Esc recommendations
 

I have an extra xray 4wd and a TA 2wd buggy, I want to set them up different from our other 4wd buggies and I was looking at esc and there is a lot going over my head. Could someone break it down? I was looking at the Cayote crest esc but I’m not %100 sold on it. Let me know what you recommend.

Gotta give us more information. Are you racing them or just bashing? What motors are you running? How much are you willing to spend?

I own 3 Cayote ESC, 1 Crest X, 1 Crest X Evo, and 1 Crest RS 120 and so far I quite like them. They have a very smooth power delivery but the braking power isnt as strong as say Hobbywing ESCs.

Are you racing stock or mod?

stock racing

stock racing if I go with a Cayote I’ll probably pick a cayote motor. I’m pretty new to offroad carpet racing so any tips or advice I’ll take. I’ve only ever done on road racing for a year. Not that good so nothing crazy definitely not a $300 esc or anything just something that’s going to let me “learn the ropes”.

If you wish to stay under $200, the Cayote route would work just fine. You can save a couple bucks with a Hobbywing Justock ESC. Also, Surpass and Zombie is supposed to be releasing new motors soon, and Surpass is known to have excellent motors for about $100.

Depending where you get it from, the Crest RS120 is anywhere between 140-170 online, the Crest RS80 is cheaper at around $80-100 but it would be less powerful than the RS120 on paper. Ive tried a 80A, 100A and 120A ESC on a FF and I honestly cant really tell the difference if the 80A has any less power than a 120A ESC but I dont know depending ESCs are on offroad so take it what you will there.

The Cayote motors are nice as well but they do have significantly less braking power than a Hobbywing motor. Ive tested it on the same ESC with different motors and you need to apply your brakes several car lengths earlier.

yeah my plan is I already have a 4wd buggy with a hobby wing system but that’s all I’ve ever ran in my on road cars too so I was wanting to take this buggy a different route with electronics I haven’t used. I was also looking at the zombie motors too so that’s good to hear they are solid.

hmm so as a rookie would a cayote motor be worth it?

Its hard to say. It would look nice with a full matching ESC and motor and battery on your car, but I dont know enough about off-roading to know what kind of performance you need from motor. A general rule of thumb ESP for a beginner is walk around your pits and see what the majority of racers use. That way if you are asking for help or advice on how to setup, tune, or troubleshoot issues theres a better chance that someone understand and help.

A rookie is usually a rookie for only a few months. Just enough time to knock off the jitters. Once you get comfortable, you will want to jump into the sportsman's class and look for more speed.

I’m curious what motors and esc’s you run in your cars.

I run a Tekin Gen3 ESC and a Surpass Rocket V6 17.5 motor. I am one of the fastest on straights. However, I'm not good enough to keep up with the top drivers anywhere else. But, with the new motors, I fall behind them. Surpass is about to drop a new motor. I'm pretty anxious to see it.

When I compare my motor with the new 2026 ROAR legal low IR motors, my motor falls behind a little. I have seen the REDS Racing Pro Team select motor right on the heels of a Cayote motor. At the end of the run, the REDS motor was running about 5 degrees cooler than the Cayote.

I really been enjoying cayote 1/8 evo esc. Good power delivery, strong braking. Then again it could be my motor. they don't make it anymore but the trinity revtech xf8 is an amazing motor.