Getting an Amp to 30 MPH and A Few Other Basic Questions

RC_Noob

Active Member
Messages
36
@RC_Noob here and as my name suggests I'm new to the RC Hobby.

I got my Amp earlier this week, what a fun little car. I almost went for Traxxas Stampede but I watched a number of YT vids and it seemed a little unstable compared with the Amp. The Amp was also cheaper and I want to get one for my 9 year old sons birthday next week and I'd like us to have the same car.

Being new to the hobby I'm going to go slow and steady on the upgrades and not rush straight into brushless and end up frying the ESC and stripping the gears. However I do want is to eek a little more speed out of the Amp and would really like to initially get it matching the advertised 30+ mph speed of the Stampede. From reading other posts here where I see folks talking about 60 and even a 100+ mph speeds being achieved so 30 mph seems like it should be easily doable.

So what's the best way to get there for a noob like me?

Obviously LiPo batteries are the starting point; I should already be set up for that but the battery I was delivered was faulty (bad start right from the get go) and I'm waiting for the replacement to arrive. One thing I did notice is that I can't find a LiPo that will fit under the battery holder as they are all around 25mm in height. Are you guys using straps to keep it in place or using some other solution? I can't see how I could get a strap to work as the ESC is completely blocking one of the holes it would loop through.

Next I was thinking about a 15T or 12T brushed motor. I'd like one that will work with the stock RX/ESC combo at this stage. I read else where on this forum that the stock ESC shouldn't be used with a motor lower than 15T, is that true? Any recommendations for fast 15T motors that would drop straight into the Amp with no modifications?

Thinking ahead and looking at swapping out the ESC combo, are there any RX's (waterproof) that I can bind the stock transmitter with? Watching a ESX video on a motor upgrade suggested the ECX13003 would work but that seems to be discontinued and replaced by the 13009. However, I can't find an answer as to if the latter is compatible with the stock transmitter.

Thanks in advance for the help / suggestions, I know this forum is full of Noobs asking this type of question and I did search through a number of past posts and couldn't find exact answers to what I wanted to know hence starting this thread.
 
I don't have alot of info for you, but i will say that staying brushed and aiming for 30mph isn't economical in the long run. Brushed motors don't last long, and the faster you go with them, the faster they burn out. I recommend going brushless to start with. The initial cost is more, but brushless motors can last for years. As long as you keep the temps in check, the only wear items on a brushless motor is the bearings.
Now if you are set on staying brushed, I'd recommend getting a Holmes hobbies 12t 550 trailmaster motor. You'll also need to get a new esc, as the stock one won't last if you gear up to go 30 mph with a lipo battery. The hobbywing wp1080 is the best brushed esc you can get for the price.
 
The Stampede 30+ mph is for the optional gearing, those speeds are stated to what it is capable of with a bigger pinion. That optional gearing is also only for flat pavement driving. Once you go off-road you will put more strain on the motor because of the terrain, you risk burning the motor up because the motor has to work harder to keep the speed up.

The stock esc has no low voltage cutoff, so it should not be used with lipos. You can run a lipo alarm but that is a workaround for an esc that will shut the power off to the motor for you to help prevent you from running below and unsafe charge level so as to not damage a lipo.

The stock esc is not really rated for more than the motor it comes with. People have used 15t motors and so on but you are pushing the limits of the esc. By what your doing right now you might as well have bought an ECX Circuit. The Circut comes with a 15t motor, lipo cutoff capable esc, you don't need to change the stock electronics as you do with the AMP unless you want to move to brushless combo, just the esc, and motor.

A standard hard case 2s lipo should fit with the stock battery strap. You can loosen the battery posts from underneath to allow the strap to raise up a little higher.
 
Thanks for the useful information on the Stampede, that is really helpful in understanding the advertised claims.

The reason I went for the Amp is read a lot about how upgradable it all is - that's what I wanted from my first RC Car, a fun platform that is easy to work on and upgrade as a way of getting into the hobby.

I have the Low Voltage Alarm for now as a work around and I do intend on upgrading the ESC and going brushless down the line. As I said, I just wanted to take it slowly and see what breaks along the way, learn from it, upgrade it - if I really get into I'll probably invest in something more serious next year but felt the amp was a good gateway into the hobby.
 
Replacement LiPo arrived today, as per above suggestion I was able to loosen the battery clips and it fitted just fine.

I went for a Goverment approved walk through the park with my youngest kid and took the RC car with us.

Wow, the 2S lipo makes an impressive difference - even with everything else stock it's given the car a serious boost.

Impressed with the Amp's durability, no damage when my son hit a tree dead on at full speed.
Handling needs a bit of tuning, so another thing to consider.
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Members online

Back
Top