How hot can a Velineon motor get?

All RC motors, especially the Velineon motors, are prone to excessive heat, especially when run in the wrong conditions. 

However, If the RC motor overheats more than normal, it may significantly reduce the performance of your RC car. If your RC car uses a Venlineon motor, you need to know how hot it can get to prevent unwanted motor damage.

We will discuss everything about Velineon motors in this article to help you know why they get hot and how to keep them cool. So, how hot can Velineon motors get?

Velineon RC motor works best at 160°F

Averagely, Velineon motors can function well between 160°F to 180°F. 200°F is where you should start to worry about the motor getting too hot. 

And while the maximum temperature wouldn’t change whether your run a 4s or 6s, for most Velineon motors, 140°F to 160°F is the sweet spot, and you generally don’t want to go over 180°F. 

the Ideal running temp for the Traxxas Velineon motor

Traxxas Velineon motors get hot really fast. 

If you own a Traxxas Velenion 380 BL motor (1/16 E-Revo), the best running temperature will be 140°F. Traxxas Velineon also works well at 150°F. However, getting over this temperature limit may cause more harm than good.  

Technically, getting into the red zone of excessive heat won’t immediately result in catastrophic failure. Rather, when you continue to operate them in extreme temps, it increases the likelihood of failure and reduces the motor’s lifespan.

Velineon motors are brushless

The Velineon motor is also represented with the acronym VXL which means Velineon Brushless Power System.

Hence, If you have an RC car that uses a Velineon motor, it means the RC car has a brushless motor. 

How hot is too hot for a brushless motor?

If a brushless motor is getting to only between 140°F to 160°F and for some brushless models, 180°F, then the temperature is normal, and there shouldn’t be any problem for the motor. 

However, if the motor is getting hot enough to smoke and desolder its wires, then you’ve got a problem

180°F is hot, no doubt for some models, but 200°F is bad. Excessive temps like this can demagnetize the motor and causes power loss.

You never want your brushless motor’s temperature to pass 180°F or higher. If this happens, you damage the motor’s magnet and incur expensive repairs. 

Can a Velineon motor overheat?

You can’t expect any vehicle setup to run nice and cool and work for general bashing when it’s geared and volted wrongly. When it is geared poorly and used for long, it will get hotter and shut down even before 10 minutes into your driving routine. 

Velineon motors overheat due to various reasons: 

• Your Velinion motor will become too hot if the temperature passes the maximum temps limit, which is 160°F. 
• Also, the motor can get hot if the gearing set is too tall. If this happens, you need to reduce the pinion size or increase the size of the spur gear. 
• Apart from this, a Velineon motor may also overheat from continuous running. 
• The motor may also generate excessive heat if the ESC does not fit the motor and exceeds the continuous current time. In this case, where the running time exceeds normal, you may have to get a large-sized ESC to maintain a balanced motor temperature. 

What can happen when your Velinoen motor overheats?

When your Velineon motor exceeds maximum temperature limits, rotor damage is the biggest challenge you face. 

The rotor is the part of the motor that spins. When heated over 176°F (80°C), the rotor magnets will quickly weaken and lose their magnetic properties. This makes them permanently demagnetized, especially when exposed to high temperatures (curie temperature) for a longer time.

The good news is that most brushless motors come with thermal overload protection, which will shut down the motor if it reaches a critical temperature. On the other hand, you want to avoid “thermaling” after every run.

keep your Velineon motor cool

While most people rely on heat sinks to keep their Velineon system cool, the best way to keep them cool is to look after the pinon gears and avoid running your RC vehicle in the sand and grass-filled terrains. 

If your RC vehicle uses a 12t motor with 23 pinions, it means you are over geared, and your motor may heat more than normal. Running the RC car in grass or wet condition can also drastically increase your motor temperature. 

But that’s not all! When you run your RC vehicle at the highest speed and stop instantly and improve the running speed again, the motor tends to overheat. The best way to avoid this is to constantly maintain a normal speed ratio while running the RC car.

How hot should Traxxas motors get? 

Traxxas motors aren’t as exceptional as many people think. In fact, they aren’t capable of reaching 180°F without overheating.  

If you own a Traxxas motor, you need to ensure that they do not exceed 160°F since passing this temperature level can destroy your RC motor. A good running temperature for Traxxas motors will be between 140°F to 150°F. 

Conclusion

Each RC motor has its temps limits it cannot exceed to function well. Most RC motors have a standard temperature of 160°F, while some can run up to 180°F. 

Traxxas motors usually can’t reach this temperature range since they only work well till 160°F. 

If your RC brushless motor temperature exceeds the expected temperature, you need to take a break from racing or lower your gearing and speed to avoid expensive damage to the motor and RC car.