Wondering what motor to put in your 1/10 buggy, stadium truck or short course truck? They run the same motors, so we counted them together. In 2WD stock, the most popular is the Hobbywing V10 G4R. In 4WD stock, it's the Trinity Slot Machine. In modified, it's the Hobbywing V10 G3. We counted the setups saved in the RC Setup App since January 2024.
The percentage under each motor is the share of racers in that section who run it. Check your class rules first, since they usually decide the wind. Counts updated November 2026.
Buy links to AMain may earn us a commission. That doesn't change the order: racers decide that.
Choosing the rest of the electronics? See the most popular ESCs, radios and servos for 1/10 off-road buggies and trucks. Running a 1/8 electric buggy or truggy? See the most popular 1/8 electric motors.
Most popular 2WD stock motors
514 racers named a stock motor and wind for a 2WD buggy or truck. 17.5 is the most common at 63%, then 13.5 at 30% and 21.5 at 20%. This is where the classes differ most: buggies are mostly 17.5, with 14% of buggy racers on a 13.5, while 84% of stadium truck racers and 69% of short course racers run one. Hobbywing leads at 35%, followed by Trinity at 13%, Reedy at 11% and R1 at 11%. This list covers motors with at least 15 racers.
- Hobbywing XeRun V10 G4R10%
- Reedy Sonic 540-SP58%
- Hobbywing XeRun Justock 3650 SD7%
- Hobbywing XeRun V10 G47%
- Trinity Slot Machine5%
- R1 Wurks V215%
- Trinity Revtech X Factor5%
- Fantom Helix3%
- Team Powers Actinium3%
- Team Exalt Phoenix3%
1. Hobbywing XeRun V10 G4R
10% of 2WD stock racers
The most popular 2WD stock motor in our count, and 78% of its racers run the 17.5. Across both drivetrains, nearly everyone who named an ESC pairs it with a Hobbywing. The button goes to a 17.5 combo with the XR10 Pro G3X ESC, a good buy if you need both.
Buy the 17.5T combo at AMain (opens in new tab)
2. Reedy Sonic 540-SP5
8% of 2WD stock racers
The most one-sided wind choice in this list: 85% of its racers run the 17.5. It's also one of only two stock motors here where Hobbywing isn't the top ESC. Across both drivetrains, about six in ten who named an ESC run a Reedy with it, and most of the rest a Hobbywing.
Buy the 17.5T at AMain (opens in new tab)
3. Hobbywing XeRun Justock 3650 SD
7% of 2WD stock racers
The most popular stock motor in short course, where a third of its racers run it, and the most evenly spread across winds: 47% on the 17.5, 29% on the 13.5 and 26% on the 21.5. It nearly always runs with a Hobbywing ESC.
Buy the 17.5T at AMain (opens in new tab)
4. Hobbywing XeRun V10 G4
7% of 2WD stock racers
Close between the 13.5 and the 17.5, at 46% and 40% of its racers, with 14% on the 21.5. The buttons go to the newer V10 G5, which 2% of 2WD stock racers already run.
Buy the G5 17.5T at AMain (opens in new tab) Buy the G5 13.5T at AMain (opens in new tab)
5. Trinity Slot Machine
5% of 2WD stock racers
75% of its racers run the 17.5. Hobbywing is the most common ESC with it across both drivetrains, with Tekin next. This count includes the original and the Slot Machine 2, which is the current version.
Buy the SM2 17.5T at AMain (opens in new tab)
6. R1 Wurks V21
5% of 2WD stock racers
More into the 21.5 than most: 52% of its racers run the 17.5 and 33% the 21.5. Hobbywing is the most common ESC with it, ahead of R1's own. The button goes straight to R1.
Buy the V21-HD 17.5T at R1 Wurks
7. Trinity Revtech X Factor
5% of 2WD stock racers
The most popular stock motor in stadium trucks, where 38% of its racers run it. It's split evenly between the 17.5 and the 13.5. If you're buying new, the button goes to Trinity's Slot Machine 2.
See the SM2 17.5T at AMain (opens in new tab)
8. Fantom Helix
3% of 2WD stock racers
80% of its racers run the 17.5. Hobbywing is the usual ESC with it across both drivetrains, though a few racers stay with Fantom's own.
Buy the V2.1 Works 17.5T at AMain (opens in new tab)
9. Team Powers Actinium
3% of 2WD stock racers
73% of its racers run the 17.5 and 27% the 21.5, nearly all in buggies. It's the other motor here where the maker's own ESC edges Hobbywing. The V5 is discontinued.
See the V5 at Hobby Addicts
10. Team Exalt Phoenix
3% of 2WD stock racers
Two-thirds of its racers run the 17.5 and 40% the 21.5, a few run both, and all of them are in buggies, and Hobbywing is the usual ESC with it. The Silver Spec is discontinued, so the button goes to the Bronze Spec.
Buy the Bronze 17.5T at 997 RC RacewayMost popular 4WD stock motors
174 racers named a stock motor and wind for a 4WD buggy or truck, and 4WD is a 13.5 class: 83% of them run one, 15% run a 17.5 and almost none run a 21.5. Hobbywing leads at 33%, followed by Trinity at 17% and Reedy at 11%. Nearly all of these racers are in buggies, at 97%. Fewer racers are spread across these motors, so this list covers those with at least 5.
- Trinity Slot Machine11%
- Reedy Sonic 540-SP59%
- Hobbywing XeRun V10 G4R8%
- Hobbywing XeRun V10 G47%
- Trinity Revtech X Factor4%
- R1 Wurks V214%
- Fantom Helix3%
1. Trinity Slot Machine
11% of 4WD stock racers
The most popular 4WD stock motor, and every one of its racers runs the 13.5.
Buy the SM2 13.5T at Horizon2. Reedy Sonic 540-SP5
9% of 4WD stock racers
75% of its racers run the 13.5 and 38% the 17.5, with some running both. That's the most 17.5 use of any motor in this list, so it's worth checking your class rules before you pick a wind.
Buy the 13.5T at AMain (opens in new tab) Buy the 17.5T at AMain (opens in new tab)3. Hobbywing XeRun V10 G4R
8% of 4WD stock racers
93% of its racers run the 13.5. The button goes to the newer V10 G5 in 13.5.
Buy the G5 13.5T at AMain (opens in new tab)4. Hobbywing XeRun V10 G4
7% of 4WD stock racers
92% of its racers run the 13.5. This button also goes to the newer V10 G5.
Buy the G5 13.5T at AMain (opens in new tab)5. Trinity Revtech X Factor
4% of 4WD stock racers
Still on plenty of cars, and every one of its racers runs the 13.5. For a new one, the button goes to the Slot Machine 2 that replaced it.
See the SM2 13.5T at Horizon6. R1 Wurks V21
4% of 4WD stock racers
Most of its racers run the 13.5. The button goes to R1's V21-HD in 13.5.
Buy the V21-HD 13.5T at 997 RC Raceway7. Fantom Helix
3% of 4WD stock racers
All of its racers run the 13.5, and as with the 17.5, most pair it with a Hobbywing ESC.
Buy the V2.1 Works 13.5T at AMain (opens in new tab)Most popular modified motors
383 racers named a modified motor and wind. 6.5 is the most common wind in both drivetrains, at 33% of 2WD modified racers and 31% of 4WD. Next is 7.5 in 2WD, at 20%, and 5.5 in 4WD, at 21%. Hobbywing leads at 45%, followed by Reedy at 11%. This list covers 2WD and 4WD together, since only these five motors reach 10 racers.
- Hobbywing XeRun V10 G320%
- Reedy Sonic 540 M-Series6%
- LRP X223%
- SkyRC Ares Pro3%
- Surpass Rocket3%
1. Hobbywing XeRun V10 G3
20% of modified racers
The clear favorite in modified, with more than three times the racers of anything else, and the top modified motor in buggies, stadium trucks and short course alike. 39% of its racers run the 6.5, with 13% each on the 8.5 and the 5.5. It leads in both drivetrains, at 18% of 2WD modified racers and 21% of 4WD, and nearly always runs with a Hobbywing ESC.
Buy the 6.5T at AMain (opens in new tab)
2. Reedy Sonic 540 M-Series
6% of modified racers
Spread across more winds than the G3: 6.5, 7.5, 8.5 and 6.0 all show up. Racers split evenly on the ESC between Reedy and Hobbywing. Some entered only "Sonic," so this count covers the Sonic mod line, and the button goes to the current M4.
Buy the M4 6.5T at AMain (opens in new tab)
3. LRP X22
3% of modified racers
Tied for third, with no single wind in charge: the 7, 6.5 and 5.5 all show up. Three in four run it in 2WD. Too few racers named an ESC with it to call a favorite.
Buy the 6.5T at AMain (opens in new tab)
4. SkyRC Ares Pro
3% of modified racers
The most 7.5-heavy motor here, with 58% of its racers on that wind. Every one of them runs it in a 2WD buggy, and Hobbywing is the usual ESC, on about three in four of the setups that name one.
Buy the V2.1 7.5T at Lindinger
5. Surpass Rocket
3% of modified racers
The 6.5 and 10.5 lead, with a few racers on each. 70% of its racers run it in a buggy and the rest in a short course truck, and every racer who named an ESC runs a Hobbywing.
See the V5R 6.5T at OZRC4WD short course trucks
Most 4WD short course racers don't enter a wind, and many list a motor by its size or kV instead, so very few of them are in the lists above. Of the 88 who named a model, the most common are the Hobbywing 3660 at 17%, the Hobbywing 3665 at 16% and the Tekin Pro4 at 12%.
How we counted
We count anonymous totals from setups saved in the app. A racer counts once per motor no matter how many setups they've saved, and a value only counts if the racer entered it themselves, not if it came along with a copied setup. A wind of 13.5 or higher counts as stock and anything lower as modified. A racer who runs more than one class or drivetrain counts in each. Motors that come in ready-to-run trucks, like the Traxxas Titan and Velineon, aren't counted, since their wind doesn't match a racing class. Plenty of racers leave out the model or the wind, so these rankings only cover the ones who entered both.
