brushed versus brushless

[jxoco]

A rather simple question,
If the motors are mostly equal, say both are for stock class, will the same battery pack last longer with the brushless motor or will the run time be the same.
I'm asking because, 1) I read that brushless is more efficient, but 2) I haven't switched to brushless and 3) I've still got a bunch of brushed motors from back in the day and I don't know if it is worth upgrading to the new technology.
I guess that I'm thinking that the benefit for me would be that I would get longer run times. Is that true or am I believing the hype.
I hope that someone who has been through this technology change can help me out.
I have an associated rc10 truggy that still has an AM radio and brushed motors and the ESC to match but I've bought a lipo battery and charger and switch between Nicad, NiMH and the Lipo.
The charger was a nice purchase because it can charge anything I own so I could rationalize that purchase and the lipo 4000mah was the same price as the 4000 nimh that i was about to buy. So the real cost was just a low voltage battery alarm for the lipo.
if I go racing it is only a few times a year. I have the DS conversion kit and so I do go carpet racing as well.
I've always tried to drive better rather than spend biggish bucks on hardware.

Does the brushless motor technology bring longer run times and therefore more fun?

[RC10th]

The benefits of lipo are they hold their voltage so as the pack nears its end it's still performing like its fully charged. NiCd/NiMh tend to drop voltage and get slower and slower as the battery is used.

Same sort of goes for brushless motors. Being brushless motors have no brushes there really are no wearable parts. They almost never loose performace unless you get them too hot. Brushed motors you get about 3 packs before performance starts to suffer, and it only gets worse untill you true the comm and replace brushes.

Brushless motors are way more efficient resulting in longer run times and better performance at the same time. Brushed motors = mid 70%ish efficient while brushless is high 90%ish efficient.

[Coelacanth]

I was resistant to the "switch to LiPo" too, you'll see this in my posts going back several years...but my reasoning was always because of cost. No, you're not only replacing NiCads/NiMH's with LiPo's; you also have to upgrade your ESC's in most circumstances, or add low voltage detectors to protect your cars from a LiPo fire. But the advantages are well worth it, once you can afford the transition. RC10th listed the biggest advantage of LiPo's, but another big advantage is that they don't lose their voltage over the years, if stored correctly. You can fully charge a NiMH battery, but if you leave that battery sitting for several months--or even several weeks, sometimes--it'll eventually lose it's charge. Also, over time, NiMH batteries won't take a full charge anymore, and have reduced output.

Think of your cordless drill sitting in your shop for even just a few weeks; you remembered it was fully charged. You go to use your drill, but within a few minutes it's almost dead. Those older ones mostly use NiMH batteries. So, you give the battery a full charge, only to find it barely gives you a half-hour of use afterward. That's one of the more annoying disadvantages of NiMH technology...they lose their voltage just by storing them, and lose their capacity to take a charge as they age.

[ca-rj]

I have a brushed 27T RC10 and a brushless 17.5 RC10. The brushless is quicker and runs cooler and longer. If you're looking for an inexpensive brushless motor, check out the Turnigy Trackstar motors. They are about $35 (vs $80-$100 for most others). If you don't have any lipos yet, I'd recommend SMC Racing. They have some great prices.

[RC104ever]

There really is no comparison. Without getting into all the nitty gritty, make the switch - you won't regret it.

I did the switch shortly after trying some 'hotter' brushed motors and couldn't believe the difference in power. Then when I switched again to lipo, the run times and additional punch were just mind blowing compared to anything I had before. That plus the fact it stays constant and lasts way longer are all worth it to me.

[justinspeed79]

Brushless is better in every way, and yes, run times are quite a bit longer with brushless.

Also, you don't HAVE to switch to lipo to run brushless. Nimh works just fine with brushless, although generally speaking Lipo will be more powerful.

[ca-rj]

You say you still have an AM radio. I remember reading somewhere that brushless and AM don't mix.

[Kyoshojoe]

Brushless is by far superior to brushed. Essentially it is a more efficient system and results in less juice being turned into heat and basically equates to more power, longer run times and increased durability. The brush and commutator contact points are extremely inefficient and generate a ton of heat which is wasted power, also consider that the hotter a conductor gets the higher the internal resistance so you get a cascade effect where heat rises then higher resistance which results in more heat until the leads melt off your motor or the windings cook.

Using NiMH batteries is fine as well as using am receivers, though older 75mhz recievers may not have the output to achieve full throttle calibration. I have had no problems using 27mhz receivers and in fact with a brushless you don't get the rf interference like you do with a brushed system.

[markbt73]

I think I'd switch to a modern 2.4ghz radio before going any further on horsepower. It doesn't need to be fancy or expensive. Simple systems from Spektrum, Tactic, or the Chinese brands work just fine. No more "what channel are you on?" worries, much less interference, stubby or nonexistent antennas, and in a lot of cases, a fail-safe setting.

THEN go brushless, and grin from ear to ear at the "instant-on" power and the forever run times (I get about an hour out of a 4000mah lipo and a Novak 17.5t sensored motor in a re-release RC10), confident in your control.

[integra22t]

im still in the middle of it

i when lipo first to get good battries .. and boy did it like it

at this point i have 3 brushed set ups and 1 brushless .. i couldnt beleve the diffrance in motor temps .. havent noticed run times yet as i race and it always gets me to the end

all in all if you can find a good cheap brushless set up go for it .. but dont go too cheap