My next (and final?) 1/16th scale Brushless. HBX 16889 truck. Fastest one. New ESC, motor, and radio!

[Custnam]

I just received my next and most likely final 16th scale Brushless RC. Bought in on Ebay for about $90 and the China shipping was SUPER fast. 4 days from the day ordered it. I wish they were all so fast. Anyway its the HBX 16889 brushless truck, same as the SG1602 truggy. Its faster than the Q903 despite having a smaller ESC and motor. The Q903 has a 35amp ESC with a 2845 3200KV motor, and the 16889 has a 25amp ESC with a 2435 KV3900 motor buts the 16889 is quite a bit faster. My only complaint is the braking sucks. Ive never had any issues with any brushless RC when it comes to brakes. It has weak brakes and takes longer than normal which takes some getting use to. Out of curiosity I installed the ESC/ receiver combo in the 16889 from the Q903 just to see if it changed how it brakes and it didnt so it has to be the motor. So Ill probably start looking at other motor options, or might just keep it and get used to it.

Anyway what Ive don't so far was install some oil shocks I got from Amazon. They were a bit too long so I put some spacers inside the shock bodies. It reduces the travel a bit but at least its not bouncing all over the place. Ill be ordering the official oil "upgraded" shocks for it soon. I also took off the Traxxas Talon tires from the Q903 and installed them on this and what a difference yet again. These cheap 16th scales come with pretty bad tires, but its too be expected since they are... well cheap. So Ill be ordering another set of the Talons for the Q903 again. It wheelies on demand as well, has a wheelie bar, and came with front LEDs. I rigged up a single blue LED I had for the rear and running at night is pretty cool. I also greased up the diffs. This has plastic ones unlike the all metal Q903 so time will tell how long they last. It has metal rear dog bones, but plastic ones in the front.

Anyway I think this is my last small scale RC. I already have the XINLEHONG TOYS 9138 sold to a neighbor now that I fixed it, and Ill be selling the 144001 when I get a new rear axle for it. Pics below.

 

[jonUF02]

looks decent, I'd be afraid of breaking any parts on cheap toys from China like this.

If you want something 1/16 and stupid fast get a mini e-Revo with a 1/10 scale system. Mine is just crazy on 2s. I have to run dual batteries in parallel just to keep it weighted down. It could run 3s, but that would be out of control.

 

[Custnam]

looks decent, I'd be afraid of breaking any parts on cheap toys from China like this.

If you want something 1/16 and stupid fast get a mini e-Revo with a 1/10 scale system. Mine is just crazy on 2s. I have to run dual batteries in parallel just to keep it weighted down. It could run 3s, but that would be out of control.

I almost got the 16th E-Revo awhile back. I agree on the parts. It doesn't have the same parts availability as the Q903 so Im hoping it doesn't break much. I might eventually sell all of these and get the E-Revo, but for now Im loving em.

 

[arrmadillo]

Nice little truck, looks good with the Talon tires and wheels.

 

[jonUF02]

stock talon tires are a bit small and wear out very quickly on pavement. I mostly use my 1/16 on road, because it's really not big enough to traverse any grass. I got the Proline Dirt Hawg tires in the pic, which ironically are more of a street tire to me than an off-road tire.

 

[Custnam]

Since the brakes and the range on this thing arent that great, but other than that I love it I decided to make a lot of changes. Im basically gutting all the electrics. I ordered a new esc/ motor combo with a standard esc (not a esc/ receiver combo). And Ill be installing an extra Flysky FS-BS6 receiver I have so I can use my awesome Flysky FS-GT5 in this. That will solve all the issues Im having and make this thing even funner. Updates and install pics to come.

 

[Custnam]

OK. I received my new ESC and motor, and a FS-BS6 receiver I already had so I can use my Flysky FS-GT5. WOW, what a difference. The only issues I was having with this prior to this was terrible unadjustable braking, and some loss of control when it was only about 30-40 yards away. So since this has a normal 3 wire stock servo my plan has been to gut all the electronics, and use my FS-GT5. So I bought and installed a Quicrun 25 amp ESC with a 2440 3800kv motor with my FS-BS6 receiver. It was pretty straight forward. I had to rewire the LEDs into the receiver with a new wiring system, installed the receiver on the upper support plate, and the ESC where the stock one went. The motor was a direct drop in. The only difference was its a bit longer but this has plenty of room.

This esc has tuning as well which is awesome. Its pretty basic with only 5 different things you can adjust, but the important ones are there. Punch, brake force, voltage cutoffs, drag brake force, and run mode. One thing I couldnt figure out was getting it to have the correct forward and reverse. Even after calibrating, and reversing the throttle on the radio it still would go reverse in forward, and vice versa. So this was solved with swapping a couple of motor wires, then heat shrinking new colors just so they match.

After getting everything installed it is like a whole different car. Its not only faster with better brakes, but now that I can use my FS-GT5 it controls amazing. I really love this thing if you can tell. Its so much fun. Wheelies like crazy and stupid fast on 2s. The ESC isnt rated for 3s so I wont be trying that, but I could only imagine. Anyway pics below.

 

[21qz]

Wow, amazing write up! I came across this thread as I just ordered this mini beast. This would be my first RC so I’m super excited.

 

[vlad00]

I know it's an old thread, but I'm looking to upgrade my wheels on my 16889.

I see the stock wheels are closer to 2.0" size but there's a lot less options for this size.

Wanted to ask if you think the stock electronics could handle the bigger 2.2" wheels and tyres. (I'm guessing yours are 2.2")
What about steering , can you still achieve full lock with these? Looking at some of your excellent pictures it looks to be rather tight..
Any other drawbacks for them? They look rather cool but I know that's not the full story

Thanks much! This is my first RC and wouldn't have been able to get into this hobby if it and some other cheap but decent cars/trucks existed. It puts a smile on my face.

 

[Custnam]

I know it's an old thread, but I'm looking to upgrade my wheels on my 16889.

I see the stock wheels are closer to 2.0" size but there's a lot less options for this size.

Wanted to ask if you think the stock electronics could handle the bigger 2.2" wheels and tyres. (I'm guessing yours are 2.2")
What about steering , can you still achieve full lock with these? Looking at some of your excellent pictures it looks to be rather tight..
Any other drawbacks for them? They look rather cool but I know that's not the full story

Thanks much! This is my first RC and wouldn't have been able to get into this hobby if it and some other cheap but decent cars/trucks existed. It puts a smile on my face.

The tires I am using now are from the Mini E-Revo. Heres a direct link to the exact ones I bought. They are holding up great. I ran the bigger tires at first with the stock electronics before I upgraded the ESC and Motor with a WP-S16 ESC and 2440 3800 KV Brushless motor. I couldnt find a link to the exact motor, but any of these should work as well if you decide to upgrade your system.

The steering is awesome with the included servo. I tried to upgrade it with a Hitec servo but decided to stick with stock. Its an awesome little RC and so quiet that I can do night runs (with the LEDs) and not bother my neighbors. And its pretty quick as well. Good luck with it and if you need any help you can just reply to this thread and Ill try to help you out.

Oh I almost forgot you will probably have to buy a separate pinion gear if you do upgrade the motor. If I remember right the stock one did not fit. So most 1/16 or 1/18 pinions should fit.

 

[vlad00]

The tires I am using now are from the Mini E-Revo. Heres a direct link to the exact ones I bought. They are holding up great. I ran the bigger tires at first with the stock electronics before I upgraded the ESC and Motor with a WP-S16 ESC and 2440 3800 KV Brushless motor. I couldnt find a link to the exact motor, but any of these should work as well if you decide to upgrade your system.

The steering is awesome with the included servo. I tried to upgrade it with a Hitec servo but decided to stick with stock. Its an awesome little RC and so quiet that I can do night runs (with the LEDs) and not bother my neighbors. And its pretty quick as well. Good luck with it and if you need any help you can just reply to this thread and Ill try to help you out.

Oh I almost forgot you will probably have to buy a separate pinion gear if you do upgrade the motor. If I remember right the stock one did not fit. So most 1/16 or 1/18 pinions should fit.

Thanks a lot, very helpful!

I'm in the EU, but using the provided info I was able to find this item locally(double the price, but you can't have everything ).

It seems that indeed they are 2.0 rims, and even those are bigger than the stock ones. I wouldn't imagine this truck can fit the 2.2 bigger wheels that are usually an upgrade for the e-revo 1/16. Here's the difference. It seems there's a 2.0" version and a 2.2" version of this tyre/rim combo, although the external diameter is the same. They might have just increased the rim size at some point and left less sidewall. If anyone can shed some light..

One last question, when you were running the stock electronics but bigger wheels did you need to gear it down? Or just went for the extra speed?
I'm thinking the motor could use a heatsink at least, with the bigger tires.

Anyway, great post. Thanks again for the help!

 

[Custnam]

Thanks a lot, very helpful!

I'm in the EU, but using the provided info I was able to find this item locally(double the price, but you can't have everything ).

It seems that indeed they are 2.0 rims, and even those are bigger than the stock ones. I wouldn't imagine this truck can fit the 2.2 bigger wheels that are usually an upgrade for the e-revo 1/16. Here's the difference. It seems there's a 2.0" version and a 2.2" version of this tyre/rim combo, although the external diameter is the same. They might have just increased the rim size at some point and left less sidewall. If anyone can shed some light..

One last question, when you were running the stock electronics but bigger wheels did you need to gear it down? Or just went for the extra speed?
I'm thinking the motor could use a heatsink at least, with the bigger tires.

Anyway, great post. Thanks again for the help!

Yes for extra speed. And a friend wanted a brushless system for his sons truck so he got the stock one from my 16889.

 

[vlad00]

Found some 2nd hand. Love them!

 

[Ginglehopper]

The tires I am using now are from the Mini E-Revo. Heres a direct link to the exact ones I bought. They are holding up great. I ran the bigger tires at first with the stock electronics before I upgraded the ESC and Motor with a WP-S16 ESC and 2440 3800 KV Brushless motor. I couldnt find a link to the exact motor, but any of these should work as well if you decide to upgrade your system.

The steering is awesome with the included servo. I tried to upgrade it with a Hitec servo but decided to stick with stock. Its an awesome little RC and so quiet that I can do night runs (with the LEDs) and not bother my neighbors. And its pretty quick as well. Good luck with it and if you need any help you can just reply to this thread and Ill try to help you out.

Oh I almost forgot you will probably have to buy a separate pinion gear if you do upgrade the motor. If I remember right the stock one did not fit. So most 1/16 or 1/18 pinions should fit.

I'm wanting to upgrade my Redcat volcano 16 to brushless, and this should work as they are pretty much the same exact cars. Thanks for the links! Is there any chance you have a link to a different pinion? If not, it's fine. If the motor shaft is too big, I could always drill out the pinion a little.

Maybe this will work?
https://www.amazon.com/Leoie-Surpass-Brushless-Controller-Waterproof/dp/B07SY7N1KG

 

[PatMarcus172]

What a great discovery this thread is - having just purchased a 16890 brushless for my son. Ive put on hthe HBX oil filled shocks and a couple of heatsinks on the little motor. I was hoping the P6973 Remo tyres from my daughters Wl124019 would fit as theyre an excellent budget tyre but couldnt figure out how to fit them because the the 12mm hex is built into the wheel and not the axle. Thanks to vlad00 Ive now resolved ( I just needed to be braver with a flat head screwdriver). That said, the process for attaching the hex to to the axle is rubbish so I can well imagine that many people upgrade this, in order to use hexes that screw on.

Im intending to leave the electronics alone but have heard from numerous people that theyve safely run it on 3S. Not sure I am brave enough to try unless the ESC is readily replaceable.

Best wishes

Patrick

 

[Marski69]

OK. I received my new ESC and motor, and a FS-BS6 receiver I already had so I can use my Flysky FS-GT5. WOW, what a difference. The only issues I was having with this prior to this was terrible unadjustable braking, and some loss of control when it was only about 30-40 yards away. So since this has a normal 3 wire stock servo my plan has been to gut all the electronics, and use my FS-GT5. So I bought and installed a Quicrun 25 amp ESC with a 2440 3800kv motor with my FS-BS6 receiver. It was pretty straight forward. I had to rewire the LEDs into the receiver with a new wiring system, installed the receiver on the upper support plate, and the ESC where the stock one went. The motor was a direct drop in. The only difference was its a bit longer but this has plenty of room.

This esc has tuning as well which is awesome. Its pretty basic with only 5 different things you can adjust, but the important ones are there. Punch, brake force, voltage cutoffs, drag brake force, and run mode. One thing I couldnt figure out was getting it to have the correct forward and reverse. Even after calibrating, and reversing the throttle on the radio it still would go reverse in forward, and vice versa. So this was solved with swapping a couple of motor wires, then heat shrinking new colors just so they match.

After getting everything installed it is like a whole different car. Its not only faster with better brakes, but now that I can use my FS-GT5 it controls amazing. I really love this thing if you can tell. Its so much fun. Wheelies like crazy and stupid fast on 2s. The ESC isnt rated for 3s so I wont be trying that, but I could only imagine. Anyway pics below.

View attachment 74230View attachment 74231View attachment 74232View attachment 74233View attachment 74234View attachment 74235View attachment 74237

Shaft from 2440 is 02.3mm did u need/use other Motor Gear 14T? or other gears then standard? Or other motor gear diameter then 02.3mm. Thx for reply!
3900kv brushless motor needs other motor gear pinion i assume? I want to upgrade from brushed version to brushless. If motor gear pinion is good then esc is not running that hot after long speed session....
I read hbx destroyer has 16 tooth motor pinion.

 

[TheDude]

i know this is old thread but i saw hbx had to chime in my buddy and i got some of these when we first got back into rc his little hbx hits 65mph

 

[Marski69]

Already asked but here again>
2440 & 2445 brushless motors have 02.3mm motor shaft instead of 02mm for the 2430 & 2435
So that makes the question what motor motor pinion gears is used an important one.
This must be properly connected otherwise you will have problems in no time.
If anyone knows or has already done this conversion, thanks in advance for your answer.

 

[PatMarcus172]

Hey. Did you all see there’s now a “PRO” version of both truggy and MT ? All metal gearing and comes with a lipo, rather than a li-on. Getting great reviews all over the place.

 

[GRC]

Still considering getting one. One thing I've noticed from many videos is this RC may tend to nosedive when jumping. This guy put larger tires and it looks like it made a huge difference in air control.