Upgrades for my ECX AMP MT

E

Engin33r

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Hi Guys, I'm quite new to the RC scene.

Last year I picked up my first RC car. I was set on a un-assembled kit and initially I wanted a Nitro kit car but couldn't find anything that was within my budget and still decent quality, I then started to look at the electric cars and found ECX offerings and decided on the AMP MT.

I'm very happy with it and can't complain with the quality. I haven't had any issues with it but I am now looking at upgrading the electronics to get more out of it.

Below is a list of the things I believe I need to upgrade, If you have any suggestions for specific parts that are not too expensive that would be appreciated (Also i'm in the UK).

Motor / ESC - I'm looking for a brushless motor / esc combo or separate if not too expensive.

Transmitter / Receiver - I'll probably see if I can get this from a local model shop.

Battery / Charger - I will hopefully be able to continue to run the above upgrades with my existing Nimh batteries before upgrading to a 2s Lipo

Gears - I will swap out the pinion and differential as and when needed with the metal set (ECX9001)

As I wouldn't say i'm running it hard I wont initially look into upgrading any of the plastic parts unless I suffer any breakages then I may replace with the aluminium counterparts. Are upgrade parts still widely available? Do you know of any news on discontinuing any parts?

Below are some pics of my stock build.

Thanks

5021

5022
 
Welcome! Your plan for upgrades appears to be sound. I will comment on a couple of points, however. Yes, your existing NiMh batteries will work just fine with a brushless power system-- the electronics don't really care where their electrons are coming from. :) That said, a LiPo will provide a noticeable boost to performance both in acceleration and run-time.

I recommend against switching to aluminum parts. They're generally much heavier than plastic and less forgiving of crashes and other impacts.Swing arms in particular. Additionally, what impact energies the aluminum parts don't absorb will be transmitted to other, components that might have otherwise been spared. I highly recommend RPM's upgrade swingarms: they're stronger and more durable than ECX parts and manufactured to tighter tolerances.

NOTE: when shopping for parts, the AMP (both the MT and DB) are virtually identical to the Circuit truck: same chassis, same swingarms, transmission, shock absorbers, etc. The primary differences are the body, tires, and rear shock tower (which comes from the Boost buggy).
 
Hey, Thanks for the info.

It looks like there are a few re sellers of the RPM stuff here in the UK so I will keep them in mind if I choose to swap out any of those parts.

I read one of your posts on your race build which led me to look into the hobbywing electrics and I think I will get the EzRun Max 10 ESC and EzRun 3652 4000KV motor which is available here as a combo for a decent price.
I have read on the hobbywing website it is a good idea to monitor the motor temperature and to adjust the gear ratio if necessary. I'm not to concerned in damaging the motor / esc as the above esc will monitor temp and cut out when too high but I'm just wondering if there are different pinions available to alter the gear ratio?

Thanks.
 
Yes, any 48p 1/8 pinion will work. So 48p is 48 pitch, basically the size of the teeth. 1/8 for the shaft, the 2 main shaft sizes are 1/8 and 5mm. I believe stock pinion is a 19 tooth. You can get an 18t, which isn't too much of a difference, but is some. 17t is too small and won't mesh properly with the spur. You can get it to work, by filing the motor mount holes so the motor can slide in a little more. If you go nuts and shave some of the transmission case down where the motor hits it, you can even get a 16t on.
Depending on how and where you drive, you might be fine with the stock gearing. I'm running a 3900kv with larger heavy 2.8 trencher tires. On 3s I used the 16t pinion. Now I'm running 2s and use a 19t. Does get hot in the taller grass in the summer, but it generally stays cool enough where I don't have to let it rest before I drain a 5500 mah battery. You're only 300kv higher then me, with smaller much lighter tires, so you'll probably run cooler then mine in the same conditions. So I'd run it with stock gearing, and see how it goes.
R j beej is spot on with the rest, except I like the aluminium front spindals(either ecx brand or hot racing). It keeps the screws that bolt it to c hub from falling out. Just use blue or green locktight(no red) on the screws if you go with aluminium front spindals.
If your servo craps out, grab an all metal gear one, and the rpm servo saver eliminator. It'll tighten up your steering.
 
It's a shame there is not enough space within the transmission casing to step up the 87 tooth gear while reducing the size of the pinion as this would solve the meshing issue. It's moments like this that i'd really like a decent 3d printer.
5028
 
Kind of a rc noob, my esc blew on my db and i thought it was just the servo so i replaced it. That was when i realized It was my esc that blew my servo so i went all out with a 3s brushless system and now it clicks when i hit the brakes and they just lock up. The diff does seem to have a little play in it has anyone else had this issue, if so what is the problem?
 
Michaeljitms said:
Kind of a rc noob, my esc blew on my db and i thought it was just the servo so i replaced it. That was when i realized It was my esc that blew my servo so i went all out with a 3s brushless system and now it clicks when i hit the brakes and they just lock up. The diff does seem to have a little play in it has anyone else had this issue, if so what is the problem?
Click to expand...

did you bind the receiver to the transmitter, and then set up the new ESC? What are your brake settings at on the transmitter and the ESC?
 
I have a aftermarket dumborc transmitter and receiver i currently dont have a programming card so i dont know what my brakes are set to but yes my receiver and transmitter are bound
 
95PGTTech said:
did you bind the receiver to the transmitter, and then set up the new ESC? What are your brake settings at on the transmitter and the ESC?
Click to expand...
I have a aftermarket dumborc transmitter and receiver i currently dont have a programming card so i dont know what my brakes are set to but yes my receiver and transmitter are bound
 
I have a feeling its the plastic gearing on 3s so soon upgrading to the metal gear set do those blow on 3s too?
 
Michaeljitms said:
I have a feeling its the plastic gearing on 3s so soon upgrading to the metal gear set do those blow on 3s too?
Click to expand...

They are substantially better than the stock ones but certainly not bulletproof. Going from throttle to brakes (essentially reverse) is really really hard on stuff especially with a plastic case.

Turn your break sensitivity down on the transmitter and see if it helps
 

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