Traxxas Summit Brushless Rockcrawling MMM

A video showing a Traxxas Summit crawling with a Castle Creations Mamba Monster brushless power system installed.
With all the debate raging among RC enthusiasts about sensored vs. sensorless power systems, this demonstrates a sensorless motor still does a fairly commendable job of crawling when it's paired with the Summit's low geared two-speed transmission. Aside from the noise, it still shows decent control and hardly compromises on the low end of the Summit's awesomely wide fun spectrum, all while adding so much more to the high end. A sensored system would most certainly eliminate the audible clicking noise heard in the video however.
At the time of creating this video, Castle firmware version 1.20 offers by far the best throttle control at low speed (no uncontrollable surging as seen with v1.21 thru 1.24).

[@mikailon]

that rattling sound when your rock-crawling.....I LIKE IT! it sounds like your summit is strong.

[@StupidFastRC]

I really liked your video. Great stuff! Thanks for posting.

[@tinkerwitheverything6159]

This car was no LESS made for brushless than the erevo. The people who say this are uninformed. Both cars present unspeakable diff problems on 6s power. Both cars need to have aluminum diff cups installed and properly shimmed. I have modified EVERY aspect of my summit. I use a sensored setup (viper vtx8- smooth as silk!) However. If you dig deep into the parts schematics of the erevo and the summit, you will see that the tranny of the erevo and the summit are virtually identical, save the 2 speed (which represents no weak point when comparing the 2. Both use delrin gears. Diffs just lock on summit. My shimmed, aluminum diff cup reinforced summit takes brushless all day long. Try that with a stock erevo and see what happens! Those who say this machine shouldn't run brushless are just parroting other people who have never taken the time to think for themselves with a parts schematic of both vehicles:)

[@SethDaughters]

I've had my summit for a year now. The only mods I have made are to the suspension. All revo upgrades (aluminum) my truck came with lipo 2s batteries. The clicking you hear is something I went through within the first 6 months of ownership. Both of my differential's broke teeth off the spider gears! To the point that it would no longer drive. I rebuilt them with much thicker silicone oil and stock parts. Problem solved. Traxxas servos suck though. I'm replacing each one that fails with different brand servos as they break. 3 now all my replacements are stronger and cheaper. I am going brushless or dual motor in the near future.

[@thetruth736]

Sweet! I loved this vid 100%. I just bought a 16th summit today (obviously nothing as cool as this) but my wife thought it was cute. Watching this vid has me completely sold on buying the big one next. Sick location too btw. As stupid as it sounds this is like the first crawling vid Ive watched ( that I can remember) and I'm absolutely impressed.

[@ThesuperchargedT4R]

The "gear grinding noise" is not gears grinding... its called cogging.

[@Texasrccarsandtrucks]

Good job on the video and driving.

[@hpiproceed97pcp20]

Awesome video

[@Jujaljarim]

Great job! Thx a lot! This video must be included in MythBusters on Discovery channel !!!

[@Autophysn]

This thing is RIDONKULOUS!!! I am so saving up for one. My slash 4x4 is great, but.......

[@zfreeman55]

great vid. i was wondering if a brushless could also crawl in the summit. also nice crawling spot.

[@krallopian]

Great driving! =) ..... ahahah I wrote this and then right at the end you flipped before I could hit "post." I just bought a new Summit today, this thing is awesome! Great vid *cheers

[@zaviac778]

I'm surprised it goes so smoothly.

[@controlledfreakr]

That’s impressive

[@todbuh]

best part at begining when squirrel runs for tree! great video.

[@biglightbt]

Cant make a vid but take a look at the Velineon 380 set. Its pretty much bolt-in power and is designed for those 1/16th scale models, even made by Traxxas. Part number 3370 on their website. Its not exactly an MMM but its pretty much bolt on power build by and for traxxas models. As for me, I have the 1/10th Summit, should i be worried about damaging the transmission or locking diff's with a motor as powerful as the MM used in this video? Also whats the waterproofness like on the MM set?

[@Dubz0408]

@discusdog i suggest a sensored setup to get rid of the cogging and reduce the vibration that the cogging or the motor causes.

[@IonNight]

Cool video:) @FreDCoDTrX is because with a brushed you'll get current to the axle? As the opposite motor is a b-less, which make the motors spin by the electromagnets?

[@wilsontyler6565]

hey man. im a newB to electric. i am going to be buying the summit and i looked over a lot of summits and yours is my fav so im going to ask what you recomend to me. motor? gears spur and pinion? batteries? and the sensor thing you were talking about? thank you very much man

[@PACOO911]

I want one of these sooo bad...

[@jawbonedoc]

Hey how do I revert back to version 1.2? Just got my Summit and Mamba Monster. Your truck is sick. The initial speed runs are what convinced me to put one on my Summit lol

[@XXXTITEXXX]

hey man nice video. can you please tell me which springs do u use or how much preloaded they are.Also is there any any weight added to the front so that it doenst flip around? I have preloaded mine a little bit because at some spots the chassis was hitting the ground but now it flips easily

[@FreDCoDTrX]

@animatorSimen Brushless is the running, currently 2pole. Brushed is 5 pole

[@RcZandMore]

Hi great video what do u have to do to drop it to low gear is it new spur gear or wht? please reply thanks

[@crvvan9966]

Try the sidewinder 8th I've got one in my yeti after I tried the momba monster and it worked like a dream

[@wilsontyler6565]

have you upgraded to the hobbywing sensored motor yet? if so how do you have it set up with all the settings? or how would you to get the best of both worlds of speed and long engine life?

[@wilsontyler6565]

@RCJunky100 hey also what are good parts to upgrade that brake with the power and everything? axels? good improvements? thanks for your time

[@hobby0rc]

Nice video! is it a 2 pole motor?

[@biglightbt]

Definitely need to downgrade my new ESC to the 1.20 version, surges like crazy as it comes up just past minimum throttle. Same setup as yours in my summit. Did you use the 16T pinion the motor came with or did you stick the one from the 775 onto it?

[@discusdog]

@RCJunky100 I have a summit as well.I love this truck

[@bunkerfunker283]

Nice What king Of body is on It??... Ohh And Do theses come With lift kits I have the traxxes Telluride

[@869te177]

Can u possibly make a vid on how to make a brushed traxxas summit into a brushless traxxas summit? Possibly 1/16 scale

[@170turbo]

Whats that horrible grinding noise? Like the gears stripping...

[@CnRDirt]

3 rc cars I want really bad, traxxas summit, traxxas slash 4x4, and axial scx10 honcho

[@raamkaarthikeyanselvaraj9750]

I also upgraded to brushless mamba monster but i didnt get any unusual noise.

[@kyrkbymannen]

Did you change pinion between speed run and crawling?

[@marvinlyman1312]

isn't the noise related to gear mesh? and not the motor itself? a minor adjustment can quiet it mostly... and true to won't hurt anything... yet for high speeds I like a quieter gear mesh... personally. My summit is stock I see no need for extreme speed in the Summit.. if you want speed.. get an E Revo brushless system

[@nomusicrc]

Marvin Lyman cogging

[@XXXTITEXXX]

@RCJunky100 ok man, thanks for the reply

[@GarrettDevinMeyers]

@Autophysn you totally should!! I have one and I love it!!! I totally decked it out by putting machine guns and a grenade launcher on mine!! Fake of course!! But I use it in my Films and use movie Magic to add in muzzle flares and explosions!!!!

[@dirtydog111167]

i know this is old but do you remember your gearing

[@DanielTranin]

the wheelie bar you have used in this video is from which car?

[@LiveWire50183]

what gearing are you using in the speed runs at the beginning?

[@MeowBoxie]

That rattle noise doesn't sound so good lol, any gears stripped?

[@DanielTranin]

he remains waterproof with mamba monster?

[@InconsistentTechDad]

It's cogging people. That's because it's a sensorless motor trying to figure out which way to spin the magnets with the slow speed. not gears.

[@MrHamncheez]

This vid is 6 years old now. I've read elsewhere on rc forums that newer firmware updates have made cogging a much smaller issue with the mamba monster. Do you have any first hand experience with it? I'm contemplating going brushless for the longer run times.

[@InconsistentTechDad]

I own a mamba max pro not a mamba monster. In mine it has MILDLY improved. Nothing huge though. To answer your question though for crawling (which I do alot of) I stick with brushed for the simplicity, cheap replacments, and lack of a real need for more power anyway. For bashing, once you go brushless you'll never go back lol. If you haven't bashed or drove on a track with a LiPo + brushless setup... DO IT NAOOOOO! Lol you'll love it though seriously.

[@MrHamncheez]

I had a truggy that I ran brushless 3s, which was supposed to be supported, but I had to shim the diffs and I still wore out all the gears, and evenutally blew the ESC, caught the truggy on fire, and melted half of it. However, it was a very fun summer up to that point. I've clocked my dogs at 35 mph, and they could only pace it for a few seconds.

[@FreDCoDTrX]

Brushed=More torque to crawl and climb

[@jimbobber2125]

What does it cost to buy and build one like this??

[@roadrunnersrock57]

how fast is that going, please let me know Thanks

[@discusdog]

@MCGYVERTECH That sounds like cogging to me but doesn't seem too bad though

[@gamo98]

i had the same noise on my summit and i just change both the stearing servos to make sure i found the faulty one

[@nomusicrc]

gamo98 it’s called cogging look it up

[@nomusicrc]

How fast does it go in low gear

[@fillopygeesi]

DID YOU WEIGHT THE FRONT END

[@sgtpain28]

Where does this video take place

[@BuddyNutty]

@RCJunky100 how to you run the in series

[@badeshka1]

What's the rattling!??

[@Jakedorn11]

What is the clicking

[@gamo98]

it sounds like the servo gears are jumping not the spur gears

[@nomusicrc]

gamo98 it’s called cogging look it up

[@BuddyNutty]

what batteries are you running?

[@Bakkefication]

What does sensorless/sensor mean?

[@pierredamata1]

2200kv?

[@BuddyNutty]

@RCJunky100 so you double the volts i understand

[@POliver8888]

Sounds like gears grinding?

[@nomusicrc]

Paul Oliver cogging

[@TheCANhunter]

lock your diffs when crawling!

[@wilsontyler6565]

@RCJunky100 ok money is and an object lol so what exactly all do you have then i think ima just buy everything the same not to be a copy cat but i want a badass summit and yours is it!

[@StanAnderson82]

nice summit.... but its a rock crawler. if you want fast buy a e revo or tc 4. mine does 103. mph all for 230.00

[@elitecamaroz28]

@FreDCoDTrX Brushless has more torque than brushed.

[@jeremymeusec3328]

u dont want to do that to a summit....its a 4x4 truck,crawler,....if u want fast 4x4 look at the traxxis revo your changing the whole purpose of the truck..then y buy it...it comes stock 25 mph for a reaason...u can make it faster but u cant even controlTHAT summit .all im going to say is u dont buy a drift car and turn it into a monster truck .u should look around all kinds of diff cars for many diff things.if u do th same as he did promise u .will go bak to stock more funner lipo batt al uneed

[@jeremymeusec3328]

prob dont work....turned 4x4 into a losi street car prob to much juice for it to handle..plus he pro just upgraded the motor to go fast and dint upgrade anything else...its a street car now

[@MultiTIM1998]

at 0:6 theres a sqirrel

[@chriszampacorta8667]

Servo grinding

[@12345654321jc]

motor way to big and power for smaller transmission

[@jeremymeusec3328]

he screwed that up lol...u cant control the speed..and scrwed the crawlin ability...not a summit its nothin now

[@mrdropyourkdboy6595]

That's a 1/16

[@jeremymeusec3328]

BAD UPGRADE.....u bought the wrong truck to do that upgrade....u bought a 4x4 monster truck pretty much ..u turned it into a not controable speed.. u should of bouth a revo if u wanted to go fast...and it dosnt crawl worth crap.....the stock summit crawls way better then that watch some vids youll see what im talkin about...thats not a summit u ruined it....next time u should buy a drifter and turn it into a monster truck...make scence,,no..thats what u just did

[@KevinMillard68]

yup sounds like gears grinding for sure nasty stuff this truck was not made for brushless,

[@jeremymeusec3328]

u cant buy a car and turn it to somethin diffrntu can upgrade the car to make it better at what it does..not change what it is..u bought a truck that goes 25 mph out of the box.if u wanted speed why would u buy a truck that goes 25?I just think it dosnt make scence like oxy-moron..u cant even control that speed and im sure it flips every corner u take. U Ruined the 4x4 quick turning ability .and your motor screwed up your crawling speed.it even looked like yourlocked diffs whernt workin as well

[@BraedonBriscoe]

do you have a wheelie bar on it?