THURSDAY TESTIMONIALS: SMC Racing Totemic 17.5-turn brushless stock motor

0 March 23, 2017, 2:43 p.m.

By Joe Adragna
LiveRC.com

Whether it's wheel nuts, wings, tools, tracks, trinkets and/or anything in between, the LiveRC staff gives their testimonial and review of each every Thursday morning!

Back in December, SMC Racing introduced its lineup of Totemic brushless racing motors in popular spec-class winds - which joined the modified-class versions (which you can read about here) released in February 2016. The press release took direct issue with other brands cherry-picking the best motors off the assembly line and selling them for a premium price (you can read it here). Instead, SMC Racing says that each Totemic motor will perform as advertised.

The Totemic stock motor is housed in a black can, with gold-plated copper solder tabs and collector ring, and the venting holes are cut in the shape of what looks like an angry Jack-O-Lantern. SMC said that, while developing their new motor lineup, they found that reducing the coil resistance too far in search of motor power can hurt the motor's consistency, so they found a sweet spot with what they believe provides the best balance of power without fading sharply by the end of a typical five-minute run. Each Totemic spec motor comes with a 12.5mm rotor, though a 12.3mm option is available for higher rpm.

I’ve been racing the 17.5 class avidly for two years now and have made my rounds through all of the handpicked motors from other brands, and so I was excited to give the SMC Racing Totemic 17.5 a day of racing at my local astroturf track. High traction and an open course layout combine for a lot of stress on the powertain, and the demand for instant power emphasizes your motor’s abilities. After a couple of batteries, I settled on a 32-tooth pinion and 72-tooth spur gear, as the ratio gave the most punch without sacrificing top end performance, and kept the motor temperature in a safe range. I left the timing as it’s set from the factory - cranked all the way to 60 degrees - though I feel like that does put this motor right on the edge. My car is light and I run a fan, so I wasn't really worried; however, if I were running a short course truck I would look to back it off to the 40-45 degree range to better manage running temperature.

Highs:

Budget friendly cost
Grumpy faced motor can
Optional tuning rotors

Lows:

Timing is set too high for some applications from the factory

Conclusion:

Overall I feel SMC Racing has hit it out of the park with their new line of motors. For spec racing, the Totemic is comparable to the high-end motors available at a very budget friendly cost.

For performance, I’d rate the Totemic 17.5 a 4 out of 5. For value, it tops the meters at 5 out of 5. I believe SMC Racing have done a fine job of entering the highly competitive 17.5 market. For style, I must give the “grumpy faced” cut outs in the can a solid 5 out of 5, nothing like showing your competition some attitude with your motor can!

Beacon Rating: 5/5