cz, I could help you make any tyco as fast as you could ever want it
First thing in modifying a bandit is to use only the truck without a differential, trucks with the diff have weak gears and any mod motor will strip the gears
You can use the rc18 electronics just fine like I have with the outlaw. On the outlaw just changing the speed control alone doubled the power using the same voltage (7.2v). On a bandit you can do the same and I would imagine running even the 7.2v in the bandit would give you about the same if not more power than a bandit on 9.6v.
If you want to start out with a good brushed motor that will give you as much power as you ever will be able to control than go with the trinity monster 380 17turn motor, its the same one I have in the OFF-ROADER. You can run it with 7.2v and it will be fast as hell and if you have a speed control that runs it with Li-po batteries you can run up to 11.1v and it will totally scream.
If you run a brushless motor in it it will run a little bit faster but the biggest thing about the brushless is that it will hold all the voltage you can throw at it without burning up or needing any maintenance almost ever. If you ever got brave enough to run anything more than the 7.4v and brushless in it, it would either strip the gear or you would never be able to get the thing up to top speed
Remember that lipo and regular batteries put out much different power even at similar voltages and these are the voltages
Ni-cd Ni-mh Li-po
7.2v 7.4v
8.4v 11.1v
9.6
7.4v Li-po batteries will put out much more than the 7.2v nicd or nimh and they actually put out more power than even the 9.6v battery. Running the 11.1v lipo would be like running 2 9.6v batteries.
If you buy a speed control for it go with the mamba 1/18 scale micro pro. Not only will it handle lipo batteries but you can run either brushed or brushless on it. The greatest thing about it is you can plug it into your computer and actually adjust all your power curves and turn your power to where it kicks in exactly how much you want it to. You can ever set the map to where it has hardly any power and at any speed you want it can all kick in. I have turned the power on mine almost all the way down and its still more than enough. There are about 20 different things you can adjust on the speed control.
So basically you can run stock rc18 with the monster 380 and a 8.4v nimh and it will be all the power you could want or you could get a brushless and leave it at 7.4v lipo, be able to turn it down so you cant accidentally strip gears or spin out and still have all the power and speed you could want and your run time can be well over an hour on a lipo
Heres what to consider in making the truck go excess speeds:
1. What actually limits the top speeds of these trucks is the stability. To be able to achieve extreme high speeds would #1 require an exactly precise steering setup where you have absolutely no play in it and it must be arrow straight. Any movement in the steering will cause it to go out of control and crash horribly.
2. The suspension must not only be able to handle any little bumps that you know will be a factor at speeds but also be able to respond with the given surface. Whats happening is that the truck already is constantly bouncing meaning that the truck is breaking traction and the tires aren't locked to the ground, that is why they spin out so easily. The rear suspension just simply cannot travel as fast as it needs to respond due to there being more weight carried by the axle than the back of the truck. You would absolutely have to convert the front suspension and at least soften the rear. Not doing so the truck will be bouncing so much that any throttle above 25-30mph will cause a spin. Adding weight can help make up the difference and let the axle respond instead of just moving the entire truck up. As you know, the rear suspension stock serves almost no purpose besides a light cushion.
3. You can only go as fast as the tires will allow. Anything over 30mph and the tires will most likely start expanding which will not only cause them to possibly come off the wheels but also being as old as they are could damage them. The tires might be able to handle 30mph or even up to 60mph.
You may not be building a car to go more than 30mph but what you need to do is scale this down and us it for your advantage for any speed you want it to go. Anything more than stock and you need it to handle and be as stable as it can. Having a locked rear axle makes it much more likely to spin out than having a diff which you cant use in this case so anything to keep the truck straight is crucial to going hi speeds.
