Yeah Racing has released a new ESC. The Hacktonic ESC is available for Touring, Drifting, or Crawling. Each model is specifically setup via the internal programming for the intended use. They are also available as combos, with a 21.5T, 7.5T, or 5.5T 540 motor. The ESC is a 120a brushless speed control capable of 1s or 2s operation. We picked up the “Touring” ESC and 5.5T motor combo from RC Mart to try out in our Tamiya XV-01 Pro rally car.

One issue I did not anticipate was that the setup would come presoldered, and the wires were much too short for this application. The XV-01 mounts the motor way up front, and the tray for the ESC is toward the back of the car. We would have needed 9″ long motor wires, and about the same for a sensor cable. So for the purposes of this test, I mounted the ESC closer to the front of the car. Less ideal, but it worked out just the same.

There is a small block of capacitors that hang off the ESC with about a 2″ wire. Be mindful of that when you are figuring out where to mount your ESC, you’ll need a spot to secure the caps.

This is a Hackmoto 5.5T XTA 540 size sensored motor. We left the can at the stock 0° of timing.

From this angle, that mesh looks loose. But trust me it’s ok. We used a 23t pinion, with the stock XV-01 spur.

This is the Programming card. This unit will be included with the first 100 combos sold, and after that it will be available separately. Well worth having, it makes tuning the ESC a breeze.

Here’s a video of the programming card in action. You’ll see how easy it is to setup this ESC.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/hp7ZVdzzqq8[/youtube]

Like I mentioned earlier, our combo came presoldered. I don’t know if this will be the case on all combos, as we got an early version. You can see how short our wires were in relation to how long we needed them to be.

We took the car out in multiple locations. I tried it out on dirt, on the street in front of my house, and in a dusty parking lot, just to name a few. I pushed the ESC and motor hard, trying to find any weaknesses. After you read the scores, checkout the video at the bottom for some running clips. I wish I had our radar gun. This combo is certainly fast.

Now for the scores.

Value	At the time of this writing, the ESC/Motor combo is about $150. For the performance we’ve seen, that is a steal.
Build Quality	The ESC itself is built quite well. I’m not a big fan of the Caps hanging off on wires, but the small footprint of the ESC makes up for it. The motor is constructed well, with no issues experienced during our testing.
Performance	This combo is stout. Tons of top speed. Even with a little timing in the ESC, I had no issues with heat. The included ESC fan keeps temps in check. I will say the fan is a little loud, but it does a good job keeping the ESC cool.
Durability	At this point I have about 20 packs on this ESC/motor combo. I have not had a single issue.
Would I buy again?	Without a doubt I would purchase this ESC/Motor combo again. While the ESC’s come programmed for Touring, Drifting, or Crawling, you can update any of the three to the same features as the others by using the optional usb programming adapter. I will be trying this combo in an offroad setup soon to see how it does. I imagine it will perform well in that application as well.

Overall I give the Yeah Racing Hacktronic ESC and 5.5T Hackmoto motor a 9.5 out of 10. Tons of performance, excellent build quality, super easy tuning. All at a price that is very hard to beat. Can’t ask for much more than that.

Checkout the running video below.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/gqljQJ0P_E0[/youtube]