*This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
When you just get your first RC car, you are probably super excited to take it out and have fun with it. When you take it out of the box and get everything ready and the batteries fully charged you are ready to use your RC car and have fun racing it.
When you race your RC car and it begins to smoke you may be freaking out! This is not normal, and I just ruined my new RC car!
If your brand new RC car is smoking it is probably an issue with the electric motor and for some reason it was produced incorrectly. Sadly, if there is smoke coming from your electric motor then it is probably ruined.
If you have recently replaced the motor and it is smoking, you may have fried the motor by over gearing the new motor. Thankfully new motors and RC cars have a warranty that will allow you to replace the broken motor or return the RC car without any problems.
It is never a good thing when you see smoke coming from an electronic engine. Most of the time this means that something went wrong and the motor itself is no longer working properly, and will soon not work at all.
To see the most popular RC brushless motors currently on the market just click here.
A good RC car doesn’t have to cost a fortune. This 1/16 scale model is 4WD and can reach a top speed of almost 30 MPH!
With speeds like that and 4WD you can take this RC car almost anywhere!
Can you ruin a RC brushless motor?
If your RC car has a brushless motor, you know that these are far more durable than a brushed motor. Because brushed motors can be ruined fairly easily, many people purchase the brushless to make sure that they do not ruin their RC cars.
The issue with this is that even though brushless motors do not break as easily, they are not indestructible, and can still be ruined.
You can ruin a brushless motor by simply over revving the motor. The magnets will be thrown off by too much heat or speed. Anything that can damage a brushless motor also has the ability to completely ruin it as well.
When you purchase your RC car, one thing you will want to make sure that you look closely at is the warranty on the vehicle. Even though an RC car will not set you back tens of thousands of dollars like an actual car, the warranty on the product will still help you if there is any damage.
This is one of the biggest reasons that many people purchase RC cars from Traxxas, and not any other brand. Traxxas has the best warranty for their RC cars, and they stand behind their work as well as every RC car that they produce.
Traxxas normally does not have any issues with their brushless motors not working or becoming damaged. If they do happen to have an issue though, you can simply contact Traxxas and they will replace it for free without any questions.
How long will a RC brushless motor last?
If you are purchasing an RC car, you want to know exactly how long the vehicle will last before it needs to be replaced. The most important part of the vehicle is the motor, which is why it is the most expensive.
Because there are many different motors that you can purchase and different brands many people are curious how long their motor will last. The brushless motor lasts considerably longer than a brushed motor, but exactly how long will it last?
A brushless motor will last tens of thousands of hours before it stops working. This means that if you use it for 20 hours a week, and use it every single week of every single year, the brushless motor will last you for 80-100 years!
The way that these motors are built is the main reason that people prefer these motors over the brushed motors. Not only do they last longer, but they also provide more power for the RC car.
Do you have to break in a brushless RC motor?
If you have ever purchased a new RC car before you know that you should break in a brushed RC car motor so the brushes wear evenly and you receive the best contact with the commutator. Because brushless RC car motors are fairly new, many people are not sure if it is still required to break in one of these motors.
Although people still choose to slowly break in their brushless motors, it is not a requirement as a brushless RC motor does not need to wear evenly since it does not have brushes. Not only do you not have to break in a brushless RC motor, but they produce more power than a brushed motor and work for far longer.
With all the positives that surround a brushless RC car motor many people are switching from a brushed motor to a brushless one. This is a very smart choice even though they’re more expensive, they far more than make up for it by how long they last and the extra power that they provide.
Most of the better quality RC cars that you go to purchase today will already come standard with a brushless motor. When it comes to RC cars you can purchase cheap ones, but you get what you pay for.
You may be better off to purchase a more expensive RC car now and for it to last you longer than to purchase a cheaper one now and for it to break within a month of buying it. Nobody wants to deal with the hassle of returning a broken RC car or fixing something that is damaged because you tried to save a few dollars.
Conclusion
If your RC car is smoking you definitely have an issue as that is not normal. Most of the time if you have an electric RC car and it is smoking that means that the electric motor has been fried.
Although this is obviously not a good sign it can also mean that the motor was faulty if you have recently purchased the RC car. The first thing you should do is contact the manufacturer to find out if the RC car is still under warranty.
If you go to purchase a new RC car you will definitely want to make sure you get one with a brushless motor as they have a far better power output as well as build quality. A brushless motor will last many years longer than a brushed motor as it does not have brushes that wear down overtime.
Even though you can ruin a brushless motor by over revving the engine most of the time there are limiters that are placed on RC cars that prevent you from ruining the motor this way. Obviously no one wants to break their RC car motor, but having extra safety precautions in place is always a good idea.
You also do not have to break in a brushless RC motor like you would a brushed one because you do not have to worry about the brushes wearing unevenly as a brushless motor does not have brushes. If your brand new RC car has a brushless motor all you need to do is take it out of the package, charge the batteries, and you are ready to race.
Even though brushless RC cars are more expensive than a brushed motor one, they are well worth the extra money and I highly recommend that you spend your money on a RC car with a brushless motor.