Lets talk brushless ESC and motor combo options.

[JMG]

I've been dead set on getting a Tacon motor and Hobbywing ESC combo for a while now but the Tacon motors do not seem to be in stock anywhere anymore and the people I've spoken to have no idea when replacements are coming back in.

So I need another combo. I dont need massive power or speed and I dont need a huge bill! I do need something for bashing that is reliable, smooth and will survive a 4 year old.

MY LHS suggested the following:

SCT Castle combo $159
SV2 + Racers Edge 3600KV $125
Stock Velineon ESC and motor $200
Mamba Pro combo $259

They did not like my suggestion of a Hobby wing ESC and motor. They said the motors are fine but the ESC's are junk. Is this true?

I really like this http://www.hobbypartz.com/car.html for the price but I was steered towards the $125 combo above instead.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

[upbasher]

The vxl system can be bought all day long on ebay for $140. $200 is out there.
I had the vxl system and the motor burnt up on only 8.4v nimh...not impressive. Then it burnt out my esc because of the bad motor. Ug.

I would get the castle system.

[pavmentsurfer]

Ive run nearly all the combos youve listed. Here are my opinions.

First, your paying WAY too much buying from your LHS... you can pick up a good new VXL system right here on the market place for $125 or less. This system is simple, its a bolt on that requires NO soldering or extra work, its waterproof, it has training mode for a 4 year old to learn on and its got TONS of power when your ready to go all out. This would be my first suggestion... its down side is that its not adjustable at all... which isnt a problem if your not into fiddling with stuff and just want it to work. There are also a few known issues that may or may not arise with this system. However, in general, a quick call to traxxas customer support and you can usually get it replaced if its not too old.

My 2nd choices would be either the castle SCT/3800 combo OR the Duratrax Element/3900 kv combo. They are VERY similar and are BOTH castle systems. The one is simply made for duratrax by castle... either are excellent systems for 7cell nimh or 2S lipos, they are both fully adjustable and are known to be of the HIGHEST quality. They perform amazing, on 2S will outperform the VXL but they will both need new traxxas battery plugs soldered on the ESC and it really helps to have the extra Castle Link Adapter for programming the ESC's from your computer. They are also NOT waterproof and they don't have training mode... BUT... with the computer program you CAN limit the throttle to any level you desire. However, you CANT change it on the fly, it can only be changed by the computer software. So if you want to go out and run with your kids for an afternoon and switch back and forth between low power and full power you'll need tools and a laptop with you. The VXL system can be changed right on the ESC in less than 10 seconds. Your LHS is only over priced by about $25 on these ones. You can get them on e-bay for about $130 shipped.

Third option would be the one from hobbypartz that you linked to. Its a good system. Your LHS is wrong about the ESC and just wants you to spend money with them. The EZrun ESC's have a great reputation around here, especially the 60 amp and that motor is a good choice for a stampede, though its a little high on the KV... id look for one more around 3000-3500kv... the 4000kv will work you'll just have to gear it down a bit. The system you linked to comes with the program card so you can set it up however you want. BUT, it does NOT have a traxxas battery connector on it, it is NOT waterproof (though they are suggest to be "water resistant") and it does NOT have any kind of throttle limiting training mode. For the extra $25 or so you'll spend on the traxxas or castle systems id go that route instead.

Finally, the Mamba Pro combo is by far the best of the best here. Its powerful, adjustable and excellent quality. It has all the same features of the other castle combos but can handle 3S lipo no problem. Your LHS is way overpriced here. If you look around on the forums you can almost always find an MMP/3800 or 4600kv combo for about $150-175. Maybe slightly used... but its worth it to buy a used one as they really do last. The down sides are again, needing a traxxas plug and non waterproof. They also may be a bit of overkill for you if your just blasting around with the kids. I personally don't think the extra cost is necessary. which is why I picked them last. If you were going for all out performance, id suggest this system first. But for what your needing its just not necessary.

Hope that helps man.

[JMG]

Yeah there price is retarded for the VXl system. I wouldnt buy from them at that price.

For starters, this will be running on a Racers Edge 5000mah nimh 7.2V pack.

[Oaks]

Not trying to brag, but I got my MMP 2400 combo for 191 shipped, new. The only thing thing I question is why the motor shaft diameter is 3mm, but no biggie. 2S lipo should be able to keep speeds below/around 40 mph, lol

But to be fair, I should also factor in the cost of a nice lipo. Add another 80 shipped.

I'll have my VXL system posted in the market place soon too

[JMG]

Very, very nice reply Pavementsurfer. Thank you for your time.

Oaks, how much for that VXL?

[Oaks]

Drafting PM now

[ReaperGN]

Your prices seem a bit off. They could just be high to give the shop bargaining room. So if you get something from your LHS dont be afraid to ask if they could come down on the price. Don't be a jerk about it and they should help you out.

The Velineon system is a pretty good setup. Especially since its waterproof. But it is a bit expensive for a rather old 2 pole system. So I would pass on it because the price is so high unless you really want a waterproof system.

The SCT combo is a very good system with lots of programming options. But it does not like nimh battery's and does not play nice with plastic drive shafts. It is also limited to 2 cell lipo unless you pay more for the MMP esc. Many people use it with very few reported issues.

The Mamba Pro is overkill so you can forget that.

Now the SV2 + Racers Edge 3600KV is a good price. The esc has a good track record but I cant say much about the motor. Racers Edge stuff has never given me any issues. If the motor is 2 pole it will also run better with a nimh battery than a 4 pole system.

I have not used this combo but all reports so far say it is very good. My lhs sells it for 140 so hopefully yours is the same. Its the Viper Copperhead with 3900 4 pole combo. It is in the right Kv range and not a bad price. It will handle 3 cell lipo and hold its value much better than the stuff from hobby partz. If you want to check it out the part number is VIP6VSVX43901.


In conclusion the SCT 3800 (with sidewinder esc) or the Viper Copperhead system would be your best choices unless you only have nimh battery's. Then a 2 pole system would be better.

[JMG]

My LHS does sell the Viper Copperhead. I'll check out the pricing.

2 points. This system will more than likely only ever run on nimh's, reason being I am teaching my son everything about the hobby which includes maintenance and battery charging. I dont want him playing with lipo's while my attention is elsewhere. The charger is set up for our nimh's and all he has to do is plug in the battery and press charge. I'd also have to buy another, lipo capable charger.

Also, I like to buy from my LHS. I appreciate they are in the area considering we have to drive 17 miles to get to the nearest supermarket, the next nearest shop is 35+ miles away, and above all, owning a small business myself, I can appreciate regular business. If they are ripping me off, forget them, but I'll pay a few bucks over online or ebay stores for the ability to have it in my hand in 15 minutes.

[ReaperGN]

Most brushless systems work fine with nimh battery's. But the Castle Creations 3800 is a bit unique. Its basically a 550 shoved into a 540 can. Because of this it loves to eat amps. If your system can not supply enough it will stutter or cog off the line. 540 motors seem to not have this issue.

And I also prefer to support my local shop. They offer excellent service and because I am regular give me amazing deals. The only downside to a local shop is they can not have everything on the shelf. But usually they can get the part within a week and not charge shipping.

[reod12x2]

i prefer to suport my lhs the guy how owns the shop seems to only charge me dollars and dosn't worry about the cents not to braig or complaine

even thought the guys hobby shop is sort of his own hobby( behind his house, just him as an employe. rilly cheap on pricing)

[pavmentsurfer]

Theres a limit to what is acceptable when buying from a hobby shop IMO. For instance, the price they are charging for a VXL system isnt really THAT far above the actual retail price of the system... BUT, you can save nearly $75 buying from an Ebay chop shop. These days, unless you have money to burn, thats nothing to scoff at and an LHS HAS to understand that. Heck, if you turn around and spend the $75 you saved buying upgrades from them it seems like a wash to me. But its not their fault. The price THEY pay for the VXL system, combined with a reasonable mark up simply puts the system way above what an Ebay chop shop can sell it for.

The other systems are THAT over price as it is... so your not really loosing much supporting a local business... which I fully understand.

[Oaks]

The VXL system sounds like a good fit for what you want to do. It has plenty of power for the street and enough for moderate off roading. And if you want more power, you can always step up to a 7 or 8 cell nimh pack.

For me, living with the VXL system got to be a hassle when trying to use 3S lipo for max power in a more demanding off road environment.

TRAXXAS support has been very good to me, too, along the way. Doesn't your lhs do the power up program? Where you trade in your xl5 esc and Titan motor + 130 bucks for a new in box VXL system.

[reod12x2]

hey guys $140 for a new mmp esc is that a good price

[Oaks]

Wait, just for the esc? I think you can find them for close to a bill

[BaldyDaniels]

I saw the mmp for 106 bucks and 6 bucks shipping on eBay just yesterday.

You can get the tacon motors for dirt cheap from this place  and they seem to have a few in stock.

http://www.nitrorcx.com/tacon1012.html

Not sure what hobby wing esc you were thinking of but the ezrun 35a can still be had for 25 bucks plus shipping on eBay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/130362718045...#ht_2777wt_923

Another good system that I've had a great experience with is the waterproof venom 80 amp 3300kv brushless system and it sells for 140 bucks. 2s and 3s capable out of the box and with a lower kv motor, the esc is capable of 4s lipo so you know that you won't be pushing it to the limit even if running 3s lipo. Esc fan is included as well. I've had my venom system completely submerged in water a few times with no issues at all, just threw the truck back on the road and kept going. I run it in my p4de.

[DiggerPede]

The Castle MMP 3800kv is a great option. This will allow you to run 3s with no problems if thats something you see you want to go to. If not the Sv2 3800kv combo will keep you happy. You should be able to find the MMP for $100 and the motor for $75 ish. They have kinda risen in the past year. I bought both of mine combos fairly cheap.

The plus on running castle. Great efficiency, probably one of the best in the industry for the money, which in turn gives you longer run times. The 4-pole motor is the spine to the brain ( ESC ). If you dont have good Amperage it tends to cog more. Some people love it and some don't. Programmable, the ESC can be programmed from the PC via LINK or the Field Programming Card, which also allows you to make changes while you are out and about. Customer Service, one of the best around, if not in warranty they have a set price replacement plan. They are like Traxxas anytime you call them they are very helpful and courteous. If Castle wasnt any good they wouldnt be running it in a 1/4 of their best in class fleet. Has to say somthing. LOL Their stuff will eat your lunch and ask for more. They totally love LIPO, 120A min, 140A req'd, anything more and it will love you forever.

With the Sv2 ESC I have run a Tacon 3650-2950kv and Traxxas 3500kv. It totally wakes those motors up.

Am i Castle fanboi, probably YES!! I have Castle combos in 5 of my rigs and a hybrid in the wifes. So.......

On another note i'd like to run the Venom V540 3300kV/80A Waterproof ESC Combo or the Duratrax Element 3900kv combo ( made by Castle ).

[JMG]

Arrgghh so many choices!!

[boilerbacker31]

i just got the Velineon ESC and motor and WOW! IT HALLs ***! I broke a castor block within 5 min. it's worth it

[BaldyDaniels]

@JMG, in case you were considering it, Keep in mind that even though the duratrax element brushless system is made by castle creations, as a complete system it is not an upgrade to the vxl brushless system, nor is it better for performance. The fact is, that the vxl3s esc and 3500 motor can both reliably handle 3s lipo. The element esc is rated to handle 3s, but the 3900 motor is 2s max. A common misconception is that the element system is identical to the sidewinder 3800, but the element motor is smaller in dimension and has cheaper internal components (castle creations has verified this several times) and trust me when I say that the 3900 motor will not take 3s lipo no matter how you gear it, as I burned up two of these motors; the first one burned up because I was under the assumption that it was the same as the castle 3800, the second one burned up because I refuse to run anything under 3s lipos, and if the motor can't take it, then I don't need it anyways. Only the element esc is rated to handle 3s lipo and would need to be paired with a 2800kv or lower 4 pole motor to run 3s.

Using the element esc with a 2 pole motor like the vxl 3500 however, yields performance on 3s lipos that is superior to the vxl combo, and has been a very reliable setup for me the last 9 or 10 months. I use the element esc and vxl 3500 motor in my HR P2de XL that is nearly double the weight of a stock p2de and it is very impressive. With the element esc and vxl motor combo in my stock weight p2de on 3s, it's just plain hairy and nearly uncontrollable and a lot of throttle control is necessary.




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[pavmentsurfer]

You can run the Element 3900kv on 3S... but you need to gear it conservatively in a pede. I ran it on 3S ALOT... but in a MERV and it ran perfect. Lighter vehicle but more driveline drag.

Motors are rated for max RPM... most are 60 000 but some are 100 000. The 3900kv motor is 60 000 rpm max so 3S is within its theoretical limits. You run into problems when you try and gear it taller on 3S. The same goes for nearly every motor... as long as you pay attention to the MAX RPM and heat of the motor you can pretty much run them on any voltage.

I ran a 2400 AND a 3800 on 6S just to see what would happen. Both survived but could only be run one pass at a time before the heat started to creep up too high.

[DiggerPede]

@JMG, in case you were considering it, Keep in mind that even though the duratrax element brushless system is made by castle creations, as a complete system it is not an upgrade to the vxl brushless system, nor is it better for performance. The fact is, that the vxl3s esc and 3500 motor can both reliably handle 3s lipo. The element esc is rated to handle 3s, but the 3900 motor is 2s max. A common misconception is that the element system is identical to the sidewinder 3800, but the element motor is smaller in dimension and has cheaper internal components (castle creations has verified this several times) and trust me when I say that the 3900 motor will not take 3s lipo no matter how you gear it, as I burned up two of these motors; the first one burned up because I was under the assumption that it was the same as the castle 3800, the second one burned up because I refuse to run anything under 3s lipos, and if the motor can't take it, then I don't need it anyways. Only the element esc is rated to handle 3s lipo and would need to be paired with a 2800kv or lower 4 pole motor to run 3s.

Using the element esc with a 2 pole motor like the vxl 3500 however, yields performance on 3s lipos that is superior to the vxl combo, and has been a very reliable setup for me the last 9 or 10 months. I use the element esc and vxl 3500 motor in my HR P2de XL that is nearly double the weight of a stock p2de and it is very impressive. With the element esc and vxl motor combo in my stock weight p2de on 3s, it's just plain hairy and nearly uncontrollable and a lot of throttle control is necessary.




Sent from Dan's iPad using Tapatalk

Good to knw all that info about the Element system. I'll stick with my MMP 3800 setup. LOL

Did you ever get that replaced by Duratrax?

[BaldyDaniels]

@ digger, yes, twice. They asked me to send it in for testing, them within a couple weeks of sending it I got an email saying a new one was on the way. Same thing for the second one. Duratrax has excellent customer service. They're not real big on supplying tech info on their products, as they tend to keep their replies very basic, but their warranty service is top notch. They also replaced that puffed 3s lipo I had recently. They asked for a pic of it, a scan of the purchase receipt, and then sent me a new one right away and it arrived in 10 days. They didn't ask how I charged it, used it, stored it, nothin, and that lipo was over 4 months old.

@Pave, what would you consider conservative gearing for the element system in a stock weight p2de? The first 3900 motor was run with 18/86 gearing on 3s and the second one was 17/90. Both motors were driven daily and aggressively, but never exceeded 175 degrees on the temp gun. Neither of the motors could last for a full 3s 5000 pack without hitting the 175 mark. The more I used the motors, the more they would cog and the faster they would heat up until it got to the point where the motor would hit 175 in under 15 mins. Even now, the motor I still have will run, but even with the wheels off the ground the motor will just keep gaining heat rapidly and cogs (more like shudders) excessively at anything under half throttle.

I had exchanged emails with castle about the element system, and though they said that they did not handle warranty issues, they did state that the esc was the same as the sidewinder, but the motor was smaller than the 3800, and was made to duratrax's specifications and was not as powerful or as capable as the 3800 and said that the 3900 on 3s would likely burn up in the stampede or the evader no matter what gearing I used. They also said that the element esc would easily handle running the vxl motor on 3s, so that's what I did. Funny thing is that I switched back up to 18/86 gearing and ran the vxl motor on 3s with the element esc without heat issues, right up until I switched to an aluminum chassis, which is when I dropped the gearing a bit to compensate for the weight. The vxl still runs like a champ today.

From everything I've read and understood, the castle 3800 can be geared taller and run cooler than the vxl motor in a p2de, and I would consider my gearing choices to be fairly conservative. This backs up castles claim that the element motor is inferior to the 3800 and is not suitable for 3s lipo in the pede.



Sent from Dan's iPad using Tapatalk

[DiggerPede]

Baldy if this will help you out any. With my Digger I run the Castle MMP 3800kv combo and have been for close to a year now. I have basically always run it with 19/83 on 2S and 3S w/o any heat related issues. Thats even in the middle of summer with blistering 100+ temps. Now that's running ONE pack and it will heat up a tad going into the SECOND. As you know i mainly run 2S and that is speeds around 35-40mph. Not excessively fast, but does good for me. At the end of summer last year i put a 3S pack on a Koliche/ loose gravel road and had a blast. That was the highest i've seen my motor reach, ehhh 150ish. I'm not much of a fan of hot electronics. LOL

As you know my truck is probably a couple lbs lighter than yours and stock length. I'll throw it on the scale one night when the wife is sleeping, I can just see this: Me walking into the bathroom with my Digger.....Be way to funny, and i dont even want to go there. Plus I also run an alloy tranny case like you to. That totallly helps with temps.

Oh and since my temps have stayed in check ive toyed the idea of throwing in a 20t pinion and seeing what that'll do to me. I can currently run pack after pack after pack and the motor stays warm to the touch. You also know a while back, well i thought you had said you were running 16/86 or 16/83 so i thought on 3S and I had mentioned i'd kept the same gearing for 3s. Probably why this booger scoots like it does. LOL

Anyways probably not near as much help as pave, but this is my experience with the system. I'm also running Castles in 5 of my other rigs to.

[JMG]

Ok, I price checked the Viper Copperhead and they want a lot of money for it, so that's out.

I still like the Hobbywing combo for less than $100. The SV2+ Racers edge and SCT combo are on the short list. I can't afford/don't want to spend ~$200 on a Mamba Pro Combo right now.

Its basically down to the Castle name and known quality vs decent reputation and spending less cash with the EZRun.

Of course, selling the brand new Titan and XL5 Waterproof in the market place for $50 shipped would help out with costs too.

[DiggerPede]

There are some guys on here that have the EZrun sytem in there trucks. One guy a while back posted he'd been running his for a couple of years and it just conked out on him. He was very impressed with it. I know you can pick the EZrun system up with a programming card. If you buy it separately be sure to grab one or in the near future. Those help with changing the settings so much easier. The same with CC sytems. You will want the CC Link or Field Programming card ( doubles as both ). These setting can be done with Manual Programming PG.20 of the Driver's ED Guide via the Tx.

To me the only thing that separates the 2 will be the customer service. Sad thing with CC is they have a 6 weeks waiting list on some warranty items. Probably going to depend if its an item that is in stock or not. Not to deter you away but giving you the heads up.

Its a hard decision but was easy for me once i got my hands on the combo ( CC of course ).

Yet on another note I dont think you will be at all dissatisfied with a VXL-3S Velineon 3500 either. Traxxas is totally on top of their game when it comes to product service and customer support. I wouldnt hesitate having another one of their combos.

[JMG]

Traxxas support was borderline nasty to me when I called them a couple of weeks ago. If it was my employee who talked to a client in that manner, I would of fired them on the spot.

[pavmentsurfer]

If you had a bad CS experience with traxxas get the reps name and call back and talk to someone else and tell them who you talked to and what happened... you will find they are always very interested to know what agents aren't friendly. You can even ask for a manager and let them know.

[kdemaxx]

i currently run the HobbyWing EZRUN Brushless System Combo B2 w/ 35A ESC & 9T@4300KV 3650M Brushless kit.. i only paid $70 and i love it best budget build i have done yet. i run either a 2s 5000mah lipo or a 3s 5000mah lipo. with the 3s its out of control fast and have reached speeds of 60mph with 19t pinion and 86t spur and 47mph on the 2s with same gearing. the motor and esc barely get warm after 20 minutes of running...i have not had any problems with the esc and have run many hobbywing esc's with zero problems
....plus side of the vxl system tho is that its waterproof. there are not too many waterproof brushless kits out there

I've been dead set on getting a Tacon motor and Hobbywing ESC combo for a while now but the Tacon motors do not seem to be in stock anywhere anymore and the people I've spoken to have no idea when replacements are coming back in.

So I need another combo. I dont need massive power or speed and I dont need a huge bill! I do need something for bashing that is reliable, smooth and will survive a 4 year old.

MY LHS suggested the following:

SCT Castle combo $159
SV2 + Racers Edge 3600KV $125
Stock Velineon ESC and motor $200
Mamba Pro combo $259

They did not like my suggestion of a Hobby wing ESC and motor. They said the motors are fine but the ESC's are junk. Is this true?

I really like this http://www.hobbypartz.com/car.html for the price but I was steered towards the $125 combo above instead.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

[DiggerPede]

Traxxas support was borderline nasty to me when I called them a couple of weeks ago. If it was my employee who talked to a client in that manner, I would of fired them on the spot.

Take pave's word on it. That is highly unusual. Everyone that i have spoken to was very helpful and energetic. Maybe email PeterV and let him know about the experience.

[CumminsDriver]

I have ran a hobbywing 35a ESC and 3650 3500kv tacon combo in a stampede, and now a 35a Hobbywing and 3650 3930kv combo in a stampede. They are both awesome combo's.

Also, the hobbywing ESC doesent have a training mode, but with the programming card you can easily limit throttle for beginners. Its actually better because it has several max throttle settings, unlike the VXL being either max or half throttle.

I still cant get over the power of these systems on 2s. Im running the 3930kv on 20/86 right now and I think its mid 40's for speed, although I may jump down to 18/86 since i dont do a lot of speed runs. Still playing with it to see how i like it.

[JMG]

Ok, after much research, reading reviews, pricing and general community feel, I think I'm leaning towards the Castle SCT 3800KV combo for $159 at the local hoppy shop today.

My only concern is the cogging as this combo will only see nimhs for at least a few years. I cant find a datasheet on the racers edge 5000mah 7.2v packs so I dont know their max C rating.

Can I turn down the punch control and use a launch control function to ease the cogging?

[Blaster75]

I'm leaning toward a Toro 120 amp esc with a Tenshock SC401 4600kv 4-pole. It's a 550 size can, and has been reviewing very well. Costs less than the Castle, too. Our Castle Sidewinder/3800 combo cogs like crazy even with an Orion 90c 2s, and is a dog on seven cells- kind of a turnoff for me. Brushless and lipo is like bread and butter- they make each other way better.

[Donlisk]

I've been looking at two different combos lately. The first is the Duratrax Element/3900 kv combo which the LHS has for 129.00. The second is the Kershaw Designs Gen 2.2 combo which is 90.00 plus shipping.

I know one of the other LHS' has the Castle Sidewinder 3800 combo but think the price is more like 150.00

Anyone try the Kershaw Designs Gen 2.2 combo and have some feedback on it?

[B4warned]

Speed Passions also has some affordable options.
http://www.amainhobbies.com/brand.ph...eed%20passions

[CumminsDriver]

I have ran a hobbywing 35a ESC and 3650 3500kv tacon combo in a stampede, and now a 35a Hobbywing and 3650 3930kv combo in a stampede. They are both awesome combo's.

Also, the hobbywing ESC doesent have a training mode, but with the programming card you can easily limit throttle for beginners. Its actually better because it has several max throttle settings, unlike the VXL being either max or half throttle.

I still cant get over the power of these systems on 2s. Im running the 3930kv on 20/86 right now and I think its mid 40's for speed, although I may jump down to 18/86 since i dont do a lot of speed runs. Still playing with it to see how i like it.

Gotta correct myself before someone else does. The hobbywing 35a actually doesent have throttle limiting capability. I thought it did, but was wrong. haha However, if your radio has EPA you can easily turn it down that way.

[pavmentsurfer]

I was JUST about to comment on that Cummins... hehe... and I only know because I sold my last EZrun system to a guy who wanted to limit the throttle so I looked into it for him. I told him the same thing though, use the Dual rate on your transmitter... works just as well.

Blaster75, if your castle system cogs and/or is slow on a 2S lipo you have it setup WRONG. There isnt one person on this forum who would say the SCT/3800 combo is slow or cogs as bad or worse than any other system on a good quality 2S lipo. I would strongly suggest getting the castle link software and adapter and checking your settings.

[BaldyDaniels]

I'd go with one of the venom systems (3300kv is the one I have in my p4de) before I'd go with another duratrax element system. Don't get me wrong, I love the element esc, it's the motor that is the downfall of the system. The venom system has an included esc fan, will give all the power + of the vxl system, has an esc that is more powerful than the vxl system (4s lipo capable with lower kv motor), the same waterproofing as the vxl system, along with programmability close to that of a castle system. Add that all to it's great reliability and it's tough to beat for around 135 bucks.


Venom 80 amp waterproof v540 3300kv brushless system



http://www.ebay.com/itm/Venom-Racing...item3a72481277

venom 80 amp waterproof v550 4200kv brushless system



http://www.ebay.com/itm/Venom-Racing...item4cffae8c09

Venom programming card for 80 amp brushless system (optional)



http://www.ebay.com/itm/Venom-Racing...#ht_1685wt_826

[Blaster75]

I probably should have used my words a little better on my earlier post! We really like the Castle system- it's just really rough, say, from 0-5 mph or so. It almost jerks out of the hole and dosen't creep very well. At max punch, traction is nonexistent! Just the adjustable drag brake makes it an upgrade over the VXL system, and the ability to adjust punch really helps with the "itchy finger syndrome". Compared to 2s lipo, 8.4 nimh is very doggy- a real lack of rip. IMHO, lipos are a must.