Granite Help me choose a brushless motor size

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Rather than do a big post with 3 long quotes that'll make this even longer, I'll just answer everything between my last post.

I mostly tune turbo imports but have recently jumped into the modern v8 world since they all now use similar technology the imports have been using for a while like variable cam timing on dohc motors. Ive used a few different softwares over the years on various cars from stock ecu's with flashing capabilities like hptuners or dsmlink to full standalones like megasquirt and proefi. Ordinarily I would agree with you that I probably wouldn't tune an RC much but in this particular case I would be searching for that balance between breaking everything and how much power I could get down with 4s (which now seems to be similar power to 3s at best) so I feel like it would be a guess and check scenario in the "tune" for a while. It's pretty interesting reading your post about racing them though as that's not the outcome I would expect from my ignorance to the RC world. The extra weight will definitely be something I need to be thinking about lugging 2 batteries around.

I have "upgraded" shocks to the cheap Chinese aluminum specials and tried a few different oils in them. I haven't really had enough speed to take advantage of them yet I think but just running around my yard on some rough terrain I feel they're pretty bouncy. I've tried different springs and just really can't find a happy medium. I also don't jump much or anything like that because I really don't have the speed to test a 4 ft drop on the shocks. I also don't have the adjustable suspension that the Blx has so it's hard for me to get too much advantage out of them as when I raise the car the toe gets all out of wack. I do plan to explore more options no doubt.

The dual rate receiver sounds exactly like what I planned to do with esc tuning. with the amount of changes I intend to do, that may be a smart route to take due to the fact that I can make changes on the fly. Thanks for that suggestion!

I am at a stage right now like I see in the car world all the time. People get on YouTube or read forums and see people making 800-1000 horsepower and see a few pulls on video then think that's what they want. I regularly have to explain to them that it's not even remotely practical and try to convince them to build a 500 horsepower car first. Typically when you ask them what the fastest car they've ever ridden in they'll say something like my uncles corvette and it's typically a stock 3-400 hp car. That's where I'm at here. I see a lot of cars doing 50+ mph on video for 3 minutes and I am interested, but I understand that that is more than I have ever come close to experiencing and I plan to purchase parts and respect the power accordingly.

Don't let the fact that you have two 2s batteries be the driving force behind your modifications. You are going to end up needing new batteries at some point - they don't last forever. You can build a 3s Granite that will go 65 mph. You don't need 4s for that. It's much more practical to build a 2s/3s rig than a 2s/4s rig.

There is a spreadsheet you can download that will calculate top speeds based on ring, pinion, and differential gears along with tire size, motor Kv and number of battery cells. It was created by BoloSpeed. See if you can google it. I'll see if I can find a copy for you as well.
 
I feel ya on the car hp thing. When I was younger I wanted as much hp as I could get. I now have a 06 cts-v and 400hp seems more than enough for every day. A little more would be ok but 800 seems like it would be really hard to put down on the street.

I have ran redcat blackouts for the past year that I put a 3800kv motor into and they were a lot of fun on 2s plenty for bashing around the yard. Just not durable. I have not ran in 3s yet. I recently got a senton 3s and it is a lot of fun even on 2s. Running around the yard 4s feels like it would be Overkill. 33mph on 2s I think feels good 50 may be better on 3s but doing that you need a lot of room.
 
On the 4s and weight issue - Yeah, it is an issue My Granite is overloaded for the stock shocks. I do actually kind of like the stock shocks, but 4s + the BLX185 combo is just too much weight. the 15mm bodies mean that compatible springs are few and far between, and adding spacers will only do so much. If I were to keep 4s in this truck, I would get a set of Typhon shocks from a kit breaker - they will handle the load, and use a common 1/8 buggy spring size. But - I will probably down grade it to 3s.
 
Rather than do a big post with 3 long quotes that'll make this even longer, I'll just answer everything between my last post.

I mostly tune turbo imports but have recently jumped into the modern v8 world since they all now use similar technology the imports have been using for a while like variable cam timing on dohc motors. Ive used a few different softwares over the years on various cars from stock ecu's with flashing capabilities like hptuners or dsmlink to full standalones like megasquirt and proefi. Ordinarily I would agree with you that I probably wouldn't tune an RC much but in this particular case I would be searching for that balance between breaking everything and how much power I could get down with 4s (which now seems to be similar power to 3s at best) so I feel like it would be a guess and check scenario in the "tune" for a while. It's pretty interesting reading your post about racing them though as that's not the outcome I would expect from my ignorance to the RC world. The extra weight will definitely be something I need to be thinking about lugging 2 batteries around.

I have "upgraded" shocks to the cheap Chinese aluminum specials and tried a few different oils in them. I haven't really had enough speed to take advantage of them yet I think but just running around my yard on some rough terrain I feel they're pretty bouncy. I've tried different springs and just really can't find a happy medium. I also don't jump much or anything like that because I really don't have the speed to test a 4 ft drop on the shocks. I also don't have the adjustable suspension that the Blx has so it's hard for me to get too much advantage out of them as when I raise the car the toe gets all out of wack. I do plan to explore more options no doubt.

The dual rate receiver sounds exactly like what I planned to do with esc tuning. with the amount of changes I intend to do, that may be a smart route to take due to the fact that I can make changes on the fly. Thanks for that suggestion!

I am at a stage right now like I see in the car world all the time. People get on YouTube or read forums and see people making 800-1000 horsepower and see a few pulls on video then think that's what they want. I regularly have to explain to them that it's not even remotely practical and try to convince them to build a 500 horsepower car first. Typically when you ask them what the fastest car they've ever ridden in they'll say something like my uncles corvette and it's typically a stock 3-400 hp car. That's where I'm at here. I see a lot of cars doing 50+ mph on video for 3 minutes and I am interested, but I understand that that is more than I have ever come close to experiencing and I plan to purchase parts and respect the power accordingly.

I know all those systems you tune. One of my good buddies is Jester Tuning from Orlando, John did A LOT of work with DSM Link back in the day. Another one of my close friends is Alpha, is a well known ProEFI dealer/tuner. I ran an AEM back in the day when I had my evo. My evo did 660awhp/513tq in 2008(hey that was decent power back then). Then Siebels left AEM and started ProEFI, that's when I got out of cars.

Not sure if you remember the Black AMS evo from FL back in 2004-2005. His vids of him raping the bolt-on/cammed/n20 f-bodies and cobras went viral. He was running a 2.3L with a 35r, perfect setup for the street, wide powerband, did good from a dig or a roll. He took it back to AMS a year later for a gt42r and it lays down 943awhp. Chris was a good friend of mine(I was riding shotgun when he popped the stock motor racing a mustang). I don't care what anyone said, the drivability of that car sucked! He shoulda built a 2.0L that revved to the moon for that 42r. Even with the 2.3L it was laggy as a mofo. He should've left it on the first setup and saved himself $35k. What I'm getting at is that, you know that a well setup car is key. A lot of guys that have posted on this thread have posted pretty good recommendations. It's just like when you recommend something for one of you customers, you have seen a lot of different setups in your days so you give them what you think is the best setup for their application. Good luck with your Granite build bro, like I said, I'll keep up with your build.
 
Dang now I’m excited lol. I’ll try to keep my car related comments to a minimum because I believe we’ve got a good thread going here with a lot of useful info that could help a lot of people in the future.

Bicketybam it does seem like a higher geared 2s/3s setup is the smarter route after some more research. I may wind up ditching my initial plan. My original thought was why spend another 100 or so on 3s batteries when I could put that on an esc that I could just turn 4s power down on but I’m sure that I will soon buy more batteries so for now I will likely just plan to build a higher geared 2s setup. I actually started making a spreadsheet this morning before reading your comment so that is IDEAL. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

Jerry rigged I think I’m gonna get a set of typhon shocks next. They initially had my interest but the price on the ebay specials were worth a shot to me.

wricksta that’s insane that you hit that close to home. I started out on dsm’s and even after messing with coyotes, vettes, and one 2jz, I always go back to my dsm in the garage and say I’m glad I stuck with the platform I did. I generally stick to 2.0’s myself but people are starting to rev the 2.3’s out to 10k and finding the rod ratio doesn’t beat the bearings out and ruin the cylinder walls like everyone swore they would for years. Back in 04/05 I was just getting into high school and can remember AMS being the top dog back then and a huge inspiration seeing them beat all the fbodies. I could go on forever on Evo’s and badass builds so I will stop here lol.
 
Can someone do me a solid and look over the attached image and ensure I have all the blx gearing correct? I just want to make sure that I am not doing anything stupid going with the 2850KV. I believe with the 2850KV I can run a 20t pinion and get the speeds on 2s I am looking for. If you guys could give your input on that before I purchase i would be greatly appreciative. As of now my plan is to source blx diffs and slipper assembly paired with the mamba x 2850 setup.

http://www.castlecreations.com/en/m...sc-and-1406-2850kv-sensored-combo-010-0155-10
 

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Can someone do me a solid and look over the attached image and ensure I have all the blx gearing correct? I just want to make sure that I am not doing anything stupid going with the 2850KV. I believe with the 2850KV I can run a 20t pinion and get the speeds on 2s I am looking for. If you guys could give your input on that before I purchase i would be greatly appreciative. As of now my plan is to source blx diffs and slipper assembly paired with the mamba x 2850 setup.

http://www.castlecreations.com/en/m...sc-and-1406-2850kv-sensored-combo-010-0155-10

The kv of that motor is fine but the motor itself is too small. You will be constantly hitting thermal shutoff. You want at least the 1410. Even that will run hot.
 
is it common for people to put 1/8 scale motors in these cars? Ill put as huge of a motor as necessary to keep it cool with 2s gearing to get me in the mid 30's on speed.
 
I am running a 3650- 3100kv with the stock 7cell NiHm and the 17t pinion. Needed to tighten up the clutch a bit, but it runs nice.

Obviously a bunch of parts are probably not happy with me but I've also been buying a lot of cheap chinese parts so I can probably set fire to a few motors and ESCs and still save money compared to those castle creation stuff. :)


Figure I'll throw down real money for those high roller motors once I get an idea of what I'm really looking for... now the money is being earmarked for some lipos and a charger. Can't be my normal cheapo-depot self on that front though.
 
Yes. I had an 1/8th scale in mine. I ran the 1512-2650Kv. Great motor.

http://www.castlecreations.com/en/1512-2650kv-sensored-motor-060-0061-00

You didn't happen to try that with a 20t pinion did you? If that can get me in the 30's on 2s without overheating then i'm fine with that.

I am running a 3650- 3100kv with the stock 7cell NiHm and the 17t pinion. Needed to tighten up the clutch a bit, but it runs nice.

Obviously a bunch of parts are probably not happy with me but I've also been buying a lot of cheap chinese parts so I can probably set fire to a few motors and ESCs and still save money compared to those castle creation stuff. :)


Figure I'll throw down real money for those high roller motors once I get an idea of what I'm really looking for... now the money is being earmarked for some lipos and a charger. Can't be my normal cheapo-depot self on that front though.

Good approach IMO. Probably what I should be doing since I have such little experience.
 
You didn't happen to try that with a 20t pinion did you? If that can get me in the 30's on 2s without overheating then i'm fine with that.



Good approach IMO. Probably what I should be doing since I have such little experience.

Actually I did but on 3s. It ran in the 50's. On 2s it would have topped out around 36 mph.
 
I might be the only person in the world that drives a stock Evo. :p
 
I might be the only person in the world that drives a stock Evo. :p
I drove a stock GTO for the longest time. slowly added some bolt on over time. she was fat and heavy but a lot of fun. that 6speed was a blast and was bullet proof. Out here at Texas motor speedway they do laps for charity CPL times a year. I cracked my pinion gear running around the track in 3rd gear romping on and off the gas pedal just to hear my exhaust inside that stadium. sounded amazing. me and a buddy drove all the way home (30miles) on the shoulder of the highway going 15 mph because the diff. was clicking loudly. I remember racing the evo's back then. from a dig they pulled on me a little(awd).....but in the longer race would catch up and pass em around 80+mph. I'll never forget how it felt to be going 75 in 3rd gear doing a roll race and slam the gas and shift around 90 in to 4th and that damn car would take off like a rocket. miss that thing!! this was also 13 years ago too. RC is a hell of a lot cheaper to keep running though....and safer
 

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I might be the only person in the world that drives a stock Evo. :p
One of the few lol. Which one? I had an evo8, bought it when it first came out in 03. Built the motor myself, turbotrix head, FP HTA 35r, AEM EMS, -6 fuel lines, made 660hp/513tq on a dynojet.
 
One of the few lol. Which one? I had an evo8, bought it when it first came out in 03. Built the motor myself, turbotrix head, FP HTA 35r, AEM EMS, -6 fuel lines, made 660hp/513tq on a dynojet.

Nice! I have an 06 IX MR, gonna keep it forever!
 
As someone that has been trying to run 4s on my Granite mega, (with a BLX185 ESC and motor) I'll add that it is a bad idea - But fun... LOL (yeah, I am no help) But my truck is broke more than it runs. I really am thinking I need to step back to either a 3660-size motor in 3800kv (I have this motor in a SCT already) and run the truck on 2s/3s, or maybe buy that castle motor @bicketybam was talking about (the 1415) in 2600kv for 3s running...

Another combo I am thinking about is the MAX10SCT with the 3660 in either 3200 or 4000 kv. About $140. Much better than the china combos, very similar to the Castle in quality, not as many tuning options, but still pretty programmable.
https://www.amainhobbies.com/hobbyw...3660sl-motor-combo-3200kv-hwa38010200/p607213
If you want to save some money on the motor, the china motors are pretty reliable - more so than the china ESC's. You can get a GoolRC/Racerstar 3660 or 3670 for like $20-$30 if you shop around. But you would still need a decent ESC, and then be close to a MAX10 combo.

Also, a note on motor sizes - that 3660 is XXYY - XX is motor diameter, YY is motor length. So a 3660 is 36mm diameter, and 60mm long. Bigger motors make more power for the same KV. As a reference, the BLX100 motor in the BLX3s trucks is a 3660, the Castle 1415 is about 3670, and the BLX185 is 4074. A 'standard' 540 is 3650.


I am thinking of the same Hobbywing motor/ESC combo for my Senton Mega 4x4. The larger 60mm can vs the 52mm on the Castle is appealing to me for the potential of more torque... I'm actually deciding between the EZRUN 3660 4000kv and the XERUN 3660 3600kv. The XERUN is the sensored Hobbywing version and $20 more than the EZRUN. I'm thinking 4000 might be a bit faster, but I'd need to shy away from 3s... where 3600kv would do 3s fine. What are your thoughts? Some people seem to think that 3500-3600kv is the perfect place for these cars and that 4000kv won't necessarily be any faster on 2s...
 
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