Hobbywing EZRun MAX5 HV Plus G2 1/5 Waterproof Sensored Brushless ESC (6-12S)

Bye bye Castle. When my (Limitless) Mamba Monster X 8s started smoking on the bench for no reason (I was testing a new servo, which shouldn't have caused it) i decided to just wing it and try this new Hobbywing ESC. I use Hobbywing in all of my other cars, however i couldn't run Hobbywing in my Limitless as their ESCs like to cut power at about 110mph on 6s in my experience. Hardware/Setup: I really like the power switch on Hobbywing ESCs; they are tactile, reliable, waterproof, and they have Bluetooth built into them for easy programming and basic data logging from the ESC. The ESC itself is massive and so much heavier compared to the MMX8s, (160g vs 440g). To fit this into the Limitless with stock body I ended up 3D printing a special receiver box which has a small wart for wires and gyro, and a section underneath the ESC where the receiver itself goes (ELRS). This barely fits in, but it works really well. I wanted to keep my Limitless standard chassis layout as I also drive the car normally at low speed sometimes, so I got a TP5660 in the 55 x 83mm format. This works perfectly with the ESC. I probably should have added a sensor when I specced the motor, but as per usual with HW, sensorless works fine too. One major gripe I had with the MMX8s is that the BEC is laughably weak. It barely managed 7.7v with no load and so when I added some front and rear lights it would literally brown out to 3v occasionally while mid-run (thank goodness for the excellent power handling of ELRS RXs). The Hobbywing BEC is much, much more powerful. The continuous amp rating on the HW's BEC is the same as the burst amp rating on the Castle, and it shows. I have quad light bars, disk brake, and a servo for my aerodynamics and yet the HW BEC never sags or browns out. Now, actual driving. My first impression is that it has a ridiculous amount of power. This isn't really a surprise coming from 6s, but it's astounding to see the acceleration and torque. It can spin all four tires from a 50+mph roll no problem. I also tried with warm GRP XM5 tires and still I couldn't manage to do a consistent 0-60 time because it just kept spinning no matter what speed. I actually think the 60-120mph time will be above the 0-60mph time simply because of traction issues, which is insane to me. I did an initial speedrun and I hit 126mph/202kph on my second try, pulling 231a on 12s (9500w). Gearing was for mid 140s, it would have gone much faster if my run had been longer. Data logging: Castle has very, very good data logging. Hobbywing really needs to sort theirs out. At the time of writing, I don't even think there is a desktop app which supports retrieving or exporting logs from these EzRun ESCs. For me, that's not really an issue as I can access and view a pretty detailed (automatic) log from the HW Link app, but I am rather disappointed that I can't export the data as a spreadsheet. Thermals: This ESC runs cool. I think this is due to the much lower amperage needed at 50v+ to produce the same power, and the massive heat sink and fan. After 4 back-to-back runs the motor was near safe thermal limit and the ESC was only at 110F/43C according to data log) Well, I am very impressed with this ESC, especially for the price. It runs 12s perfectly fine, it seems reliable, well built, and incredibly powerful. If you rely on good data logging and exports on a computer, it may not be the best, but you can get detailed data logs on your phone over Bluetooth after a run. I fully recommend this ESC and I wouldn't hesitate to use it in any speedrun car.

best esc i have ever purchased amain is the best seller to deal with when you want top notch stuff!!