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You are probably familiar with Power Wheels, a popular ride-on kids' toy, whether you bought one for your child or found yourself riding on one. When a child is young, the speed may seem a little fast. As your child grows up, you may find yourself wondering if there is a way to soup it up. After all, they are fairly large and expensive toys, so why not try to make them age with your child?
A standard Power Wheel typically comes with a brushed battery. The battery is made to maintain a certain speed/power. A Power Wheels brushless motor will not be held back, which will create a powerful yet efficient ride on motor.
In this article, you will learn the basics of brushless motors. You will also find out if your power wheels are capable of handling the change to a different motor. If you are interested in upgrading speed and power using a brushless motor, look no further. Read on to find out how to make your kids' (or your) Power Wheels the talk of the street. If you want to learn more about upgrading a power wheels motor in general, click here.
What Makes a Brushless Power Wheel Motor Different?
A traditional power wheel motor will allow only a set speed. The motor will hold back power with the use of friction. This can cause a lot of strain on the motor and allows heat to build up. If you or your child have ever ridden a Power Wheel until the battery died, you know just how hot one gets.
A brushless motor works without the use of friction on the rotor because nothing ever comes into contact with it. A brushless motor uses the electronic transfer of energy. You can also control the motor with a circuit board and sensors, which are more expensive but are worth it for the speed and power.
A brushless motor has many great benefits, including:
- More power
- Less wear and tear
- Longer battery life
- Longer charge time
- Higher speeds
- No need to replace brushes in the motor
- Power drains differently
Now that you know how they differ from each other, you may find yourself wondering if your particular Power Wheels can use a higher-power motor or a brushless motor.
Can You Change Any Power Wheel to a Brushless Style?
For the most part, you can change any Power Wheels motor to a brushless style motor. Some smaller Power Wheels may not be able to handle the speed on their smaller wheels. It is better to only use a brushless motor on better made and larger Power Wheels.
While it can be easily done, there are reasons why it could be a bad idea. As mentioned above, smaller Power Wheels may not be able to handle the power. The wheels could pop off or dull down, even more, when it is going at a higher rate of speed.
It is important to keep in mind that these motors were technically made for a certain speed, so anything different may make the actual body not hold up as well as it could. You can still put a brushless motor in a Power Wheel, just like many changes their R.C. cars and tools to have brushless motors for better power and efficiency.
Is It Hard to Change a Power Wheels Motor to Brushless?
It is not hard to change a Power Wheels stock motor to a brushless motor. You will need to remove a few parts and switch out the motors.
Every Power Wheels will be different, but for the most part, replacing the motor will require you to:
- Remove the wheels
- Disconnect wires to the gearbox
- Slide the gearbox out
- Remove the original motor
- Buy a new pinion in some cases
- Install the new motor
- Connect all of the wires back
You can find many different YouTube videos on popular Power Wheels models to see a walk-through on how to replace the motor. While it is fairly easy to change a motor, it is important to remember that if you are making this for your child and you still are having a hard time figuring out what to do after watching instructional videos, stop and ask for help. You don't want to unintentionally put your child in danger.
Three Power wheels Brushless Motor Options
There are quite a few choices when it comes to picking the right brushless motor for your Power Wheels. Below you will find the highest-rated brushless motors on Amazon. Here are a few motors to choose from one that would like to splurge a little on or a more budget-friendly one.
Kunray Electric Brushless Motor
This brushless motor can be used for several different projects, including Power Wheels. It is 2000 watts and 48 volts. Some of the other features this motor can control include:
- Brake lights
- E lock
- Hall
- Indicator light
- Motor phase
- Reverse
- Three speeds – Low, med, and high)
- Two brake controls
It has an 11 teeth sprocket and is heat resistant with low noise quality. It is a great quality motor kit that comes with the motor itself, a controller, and a throttle.
Mophorn Electric Brushless Motor
This motor has higher ratings and can power go-karts. It is perfect for running a Power Wheel. It is small and quiet compared to other brushless motors. The 1800 watts is a powerful yet efficient model. This motor is also 48 watts. This motor can reach very high speeds because of its 4500-5200 RPM. It can be easily mounted and changed out with the current motor.
Kunray Brushless Motor
Another Kunray made this list due to the higher ratings and quality. It also comes with a handle that you can switch between speeds and toggle between forward and reverse effortlessly. This motor is powered by 3000 watts and 72 volts, making it by far the most powerful of the three. While it is the most expensive on the list, it is with good reason. Some of the features found with this motor include:
- 11 teeth
- Anti-theft
- Anti-theft power supply
- Battery +
- Cruise
- Hall
- Hard Boot
- High speed
- High-level brake
- Low speed
- Low-level Brake
- Motor phase
- Power lock
- Reverse
- Throttle
The motor is also fairly easy to put together as the site has diagrams for you to follow that are pretty straightforward. Keep in mind it is very fast and may not be the right fit for use with a child. If you want to relive some glory days, climb in the power wheels and floor it, and reach speeds of over 50 mph, then this is the motor for you.
Power Wheels and Brushless Motors
It is easy to see that brushless motors are worth the extra cost, whether it's to give your kid a bit more speed or to handle an adult's weight. Brushless motors will last longer and give you more power than you would get otherwise. Ditch the stock motor and supe up your Power Wheel with one of the brush list motors on the list, and you will be the talk of your block in no time.
