Powerful esc, wasted when used with standard motor?

[Boons]

Hi guys,
I have a new Tamiya Mini M05 that comes with Tamiya's TEU105BK esc. I can change the esc but our club only allows the standard silver can motor. I also like the reverse feature. So would a more powerful esc be worth it if I can't change the motor?

[SlowOne]

It's unlikely. A better speedo will not get as hot and will therefore be more efficient, but the margins are tiny with a brushed motor. You'd be better off buying a trayfull of silver can motors and testing them all on a dyno to find the most powerful. That would give you more performance increase than changing the speedo.

The other thing that will give you more go is carefully preparing the silver can motor. There's a thread here (http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric-road/104289-silver-can-motor-tips-tricks.html) that is very long, but can give you some hints and tips. HTH :)

[terry.sc]

Simple answer, yes a high end brushed ESC will give you better performance from any brushed motor. But you won't be pulling several feet on your fellow racers down the straight, as you will only be getting a fraction of a volt extra power to the motor.

A high end ESC will give you more adjustability, so you could have a smoother or more aggressive power delivery or braking, but the differences are much smaller with a 540. I would recommend a decent brushed ESC, especially over Tamiyas offerings, but if you are looking at buying something like a new Tekin FX-R rather than something cheap off ebay, as Pete says you will get better performance picking a motor from a selection and bedding in the brushes an polishing the bushings than changing the ESC.

Take as much weight as possible out of the chassis (hollow carbon M03 gear shafts for example) and learning to drive smoothly and keep the speed up in the corners so you can gear up for extra speed.

[mattr]

A better ESC will help with allowing you to drive smoothly, as you can feed the power in with much more control than with a cheaper ESC.

On the motor front, i also dabble with scalextric and a common trick for the top guys there is to buy a box of motors (dozen or so) then run them all in (in water, 3v supply, two hours, ramping up speed, and so on) then put them on a basic dyno to check them out. Then discard (or sell on) the worst 80% of the motors and use the rest for racing.......... the same thing applies to silver cans in RC, the difference between a new, well run in, well looked after, *top end of tolerance* motor and one you just pull out of the box and run could be 5% or more.

[johnnygibbon]

all i can say is
THANK GOD FOR BRUSHLESS technology

[SlowOne]

Oh yes, that brushless technology...

So they buy a new motor about every three months, go through two or three speedos to find the best one, and then have to change it all every time a better motor comes out! It's OK for the Off-Road guys and anyone else who doesn't run Stock classes, but just ask the TC Clubmans guys how many motors and speedos they've been through in the last twelve months!

Then, when you've had that motor a few races, it's time to by a new rotor because the old one is 'tired'. And that's after you've bought the option rotors to test which one is fastest.

Brushless is just the same as brushed, except the speedos and motors cost three to five times as much! In so many respects brushless is a better technology than brushed, and I for one would not want to go back. But please let's not give the impression that you can get around all this faffing around with speedos and motors if you go brushless - life ain't like that!

[Col]

Oh yes, that brushless technology...

So they buy a new motor about every three months, go through two or three speedos to find the best one, and then have to change it all every time a better motor comes out! It's OK for the Off-Road guys and anyone else who doesn't run Stock classes, but just ask the TC Clubmans guys how many motors and speedos they've been through in the last twelve months!

Then, when you've had that motor a few races, it's time to by a new rotor because the old one is 'tired'. And that's after you've bought the option rotors to test which one is fastest.

Brushless is just the same as brushed, except the speedos and motors cost three to five times as much! In so many respects brushless is a better technology than brushed, and I for one would not want to go back. But please let's not give the impression that you can get around all this faffing around with speedos and motors if you go brushless - life ain't like that!


And that's exactly why I have never, and will never, race a controlled class! (or buy secondhand anything that's been anywhere near a touring car)