Monster Truck Madness – SMT Upgrades and Dual Motor ESC’s

Hey gang, happy Thursday! This week we are heading to the mailbag!

Hello,

We just got an Axial SMT10 Grave Digger from tower hobbies. We’re
planning to race against a 2WD Traxxas Stampede that has the Traxxas
brushless upgrade.

So, I’ve been chatting with a man from Holmes Hobbies to try to find the
best brushless set up for our SMT10. My question for you is: are we
going to need to upgrade the transmission to handle the extra power? I
believe the new SMT10 has all metal gears, but I’m not sure if other
upgrades are necessary.

We plan to use the stock tires.
-Jason W

Hey Jason, so you are about to race your SMT10 against a brushless 2WD Stampede, eh? The good news is you have a lot of options.

First off, yes, the transmission will hold up to brushless alright because that’s not really the fail point when you start increasing power. That is usually the driveshafts, spur gear or a ring/pinion. However, you still can run it on a mild brushless system and probably be alright, given you said you are keeping the (light) stock tires.

You will absolutely want to put a front sway bar on the truck, though. It’s the best mod to them if they are stock, and it will be even more important if you are going brushless.

The stock SMT10 usually does well for itself, but if you are going to sky it out and bash it hard, just be prepared to probably upgrade some components as they bust (steering knuckles or rear lockouts usually, though nasty tags at speed can wipe out a housing).

Let me know what system you wind up going with!

I had a question for the Trigger King RC guys- Here’s the deal I am working on a truck for Sport Mod class next year and need some advice on what are the hot 17t brushed motors yall use and what esc? So far I have found matched sets from Team Brood and Reedy and a couple others but the only real “dual motor” esc Google brings up is the rebrand hobbywing from the Clodbuster kit.

I’m building a custom chassis for the Kyosho USA1 (newer one based on Mad series) so I can run dual brushed motors centers in the chassis and plan on trying to do a Maximum Overdrive semi body for it. Been gathering parts for awhile and figuring out how to improve it’s design but I don’t really know what motors and ESC (or ESCs?) to go with.

Any and all knowledge on the subject shared would be GREATLY
appreciated!
Thanks in advance,
Michael aka Grits.

Hey Michael, thanks for the question. For those wondering what he is referring to by “Sport Mod”, it’s basically a modified solid axle monster truck that’s setup for racing competition, but is limited to brushed motors to keep costs more reasonable that the unlimited brushless trucks.

I am assuming the ESC you are finding on your Google searches is a Hobbywing QUICRUN WP 880 Dual Brushed ESC, and those are really nice setups for guys wanting to run twin brushed motors. Guys in the club use them for Clods as well as other twin motor transmissions.

Every club is different in Sport Mod rules, but guys in TK are mainly using JConcepts Silent Speed 17t motors with the timing cranked way up. Just be warned that when you turn the timing up, things have the propensity to get hot. It’s not an issue when racing as a round ends quick. If you are going to be bashing for a full battery pack though, I’d be mindful of the temps on a turned up motor.

The Maximum Overdrive custom USA-1 sounds wild, so send pics when you finish it! Hopefully we line up against each other this summer on the race track!

Alright folks, that’s it for this week. Until next time, keep it on all 4’s!