Kraton Maybe I'm not understanding

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robwcormack

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Arrma RC's
  1. 4x4-Mega
So, I am new. I have a v1 Kraton. I was in the process of looking into upgrading everything and getting it ready to run again because I bought it when they first came out (literally pre-ordered it), ran it twice, and haven't touched it since. I was advised by another member that I may want to look into getting the BLX180 replaced by arrma with the BLX185. I called Arrma and they are happy to do that for me but they 185 is on backorder til late July. So I started looking into the difference. I have seen plenty of info on the heat issues with the 180 and especially the motor running hot. But then I've also seen a few vids of the 185 catching fire. So I looked at the comparison of the 2 directly from Arrma's info and maybe I don't understand what I'm reading, but it looks to me like for the most part the 180 "should" be better than the 185. At least on paper. see this for reference https://www.arrma-rc.com/power-comparison/BLX180/BLX185 . Some highlights are the BEC Voltage 7.4 on the 180 vs 6.0 on the 185. BEC current 5A on the 180 vs 3A on the 185. Dimensions of the 180 are both smaller and lighter weight. The 180 has longer battery leads. So why exactly does everyone swear that the 185 is such a HUGE upgrade and praise it so much over the "dreaded 180". I just wonder if I'd be better off keeping the 180 and putting a different motor with it and a better fan or something.

I also am unsure of the intentions of the Arrma warranty (Horizon Hobby) that I spoke to. Seemed like they were just going to replace the ESC and no mention of the motor. I was under the impression that the motor kind of matched the ESC, and it seems like it may be rather pointless to replace the 180 with a 185 if the motor is still going to run hot.

You folks seem MUCH more educated on this stuff than I'll ever be, and so I'd really appreciate some knowledge and insight into this matter if you will.

Thanks
 
Also another hightlight is the continuous current capacity. 180 Amps on the BLX180 vs 150 Amps on the BLX185
 
@robwcormack your V1 motor will pair up just fine to the BLX 185. No matter what you see on "paper" I can not stress enough, the BLX 180 is NOT a better ESC. Sure there might be videos of the 185 catching fire, but there are also videos of Castle and Tekin ESC's catching fire - that's not to say they are in the same class as the 180.

The BLX 180 has an ugly history and it's far to common for them to have a number of issues. If the backorder downtime bothers you then maybe go out and buy a Max8 ESC and run it. Send your 180 off for a new 185, then when you get it you'll have a nice backup ESC or you can put it in your son's RC. ;)
 
I had 2 of the BLX180's. Neither caught on fire. Even without the fan, they ran cool. And I did like the 7.4v BEC - it really makes my Savox 2270 servo fly! The BLX180 motor - 4069, 2050 kv was stronger than most 1/8 RTR motors of that time, but liked to run hot. But that is where the "nice" ends... Most of things about the BLX180 that bothered my were minor - switch on one that shut the truck off mid run all the time, the Fake Deans plugs that caused all kinds of issues, fans that broke easy... But all that was minor.

The "Unforgivable sin" to me was the throttle lag... When you hit the gas, there is a pause, then the truck goes... There is no way to program this out. If you are just dirt lot bashing, this is no big deal. If you run the truck on a track, cornering and "steering with the throttle" is tough, because you need power NOW. Also jumping, if the truck goes a bit nose down in the air, you are NOT going to be able to get on the gas in time to get the nose up. This makes it very hard to get around a track clean. And if you are into big air bashing, you just won't have the control you need to land wheels down consistently.

The fire issue - yeah it is a real issue. But then, show me a ESC that does not catch fire. In some circles Castle is called "Castle Cremations". Tekin is generally considered the best ESC you can buy, but they have a huge failure rate. (when the RX8G3 came out, one of my buddies bought 4 for his 1/8 fleet - within a month, 2 had burned, one other had a mystery failure) - even "reliable" Hobbywing has some failures. The newer BLX185 is a rebrand Hobbywing, but it is the lower-end Hobbywing, the Quickrun BL150WP. Is it bullet proof? No, sometimes it goes poof. Is it better / more reliable than the BLX180? very much so.

I agree with Woodies plan, if you can swing the $100 for a new ESC. This is pretty much what I did back in the day when Arrma was NOT giving everyone a free swap. I swapped in a BLX200 combo (Max8) into my Kraton and dropped the BLX180 in my toolbox. A few months ago, I heard Arrma was not requiring receipts for the swap, so I sent my ESC and motor in, and got the newer combo. Now that combo lives in my Granite mega 4x4. :)

My .02
Jerry
 
Last edited:
I had 2 of the BLX180's. Neither caught on fire. Even without the fan, they ran cool. And I did like the 7.4v BEC - it really makes my Savox 2270 servo fly! The BLX180 motor - 4069, 2050 kv was stronger than most 1/8 RTR motors of that time, but liked to run hot. But that is where the "nice" ends... Most of things about the BLX180 that bothered my were minor - switch on one that shut the truck off mid run all the time, the Fake Deans plugs that caused all kinds of issues, fans that broke easy... But all that was minor.

The "Unforgivable sin" to me was the throttle lag... When you hit the gas, there is a pause, then the truck goes... There is no way to program this out. If you are just dirt lot bashing, this is no big deal. If you run the truck on a track, cornering and "steering with the throttle" is tough, because you need power NOW. Also jumping, if the truck goes a bit nose down in the air, you are NOT going to be able to get on the gas in time to get the nose up. This makes it very hard to get around a track clean. And if you are into big air bashing, you just won't have the control you need to land wheels down consistently.

The fire issue - yeah it is a real issue. But then, show me a ESC that does not catch fire. In some circles Castle is called "Castle Cremations". Tekin is generally considered the best ESC you can buy, but they have a huge failure rate. (when the RX8G3 came out, one of my buddies bought 4 for his 1/8 fleet - within a month, 2 had burned, one other had a mystery failure) - even "reliable" Hobbywing has some failures. The newer BLX185 is a rebrand Hobbywing, but it is the lower-end Hobbywing, the Quickrun BL150WP. Is it bullet proof? No, sometimes it goes poof. Is it better / more reliable than the BLX180? very much so.

I agree with Woodies plan, if you can swing the $100 for a new ESC. This is pretty much what I did back in the day when Arrma was NOT giving everyone a free swap. I swapped in a BLX200 (Max8) into my Kraton and dropped the BLX180 in my toolbox. A few months ago, I heard Arrma was not requiring receipts for the swap, so I sent my ESC and motor in, and got the newer combo. Now that combo lives in my Granite mega 4x4. :)

My .02
Jerry

Incredibly insightful! Thank you very much. I'm kinda liking the idea of a new combo and saving the new blx185 shd motor for my son's granite. That little thing will be a beast with that setup in it. Just ducks to have to drop more money into it already. Just spent over 100 on upgrades hubs, steering blocks, new diff gears to rebuild the center that is shot, shims for all diffs, springs for the shocks, fast eddy kit, and a few more odds and ends. The wife is not gonna be thrilled with that idea
 
Yeah, the spending for this hobby never really ends... LOL Motors, ESC's, Bearings, tires blow out, bodies get crushed, stuff get broke.

BTW, don't just drop that BLX185 in the Granite 4x4, it needs upgrades... Check the Mega 4x4 forum for what you need.
 
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