Battery and motor on stock Granite Mega

[wraith_mb]

So I've done some reading here and I'm looking to do a battery upgrade in the next few weeks. I've had my mega for about 3 weeks. What I'm hoping to get is better performance on hilly terrain. From what I understand the NiMH batteries fall behind in the current delivery column compared to the LiPO's. My question here is: What voltages can the ESC and radio handle? I'm looking at a 10000 mAh LiPO (I'll definately be careful on runtime and heat with the motor), But I'm also guessing that there is a limit on the current you can put through the ESC as well?

Next up for upgrade would be the motor - anyone have some best bang for your buck advice there?

 

[GaryT]

Wraith- Well been there, done that. Since no one has replied I will put my 2 cents here.

If you upgrade to Lipo it will definitely run faster and better. Unfortunately the brushed motor will not last to long depending on how you run and if you broke it in. Mine lasted a couple weeks, and Arrma will send you a replacement free of charge. You can continue this route or upgrade to Brushless motor and or esc. Believe you may have to do both. I went with the Castle Sidewinder 3 combo. There are other lower cost combo's and have heard people have had good luck with CoolRC combos.

Been running this for several months with no issues, and almost runs too fast for me (being a newbie). Needed to add a wheelie bar to keep the front end down and only other mods were, front bumber, and Proline Trencher Tires. Currently runs pretty cool with the gearing, but have some other gearing to try.

Word is ( hopefully how hard you bash the truck) I see users saying they have tore up their differential plastic gears and converting them to metal gearing. They say they don't last with the increase in power.
Hope this helps somewhat. Like I said, I'm still learning also.

 

[wraith_mb]

Wraith- Well been there, done that. Since no one has replied I will put my 2 cents here.

If you upgrade to Lipo it will definitely run faster and better. Unfortunately the brushed motor will not last to long depending on how you run and if you broke it in. Mine lasted a couple weeks, and Arrma will send you a replacement free of charge. You can continue this route or upgrade to Brushless motor and or esc. Believe you may have to do both. I went with the Castle Sidewinder 3 combo. There are other lower cost combo's and have heard people have had good luck with CoolRC combos.

Been running this for several months with no issues, and almost runs too fast for me (being a newbie). Needed to add a wheelie bar to keep the front end down and only other mods were, front bumber, and Proline Trencher Tires. Currently runs pretty cool with the gearing, but have some other gearing to try.

Word is ( hopefully how hard you bash the truck) I see users saying they have tore up their differential plastic gears and converting them to metal gearing. They say they don't last with the increase in power.
Hope this helps somewhat. Like I said, I'm still learning also.

Helps a lot - it's good to know what to expect!

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

In addition to what Gary said, I would be surprised if you can find a 10000 mah lipo that will fit in the battery compartment. I run a 7200 in my Granite and there is not much room to spare. Double check those dimensions before ordering.

 

[wraith_mb]

Well, rather than going out and blowing a wad on a battery... I just built one...

Probably the first time I've used my general electronics technician training since I graduated from college!

For those in the know:

4x 2200mah portable battery sticks - $4 each ("Dollar" store)
Solder - laying around
Female Deans connectors (2) - $6
12 gauge wire - $5 for 2 pcs @ 1' length (red and black)
Decent adjustable temperature soldering iron - bought years ago for rebuilding an automotive harness.
coloured electrical tape - $1.25

Used mostly reclaimed parts from the portable usb battery packs.

Took them apart, remove Li-ion batteries. Desoldered the battery connections from the charger board.

Scuffed the battery terminals with sandpaper and wiped clean. Used old battery connections (16 ga solid metal for high current delivery) to build 2 4400 mah battery cells (2 batteries soldered in parallel). Used some old wire to reconnect the charge/output board again. Also removed the usb out connector - its not going to be needed. Used another solid steel line to solder the 2 cell/packs together in series. Plug into usb to charge. Final charge while still connected is about 8V... close enough for my liking.

Got about a 20 min run time out of the beast. Being dollar store battery packs, needed to leave the jumper on nimh as a high load (ie throttle pinned) drops the voltage below tolerance almost instantly.

Total cost was about 25 bucks, taxes in (Canadian). Thinking about another one

Picture is plugged in and charging after the first run. Stock motor and ESC handled it beautifully!

Motor temp was a little higher, but still cool enough to touch.

 

[Ces'tLaVie]

Hello there, may I ask do I really need to break-in a brushed motor? The break-in process are usually done by rc racers so my local hobby store told me to instead of breaking in the motor separately, just run the whole vehicle straight out of the box and the run will do the job. What do you think?

Regards,
Ces'tLaVie

 

[wraith_mb]

I broke mine in by running it with the wheels off the ground for the first charge. Then for the second charge I took it easy with the throttle. Gave it a good cleaning before the third run, and the third run was a free-for-all

 

[Ces'tLaVie]

I broke mine in by running it with the wheels off the ground for the first charge. Then for the second charge I took it easy with the throttle. Gave it a good cleaning before the third run, and the third run was a free-for-all

Will do this sir. Thank you!

Regards,
Ces'tLaVie