Hottest motor for XL-5 speed controller
 

I have a Titan 550 12t and XL-5 setup I just hooked up, and am kinda surprised at the performance. It seems to be about the same as a standard silver can 540. Plus, I am seeing alot of reports of it being undependable/failing. So I am looking at motor options.
After searching, I see the Team Orion Method R 17t and Komodo 19t coming up as good bang for the buck options, some reporting over twice the speed over the 550 Titan!:eek::eek: What are everyone`s thoughts? I have the old yellow XL-5, which I think means that I can`t put my lipos in, but I do have a 7 cell lying around. This will be going in either my lunchbox or midnight pumpkin. I dont plan on racing, so obviously I am looking for crazy wheely-ing and crazy wipe outs. I guess I still want the low end torque, but definitely want more top end speed too.
Thoughts?
Also, how do the above mentioned motors compare to the Tamiya sport tuned motors?
Thanks!

Back when I used my yellow XL-5 I ran a Orion Formula Pro BB Modified 15T Double in my Rustler with good results. I believe that all the Formula Pro motors have adjustable timing while some of cheaper Method motors have fixed timing, also the Pro BB has ball bearing instead of bushings.
Seeing as how the Orion Formula Pro BB now seem to cost $50 to $60, only paid $35 for mine in 08, I don't think it is worth the cost now at the current price.

Any rebuild-able 540 mod motor will probably last longer than a Titan with proper maintenance, and most any 15 turn mod motor should out perform a Titan.

Thanks crunchy....gives me alot of insight. I definitely have no plans of messing with the timing. When you say good results, would you say it would be a night & day/obvious immediate improvement over a stock out-of-the-box motor, or maybe just a noticeable but marginal improvement over stock?
After reading over alot of threads on the Titan, even with it being 12 turn, it sounds like it is only marginally quicker/more powerful than a silver can 540. I am seeing the Orion Methods 15T doubles on ebay for around $20....it is really tempting...
Thanks

I have two Tamiya Super Stock RZ 23t rebuildable motors... 3 runs on each before I bit the bullet and went BL with all my rides.... They were $42/per.. I'll let em go for $60 shipped... If your interested just shoot me a PM and we can do pay-pal....

It was an obvious immediate improvement over a stock, without really tuning for speed and just throwing on a 26 tooth pinion I hit 31 mph with a cheap 4200mAh 7.2v stick pack in my Rustler, probably could have been better with more tuning.


I have an armature that I pulled out of a Titan 12 turn and you can tell just by looking at it that they really don't use much copper when making it when compared to other 540 armatures. The Titan armatures has lots of air space, it looks like there is enough space you could make a second set of 12T over the existing ones if you wanted which isn't the case with the 540 armatures I've seen.

Just keep in mind that the XL-5 is only rated for motors as low as 15 turns.

If you can afford it, steeping up to a brushless system is a huge improvement over what the XL-5 will handle and will also be much easier to maintain.