ESC fan is a great addition. I have both on the motor and ESC. I ran just the heatsink on the motor for a while. I didn't want to open the receiver box run the motor fan. Once the Spring hit, I broke down and did the install. Never have an issue with heat on the motor or ESC. If I could figure out a way to get the batteries cooler, I would be set to run on these 85-90°+ days coming up.
Actually it's a useless proposition unless you are full top gear speed record running the truck ! I have only hit thermal shutoff once or twice with a 3s lipo VXL Stampede . And the best and smartest solution was to simply remove the gear cover . It is a heat trap point especially with the original 272 Tranny since it had no titanium alloy mounting plate . Or at least cut out vent holes in it . Big waste of money and consumes power too. Don't need pretty lights and extra funny fan shrouds on a Rustler VXL . I would save for a new 3s lipo or a set of tires or wheels if it was my truck any day . And yes I realize you r running a 4wd but a fan ain't gonna help .
I have a slash 4x4 vxl that I had to get a motor fan almost instantly because the motor would get very hot just running 2s on the stock gearing because the 4x4 line takes a lot more power than the 2WD line
So is the Titan 12 turn but it keeps on going. Both don't generally ever go into over temp. unless you get the wrong spur and pinion gears . Been running my VXL for 2 years now and only 1 or 2 times has it shut down from thermal overload . And I really push the limits of both 2s and 3s packs . As a matter of fact I'll have 2 three pack sessions daily and nothing goes wrong with the heat because I took off the gear cover . That's when all the overheating completely stopped. So does the 3500 run hotter than any other same sized can ?
Well seeing as everyone has troubles with the velineon 3500 overheating very easily, and by the way a motor will not trip the esc overheating mode because the esc only has that to protect itself
The OP said it was because his friend suggested it not that he has problems with it. And I have run the hell out of one daily for 2 years with no over heating . If you study electrical engineering instead of crony little friend circles, you'll see it would still cause electrical overload to the ESC if it did in fact over heat to a significant degree . Since that would be caused by excessive amperage which could only result from too much juice to the motor .
Why would Traxxas design the Velenium 3500 and it's ESC counterpart as a defective product and not discontinue the entire VXL line up? Totally asinine statement.
I think you are just trying to bad mouth a product that you can just jump in and attempt to create an issue therefore supporting mere speculation that the VXL system is defective.
Not "everybody has issues with 3500 overheating very easily " Only with people manufacturing lies about it ! Oh and to get you to buy a 5 buck fan for around 30 bucks maybe .
Dude, I was saying that a lot of people have issues with their velineon 3500’s and I actually had to replace mine with a hobbywing because the motor shaft is too thin and it would get extremely hot on 2s so I don’t know why you think you are so smart while saying that your (2WD vxl) never overheats so la di da if your car doesn’t ever overheat then good for you maybe you live in a cooler climate than other people
Florida isn't any different . The OP wasn't complaining about what you invented and there isn't any motor shaft diameter problem . Sorry.... but this whole thing just pisses me off when Traxxas gets bad mouth publicity is all . I guess people who engineer things get upset when their ideas get roasted is all .
Dude I love traxxas, I just don’t think that the velineon 3500 is the greatest motor, and that is because most rtr electronics are not very good since they are made to be easy to make. I understand that you may have had a different experience with the motor and I am not saying that every motor will have overheating problems but with rtr electronics it is kinda hit and miss if you get a good motor or esc.
Stop trying to act all smart by saying “studying electrical engineering” because you don’t. It’s quite possible for a motor to get a lot hotter than an ESC. It depends on a lot of factors outside of the system itself. For example: Weight of the car, size of the tires, gearing, condition (temperature, surface, etc), driving style, and more.
It sounds like this person is speaking from experience with the system you are discussing. Experience trumps theory, so your “electrical engineering” is irrelevant compared to his experience.
Nobody said that the Velineon system is defective. The ESC functions very well. I have a Hoss and it has never gone into thermal shutdown. I run it hard on 3S and the ESC gets hot but never thermal throttles—probably because the Hoss comes with an ESC fan. But you cannot ignore the fact that the Velineon 3500 gets very hot.
I have an advanced degree in electrical engineering and I design systems for the US Dept. Of Defense as well as Traxxas AARMA and several others. By the way brushless runs cooler than brushed motors and they didn't quit working when they got many times hotter . By the way what is Trumps theory ? How is my education of lesser importance than children playing with toy trucks ?
I never said anything about Trump. I said experience trumps theory. The word “trump” is being used here to say experience is more important than theory. How could you claim to know more than us when you don’t even know what the word trump means? You may have a degree but we’re the ones actually running the vehicles and experiencing the heat they generate.
Brushless motors do run cooler than brushed. I am aware of that and will not discount it. However, brushless trucks are usually geared higher since they’re able to handle the higher gearing, so they tend to match the temps of brushed, if not overtake them.
And yes, you can go over the temperature threshold without damaging a motor. It happens a lot. However, it is risky and almost all brushless motor manufacturers and hobby shops will warn you not to go over 170° because that is the accepted limit for most brushless motors. It doesn’t mean they can’t operate past the limit. It just means you are more likely to experience a failure the farther you go past it.
First of all, the Titan 12T is a brushed motor, which generally are able to take higher temps due to not having neodymium magnets, which risk de-magnetizing at over 170° (though some can go higher, like Hobbywing’s motors, which can handle up to 212°).
Also, the thermal-shutdown system only functions on the ESC. There is no temperature sensor on the motor and therefore it is quite possible for a motor to get into dangerous temperatures while the ESC is still in the safe zone (I’ve done this on my Hoss. 190° on the motor and only 105° on the ESC).
You also said you have a Stampede VXL, which are 2WD. The 2WD transmission is a lot nicer to the motor than the 4WD one. The truck itself is also quite a bit lighter since it doesn’t have the weight of the differentials and extra plastics required to have all four wheels rotating. A good example is with the old brushed 4x4s. The Titan 12T got hot in the 2WD Stampede, but got even hotter in the 4x4 Stampede even with a larger gear reduction in the pinion/spur and differentials. It wasn’t uncommon to melt a Titan 12T in the 4x4s but it’s rare to melt one in the 2WDs.
And since you mentioned removing the gear cover on your Stampede: The VXL Stampede has the Magnum 272R transmission, which has an aluminum motor mounting plate. Removing the gear cover would help dissipate the heat because more wind would hit the aluminum. However, that’s not really an option in the 4x4s because they have smaller motor mounting plates and there is less airflow underneath the body.
So it's just an intermittent problem with the 4wd system ? And I have added a pound of weight to the 2wd with 6 inch TMaxx wheels and Chevron tires on all fours with speed gearing and off road doing jumps. With home made titanium skid plates that have no cut outs to reduce weight. Plus a solid 6 inch long brass wheelie bar with 1/4 inch thick bolt running through it for the axle. Not to mention the Traxxas Steel CVD kit .
Sounds like you run it in certain conditions that cause an issue maybe ? like maybe to add your own cut outs and modify the motor mount to make it bigger would help . But if you just gotta have a fan or two or three and suck up juice and place even more strain on the electrical system .
Would you personally advise against getting a 4wd Rustler instead of a 2wd one ?
It’s not just the weight of the 4x4 system that’s the problem—although it is a big contributor. Adding 2 pounds to a 4 pound 2WD truck will only match the weight of a 4x4 truck and you’ll still be driving only 2 wheels instead of four.
Also, fans don’t really draw that many amps when compared to the main motor. Their impact on battery life is negligible unless you’re running really low-C batteries.
I would absolutely advise someone to get a Rustler 4x4 VXL instead of a Rustler 2WD VXL because they’re easier to control and have more rotation in the air. Adding a fan to the motor and ESC is a small sacrifice compared to what you’ll have to pay if something goes wrong and the motor locks up or the ESC goes up in flames (both of which I’ve seen happen and none of the cars I’ve seen it happen to had fans installed).
While I wouldn’t exactly say the Traxxas fans are what you should get ($25 for a cheap plastic shroud and a 10,000RPM fan that can’t handle higher than 6V and is plastic cased so they break easily are not that great) I would advise getting a fan. I run ProTek 30x30x10mm aluminum-cased fans on my Hoss. They operate at 20,000RPM on 6V (and can go up to 8.4V) and are aluminum-cased so they won’t break. They’re cheaper than the Traxxas fans and provide peace of mind when running in hot conditions because you don’t have to worry about temps that much.
The truck that caught my eye is the new 4wd Stampede with 540 VXL . But then again Rustler seems significantly faster than the other.
Fastest or most maneuverability . I can't really decide so I got E REVO mini to play with while repairing the Stampede. It really zooms over the same terrain as the much higher Stampede and in some cases can take on obstacles the bigger truck seems to have breakage from. Plus it probably won't need cooling either.
Several people told me the Stampede is better than the Rustler . However the Rusler is in a different class and is closer to the ground. Maybe that is the cause of overheat ? Dragging the chassis around and all . In any case I don't want the biggest truck or car , they seem way under powered and very clumsy .
Mini E REVO and it's VXL system is very close to the 3500 is all . There is NO overheating issue with the 3500 VXL is all I am going to stick with . No matter what you all say.
The VXL-3m and the Mini-Maxx 380 brushless are a 1/16 brushless system. How could you possibly say it’s “very close” to a 1/10 brushless system? I can guarantee you the amperage on the ESC is way lower and while the motor may be a similar kv (I don’t know the kv cause Traxxas doesn’t state it) the motor is quite a bit smaller than the Velineon 3500.
Comparing those two systems and saying the Velineon 3500 doesn’t overheat because the Mini Maxx 380 motor doesn’t overheat is ridiculous.
Added to that, the 1/16 E-Revo VXL is a small, light car, so the electronics are strained a lot less. Weight will affect how much a motor is strained as much as gearing and voltage.
Quick question: Have you ever driven a 1/10 four-wheel-drive VXL car or just your 2WD Stampede? Because there’s a big difference in the heat generated by the heavier 4WD trucks and the lighter 2WD ones.
Only if people like you are driving AARMA 4WD trucks and I am a Traxxas . They are completely different . And VXL is all one family isn't it ? In my eyes 1/16 or 1/10 scale are reasonably close sizes of toy RC trucks . How would I never have driven 4wd I got em like everybody else's.
Only one of my friends drives an Arrma and while the VXL system is a family of electronics systems, they don’t really bare much resemblance to each other in anything except name and color.
1/16 and 1/10 are very different scales and the fact you seem to think they’re reasonably close speaks a lot about what you know regarding RC.
And the question was whether you’d driven 1/10 4x4 VXL cars, not if you’d driven 4x4 cars
i got the newest stampede, put a 3500 in it with the lowest gears i can get and my motor gets really hot with no more than 75% power. my brother has the exact same setup and his motor is 15 to 20 degrees cooler. it’s weird.
I hit thermal on my stampede all the time just in my culdesac. So when I built my rustler last month, I immediately put the heatsink and fan on it and put one on my pede. Are you even running your in full power mode, or are you in training mode? Battery's fully charged, or in storage charge? I can hit thermal on a nice cool 70F day in just a few minutes of driving. Never with the neatsink and fan.
Nope I drive full 100 percent on full throttle speed runs 3 to six fully charged lipos daily too. packs are max size ones that fit the long chassis Stampede. Also run it in sand and on race coarse too . Also a pound or more of steel and Titanium alloy addons that I make myself . With 6 inch T Maxx chevron tires on all four. Lots of beefy addons like steel CVD's and just ran 3 full packs an hour ago with outside temps. at least 10 to 15 degrees higher than what you said .
ESC fan is a great addition. I have both on the motor and ESC. I ran just the heatsink on the motor for a while. I didn't want to open the receiver box run the motor fan. Once the Spring hit, I broke down and did the install. Never have an issue with heat on the motor or ESC. If I could figure out a way to get the batteries cooler, I would be set to run on these 85-90°+ days coming up.
Maybe vent scoops and holes like the E REVO ?
Open the windows
You should definitely get a motor fan especially if you run it on 3s
Actually it's a useless proposition unless you are full top gear speed record running the truck ! I have only hit thermal shutoff once or twice with a 3s lipo VXL Stampede . And the best and smartest solution was to simply remove the gear cover . It is a heat trap point especially with the original 272 Tranny since it had no titanium alloy mounting plate . Or at least cut out vent holes in it . Big waste of money and consumes power too. Don't need pretty lights and extra funny fan shrouds on a Rustler VXL . I would save for a new 3s lipo or a set of tires or wheels if it was my truck any day . And yes I realize you r running a 4wd but a fan ain't gonna help .
I have a slash 4x4 vxl that I had to get a motor fan almost instantly because the motor would get very hot just running 2s on the stock gearing because the 4x4 line takes a lot more power than the 2WD line
I got E Revo and no overheat . Must be the model or type ?
The velineon 3500 is notorious for running very hot
So is the Titan 12 turn but it keeps on going. Both don't generally ever go into over temp. unless you get the wrong spur and pinion gears . Been running my VXL for 2 years now and only 1 or 2 times has it shut down from thermal overload . And I really push the limits of both 2s and 3s packs . As a matter of fact I'll have 2 three pack sessions daily and nothing goes wrong with the heat because I took off the gear cover . That's when all the overheating completely stopped. So does the 3500 run hotter than any other same sized can ?
Well seeing as everyone has troubles with the velineon 3500 overheating very easily, and by the way a motor will not trip the esc overheating mode because the esc only has that to protect itself
The OP said it was because his friend suggested it not that he has problems with it. And I have run the hell out of one daily for 2 years with no over heating . If you study electrical engineering instead of crony little friend circles, you'll see it would still cause electrical overload to the ESC if it did in fact over heat to a significant degree . Since that would be caused by excessive amperage which could only result from too much juice to the motor . Why would Traxxas design the Velenium 3500 and it's ESC counterpart as a defective product and not discontinue the entire VXL line up? Totally asinine statement. I think you are just trying to bad mouth a product that you can just jump in and attempt to create an issue therefore supporting mere speculation that the VXL system is defective. Not "everybody has issues with 3500 overheating very easily " Only with people manufacturing lies about it ! Oh and to get you to buy a 5 buck fan for around 30 bucks maybe .
Dude, I was saying that a lot of people have issues with their velineon 3500’s and I actually had to replace mine with a hobbywing because the motor shaft is too thin and it would get extremely hot on 2s so I don’t know why you think you are so smart while saying that your (2WD vxl) never overheats so la di da if your car doesn’t ever overheat then good for you maybe you live in a cooler climate than other people
Florida isn't any different . The OP wasn't complaining about what you invented and there isn't any motor shaft diameter problem . Sorry.... but this whole thing just pisses me off when Traxxas gets bad mouth publicity is all . I guess people who engineer things get upset when their ideas get roasted is all .
Dude I love traxxas, I just don’t think that the velineon 3500 is the greatest motor, and that is because most rtr electronics are not very good since they are made to be easy to make. I understand that you may have had a different experience with the motor and I am not saying that every motor will have overheating problems but with rtr electronics it is kinda hit and miss if you get a good motor or esc.
Stop trying to act all smart by saying “studying electrical engineering” because you don’t. It’s quite possible for a motor to get a lot hotter than an ESC. It depends on a lot of factors outside of the system itself. For example: Weight of the car, size of the tires, gearing, condition (temperature, surface, etc), driving style, and more. It sounds like this person is speaking from experience with the system you are discussing. Experience trumps theory, so your “electrical engineering” is irrelevant compared to his experience. Nobody said that the Velineon system is defective. The ESC functions very well. I have a Hoss and it has never gone into thermal shutdown. I run it hard on 3S and the ESC gets hot but never thermal throttles—probably because the Hoss comes with an ESC fan. But you cannot ignore the fact that the Velineon 3500 gets very hot.
I have an advanced degree in electrical engineering and I design systems for the US Dept. Of Defense as well as Traxxas AARMA and several others. By the way brushless runs cooler than brushed motors and they didn't quit working when they got many times hotter . By the way what is Trumps theory ? How is my education of lesser importance than children playing with toy trucks ?
I never said anything about Trump. I said experience trumps theory. The word “trump” is being used here to say experience is more important than theory. How could you claim to know more than us when you don’t even know what the word trump means? You may have a degree but we’re the ones actually running the vehicles and experiencing the heat they generate. Brushless motors do run cooler than brushed. I am aware of that and will not discount it. However, brushless trucks are usually geared higher since they’re able to handle the higher gearing, so they tend to match the temps of brushed, if not overtake them. And yes, you can go over the temperature threshold without damaging a motor. It happens a lot. However, it is risky and almost all brushless motor manufacturers and hobby shops will warn you not to go over 170° because that is the accepted limit for most brushless motors. It doesn’t mean they can’t operate past the limit. It just means you are more likely to experience a failure the farther you go past it.
First of all, the Titan 12T is a brushed motor, which generally are able to take higher temps due to not having neodymium magnets, which risk de-magnetizing at over 170° (though some can go higher, like Hobbywing’s motors, which can handle up to 212°). Also, the thermal-shutdown system only functions on the ESC. There is no temperature sensor on the motor and therefore it is quite possible for a motor to get into dangerous temperatures while the ESC is still in the safe zone (I’ve done this on my Hoss. 190° on the motor and only 105° on the ESC). You also said you have a Stampede VXL, which are 2WD. The 2WD transmission is a lot nicer to the motor than the 4WD one. The truck itself is also quite a bit lighter since it doesn’t have the weight of the differentials and extra plastics required to have all four wheels rotating. A good example is with the old brushed 4x4s. The Titan 12T got hot in the 2WD Stampede, but got even hotter in the 4x4 Stampede even with a larger gear reduction in the pinion/spur and differentials. It wasn’t uncommon to melt a Titan 12T in the 4x4s but it’s rare to melt one in the 2WDs. And since you mentioned removing the gear cover on your Stampede: The VXL Stampede has the Magnum 272R transmission, which has an aluminum motor mounting plate. Removing the gear cover would help dissipate the heat because more wind would hit the aluminum. However, that’s not really an option in the 4x4s because they have smaller motor mounting plates and there is less airflow underneath the body.
So it's just an intermittent problem with the 4wd system ? And I have added a pound of weight to the 2wd with 6 inch TMaxx wheels and Chevron tires on all fours with speed gearing and off road doing jumps. With home made titanium skid plates that have no cut outs to reduce weight. Plus a solid 6 inch long brass wheelie bar with 1/4 inch thick bolt running through it for the axle. Not to mention the Traxxas Steel CVD kit . Sounds like you run it in certain conditions that cause an issue maybe ? like maybe to add your own cut outs and modify the motor mount to make it bigger would help . But if you just gotta have a fan or two or three and suck up juice and place even more strain on the electrical system . Would you personally advise against getting a 4wd Rustler instead of a 2wd one ?
It’s not just the weight of the 4x4 system that’s the problem—although it is a big contributor. Adding 2 pounds to a 4 pound 2WD truck will only match the weight of a 4x4 truck and you’ll still be driving only 2 wheels instead of four. Also, fans don’t really draw that many amps when compared to the main motor. Their impact on battery life is negligible unless you’re running really low-C batteries. I would absolutely advise someone to get a Rustler 4x4 VXL instead of a Rustler 2WD VXL because they’re easier to control and have more rotation in the air. Adding a fan to the motor and ESC is a small sacrifice compared to what you’ll have to pay if something goes wrong and the motor locks up or the ESC goes up in flames (both of which I’ve seen happen and none of the cars I’ve seen it happen to had fans installed). While I wouldn’t exactly say the Traxxas fans are what you should get ($25 for a cheap plastic shroud and a 10,000RPM fan that can’t handle higher than 6V and is plastic cased so they break easily are not that great) I would advise getting a fan. I run ProTek 30x30x10mm aluminum-cased fans on my Hoss. They operate at 20,000RPM on 6V (and can go up to 8.4V) and are aluminum-cased so they won’t break. They’re cheaper than the Traxxas fans and provide peace of mind when running in hot conditions because you don’t have to worry about temps that much.
The truck that caught my eye is the new 4wd Stampede with 540 VXL . But then again Rustler seems significantly faster than the other. Fastest or most maneuverability . I can't really decide so I got E REVO mini to play with while repairing the Stampede. It really zooms over the same terrain as the much higher Stampede and in some cases can take on obstacles the bigger truck seems to have breakage from. Plus it probably won't need cooling either. Several people told me the Stampede is better than the Rustler . However the Rusler is in a different class and is closer to the ground. Maybe that is the cause of overheat ? Dragging the chassis around and all . In any case I don't want the biggest truck or car , they seem way under powered and very clumsy .
The E-Revo is a 6S truck with a completely different motor & ESC. This is an irrelevant argument
Mini E REVO and it's VXL system is very close to the 3500 is all . There is NO overheating issue with the 3500 VXL is all I am going to stick with . No matter what you all say.
The VXL-3m and the Mini-Maxx 380 brushless are a 1/16 brushless system. How could you possibly say it’s “very close” to a 1/10 brushless system? I can guarantee you the amperage on the ESC is way lower and while the motor may be a similar kv (I don’t know the kv cause Traxxas doesn’t state it) the motor is quite a bit smaller than the Velineon 3500. Comparing those two systems and saying the Velineon 3500 doesn’t overheat because the Mini Maxx 380 motor doesn’t overheat is ridiculous. Added to that, the 1/16 E-Revo VXL is a small, light car, so the electronics are strained a lot less. Weight will affect how much a motor is strained as much as gearing and voltage. Quick question: Have you ever driven a 1/10 four-wheel-drive VXL car or just your 2WD Stampede? Because there’s a big difference in the heat generated by the heavier 4WD trucks and the lighter 2WD ones.
Only if people like you are driving AARMA 4WD trucks and I am a Traxxas . They are completely different . And VXL is all one family isn't it ? In my eyes 1/16 or 1/10 scale are reasonably close sizes of toy RC trucks . How would I never have driven 4wd I got em like everybody else's.
Only one of my friends drives an Arrma and while the VXL system is a family of electronics systems, they don’t really bare much resemblance to each other in anything except name and color. 1/16 and 1/10 are very different scales and the fact you seem to think they’re reasonably close speaks a lot about what you know regarding RC. And the question was whether you’d driven 1/10 4x4 VXL cars, not if you’d driven 4x4 cars
i got the newest stampede, put a 3500 in it with the lowest gears i can get and my motor gets really hot with no more than 75% power. my brother has the exact same setup and his motor is 15 to 20 degrees cooler. it’s weird.
I hit thermal on my stampede all the time just in my culdesac. So when I built my rustler last month, I immediately put the heatsink and fan on it and put one on my pede. Are you even running your in full power mode, or are you in training mode? Battery's fully charged, or in storage charge? I can hit thermal on a nice cool 70F day in just a few minutes of driving. Never with the neatsink and fan.
Nope I drive full 100 percent on full throttle speed runs 3 to six fully charged lipos daily too. packs are max size ones that fit the long chassis Stampede. Also run it in sand and on race coarse too . Also a pound or more of steel and Titanium alloy addons that I make myself . With 6 inch T Maxx chevron tires on all four. Lots of beefy addons like steel CVD's and just ran 3 full packs an hour ago with outside temps. at least 10 to 15 degrees higher than what you said .
Definitely get some cooling for the motor and ESC. They get untouchability hot especially here in Florida where I am.
Yes