Building a Losi 5ive-T Brushless (part 3) – Fitting the parts and testing the truck

Losi 5ive-T Brushless Conversion

When building this Losi 5ive-T brushless truck I had a set of criteria that I wanted to respect:

  1. The car should have around 15-20 minutes of run time
  2. I would prefer to have motor break and reverse option enabled
  3. The steering servo should be capable = powerful and fast
  4. All parts should be a-grade and have been put through their paces by other drivers (and with positive reviews)

I therefore decided on ordering the following goodies:

  • ZIPPY Flightmax 8000mAh 4S1P 30C batteries from HobbyKing
  • Hitec HS-1000SGT High Voltage Giant Torque Servo Conversion Kit for Losi 5ive. This beast deliver over 1500oz of torque!!
  • Killer RC Super Power Switch
  • RC Madness BL5 Version 2 Conversion

Here a few pics of the parts and mounting them:

RC Madness Version 2 Brushless Conversion Kit for the Losi 5IVE-T
RC Madness Version 2 Brushless Conversion Kit for the Losi 5IVE-T
RC Madness Version 2 Brushless Conversion Kit for the Losi 5IVE-TRC Madness Version 2 Brushless Conversion Kit for the Losi 5IVE-T
RC Madness Version 2 Brushless Conversion Kit for the Losi 5IVE-T
RC Madness Version 2 Brushless Conversion Kit for the Losi 5IVE-T - Battery tray
RC Madness Version 2 Brushless Conversion Kit for the Losi 5IVE-T – Battery tray
RC Madness Version 2 Brushless Conversion Kit for the Losi 5IVE-T - Battery tray
RC Madness Version 2 Brushless Conversion Kit for the Losi 5IVE-T – Battery tray
RC Madness Version 2 Brushless Conversion Kit for the Losi 5IVE-T - Motor mount
RC Madness Version 2 Brushless Conversion Kit for the Losi 5IVE-T – Motor mount
RC Madness Version 2 Brushless Conversion Kit for the Losi 5IVE-T - Motor mount
RC Madness Version 2 Brushless Conversion Kit for the Losi 5IVE-T – Motor mount
Hitec HS-1000SGT High Voltage Giant Torque Servo Conversion Kit for Losi 5ive-T
Hitec HS-1000SGT High Voltage Giant Torque Servo Conversion Kit for Losi 5ive-T
Hitec HS-1000SGT High Voltage Giant Torque Servo
Hitec HS-1000SGT High Voltage Giant Torque Servo
Hitec HS-1000SGT High Voltage Giant Torque Servo
Hitec HS-1000SGT High Voltage Giant Torque Servo
Hitec HS-1000SGT High Voltage Giant Torque Servo
Hitec HS-1000SGT High Voltage Giant Torque Servo
Hitec HS-1000SGT High Voltage Giant Torque Servo
Hitec HS-1000SGT High Voltage Giant Torque Servo
Hitec HS-1000SGT High Voltage Giant Torque Servo Conversion Kit for Losi 5ive-T
Hitec HS-1000SGT High Voltage Giant Torque Servo Conversion Kit for Losi 5ive-T
Killer RC 3600mAh 14.8v RX Lipo Battery
Killer RC 3600mAh 14.8v RX Lipo Battery
Killer RC Super Power Switch Installed In The Losi 5ive-T
Killer RC Super Power Switch Installed In The Losi 5ive-T
Killer RC Super Power Switch Installed In The Losi 5ive-T
Killer RC Super Power Switch Installed In The Losi 5ive-T
Killer RC Servo-Max voltage regulator and 14.8v 4S 3600mAh LiPo battery installed in the Losi 5ive-T
Killer RC Servo-Max voltage regulator and 14.8v 4S 3600mAh LiPo battery installed in the Losi 5ive-T

The results

Before starting the project I had read tons of forum posts and seen many YouTube videos. I have followed most of the advice and chosen components that were all of high quality. Most however recommended the use of the Lehner/MGM combo and mechanical brakes but as you can see in Part 2 of this series I chose differently.

So how did it all go?

Well so far I can safely say that I am all satisfied with my truck and the decisions made. Batteries, ESC and motor have all been running smoothly with good temps and great runtimes. I have not timed it but I would think that I get at least 18-20 minutes run time on one set of 8S batteries.

The motor brakes (and reverse) have worked great. It may very well be that if you are a super competitive and very skilful driver there may be something to gain by having the (some say) better control using the mechanical brakes but I have had no issues whatsoever and love the setup as it is now. I have the control that I need when braking and love the fact that I can reverse whenever needed.

So for now I have had a ton of fun – building this vehicle has been a blast and driving it even more so.

If you have the funds and want to experience a brushless version of the largest 4WD RC truck on the market then you can’t go wrong with the Losi 5ive-T and I can definitely recommend the setup I have gone for here.

Have fun and drive safely 😉

Losi 5ive-T Brushless Conversion
Losi 5ive-T Brushless Conversion
Losi 5ive-T Brushless Conversion
Losi 5ive-T Brushless Conversion
Losi 5ive-T Brushless Conversion
Losi 5ive-T Brushless Conversion
Losi 5ive-T Brushless Conversion
Losi 5ive-T Brushless Conversion
Final weight of the Losi 5-ive T Brushless with batteries
Final weight of the Losi 5-ive T Brushless with batteries
Final weight of the Losi 5-ive T Brushless with batteries
Final weight of the Losi 5-ive T Brushless with batteries
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Team Durango DEX8 – Fastet kit build ever!

Team Durango DEX8 Buggy

I have built 1/8 buggy kits from Hobao/Ofna and Xray before I picked up this Team Durango DEX8 kit and hence thought this would be a somewhat similar build experience. I could not have been more wrong.

Just the unboxing experience is something different. The box and how it is packaged is the best I’ve tried so far with RC. They have no doubt tried to create an “Apple unboxing” experience and have in my view succeeded.

As for the build most of the parts are assembled in larger chunks. Diffs and shocks are all assembled (you will have to add diff and shock oil to match your preference) and front and rear drivetrain are almost also just a bolt-on. Very nicely thought through.

As for the build quality everything seems to be top notch but I have yet to test it out on the track. So far I have only managed to drive it up and down the street – everything was buttery smooth and only the steering needed to be slightly trimmed.

If I should have to point out something negative it would be the manual that came with the car. There were a few steps where stuff was incorrect – probably they wanted to get the product to market as soon as it left the factory. All it took was to download the latest version and here the issues were corrected.

Now – all I need to do is hit the tracks – Something I look forward to!

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Traxxas E-Revo Brushless – The best all-round RC car money can buy!

Traxxas E-Revo Brushless 4WD Monster Truck

Through the years I have tried racing on tarmac, sand and gravel with everything from buggies to trucks and monster trucks. I have tried 2WD and 4WD vehicles powered by gasoline, brushed and brushless motors. All has been great fun and I have always enjoyed the great selection and thereby the versatility of this hobby.

A few years back I bought a Traxxas E-revo brushless car. My main purpose was to have something that was the “ultimate bashing vehicle” to be used in gravel pits. I had a long list of requirements:

  • It should be durable and capable of taking a solid beating when landing after big jumps
  • Spare parts should be readily available and not overly expensive
  • It should be 4WD in order for it to climb the big gravel piles and still make it to the top
  • It should come with a decent transmitter and not need a heap of up-grades before being ready to race
  • It should be fairly powerful but still have enough runtime to do bashing for at around 20 minutes on one set of batteries

Before the purchase I did a lot of research and found that all the boxes seemed to be ticked.

I had the car for around 12 months and drove it extensively over that timespan. Never have I put a car through so much and still had a car that just kept on going. Most of the time it was used in the gravel pit but I also tried it out on a 1/8 scale track and on tarmac only changing the tires to suit the surface. It stood out most when doing bashing on gravel but was aways a solid performer on other surfaces

But most importantly… I can’t recall I having had so much fun with as with the Traxxas E-Revo Brushless Edition. It is just THAT good and therefore I went along and bought one again after being away from RC cars for 2-3 years. A thing worth mentioning is that the car has had a few good upgrades in that timespan – the ESC has been made waterproof which was as a bit of a painpoint in the previous version and now it also features pretty solid telemetry if the transmitter is coupled with a smartphone using the Traxxas Link app via bluetooth. I have briefly tried out the telemetry and it seems to work well giving data such as speed, battery voltage, temperature and RPM.

As you can see from the pictures below I have bought the Traxxas Rustler VXL for my son who is 7 years old and I am also building a Losi 5ive-T brushless car that I plan to finish over the coming 4-6 weeks (waiting for parts to arrive from multiple hobby shops).

So all in all – this vehicle comes with the best of recommendations from my side and I look forward to having as much fun again with it as I did in the past!

Traxxas E-Revo Brushless 4WD Monster Truck
Traxxas E-Revo Brushless 4WD Monster Truck
Traxxas E-Revo Brushless Waterproof 4WD Monster Truck
Traxxas E-Revo Brushless Waterproof 4WD Monster Truck
Traxxas E-Revo Brushless Waterproof 4WD Monster Truck
Traxxas E-Revo Brushless Waterproof 4WD Monster Truck
Traxxas E-Revo Brushless Waterproof 4WD Monster Truck
Traxxas E-Revo Brushless Waterproof 4WD Monster Truck
Traxxas E-Revo Brushless shock system
Traxxas E-Revo Brushless shock system
Traxxas E-revo brushless and waterproof underneath
Traxxas E-revo brushless and waterproof underneath
Traxxas E-revo brushless and waterproof
Traxxas E-revo brushless and waterproof
Traxxas TQi radio
Traxxas TQi radio
Traxxas TQi radio close-up
Traxxas TQi radio close-up
The Traxxas E-Revo and Traxxas Rustler VXL compared
The Traxxas E-Revo and Traxxas Rustler VXL compared
The Traxxas E-Revo and Losi 5ive-T compared
The Traxxas E-Revo and Losi 5ive-T compared
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