Granite Recommended ESC upgrade Mega Granite 4x4

kangawookie · Mar 20, 2018

I notice that my ESC overheats before the stock NIMH battery is empty. It gets pretty hot to the touch, I lose reverse first, then all forward throttle, wheels will still turn. Jumpers are in the right position. I am looking for a replacement ESC, but I am new to RC so I am not sure if getting something with higher than 35A it comes with will be a problem. I seen some people said they replaced with Helion 30a AWD.

Thank guys!

Jerry-rigged · Mar 20, 2018

Hobbywing 1080 -
https://www.amainhobbies.com/hobbyw...-brushed-crawling-esc-23s-hwa30112750/p564169

zoldos · Mar 21, 2018

Have you considered trying a LiPO? I use a 2S 50C 5000mAh LiPO and ran for at least 30 mins. The stock motor and ESC barely warmed up at all...

Jerry-rigged · Mar 21, 2018

Personally, I only ran lipo in my granite 4x4. Never made it to LVC, it would always thermal. I tried a 4000mah 35c 2s and a 6000mah 90c. I was planning on leaving it brushed longer than a week, but if it is gonna overheat every run, then I am pulling that crappy ESC.

After 10-15 minutes, my temps were ESC 175f, motor between 190f and 205f. Every run. 100% stock, other than the lipo. Driveline spins free. When I dropped in the BLX brushless system on a 25t pinion, my temps were <100f, motor and ESC.

kangawookie · Mar 21, 2018

Thanks Jerry! I may eventually go this route. I like the 4x4, what would you recommend as a RTR in similiar style that I won't instantly want to replace the ESC and motor?

Zoldo, Hobbyking still hasn't shipped my lipos

zoldos · Mar 21, 2018

kangawookie said:
Thanks Jerry! I may eventually go this route. I like the 4x4, what would you recommend as a RTR in similiar style that I won't instantly want to replace the ESC and motor?

Zoldo, Hobbyking still hasn't shipped my lipos

You don't *need* to replace anything on the stock Granite 4x4. It's an awesome truck! I haven't tried the stock NiMH battery, but with an optional 2S LiPO, it nearly pulls wheelies. lol I just chose to go brushless.

Ouch on the batteries. I got mine off Amazon...

kangawookie · Mar 21, 2018

zoldos said:
You don't *need* to replace anything on the stock Granite 4x4. It's an awesome truck! I haven't tried the stock NiMH battery, but with an optional 2S LiPO, it nearly pulls wheelies. lol I just chose to go brushless.

Ouch on the batteries. I got mine off Amazon...

Yeah, I guess I should wait and see how mine deals with the lipo.

Jerry-rigged · Mar 21, 2018

kangawookie said:
Thanks Jerry! I may eventually go this route. I like the 4x4, what would you recommend as a RTR in similiar style that I won't instantly want to replace the ESC and motor?

Zoldo, Hobbyking still hasn't shipped my lipos

Outcast

or Proline Pro MT4
Or Tekno MT410

zoldos · Mar 21, 2018

kangawookie said:
Yeah, I guess I should wait and see how mine deals with the lipo.

Just be sure to switch the jumper on your ESC to LiPO mode.

NachoFoot · Mar 25, 2018

Yep, I'm seeing that as well. I don't need to worry about the motor overheating if the ESC hits thermal first.

I'm upgrading to brushless and sticking with 2S to hopefully preserve that spur gear. Local hobby store has it in stock but it would be nice if someone released a metal version.

zoldos · Mar 26, 2018

NachoFoot said:
Yep, I'm seeing that as well. I don't need to worry about the motor overheating if the ESC hits thermal first.

I'm upgrading to brushless and sticking with 2S to hopefully preserve that spur gear. Local hobby store has it in stock but it would be nice if someone released a metal version.

Which one is the spur gear? I replaced the stock 14t pinion with a 17th and am going brushless with my 2S. It's supposed to be VERY fast that way.

Jerry-rigged · Mar 26, 2018

The Spur gear is the big one that the motor drives, it is part of the slip clutch.

The problem with the stock gear is that brushless motors tend to do this to it -

My fix -

NachoFoot · Mar 26, 2018

As you get less teeth on the spur gear, you get more top speed and less low end power. The stock has 91 teeth. I always thought 91 teeth was rather high since the stock ESC is hotter than the motor which should mean the truck is undergeared.

Jerry-rigged · Mar 26, 2018

When my ESC thermal shutdown at 175f, the motor is between 195 and 205. So it is not undergeared... Granite 4x4

NachoFoot · Mar 26, 2018

Jerry-rigged said:
When my ESC thermal shutdown at 175f, the motor is between 195 and 205. So it is not undergeared... Granite 4x4

You've gone down on the spur and up on the pinion. Isn't that overgearing it quite a bit? Both changes give increased top end.

Jerry-rigged · Mar 27, 2018

Those temps were stock motor, stock gears (91t/14t - 6.5 ratio). Now I run a much bigger motor, and yeah, I went down on spur and up on pinion.. A lot. The new motor still does not get over 100f. Actually, I have not warmed it up with the new gear set. With the stock spur (91t) and a 25t pinion (3.64 ratio), it was under 100f. New spur is 56t/32p, and 17t pinion (3.29 ratio). I did get it back together last night, and did a few test hits. Didn't get to charge up a battery for a lunch run today, but hopefully it will happen this week.

Oh, and on the spur pitch difference, I did the math a while back, and our 91t 48p spur has about the same diameter as a 61t 32p spur.
91t 48p = 1.895833"
60t 32p = 1.875"
61t 32p = 1.90625"

and for the pinions -
14t 64p = 0.291"
27t 64p = 0.52"
17t 32p = 0.53125"

Blur4130 · Mar 28, 2018

How did you get around the preset drilled holes that align the spur and pinion gears. I would like to mess the gears or at least get a metal/hardened sour gear but can't find one

Jerry-rigged · Mar 28, 2018

Just cut the motor mount. I tried to be fancy - I put a screw through one of the top center holes into a board, loose, so the motor mount could swing, then clamped that to my drill press table. Put a dremmel spiral cut bit in the chuck, and started at one existing hold and cut to another. Then a bit of clean up with a knife, and done.

If you need to use hand tools, it can still be done, just go slow and keep it neat.

Also, After the cut, I use flat washers under the motor mount screws. Spread the load, so the plastic does not spread.

I have Friday off of work, I'll get more time to mess with it then, and I will post more details on my build thread.

kangawookie · Apr 18, 2022

Jerry-rigged said:
Just cut the motor mount. I tried to be fancy - I put a screw through one of the top center holes into a board, loose, so the motor mount could swing, then clamped that to my drill press table. Put a dremmel spiral cut bit in the chuck, and started at one existing hold and cut to another. Then a bit of clean up with a knife, and done.

If you need to use hand tools, it can still be done, just go slow and keep it neat.

Also, After the cut, I use flat washers under the motor mount screws. Spread the load, so the plastic does not spread.

I have Friday off of work, I'll get more time to mess with it then, and I will post more details on my build thread.

I know this is an old thread, but it was the one I started, and well something in the rear drive train is not good. I took it completely apart and as far as I can tell the Spur gear (big plastic one) seems to be find but needs to be pushed towards the pinion gear to engage. Not sure is this is by design. I tried to adjust the slipper clutch with the rolling method and not sure that's the problem either. I tried to turn the motor shaft by hand and noticed resistance like maybe something is stuck inside. It has loosened up but not sure if that's the issue. There are vents where it presses against the spur casing that were filled with oily dirt. I cleaned that as best as I can but, I'm still not sure what's wrong. It makes a sort of grindy ratcheting high pitch squeal at low to mid speed. Right now its taken apart and I'm wondering if I should just upgrade parts while I am at it. Can you recommend a new pinion gear, spur gear and brushless motor/esc? I am running 2s lipo 5600mah batteries 7.2v.

Jerry-rigged · Apr 18, 2022

When you have the power module open, the spur is supported only by one bearing, so it can move away from the pinion. I think this is why Arrma originally went with the separate holes for different pinion size design. Having the spur so easy to move, plus 48p gears makes it nearly impossible to set the gear mesh correctly.

For the motor, are you still running the brushed motor? If it is fried, and you want to stay brushed, I would just get a Traxxas Titan 12t. Cheap, easy to find, and a bit better quality than the Arrma 550 motor.

If you want to go brushless, I would look at either the HobbyWing Max10SCT + 3660 3200kv combo, or the Castle Copperhead ESC + 1412 3200kv combo (this is what my Granite is currently running)

For gearing, just head to the ebay chop shops and get the BLX slipper + spur -
https://www.ebay.com/itm/123556533954?epid=22040643200&hash=item1cc48b16c2:g:qxUAAOSw9y1fc85v
if you are staying brushed, try a 11t pinion, or 15t for brushless.

Granite Recommended ESC upgrade Mega Granite 4x4

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