Stiletto Race Prep

[Darin Jordan]

Here is how I have my contacts for my ESC... I do this on all of these RTR ESCs...

[lonneyb]

I have NEVER seen a Stiletto that came with those Traxxas connectors... That's a new one...

To run a single pack is very simple... One side of the ESC wiring harness should have either two red, or two black wires going to it. Just make a jumper to tie these together on one side of the harness, and then plug in on the other side.

OR, if you want to solder on new contacts, just cut the red wire, and the black wire, near the existing contacts, and solder on a single set to the black and red wires.

As for Props... Jury is still out for me as to what is the "right" prop, but the Grim prop I tested in that video had a little bit of work done to it. Sharpened, balanced, back-cut, detounged, etc... There are lots of other prop options that will also work. An Octura X440/3 works well too.

Hey thanx for this!!...Well i got it in Canada where i Live so maybe those connectors are a Canadian thing?...hahaha....Im going to solder new connectors ...Im going with the deans as they work well for the 1/8 E buggy with the same battery no problems....and a Friend of mine in the field says the deans will handle as much as any other connector out there.......I cant wait for the lake to melt hahaha...and i dont know alot about props....the Octura x440/3 i can just buy it and put it on?
Thanx again

[lonneyb]

Here is how I have my contacts for my ESC... I do this on all of these RTR ESCs...

Awesome ..I just did the same but with the deans

[Darin Jordan]

the Octura x440/3 i can just buy it and put it on?
Thanx again

You'd be better getting one that is prepped. The Grim props tend to be closer to ready to go than the Octura. Steven may have some prepped stuff here on the OSE site.

Otherwise, it'll be out of balance and have dull edges, none of which will help you drive this boat.

[lonneyb]

Ok im new to boats ..dont want to change the motor out or anything just want it to perform the best it can with the minor stuff....Someone mentioned changing the flex cable and the prop ....so i thought Just the prop would help...and sorry to be so naive but how do i find the Store and steven you speak off.....and which grim with prep specs should i ask for?
Thanx again

[Darin Jordan]

Let me give you some advice, especially concerning this boat... Just go run it STOCK! Get the lower unit adjusted and the balance figured out, and go run it, stock prop and all.

It's going to be good for between 35-40mph, will run there for a decent amount of time, and will be tame enough for you to learn to drive this. It's NOT trivial to drive an OPC Tunnel. It wouldn't have been my first recommendation as a starter boat. The Miss Geico would have been a better entry point.

You have to learn to drive this, as well as get it setup correctly, as these aren't nearly as forgiving. Forget about trying to add speed to it... It's going to be faster than you can handle as it comes.

Drive the boat hard down the straights, EASE off the throttle SLIGHTLY to set the nose down and get it to start turning, then GENTLY EASE back onto the throttle as you go through the turns. If the boat starts to fly the nose in the turn and slide to the outside too much, resist the urge to add too much steering input, as it will eventually bite and roll on you. Instead, ease off the throttle to get the nose to bite again, then turn a little more, then get back into the throttle.

This should get you started. Go have some fun.

I'd also recommend you tape up the battery cover as best you can. You ARE going to end up upside down at some point, and water can get in there.

Look over the various threads here. People have already gone through all of this stuff. You can learn a lot.

When you get used to driving it like this, then we can start working on props.

In my opinion, the motor/ESC are fine for some really decent speeds. You just have to know how to setup the boat.

[lonneyb]

Thanx for that ...Ok ill run her as she goes...I did have a Tunnel hull not sure what "OPC" Tunnel is ..it was nitro with a K&B outboard which i still have ....thats why the Electric tunnel appealed to me.....When i had that i just drove it ..my dad set it up....so im trying to learn a bit about it ....but i will take your advice and just leave it stock and go play...and i REALLY appreciate the driving tips!...thats GREAT info to know where to start solving problems!
Thanx again

Lonney B

[Darin Jordan]

With the stock prop, once the lower unit is all setup correctly for height and angle, you should be able to "just drive it"... it will pretty much just fly through the corners at full tilt at that level of prep... It's when you start dancing on the edge with hotter setups that it becomes a little more of a challenge to drive!

[mickvk]

Cool thanx for that! ...So in essence i am going to eliminate the red wire that connects the 2 connectors together and make 1 connection from the 2 wires(red/black) from the esc...Correct?

Right. By leaving one wire connected it ensures that the polarity stays the same, then you add the other wire and you're all set with the ESC side.

The battery will be a little trickier. Search youtube for how to solder a traxxas connector.

let us know how she runs.

[lonneyb]

what does opc mean Outbord Powered ?

[lonneyb]

With the stock prop, once the lower unit is all setup correctly for height and angle, you should be able to "just drive it"... it will pretty much just fly through the corners at full tilt at that level of prep... It's when you start dancing on the edge with hotter setups that it becomes a little more of a challenge to drive!

Are the boat setups like the Cars sorta your own?or is there a way to take your setting for the lower unit and transfer them to mine...like i can do with ride height and droop on my cars?

[lonneyb]

ok connections are all done the boat is bound and everything works.......Where would a good place for the battery to be towards the front of the hull or butted up against the esc...it wont fit under the esc...and im only using 1 4s
Thanx again gang

[Darin Jordan]

Ooops! So THAT's where the limit of that ESC is!!

Blew a cap right off the end of the ESC. Dang.. there is a lot of "gunk" inside one of those things!

A little denatured alcohol and she's pretty much all cleaned up now...

For what it's worth... the part I was testing actually worked out fine.

[mickvk]

And the STINK right? I had a hull that reminded me I overloaded the electronics for about a darn year!

[Darin Jordan]

And the STINK right? I had a hull that reminded me I overloaded the electronics for about a darn year!

Yup... got most of the stink out as well. Could have been a lot worse.

She's almost all back together now. I'm reconfiguring some things to make swapping out parts easier. Tired of it taking 30-minutes everytime I want to change ESCs, and I also want more flexibility in battery placement.

For those of you following along, I was also testing a different setup on this boat. I think I may be onto something, thanks to a long and very helpful talk with Mike Z. (Grimracer). I'll give more details once I get more figured out. No secrets, just want to make sure I'm on the right track before I send anyone else down the same road.