Brushless Motor & ESC Upgrade - ECX AMP

ChrisCYVR

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8
My stock Dynamite DYN1171 20T brushed motor recently lost a brush, so I need to replace the motor. It’s cheap to replace the stock motor ($25), but it’s also a good time to upgrade to brushless.

What’s a decent, low cost (<$100) brushless motor & ESC combo?
  • I’ve heard mixed opinions about the Goolrc ESC, but is their brushless motor decent?
  • Will more power require a metal transmission, or any other parts to accommodate?
  • Is my money better spent on a different upgrade?
My setup mostly stock, with minor upgrades:
  • Rx/Tx: Fly sky FS-GR3E
  • ESC: Powerhobby PH-1060
  • Battery: LiPo 5000mAh 50c
  • Servo: Spektrum S605 Metal Gear Servo
Let me know if you have any comments or suggestions. And thanks for your time!
 
My stock Dynamite DYN1171 20T brushed motor recently lost a brush, so I need to replace the motor. It’s cheap to replace the stock motor ($25), but it’s also a good time to upgrade to brushless.

What’s a decent, low cost (<$100) brushless motor & ESC combo?
  • I’ve heard mixed opinions about the Goolrc ESC, but is their brushless motor decent?
  • Will more power require a metal transmission, or any other parts to accommodate?
  • Is my money better spent on a different upgrade?
My setup mostly stock, with minor upgrades:
  • Rx/Tx: Fly sky FS-GR3E
  • ESC: Powerhobby PH-1060
  • Battery: LiPo 5000mAh 50c
  • Servo: Spektrum S605 Metal Gear Servo
Let me know if you have any comments or suggestions. And thanks for your time!
I used to be a great fan of low cost brushed motors until I overheated two of them in my TrAMP. I splashed out and bought a HobbyWing EZRun combo MAX10 3652SL 4000 kV. As well as transforming my TrAMP into a missile, it has Motor Overheat, ESC Overheat, and LiPo Undervolt protection. Highly recommended!
 
My brushless combo is right at 100 bucks. This is my first rc other than crawlers so this is exciting new world to me lol. I have 7 crawlers and since joining the rc hobby in January its been all about going slow. Nice change of pace for once lol. I looked on amazon and checked around a few shops and this was the best brushless setup i found for the money. This is my setup

Spektrum Smart Firma 85amp/4000kv combo
fly sky gt3b receiver and transmitter
stock servo (mainly because I have no clue how to get this pile of plastic out. Do you have to take off the whole front end to get to the servo lol?)
Ecx amp metal gear upgrade
Redline 4000mah 120c 2s Lipo
 
I started off with a GoolRC combo 4000kv, and I have to say it was lackluster. Worked ok? But i couldn't tell much difference between it and my brushed stock combo. So I purchased a Onyx 4000kv combo, and I have to say it runs great.
I then upgraded again to a Hobbywing Max10 SCT combo, well it actually wasn't a "combo" I purchased the ESC and then the motor separately.
The Hobbywing ESC has awaken the GoolRC brushless motor to heights it should have been in the beginning. I have not paired the hobbywing motor to it yet, still waiting on the correct bullet sizes to come in.

I would say, the Onyx combo and the Hobbywing are pretty close, although like I said I have not paired the Hobbywing motor with the Hobbywing ESC, yet.

I found a "brand new" Hobbywing 4000kv combo with program card on the Ebayz for $95.
The ESC and motor combo on Amazon is $104.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/333252853838?hash=item4d976b004e:g:PnQAAOSwRUpggZNG

I should clearify that my ESC is a SCT version 120a I believe, the combo with program card I linked is the non-SCT version and I believe 80a?

I would also invest in a Hot racing's metal spur gear.
I have went thru 3 or 4 stock plastic spur gears, although I did throw a 3s LiPo in it too....... LOL
 
Last edited:
I used to be a great fan of low cost brushed motors until I overheated two of them in my TrAMP. I splashed out and bought a HobbyWing EZRun combo MAX10 3652SL 4000 kV. As well as transforming my TrAMP into a missile, it has Motor Overheat, ESC Overheat, and LiPo Undervolt protection. Highly recommended!
Yeah I'm starting to learn that the ESC has a big impact on motor performance... that's where I learned that the cheap GoolRC combo option might not be worthwhile; the motor may be, but it doesn't reach full power with the paired GoolRC ESC.

Makes me think about selling the AMP ECX and investing in a good chassis to build up - but that's another project all together.

So do you think that your old motors would have been ok if you had used a better ESC like the EZRun MAX10? Just curious.
 
I started off with a GoolRC combo 4000kv, and I have to say it was lackluster. Worked ok? But i couldn't tell much difference between it and my brushed stock combo. So I purchased a Onyx 4000kv combo, and I have to say it runs great.
I then upgraded again to a Hobbywing Max10 SCT combo, well it actually wasn't a "combo" I purchased the ESC and then the motor separately.
The Hobbywing ESC has awaken the GoolRC brushless motor to heights it should have been in the beginning. I have not paired the hobbywing motor to it yet, still waiting on the correct bullet sizes to come in.

I would say, the Onyx combo and the Hobbywing are pretty close, although like I said I have not paired the Hobbywing motor with the Hobbywing ESC, yet.

I found a "brand new" Hobbywing 4000kv combo with program card on the Ebayz for $95.
The ESC and motor combo on Amazon is $104.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/333252853838?hash=item4d976b004e:g:PnQAAOSwRUpggZNG

I should clearify that my ESC is a SCT version 120a I believe, the combo with program card I linked is the non-SCT version and I believe 80a?

I would also invest in a Hot racing's metal spur gear.
I have went thru 3 or 4 stock plastic spur gears, although I did throw a 3s LiPo in it too....... LOL
I'm hearing lots of good things about the EZRun MAX10... I'll pencil that onto my list ;) I also appreciate your review of the GoolRC setup. It seems to be consistent here: it's best if it has a solid ESC to pair with, but no good with the GoolRC ESC (maybe why it's cheaper).

I wonder how your setup will run with the Hobbywing parts all linked up! 🚀 It will be interesting to compare the Onyx / GoolRC ESC setup to the Hobbywing setup. There's a decent price difference, but maybe the longevity (quality manufacturing) is the reason.
 
I started off with a GoolRC combo 4000kv, and I have to say it was lackluster. Worked ok? But i couldn't tell much difference between it and my brushed stock combo. So I purchased a Onyx 4000kv combo, and I have to say it runs great.
I then upgraded again to a Hobbywing Max10 SCT combo, well it actually wasn't a "combo" I purchased the ESC and then the motor separately.
The Hobbywing ESC has awaken the GoolRC brushless motor to heights it should have been in the beginning. I have not paired the hobbywing motor to it yet, still waiting on the correct bullet sizes to come in.

I would say, the Onyx combo and the Hobbywing are pretty close, although like I said I have not paired the Hobbywing motor with the Hobbywing ESC, yet.

I found a "brand new" Hobbywing 4000kv combo with program card on the Ebayz for $95.
The ESC and motor combo on Amazon is $104.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/333252853838?hash=item4d976b004e:g:PnQAAOSwRUpggZNG

I should clearify that my ESC is a SCT version 120a I believe, the combo with program card I linked is the non-SCT version and I believe 80a?

I would also invest in a Hot racing's metal spur gear.
I have went thru 3 or 4 stock plastic spur gears, although I did throw a 3s LiPo in it too....... LOL
Oh and the spur gear!! Thank you. You've saved me some trial and error on that. ☺️
 
My brushless combo is right at 100 bucks. This is my first rc other than crawlers so this is exciting new world to me lol. I have 7 crawlers and since joining the rc hobby in January its been all about going slow. Nice change of pace for once lol. I looked on amazon and checked around a few shops and this was the best brushless setup i found for the money. This is my setup

Spektrum Smart Firma 85amp/4000kv combo
fly sky gt3b receiver and transmitter
stock servo (mainly because I have no clue how to get this pile of plastic out. Do you have to take off the whole front end to get to the servo lol?)
Ecx amp metal gear upgrade
Redline 4000mah 120c 2s Lipo
That seems to be the right price range for a decent combo... The GoolRC options are definitely cheaper but I they gave me false hope! After reading some of these replies it sounds like a solid, good performance ESC / Brushless combo will come in closer to $100 bucks. But worth it for the fun 😎
 
Yeah I'm starting to learn that the ESC has a big impact on motor performance... that's where I learned that the cheap GoolRC combo option might not be worthwhile; the motor may be, but it doesn't reach full power with the paired GoolRC ESC.

Makes me think about selling the AMP ECX and investing in a good chassis to build up - but that's another project all together.

So do you think that your old motors would have been ok if you had used a better ESC like the EZRun MAX10? Just
 
I would also invest in a Hot racing's metal spur gear.
I have went thru 3 or 4 stock plastic spur gears, although I did throw a 3s LiPo in it too....... LOL
I disagree with this. If your Gear mesh is set correctly, then there is no need for a metal spur, even on 3s. A metal spur is just a band aid for poor gear mesh.

Also, check to see if there is any wobble in the spur gear. If there is, then something is loose.
 
My stock Dynamite DYN1171 20T brushed motor recently lost a brush, so I need to replace the motor. It’s cheap to replace the stock motor ($25), but it’s also a good time to upgrade to brushless.

What’s a decent, low cost (<$100) brushless motor & ESC combo?
  • I’ve heard mixed opinions about the Goolrc ESC, but is their brushless motor decent?
  • Will more power require a metal transmission, or any other parts to accommodate?
  • Is my money better spent on a different upgrade?
My setup mostly stock, with minor upgrades:
  • Rx/Tx: Fly sky FS-GR3E
  • ESC: Powerhobby PH-1060
  • Battery: LiPo 5000mAh 50c
  • Servo: Spektrum S605 Metal Gear Servo
Let me know if you have any comments or suggestions. And thanks for your time!
Update:

In the end I went with a brushed Dynamite 15t motor. It was a cheap ($25) option that gave us much more torque and speed. It was a plug & play repair, with no additional costs and the results were impressive… although now we need a wheelie bar! 😂

I went with the low-cost fix as I think I’ll move into a better model for parts replacement. The ECX AMP wasn’t really designed for all these upgrades, and if we keep going I’ll need more and more parts to handle the extra power.

I’m looking into the Arrma Senton, which seems to be just as good as Traxxas but cheaper as the brand isn’t as trendy. We’ll see. Thank you for all the input - it will help many others looking to upgrade their motor too!
 
Update:

In the end I went with a brushed Dynamite 15t motor. It was a cheap ($25) option that gave us much more torque and speed. It was a plug & play repair, with no additional costs and the results were impressive… although now we need a wheelie bar! 😂

I went with the low-cost fix as I think I’ll move into a better model for parts replacement. The ECX AMP wasn’t really designed for all these upgrades, and if we keep going I’ll need more and more parts to handle the extra power.

I’m looking into the Arrma Senton, which seems to be just as good as Traxxas but cheaper as the brand isn’t as trendy. We’ll see. Thank you for all the input - it will help many others looking to upgrade their motor too!
Having tried a 17t brushed motor in my TrAMP, I can only advise that you monitor the motor temperature carefully (and try not to burn your fingers) !
As regards Arrma and Traxxas, I started out with a Traxxas TRX4 kit which still works very well, but I was disappointed to find that they will not sell their clever battery connector as a spare part. It seems to be part of a lock-in policy which has put me off buying any more Traxxas products.
 
Remember, if upgrading to 3S, if you go with a Hot Racing Hard steel spur gear, be sure to also buy a hard steel pinion. You do not want to run a mild steel or plastic pinion with a hard steel spur. It will eat the pinion in a matter of time. Another advantage of using a metal spur gear is, it takes some of the heat away from the differential gearing inside the case. And one other note, when installing the spur gear, metal or plastic, be sure to place a shim over the spur shaft bearing or you will destroy the motor mount, as seen below. The clutch plates generate a lot of heat and, get very, very hot from drag (slightly lose clutch) and, from forward to reverse stopping. The photo below was a steel differential upgrade that one of my RC buddies did and, he forgot to replace the shim that was over the shaft bearing and the results are seen below. It was an easy fix, but most of the time was spent on cleaning things up. The motor mount was junk so I replaced it with a new one from my shop. Things are ok now, he's racing, bashing his Amp and god knows what else. So now, just waiting for the next fix, as that's what I do for the kids, and adults. Its called, Happy RC'ing.
 

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If your going brushless on a 2wd ecx. Metal gear set is needed and also driveshafts. Mip 10130 fit with minor adjustments to your rear carriers. Others driveshafts fit to but the mip ones are highly unlikely to break. that will be the first thing to go if your gears don’t strip. Then the fact ecx wheels don’t hold brushless power all that well a hex mod is the easiest cheapest way to solve this. Hope that helps. The gool rc is hit and miss from what I can tell. Hobbywing has good reviews Of course customer service is the same so anything does go wrong you always know there’s someone to ring or email. I have good experience with racestar esc motor combos. The 60a brushless sensorless esc is good for 2s possibly a very low c rating 3s don’t throw a 70c 3s pack at it and expect it to handle it though it will melt I can tell you that maybe not straight away but in a few minutes it will melt itself. Saying this I am waiting for 120a racestar so can let you know how that goes. The 60a 3900kv racestar combo is a good one for sure just don’t over battery it keep it 2s and it runs a reasonable temperature reliable and quite a responsive esc. Also comes with a program card and few settings to play with punch ect of course low volt cut. The esc foot print is small to so fits most car including these ecx quite well
 

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