What motor/ESC for a Mini STe without breaking the bank
 

I've decided to get back in to RC and just purchased a Mini STe. Was wondering what motor/ESC combo to use that will give me good performance without costing an arm and a leg.

I am planning on going with 3s LiFe batteries and a Mamba Max Pro. I know I could save money with an HC ESC, but I like the fact that if something goes awry I can send it in for work/replacement.

I've been looking at Novak's HV series and the traxxas Velineon motor, both can be had pretty cheap, $40-$70 on the used market with the Velineon often being new/unused.

Use for the vehicle will be for mucking about on grass, dirt, asphalt, etc. I question if the Velineon will be powerful enough for this vehicle esp on grass. Is the Velineon ESC even worth considering as an option? I know it isn't nearly as versatile as the MMPro.

I know Neu and Medusa are the orders of the day, but I'm trying to get back in to the hobby at a reasonable price point. Also, since Medusa folded-up shop finding one of their motors in the kv I'm shooting for has been difficult.

I would go with the Novak HV motor over a vilineon. Esspecially if your already decided on the MMPro for the esc, you might as well take advantage of the sensored capability for the super smooth startups. I know from experience the 4.5 is great on 2s, 3s life I would recomend either the 5.5 or maybe 6.5

Is the Novak a good choice? I know they get a lot of action from the SC guys, but what about the casuals/bashers?

I ran mine in a CRT.5, essentially the same truck, the mini ste is just an updated version. All I did was bash with mine. This was long before the MMPro came out, I was using just a Mamba Max, no sensored operation, and the motor had amazing power, very smooth, and it stayed cool. I would definetely recomend the Novak over the velineon. If you can get your hands on a Medusa or Neu I think the Novak is the next best choice.