Hobbywing XR8 Pro 1/8 Competition Sensored Brushless ESC

I purchased 2 of these and both failed in the first summer. I'm guessing about 5 races, with practice. They both in my buggy and truggy quit running. I found that if I unplug the sensor wire it works. I'm still racing them that way and they perform very well. The sensor part is definitely not as good as the xr8 plus that I used to run.

First XR8 Pro G2 failed after third run. (Bought as Combo with HW 2200kv G3 motor). Unfortunately took three months, and two attempts at repair, (At my cost), with smoke coming out each repair, (HW Aus), The issue was not user error, as each time I reinstalled my old XR8 Plus ESC into same car to continue racing. Now new XR8 Pro G2 installed in buggy, but will not work with Hobbywing WIFI module. So cannot change any settings. (HW Aus has told me there will be no warranty on replacement ESC, so I can not send it in). Wifi module works with my other XR8 Pro G2 and XR8 Plus and XR10 ESCs, so its not the WIFI Module. Come on Hobbywing. What's going on with these new XR8 Pro G2 ESCs.

This thing is fantastic. I have no concerns about blowing it up in my 2s Street Eliminator. The design with all of the solder tabs on one long side helps to keep things organized. The dedicated port for the programmer or OTA module is appreciated. THe leads are long enough for my chassis needs. The subtle things like a full aluminum housing, protected caps, and enough spacing of the solder tabs are all great touches. The programming capabilities are plentiful....and appreciated. Once word gets out about this new ESC, the No Prep guys will be grabbing them....it is just that nice of an ESC.

Pros:
- Smaller footprint is nice (compared to the XR8 Plus)

Cons:
- Fan cover is plastic, whereas on the older XR8 Plus it was/is aluminum. Not a big deal as the plastic is fine.
- Power button wires are a bit short. Also not a big deal.
- Can't easily disconnect power button harness, if it were to ever get damaged (not that mine did).
- It dies. See below.

I got 2 weeks of use out of this with the combo 4268 motor in my Tekno EB48 2.0 ebuggy, which I only run on an off-road track with proper pinion gearing (ie, no drag racing / Bonneville salt flats top-speed runs / skatepark destruction derby / mudhole bashing / etc.). I did not have any of the boost/turbo stuff enabled. When it worked, the ebuggy drove fine, although I can't say I noticed any performance difference from the XR8 Plus I was running prior.

Out practicing at the track one day, I'm in the middle of a lap when I pull over to the side of the track for about 20 seconds to wait for my buddy to get nearby so we can continue racing. When I go to accelerate again, it suddenly doesn't respond. Steering still works, but ESC keeps beeping like it's rebooting every 2 seconds when giving it throttle. Checked wire connections, swapped sensor harnesses, tried disconnecting/reconnecting everything multiple times. The only thing that changes is, when the sensor wire is disconnected, light throttle input can get the motor to actually spin slowly, otherwise it won't spin at all. Also worth mentioning, when the problem began, all settings that I had programed in were reverted back to default, and any settings changes made now are still retained (so it only did a full reset to itself when the problematic behavior first started).

Messaged HobbyWing about it. Unfortunately, my warranty had expired as I didn't install it immediately after purchasing it. HobbyWing had me perform some basic diagnostics, swapping my old ESC and motor out to see if the problem is in the XR8 Pro ESC or the motor. Problem is in the ESC. They instructed me to send it in for inspection. But since I know my warranty is expired, and I've seen the other reviews here citing problems and how HobbyWing charges for the repairs, I knew I didn't want to sink more money into this ESC, so I just gave up and swapped back to my old XR8 Plus ESC. Should've never even bothered trying to replace something that wasn't broken.

I have bout 3 ... This is how they die... Flashing red light.... But am I am has been great... I have about 10 hw esc... Never had a failure with max series.. In have the 10 .. 8....and 5...xr8...i love them.. But a xr8 act... And now as of last. Night... 3...$200 xr8 pro... I'm not happy

very smooth, endless tunable features, easy to use, metal casing, powerful fan. buy the bluetooth OTA, worth every penny. such a easy to use and useful tool. i leave it in my tool box or carry it with me. tune on the phone app is so easy and zero issues. if you do come across any issues, OTA backside has a reset button. other brands should have this reset button, solves any connection issues instantly.

No complaints yet
Yes he works wonderfully !!! Very easy to tune with the app

The specs on this ESC states 2-4S, on 2S my does nothing but beep and flash red. 3s works fine, unfortunately I didn’t buy it to use with 3S

My first hobbywing product after a few recent mixed results with Muchmore and Performa ESC combo. This ESC I find hard to fault, it does the same as the two mentioned either the same or better.
Better:
more programable. The thing can purr like a kitten or unleash the hounds from hell (4s max sized hounds)
Easier to program/firmware up date via Bluetooth OTA and smart app. No more dragging a laptop to the track or need of an antique program card.
G3 motor and ESC run cooler. In the case of the motor I’d say 15-20c cooler which is amazing (G3 1900kv)
Telemetry back to device.
Plenty of hobbywing sponsored/supported videos explaining all the parameters. Bruno Coelho and The Charlie Show are really good.
Manual actually tells you what the parameters do which is nice.
Up to date pro setups from the likes of Tessman, Maifield and Rivkin.
On board capacitors and decent size too - the loose Performa ones are a PITA to mount safely.
Conclusion: Awesome. This ESC really is a benchmark that will force a few competitors to really pull up their socks or be left well behind. if the budget permits and the buy something itch needs scratching then this is worthy of consideration.