WL Toys 144001 Upgrade: Brushless Speed Run Build and setup full Guide

The WL Toys 144001 is a small 1/14 scale 4wd buggy with a massively oversized brushed motor that can reach well over 30mph. When this massive brushed motor is replaced with a massive brushless motor the top speed can become over triple that with the right setup. The below guide goes into detail the build components I used for such a build, the build process and setup to optimise handling.

By now you've probably seen some wild speed run builds based on the WL toys 144001 of up to and over 100mph. At the top end of the scale these are highly customised with expensive race-oriented gear and outboard twin-battery power supply. The objective of my build was stealth: to retain the stock look, making everything fit (somewhat tightly) under the stock bodyshell and be bolt-on without the need for machining or fabrication i.e. as simple to replicate as possible. For this reason I have specifically chosen to run my car with stock gearing on 2-3s only. To that end here are the parts I chose and why,

Parts used for build:
I've separated this into power system for the key components...

Flycolor Lightning 80A Partial Waterproof Brushless ESC For 1/10 RC Car This was my favourite component. For those unaware Flycolor is an ESC brand with a strong heritage in quadcopter ESCs and I trust them. This ESC is very reasonably priced at $40-45 and had excellent build quality with support for sensored or sensorless motors and full programming by way of the power key. It supports 2-3s @ 80A continuous which is ideal for my build. You will need to solder power and motor wires (included) which allows you to keep short wire runs - crucial in this build

Racerstar 3650 Motor Brushless Waterproof Sensorless 1/10 RC Car. For me the ESCs are more important than motors so I wanted something fairly low priced with the right kV in 3650 size (540). This $15-$20 motor is available in many kV options: 2050, 2300, 3100, 3900, 4300, 5200, 5900 but since I am running 2s and 3s only I believe 5200kV should be good for long runs on 2s with stock gearing and short burst on 3s. These motors are made by the same people that make the GoolRC/Surpass motors

Contact 26mm 1/10 Nitro Sedan Foam Front Tires (2) (37 Shore) AND Contact 30mm 1/10 Nitro Sedan Foam Rear Tires (2) (37 Shore) These are very light, grippy and will not balloon at high speed. They're also supplied, true, preglued and are cheap. The online documentation is rubbish but these are the ones to get. "Shore" is a softness/grip rating, the lower the number the softer. To me, 37 feels about right.

China Hobbyline CNHL 4S 1800mah 100C cut down to 2s 1800mah 100C. I don't like any 2s batteries currently available that fit the 144001 because of their low c ratings. For this reason I took a 4s 1800mah 100C battery from CNHL that is capable of 180A continuous current and split into 2 x 2s 1800mah 100c batteries. I have seen this battery do those high current pulls for punch outs on my 4s quads so know they are legit. I do not recommend splitting down packs unless you are VERY familiar with lipo batteries but I am working with CNHL to bring something to market.

​GAONENG GNB 11.1V 2200mAh 3S 110/220C Lipo Battery. There are more options available in high C 3s batteries with the foot print to fit the 144001 and this is the one I would recommend - It will offer over 200A continuous from the cells but in practicality the connector will desolder itself at sustained current this high. Your car (specifically the top deck) will need modding to make this fit though

 ....and the boring but necessary parts

5 Pairs Amass XT60+. XT60 connectors are the best size and consistent performance for current pulls expected here. These ones are easy to solder and don't require heatshrink

​Flysky FS-A3 Receiver This little $6 receiver binds flawlessly to my Flysky GT5 transmitter. The gyro version is available at about $20 FS-B6

​JX Digital Servo 17g Metal Gear PDI-1181MG. I initially tried this super cheap servo from hobbyking but instantly regretted it and went back to the 1181MG

​​WL Toys 144001 spare motor mount. Please trust me and buy this part rather than trying to reuse the one in your car. They are almost impossible to remove without damaging something

Motor Pinion 27t For Wltoys 1/14 144001. If you think the motor mount is hard to remove, wait till you try the pinion. For $3 just order one!

...And the tools I recommend if you don't already have them.

TS100 65W Mini Electric Soldering Iron Station. This is the one tool that I didn't opt for the cheapest on and it makes soldering an absolute pleasure. I've had it 3 years now and the (replaceable) tip is finally starting to let go.

​580pcs Set Heat Shrink Tube Assorted Insulation Shrinkable PVC Tube 2:1 Wire Cable Sleeve Kit Heatshrink is the key to keeping soldered joins safe and looking tidy. All the colours you need in here.

​DANIU Electrical Cutting Plier Wire Cable Cutter These are cheap but small and precise so work well. Make clean cutting and insulation removal much easier.

Build process
Please see images below with description to take you through the build process. There is no cutting in this process.

First remove the top deck and set aside. Consider replacing with the metal top deck which offer greater rigidity. One of the few worthwhile metal parts.

Install the new motor with the new motor plate and pinion gear. You can get the metal spur gear if you want but I think it is heavy and unnecessary

Remove the stock 5-wire servo and replace with a 3-wire equivalent. Shown here is this cheap model from Hobbyking but I prefer the PDI-1181mg which is faster and stronger with metal gears

I didn't like this servo ball link in the stock location as it gave asymmetrical steering

This location was better but less clearance for wires.

The Flycolor lightning 80A ESC fits perfectly but you need to flip up the sensored wire cap to fit (sensor wire not used here)

Before refixing the topdeck, use as a template to trim the body to allow it to fit better and allow more airflow as per this article

Before you cut or solder ANYTHING you must be super clear about your wire routing. It is absolutely crucial if you want to fit under the stock body

This ESC requires soldering but has these beautiful posts with which to do so

Wires sticking up are for the battery and 12AWG from memory. Those lying flat are for the motor and were 14 or 16AWG. All were included with the ESC

See here where the motor wires have been trimmed with connectors removed and soldered directly to the ESC wires then heatshrinked (heatshrunk?) Battery wires are short with AMASS Xt60 used. Use minimum wires necessary to reduce space and reduce voltage drop.

The final article, Everything fits neatly beneath the shell on stock mounting posts. Stealth! Note I was just using these cheap wheels and tyres for mockup. Foams to be used for proper runs as these would balloon out.

Setup
When the car is running at this kind of speed you want to be very sure that all of the settings are dialled in straight and all of the stock items are performing at their peak. In order to do this, please follow the below articles to set up the following:

WL TOYS 144001 SETUP: 3 THINGS YOU MUST DO BEFORE YOU EVEN TURN IT ON
Front toe in needs to be dead straight as well as camber Fill your diffs to the brim with grease to give them the best chance of survival (and improve traction) and get your shock oil at the right level

WL TOYS 144001: FREE OR BUDGET UPGRADES (PART 2)
Go with a thick shock oil front and rear, 60wt is my recommendation. Fix up the rear to in and add the droop screws.

WL TOYS 144001 UPGRADE: WHEELBASE EXTENSION FOR HIGH SPEED STABILITY
This one is optional but recommended to improve high speed stability. You will lose the ability to run droop screws in the rear

Get some proper lock m3 nuts for the wheels because the stock ones are horrid. These ones from diatone work well or your local hardware store should have something. 

Adjust the suspension collars to that drive shafts are parallel with the ground front and rear for maximum efficiency. Once this is set, adjust the droop crews (if used) so that they allow the suspension the wheels to drop another 5mm or so when lifted so you are not sitting on the droop screws as this can mess with suspension feel.

The SKYRC GSM-015 appears to be the most reliable GPS for logging speed runs

Lastly if you are going to run speed running you will need a GPS unit. I've seen all sorts of options from bicycle computers that are limited to 99mph, gopros that will affect your aero, bluetooth modules that have poor refresh rates but the best, most reliable option I've seen is the SKYRC GSM-015. At $50-60 it's pricey for a standalone unit but appears reliable and can be mounted in a away that doesn't impact your aero.

That's it??!!
Unfortunately this is where the journey for this car ended. In September 2020 all of my RC cars were stolen from my garage so I sadly never got a run on this car, even a quick shakedown. My primary goal was to hit around 60mph or 100kph on 2s and perhaps a little faster on 3s but it was more about the build than the top speed as I never had the desire (or deep pockets) to compete with the guys out of Aussie (The RC Master and Sel Gules from the 144001 Facebook group in particular).

I will say that speed runs are hugely specific and although they look rewarding I feel I'm more about the bashing (on and off-road) which is why when the insurance money comes through I will likely repeat my brushless build with the smaller 2838 brushless combo as I wrote about in this article. Thanks for reading, I hope if nothing else this gives you some ideas for your own build.

Thanks for reading, if you found this article useful please feel free to like or share, the facebook links below directly link/like this article. Links are affiliated and help me buy the bits I need to produce this type of content. If you are looking for RC ​cars, quads or parts check out my coupons and discounts page which I keep updated with only the RC cars, parts and quads I like at a proper discount

Thanks for checking out my article and please let me know on my facebook page or in the 144001 group if it worked out for you. I've created a reference page below for all of the 144001 articles I've published here:
144001 UPGRADES - EVERY ONE OF MY GUIDES HERE.