

I have to agree with tedbull, you prolly could have managed your cash a little better and got stuff thats really going to help, there's plenty of great deals right here on RCC, that being said, congrats on the purchase, post pics when you get the stuff.

 

[89redranger]

I have to agree with tedbull, you prolly could have managed your cash a little better and got stuff thats really going to help, there's plenty of great deals right here on RCC, that being said, congrats on the purchase, post pics when you get the stuff.

Shoulda, coulda, woulda... It's too late now. Oh well, I'll learn from it and send back what isn't usable.

The servo is at the top of the list, but I'm still unsure of the motor/ESC combo. Some say run it, some say can it...

I paid just shy of $90 for the combo, that can't be beat. If I do anything I'll swap it for the Mongoose Micro Crawler setup with the 18.5T motor. At this point I'm literally out of money for this project, and need to swap it for something in the same price point as I still have to pay for shipping two ways on it again.

The Mongoose Micro Crawler Combo is EXACTLY $1 more, and IS the setup I'll swap for if my little screw-up doesn't work out.

Rock Hard- I really respect the fact that you're trying to sell a product on this site, but you're still willing to help with another because you've had experience with it. That's awesome, and when it's time I'll be sending you a P.M. for a brushed unit!

Now, lets just assume that some of you WOULD prefer to run the Novak stuff. Any recommendations for gearing??? 13T pinion/60T spur, or 12T pinion/58T spur, or????????

 

[gdhknives]

Not sure what to say for the 13.5 if you do run it, on my 18.5 I'm running the 12t/60t combo on either 2s or 3s with no temp problems.

 

[cboggs]

The Mongoose system will work fine unless you want throttle control when slow crawling down something, it will go into a freewheel mode until you use the drag brake on the esc. Some people use it and like it, just takes a different driving style than what a brushed motor can do. The 645 servo is the minimum I would use but its slow. If you can, get one with around 300oz. and a faster speed. My recommendation would be a Tekin FXR or Mamba Micro Pro with a Contraband 18T motor and a Hitec 7955 servo. Not exactly cheap but well worth the money."thumbsup"

 

[89redranger]

The Mongoose system will work fine unless you want throttle control when slow crawling down something, it will go into a freewheel mode until you use the drag brake on the esc.

Ever wander why newbies get lost and give up on this hobby before they can ever really get into it?

Here's the deal, I KNOW the Mongoose system will work and they all have some sort of drag brake. Now which one of them? As stated above I've ordered the the 13.5T and am not sure I made the right choice.

Here are the options Novak makes under the "Mongoose Micro Brushless" name:

http://www.teamnovak.com/products/brushless/mongoose_micro/index.html

I've chosen the last one of these which is the 13.5T combo...




To make matters more confusing they also offer an 18.5T Combo under the name "Mongoose Micro Crawler" seen here:

http://www.teamnovak.com/products/brushless/mongoose_crawler/index.html

I appreciate the input, but the vague responses that leave me with the same questions in the end don't really help...

 

[gdhknives]

What I have in one of my mini's is the mongoose crawler/18.5, 2 with CC mamba 25's. All of which have the drag brake. Go to Novaks site and read the technical spec on the 13.5 system versus the 18.5 crawler version. Hopefully this helps somewhat.

 

[fallin apart]

The Mongoose system will work fine unless you want throttle control when slow crawling down something, it will go into a freewheel mode until you use the drag brake on the esc. Some people use it and like it, just takes a different driving style than what a brushed motor can do."thumbsup"

you can adjust the drag brake to the highest level where it can hold the truck till the rear would want to flip over which was about 60-70 degrees for my truck on the 18.5t mongoose